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Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and politician. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
punk rock band
Dead Kennedys Dead Kennedys are an American punk rock band that formed in San Francisco, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk rock, punk bands during its initial eight-year run. Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, sa ...
. Initially active from 1979 to 1986, Dead Kennedys were known for rapid-fire music topped with Biafra's sardonic lyrics and biting social commentary, delivered in his "unique quiver of a voice". When the band broke up in 1986, he took over the influential
independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...
Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 in San Francisco, California. It was used by Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single " California Über Alles". After realizing the potential for an independent label, t ...
, which he had founded in 1979 with Dead Kennedys bandmate
East Bay Ray Raymond John Pepperell (born November 17, 1958), better known by his stage name East Bay Ray, is an American musician best known as the guitarist for the San Francisco Bay area-based punk band Dead Kennedys. His guitar work was heavily influence ...
. In a 2000 lawsuit, upheld on appeal in 2003 by the California Supreme Court, Biafra was found liable for breach of contract, fraud and malice in withholding a decade's worth of royalties from his former bandmates and ordered to pay over $200,000 in compensation and punitive damages; the band subsequently reformed without Biafra. Although now focused primarily on spoken word performances, Biafra has continued as a musician in numerous collaborations. He has also occasionally appeared in cameo roles in films. Politically, Biafra is a member of the
Green Party of the United States The Green Party of the United States (GPUS) is a federation of Green state political parties in the United States. The party promotes green politics, specifically environmentalism; nonviolence; social justice; participatory democracy, grassroot ...
and supports various political causes. He ran for the party's presidential nomination in the 2000 presidential election, finishing a distant second to
Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. The son of Lebanese immigrants to the Un ...
. In 1979 he ran for mayor of
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
, California. He is a staunch believer in a free society, and utilizes shock value and advocates
direct action Direct action originated as a political activist term for economic and political acts in which the actors use their power (e.g. economic or physical) to directly reach certain goals of interest, in contrast to those actions that appeal to oth ...
and pranksterism in the name of political causes. Biafra is known to use absurdist media tactics, in the leftist tradition of the
Yippies The Youth International Party (YIP), whose members were commonly called Yippies, was an American youth-oriented radical and countercultural revolutionary offshoot of the free speech and anti-war movements of the late 1960s. It was founded on D ...
, to highlight issues of
civil rights Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from infringement by governments, social organizations, and private individuals. They ensure one's entitlement to participate in the civil and political life of ...
and
social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, opportunities, and privileges within a society. In Western and Asian cultures, the concept of social justice has often referred to the process of ensuring that individuals fu ...
.


Early life

Eric Reed Boucher was born in
Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...
, the son of Virginia (née Parker), a librarian, and Stanley Wayne Boucher, a
psychiatric Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psychiatry. Initial psy ...
social worker Social work is an academic discipline and practice-based profession concerned with meeting the basic needs of individuals, families, groups, communities, and society as a whole to enhance their individual and collective well-being. Social work ...
and poet. His sister, Julie J. Boucher, was Associate Director of the Library Research Service at the Colorado State Library; she died in a mountain-climbing accident on October 12, 1996. He has a
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
great-grandparent, but was unaware of this until he was in his mid 40s. Due to his secular upbringing and lack of knowledge of his distant Jewish ancestry until adulthood, he does not consider himself Jewish. As a child, Boucher developed an interest in international politics that was encouraged by his parents. An avid news watcher, one of his earliest memories was of the
John F. Kennedy assassination John F. Kennedy, the 35th president of the United States, was assassinated on Friday, November 22, 1963, at 12:30 p.m. CST in Dallas, Texas, while riding in a presidential motorcade through Dealey Plaza. Kennedy was in the vehicle wi ...
. Boucher became a fan of
rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as " rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States an ...
after first hearing it in 1965, when his parents accidentally tuned in to a rock radio station. As a teenager, his high school guidance counselor advised him to spend his adolescence preparing to become a dental hygienist.


