WHY I LOVE DEAD KENNEDYS (AND YOU SHOULD TOO)

If you claim to be an avid punk rock fan but have never listened to a single Dead Kennedys record – or song for that matter – then it is time to brush up on some punk rock history.

Admittedly, I was a mere three-year-old in 1986, the very year the band disbanded, so I never got to experience firsthand their journey to hardcore infamy. And at eighteen years old in 2001, I clearly jumped on the Dead Kennedys bandwagon very late to the game. But the minute I listened to Frankenchrist – a graduation gift from an anarchist punk acquaintance who wore his hair in multi-colored spikes every day – my perception of what I knew about authentic punk rock was shattered. I worked my way backwards through their discography and educated myself on hardcore history. To date there is no band, even the legendary greats I love dearly such as Subhumans and Bad Brains, that is held in a higher esteem to me than Dead Kennedys.

[quote type=”center”]

Among all punk rock aficionados, there remains a constant disagreement as to who remains the best punk band of all time. Nevertheless, there are a handful of bands always on the contender list: The Ramones. The Sex Pistols. Black Flag. The Misfits. The Clash. Bad Brains. Bad Religion. Dead Kennedys.

And I will vigorously defend that Dead Kennedys deserves to be number one on that list. [/quote]

Established in 1978, the original lineup (each with their own alias) consisted of singer Jello Biafra (Eric Reed Boucher) along with bassist Klaus Flouride (Geoffrey Lyall), guitarist East Bay Ray (Raymond John Pepperell), and drummer and percussionist Ted (Bruce Slesinger). Their first single, “California Uber Alles” – an obvious play on the phrase “Deutschland über alles” – attacked then-governor of California Jerry Brown (who, ironically, is currently the governor of the state yet again) using mordant imagery to portray Brown’s vision of a fascist America:

[quote]I am Governor Jerry Brown.
My aura smiles.
And never frowns.
Soon I will be president…
Carter Power will soon go away.
I will be Fuhrer one day.
I will command all of you.
Your kids will meditate in school. – California Über Alles[/quote]

Their follow-up single, the brilliant juxtaposition of “Holiday in Cambodia,” contrasted the smug Western mentality of superiority with the ruthless and oppressive Pol Pot communist regime of Cambodia, and remains one of their most well-known songs. If I could go back in time for one reason only, it would be to simply experience the sweaty fervor of the mosh pit at their shows, as evidenced by this live performance.

Their 1980 debut album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, remains their most critically and commercially successful album in their lifespan. The LP was full of macabre but comical tongue-in-cheek statements like “Kill The Poor” and “I Kill Children.” But government corruption was always the forefront of the group’s focus; unmistakable in tracks such as “When Ya Get Drafted” and “Chemical Warfare.” However, shortly after the album’s release, Ted left the band to pursue a career in architecture, and was replaced with D.H. Peligro (Darren Henley).

The crusade against politics continued with their fast and high-tempo follow-up EP In God We Trust, Inc. an LP that told Nazi punks to “fuck off” and forcefully attacked organized religious institutions with “Moral Majority” and “Religious Vomit.” The cover itself was enough to enrage Christians, as it featured Jesus being crucified on a cross made of dollar bills.

The album was full of quick songs (the shortest, “Hyperactive Child” clocking in at just 37 seconds) and showcased the rapid drumming style of newly-joined Peligro. Any and all fans of hardcore should have this record in their collection, as it continues to be an influential component of the underground punk rock story.

Their second full-length record Plastic Surgery Disasters, incorporated more musical variety in their sounds, including surf-rock, jazz, and psychedelic while retaining their trademark thrash style. Even a hint of ska could be detected in “Terminal Preppie:”

As “Terminal Preppie” indicated, they were not always creatively motivated by religion and politics. Their hilarious take on rockabilly in “Jock-O-Rama”, featured on Frankenchrist, is a perfect sardonic ode to those stereotypical, southern small towns whose residents’ lives fully revolve around high school football.

[quote]Now boys, this game ain’t played for fun.
You’re going out there to win!
How do you win?
Get out there and snap the other guy’s knee! – Terminal Preppie [/quote]

It is not difficult to understand why the Dead Kennedys attracted such a following, especially among the youth. Their social commentary was easily relatable, whether they were railing against a shady proprietor or lamenting a degrading workplace. Take the lyrics of the cleverly alliterated “Let’s Lynch the Landlord”.