Musical career


Colorado bands

In 1977, he served as a
roadie The road crew (or roadies) are the technicians or support personnel who travel with a band on tour, usually in sleeper buses, and handle every part of the concert productions except actually performing the music with the musicians. This catc ...
for a local band called The Ravers (who later changed their name to
The Nails The Nails were originally a five-piece new wave band that formed in Boulder, Colorado in 1976. In Colorado, they were originally named The Ravers. The band members were Marc Campbell (lead vocals, guitar), Dave Kaufman (keyboards), Al Leis (dru ...
), helping set up their equipment at shows, including as an opener for the
Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first true punk rock group. Despite achieving a limited commercial appeal in the United ...
. The job ended shortly after the Ramones show, when The Ravers were offered a record contract and left Colorado. Boucher credits seeing
Joey Ramone Jeffrey Ross Hyman (May 19, 1951 – April 15, 2001), known professionally as Joey Ramone, was an American musician, best known as the lead singer and a founding member of the punk rock band Ramones. His image, voice, and his tenure with the R ...
as inspiration to become a singer, and the Ramones lyrics for inspiring the use of humor in his own songs. Shortly after graduating high school, he formed a band called The Healers, with John Greenway and an unknown third member. Boucher has described The Healers music as "banging on instruments we didn't know how to play when our parents weren't home". While never playing a show, the band made recordings, including an early version of "
California Über Alles "California Über Alles" is the debut single by American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. It was the group's first recording and was released in June 1979 on the Optional Music label, with "The Man with the Dogs" appearing as its B-side. The tit ...
", but did not want any of it to be released to the public. Some of their music was made available on a 2009 compilation of late 1970s Colorado punk bands titled ''Rocky Mountain Low'', including the original version of "California Über Alles", which
Maximum Rocknroll ''Maximumrocknroll'', often written as ''Maximum Rocknroll'' and usually abbreviated as ''MRR'', is a not-for-profit monthly zine of punk subculture. Based in San Francisco, ''MRR'' focuses on punk rock and hardcore music, and primarily featu ...
described as experimental improv in their review. Boucher left Boulder to attend the
University of California, Santa Cruz The University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz or UCSC) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Santa Cruz, California. It is one of the ten campuses in the University of California syste ...
, but dropped out after the first quarter of the school year.


Dead Kennedys

In June 1978, Boucher responded to an advertisement placed in a store by guitarist
East Bay Ray Raymond John Pepperell (born November 17, 1958), better known by his stage name East Bay Ray, is an American musician best known as the guitarist for the San Francisco Bay area-based punk band Dead Kennedys. His guitar work was heavily influence ...
, stating "guitarist wants to form punk band", and together they formed the Dead Kennedys. He began performing with the band under the stage name Occupant, but soon began to use the stage name Jello Biafra, a combination of the brand name
Jell-O Jell-O is an American brand offering a variety of powdered gelatin dessert (fruit-flavored gels/jellies), pudding, and no-bake cream pie mixes. The original gelatin dessert ( genericized as jello) is the signature of the brand. "Jell-O" is a ...
and the short-lived African state
Biafra Biafra, officially the Republic of Biafra, was a partially recognised secessionist state in West Africa that declared independence from Nigeria and existed from 1967 until 1970. Its territory consisted of the predominantly Igbo-populated form ...
. Biafra initially attempted to compose music on guitar, but his lack of experience on the instrument and his own admission of being "a fumbler with my hands" led Dead Kennedys bassist
Klaus Flouride Geoffrey Lyall (born May 30, 1949), better known as Klaus Flouride, is an American musician best known as the bassist and backing vocalist for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography' ...
to suggest that Biafra simply sing the parts he envisioned to the band.V. Vale, ''Incredibly Strange Music, Vol. 2'', RE/Search Publications, 1995 Biafra sang his riffs and melodies into a tape recorder, which he brought to the band's rehearsal and/or recording sessions. This later became a problem when the other members of the Dead Kennedys sued Biafra over royalties and publishing rights. By all accounts, including his own, Biafra is not a conventionally skilled musician, though he and his collaborators (
Joey Shithead Joseph Edward "Joey Shithead" Keithley (né Keighley; June 3, 1956)
is a Canadia ...
of
D.O.A. DOA may refer to: * Dead on arrival * Dead or Alive (disambiguation) Film * ''D.O.A.'' (1949 film), a ''film noir'' * ''D.O.A.'' (1988 film), a remake of the 1949 film * '' D.O.A.: A Rite of Passage'' (1980 film), a documentary on the gene ...
in particular) attest that he is a skilled composerKeithley, Joe. ''I, Shithead''.
Arsenal Pulp Press Arsenal Pulp Press is a Canadian independent book publishing company, based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The company publishes a broad range of titles in both fiction and non-fiction, focusing primarily on underrepresented genres such as un ...
, 2004.
and his work, particularly with the Dead Kennedys, is highly respected by punk-oriented critics and fans. The first single by Dead Kennedys was their version of "
California über alles California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
". The song, which spoofed California governor
Jerry Brown Edmund Gerald Brown Jr. (born April 7, 1938) is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as the 34th and 39th governor of California from 1975 to 1983 and 2011 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected Secretary of S ...
, was the first of many political songs by the group and Biafra. Its popularity resulted in being covered by other musicians, such as
The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy were an American hip-hop musical ensemble, active during the early 1990s. The band was formed in 1990 by Michael Franti (vocals, production, misc. instruments) and Rono Tse (drums, percussion, programming), w ...
(who rewrote the lyrics to parody
Pete Wilson Peter Barton Wilson (born August 23, 1933) is an American attorney and politician who served as the 36th governor of California from 1991 to 1999. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as a United States senator from California bet ...
),
John Linnell John Sidney Linnell ( ; born June 12, 1959) is an American musician, known primarily as one half of the Brooklyn-based alternative rock band They Might Be Giants with John Flansburgh, which was formed in 1982. In addition to singing and songwri ...
of
They Might Be Giants They Might Be Giants (often abbreviated as TMBG) is an American alternative rock band formed in 1982 by John Flansburgh and John Linnell. During TMBG's early years, Flansburgh and Linnell frequently performed as a duo, often accompanied by a d ...
and Six Feet Under on their ''
Graveyard Classics ''Graveyard Classics'' is a cover album by American death metal band Six Feet Under. It includes cover versions of such classic rock hits as "TNT" by AC/DC, "Smoke on the Water" by Deep Purple, and "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix. It is the b ...
'' album of cover versions. Not long after, the Dead Kennedys had a second and bigger hit with "
Holiday in Cambodia "Holiday in Cambodia" is a song by American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. The record was released as the group's second single in May 1980 by Optional Music with "Police Truck" as the B-side. The photograph on the front cover of the single was ...
" from their debut album ''
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables ''Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables'' is the debut studio album by the American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. It was first released on September 2, 1980, through Cherry Red Records in the United Kingdom, and I.R.S. Records in the United States. ...
''. ''
AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
'' cites this song as "possibly the most successful single of the American hardcore scene" and Biafra counts it as his personal favorite Dead Kennedy's song. The Dead Kennedys received some controversy in the spring of 1981 over the single "
Too Drunk to Fuck "Too Drunk to Fuck" is the fourth single by Dead Kennedys. The record was released in May 1981 on Cherry Red Records with "The Prey" as the B-side. Both songs from this single are available on the rarities album ''Give Me Convenience or Give ...
". The song became a hit in Britain, and the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
feared that it would manage to be a big enough hit to appear among the top 30 songs on the national charts, requiring a mention on ''
Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British Record chart, music chart television programme, made by the BBC and originally broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show ...
''. However, the single peaked at number 31 in the charts.Biography of Jello Biafra
" (2001). ''AlternativeTentacles.com''. Retrieved February 19, 2005.
The EP '' In God We Trust, Inc.'' contained the song "