[quote]The Landlord’s here to visit.
They’re blasting disco down below.
Says, “I’m doubling up the rent.
Cause the building’s condemned.
You’re gonna help me buy City Hall.
But we can, you know we can.
But we can, you know we can.
Let’s lynch the landlord man!- Let’s Lynch the Landlord[/quote]

Or their accurate interpretation of the nine-to-five drudgery in “At My Job”.

[quote]Your time card says that your name’s Joe.
But we’ll call you 6-3-0.
I’m working at my job.
I’m so happy.
More boring by the day.
But they pay me.
All that time spent going to school.
Just to end up following rules. – At My Job [/quote]

Additionally, their fantastic cover of Johnny Paycheck’s timeless and always applicable “Take This Job and Shove It” has been my go-to-song any time I have dreamed of abruptly leaving my job and giving everyone the finger on my way out.

One characteristic I have always admired is the constant wit in their lyrics; always delivered with a snide jab at the stupidity and cruel indifference of mainstream America. Biafra’s voice always dripped with satire, sarcasm, and morbidity. He had a signature feature in shifting lyrically from playing the observer of society’s madness to singing from the point of view of the antagonist. Take the sardonic composition of an apathetic culture in “Soup is Good Food”.

[quote]We’re sorry.
We hate to interrupt.
But it’s against the law to jump off this bridge.
You’ll just have to kill yourself somewhere else.
A tourist might see you.
And we wouldn’t want that! – Soup is Good Food[/quote]

The irony in their songwriting skills was often lost on the very simple-minded folk the band continued to mock in their songs, making their music that much more palatable. For instance, talk show host Phil Donahue mistakenly referred to the band on his show as Nazi punk simply because of their song, “Nazi Punks Fuck Off.” Their track, “M.T.V. Get Off The Air,” railed against the mainstream music industry as well as MTV itself, and is perhaps even more relevant now than it was in 1985. Combine all this sharp wit with furious, lightning-fast drumming, intelligent songwriting, and their signature ominous bass riffs, and you’ve got a sound truly unique to only the Dead Kennedys.

Despite their falling out shortly before their 1986 breakup and their disappointing 2001 reunion sans original lead singer Jello Biafra, the group remains one of the most instrumental punk bands of all time nearly 30 years later. Chances are, many of the punk acts you listen to have been influenced by Dead Kennedys in one way or another. Many of their songs, including “California Uber Alles” and “Holiday in Cambodia,” have been covered countless times by acts from various musical genres.

Among all punk rock aficionados, there remains a constant disagreement as to who remains the best punk band of all time. Nevertheless, there are a handful of bands always on the contender list: The Ramones. The Sex Pistols. Black Flag. The Misfits. The Clash. Bad Brains. Bad Religion. Dead Kennedys.

And I will vigorously defend that Dead Kennedys deserves to be number one on that list.

The band infuriated a lot of people in their heyday – starting with, naturally, their name, which many incorrectly assumed to be a tasteless insult to the many deceased members of the Kennedy family. They were forward-thinking when it came to music piracy long before the days of the internet, as the original In God We Trust, Inc., tape held the following instructions on Side Two: “Home taping is killing record industry profits! We let this side blank so you can help.” The Parents Music Resource Center were furious after the band featured penis and vulva artwork on the record sleeve of Frankenchrist. As a result, the band faced obscenity charges for “distribution of harmful matter to minors.” Their single, “Too Drunk to Fuck” was considered too risqué in 1981, and subsequently banned from radios. Some record stores refused to stock the single, while some owners opted instead to put stickers over the song title. The band responded in kind by supplying a sticker which said “Caution: you are the victim of yet another stodgy retailer afraid to warp your mind by revealing the title of this record so peel slowly and see.” Dead Kennedys consistently offended representatives from both political spectrums and religious organizations, and rallied against censorship and a society that emphasizes profit over people. They stayed true to their ideologies, refusing to compromise or put quality over profit.

Any one of these acts separately are badass – taken collectively, they are the epitome of commitment to the genre and the values it represents. And what could possibly be more punk rock than that?