Nazi Punks Fuck Off! "Nazi Punks Fuck Off" is the fifth single by Dead Kennedys. It was released in 1981 on Alternative Tentacles with "Moral Majority" as the B-side. Both are from the ''In God We Trust, Inc.'' EP, although the EP version is a different recordin ...
" as well as "We've Got A Bigger Problem Now", a rewritten version of "California über alles" about
Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
. Punk musician and scholar
Vic Bondi Vic Bondi is an American singer-songwriter and one of the founding members of political Chicago hardcore punk band Articles of Faith. He went on to form Alloy, and Jones Very after AoF's demise. At the time of AoF's original breakup Bondi was wo ...
considers the latter song to be the song that "defined the lyrical agenda of much of hardcore music, and represented its break with punk". The band's most controversial album, ''
Frankenchrist ''Frankenchrist'' is the third album by the American hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys, released in 1985 on Alternative Tentacles. The album is an example of the progressive, psychedelic side of Dead Kennedys' musical personality. The spaghetti We ...
'', brought with it the song "MTV Get Off the Air," which accused
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
of promoting poor quality music and sedating the public. The album also contained a controversial poster by Swiss
surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...
artist
H. R. Giger Hans Ruedi Giger ( ; ; 5 February 1940 – 12 May 2014) was a Swiss artist best known for his airbrushed images that blended human physiques with machines, an art style known as " biomechanical". Giger later abandoned airbrush for pastels, mark ...
entitled ''
Penis Landscape ''Penis Landscape'', or ''Work 219: Landscape XX'', is a painting by H. R. Giger. Created in 1973, airbrushed acrylic on paper-covered wood, it measures . It depicts a number of penises entering vaginas, arranged in an alternating pattern. One i ...
''. The Dead Kennedys toured widely during their career, starting in the late 1970s. They began playing at San Francisco's Mabuhay Gardens (their home base) and other Bay Area venues, later branching out to shows in southern Californian clubs (most notably the
Whisky a Go Go The Whisky a Go Go (informally nicknamed "the Whisky") is a historic nightclub in West Hollywood, California, United States. It is located at 8901 Sunset Boulevard on the Sunset Strip, corner North Clark Street, opposite North San Vicente Boul ...
), but eventually they moved to major clubs across the country, including
CBGB CBGB was a New York City music club opened in 1973 by Hilly Kristal in Manhattan's East Village. The club was previously a biker bar and before that was a dive bar. The letters ''CBGB'' were for '' Country'', '' BlueGrass'', and '' Blues'', Kri ...
in New York. Later, they played to larger audiences such as at the 1980 Bay Area Music Awards (where they played the notorious " Pull My Strings" for the only time), and headlined the 1983 Rock Against Reagan festival. On May 7, 1994, punk rock fans who believed Biafra was a "
sell out Sell Out may refer to: * Selling out, the compromising of principles in exchange for success * ''Sell Out'' (Halfcocked album), 1998 *'' $ell Out'', a 1999 album by Pist.On *'' The Who Sell Out'', a 1967 album by the Who * "Sell Out" (Reel Big Fish ...
" attacked him at the
924 Gilman Street The Alternative Music Foundation located at 924 Gilman Street, often referred to by its fans simply as "Gilman", is a non-profit, all-ages, collectively organized music club. It is located in the West Berkeley area of Berkeley, California, about ...
club in
Berkeley, California Berkeley ( ) is a city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in northern Alameda County, California, United States. It is named after the 18th-century Irish bishop and philosopher George Berkeley. It borders the cities of Oakland and Emer ...
. Biafra claims that he was attacked by a man nicknamed Cretin, who crashed into him while
moshing Moshing (also known as slam dancing or simply slamming) is an extreme style of dancing in which participants push or slam into each other, typically performed to "aggressive" live music such as heavy metal and punk rock. Moshing usually happen ...
. The crash injured Biafra's leg, causing an argument between the two men. During the argument, Cretin pushed Biafra to the floor and five or six friends of Cretin assaulted Biafra while he was down, yelling "Sellout rock star, kick him", and attempting to pull out his hair. Biafra was later hospitalized with serious injuries. ''Allmusic'' having had both his legs broken. However, a July 1994 issue of ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...
'' claims that his injuries included "extensive damage to the ligaments of one knee as well as a superficial head wound."
The attack derailed Biafra's plans for both a Canadian spoken-word tour and an accompanying album, and the production of '' Pure Chewing Satisfaction'' was halted. However, Biafra returned to the Gilman club a few months after the incident to perform a spoken-word performance as an act of reconciliation with the club. Biafra has been a prominent figure of the Californian punk scene and was one of the third generation members of the San Francisco punk community. Many later hardcore bands have cited the Dead Kennedys as a major influence.Biafra's spoken word work has been less influential to other artists than his music. However, Biafra's spoken word work is often mentioned by Sean Kennedy as being a major influence on his work: "Episode 2". ''SKTFMTV''. By Sean Kennedy. Perf. Sean Kennedy, Jello Biafra
Rantmedia
.
Hardcore punk author
Steven Blush Steven Blush is an American author, journalist, record collector and film maker who is best known for his book ''American Hardcore'' and the movie of the same name. Blush has written five books, is the founder of ''Seconds'' magazine and has w ...
describes Biafra as hardcore's "biggest star" who was a "powerful presence whose political insurgence and rabid fandom made him the father figure of a burgeoning subculture nd aninspirational force hocould also be a real prick ... Biafra was a visionary, incendiary erformer" After the Dead Kennedys disbanded, Biafra's new songs were recorded with other bands, and he released only spoken word albums as solo projects. These collaborations had less popularity than Biafra's earlier work. However, his song "That's Progress", originally recorded with
D.O.A. DOA may refer to: * Dead on arrival * Dead or Alive (disambiguation) Film * ''D.O.A.'' (1949 film), a ''film noir'' * ''D.O.A.'' (1988 film), a remake of the 1949 film * '' D.O.A.: A Rite of Passage'' (1980 film), a documentary on the gene ...
for the album ''Last Scream of the Missing Neighbors'', received considerable exposure when it appeared on the album '' Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1''.


Obscenity prosecution

In April 1986, police officers raided Biafra's house in response to complaints by the
Parents Music Resource Center The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was an American committee formed in 1985 with the stated goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes via labeling albums ...
(PMRC). In June 1986, L.A. deputy city attorney Michael Guarino, working under City Attorney
James Hahn James Kenneth Hahn (born July 3, 1950) is an American lawyer and politician. A Democrat, Hahn was elected the 40th mayor of Los Angeles in 2001. He served until 2005, at which time he was defeated in his bid for re-election. Prior to his term a ...
, brought Biafra to trial in Los Angeles for distributing "harmful material to minors" in the Dead Kennedys album ''
Frankenchrist ''Frankenchrist'' is the third album by the American hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys, released in 1985 on Alternative Tentacles. The album is an example of the progressive, psychedelic side of Dead Kennedys' musical personality. The spaghetti We ...
''.Guarino alleged that a family claimed that the poster had harmed their children. This was the first instance of a musician on trial for obscenity. Many sources cite the trial of
2 Live Crew 2 Live Crew is an American hip hop music, hip hop group from Miami, Florida, which had its greatest commercial success from the late 1980s to the early 1990s. The group's most well-known line up was composed of Luther Campbell, Luke Campbell, Fr ...
as the first, but that trial was three years after Biafra's.
However, the dispute was about neither the music nor the lyrics from the album, but rather the print of the H. R. Giger poster ''Landscape XX'' (''
Penis Landscape ''Penis Landscape'', or ''Work 219: Landscape XX'', is a painting by H. R. Giger. Created in 1973, airbrushed acrylic on paper-covered wood, it measures . It depicts a number of penises entering vaginas, arranged in an alternating pattern. One i ...
'') included with the album. Music author Reebee Garofalo argued that Biafra and Alternative Tentacles may have been targeted because the label was a "small, self-managed and self-supported company that could ill afford a protracted legal battle." Facing the possible sentence of a year in jail and a $2,000 fine, Biafra,
Dirk Dirksen Dirk Dirksen (August 25, 1937 – November 20, 2006) was a music promoter and emcee of the San Francisco punk rock clubs Mabuhay Gardens and On Broadway in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Dirksen was nicknamed the "Pope of Punk." Dirksen was bor ...
, and Suzanne Stefanac founded the No More Censorship Defense Fund, a benefit featuring several punk rock bands, to help pay for his legal fees, which neither he nor his record label could afford. The jury deadlocked 5 to 7 in favor of acquittal, prompting a mistrial; despite a motion to re-try the case, the judge ordered all charges dropped. The Dead Kennedys disbanded during the trial, in December 1986, due to the mounting legal costs; in the wake of their disbandment, Biafra made a career of his spoken word performances. Biafra has a
cameo role A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
in the 1988 film ''
Tapeheads ''Tapeheads'' is a 1988 comedy film directed by Bill Fishman and starring John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Sam Moore and Junior Walker. The film was produced by Michael Nesmith, who briefly appears as a bottled water delivery man. Plot After losing th ...
''. He plays an
FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and its principal Federal law enforcement in the United States, federal law enforcement age ...
agent who arrests the two protagonists (played by
Tim Robbins Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film ''The Shawshank Redemption ''(1994), and has won an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards for his role ...
and
John Cusack John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his ol ...
). While arresting them his character asks "Remember what we did to Jello Biafra?" lampooning the obscenity prosecution. On March 25, 2005, Biafra appeared on the U.S. radio program ''
This American Life ''This American Life'' (''TAL'') is an American monthly hour-long radio program produced in collaboration with Chicago Public Media and hosted by Ira Glass. It is broadcast on numerous public radio stations in the United States and internation ...
''
"Episode 285: Know Your Enemy"
which featured a phone call between Jello Biafra and Michael Guarino, the prosecutor in the ''Frankenchrist'' trial.


Lawsuit and reunion activities

In October 1998, three former members of the Dead Kennedys sued Biafra for nonpayment of royalties. The other members of Dead Kennedys alleged that Biafra, in his capacity as the head of
Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 in San Francisco, California. It was used by Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single " California Über Alles". After realizing the potential for an independent label, t ...
records, discovered an accounting error amounting to some $75,000 in unpaid royalties over almost a decade. Rather than informing his bandmates of this mistake, the suit alleged, Biafra knowingly concealed the information until a
whistleblower A whistleblower (also written as whistle-blower or whistle blower) is a person, often an employee, who reveals information about activity within a private or public organization that is deemed illegal, immoral, illicit, unsafe or fraudulent. Whi ...
employee at the record label notified the band. According to Biafra, the suit resulted from his refusal to allow one of the band's most well-known singles, "
Holiday in Cambodia "Holiday in Cambodia" is a song by American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. The record was released as the group's second single in May 1980 by Optional Music with "Police Truck" as the B-side. The photograph on the front cover of the single was ...
", to be used in a commercial for
Levi's Levi Strauss & Co. () is an American clothing company known worldwide for its Levi's () brand of denim jeans. It was founded in May 1853 when German-Jewish immigrant Levi Strauss moved from Buttenheim, Bavaria, to San Francisco, California, to o ...
Dockers; Biafra opposes Levi's because of his belief that they use unfair business practices and sweatshop labor. Biafra maintained that he had never denied them royalties, and that he himself had not even received royalties for re-releases of their albums or "posthumous" live albums which had been licensed to other labels by the Decay Music partnership. Decay Music denied this charge and have posted what they say are his cashed royalty checks, written to his legal name of Eric Boucher. Biafra also complained about the songwriting credits in new reissues and archival live albums of songs, alleging that he was the sole composer of songs that were wrongly credited to the entire band. In May 2000, a jury found Biafra and Alternative Tentacles liable by not promptly informing his former bandmates of the accounting error and instead withholding the information during subsequent discussions and contractual negotiations. Biafra was ordered to pay $200,000, including $20,000 in
punitive damages Punitive damages, or exemplary damages, are damages assessed in order to punish the defendant for outrageous conduct and/or to reform or deter the defendant and others from engaging in conduct similar to that which formed the basis of the lawsuit. ...
. After an appeal by Biafra's lawyers, in June 2003, the California Court of Appeals unanimously upheld all the conditions of the 2000 verdict against Biafra and Alternative Tentacles. Furthermore, the plaintiffs were awarded the rights to most of Dead Kennedys recorded works—which accounted for about half the sales for Alternative Tentacles. Now in control of the Dead Kennedys name, Biafra's former bandmates went on tour with a new lead vocalist.


Other bands

In the early 1980s, Biafra collaborated with musicians Christian Lunch and
Adrian Borland Adrian Kelvin Borland (6 December 1957 – 26 April 1999) was an English singer, songwriter, guitarist and record producer, best known as the frontman of post-punk band the Sound. Following a substantial musical career spanning numerous group ...
(of The Sound) and
Morgan Fisher Stephen Morgan Fisher (born 1 January 1950) is an English keyboard player and composer, and is most known as a member of Mott the Hoople in the early 1970s. However, his career has covered a wide range of musical activities, and he is still ac ...
(of
Mott the Hoople Mott the Hoople were an English rock band formed in Herefordshire. Originally known as the Doc Thomas Group, the group changed their name after signing with Island Records in 1969. The band released albums throughout the early 1970s but fail ...
) for the
electropunk Electronic rock is a music genre that involves a combination of rock music and electronic music, featuring instruments typically found within both genres. It originates from the late 1960s, when rock bands began incorporating electronic instrum ...
musical project
The Witch Trials The Witch Trials was a one-off musical collaboration between Jello Biafra (of Dead Kennedys), Adrian Borland (of the Sound), Morgan Fisher (of Mott the Hoople Mott the Hoople were an English rock band formed in Herefordshire. Originally ...
, releasing one self-titled EP in its lifetime. In 1988, Biafra, with
Al Jourgensen Alain David Jourgensen (born Alejandro Ramírez Casas; October 9, 1958) is a Cuban-American singer, musician and music producer. Closely related with the independent record label Wax Trax! Records, his musical career spans four decades. He is be ...
and
Paul Barker Paul Gordon Barker (born February 8, 1959), also referred to as Hermes Pan, is the former bass guitarist, producer and engineer of the industrial metal band Ministry from 1986 to 2003. Prior to Ministry, Barker provided bass for the Seattle ...
of the band
Ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...
, and Jeff Ward, formed
Lard Lard is a semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering the fatty tissue of a pig.Lard
entry in the o ...
. The band became yet another side project for Ministry, with Biafra providing vocals and lyrics. According to a March 2009 interview with Jourgensen, he and Biafra are working on a new Lard album, which is being recorded in Jourgensen's El Paso studio. Jourgensen also claimed in 2021 that Biafra was in works of a new Lard album. While working on the film '' Terminal City Ricochet'' in 1989, Biafra did a song for the film's soundtrack with D.O.A.. As a result, Biafra worked with D.O.A. on the album ''
Last Scream of the Missing Neighbors ''Last Scream of the Missing Neighbors'' is a punk album by Jello Biafra of Dead Kennedys and Canadian band D.O.A., released in 1990. It is notable for "Full Metal Jackoff," a furious 14-minute song that touches on then-relevant topics such as Wil ...
''. Biafra also worked with
Nomeansno Nomeansno (sometimes stylized as NoMeansNo or spelled No Means No) was a Canadian punk rock band formed in Victoria, British Columbia and later relocated to Vancouver. They issued 11 albums, including a collaborative album with Jello Biafra, a ...
on the soundtrack, which led to their collaboration on the album ''
The Sky Is Falling and I Want My Mommy ''The Sky Is Falling and I Want My Mommy'' is an album recorded by Jello Biafra with the Canadian punk band Nomeansno. The project came about after Nomeansno and Biafra had collaborated (on the song "Falling Space Junk (Hold the Anchovies)") for th ...
'' the following year. Biafra also provided lyrics for the song "Biotech is Godzilla" for Sepultura's 1993 album ''
Chaos A.D. ''Chaos A.D.'' is the fifth studio album by Brazilian heavy metal band Sepultura, released in 1993 by Roadrunner Records. The album saw a stylistic departure from the band's earlier thrash metal style,Barcinski & Gomes 1999, page 131. by featuri ...
''. In 1999, Biafra and other members of the anti-globalization movement protested the WTO Meeting of 1999 in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...
. Along with other prominent West Coast musicians, he formed the short-lived band the No WTO Combo to help promote the movement's cause. The band was originally scheduled to play during the protest, but the performance was canceled due to riots. The band performed a short set the following night at the Showbox in downtown Seattle (outside the designated area), along with the hiphop group Spearhead. No WTO Combo later released a CD of recordings from the concert, entitled ''
Live from the Battle in Seattle ''Live from the Battle in Seattle'' is the only album released by anti-globalization punk band The No WTO Combo. Of the five tracks on the album, only two, "New Feudalism" and "Electronic Plantation", are original songs. "Let's Lynch the Landlo ...
''. As of late 2005, Biafra was performing with the band The Melvins under the name "Jello Biafra and the Melvins", though fans sometimes refer to them as "The Jelvins". Together they have released two albums, and worked on material for a third collaborative release, much of which was premiered live at two concerts at the
Great American Music Hall The Great American Music Hall is a concert hall in San Francisco, California. It is located on O'Farrell Street in the Tenderloin neighborhood on the same block as the Mitchell Brothers O'Farrell Theatre. It is known for its decorative balconies ...
in San Francisco during an event called Biafra Five-O, commemorating Biafra's 50th birthday, the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Dead Kennedys, and the beginning of legalized same-sex marriage in California. Biafra was also working with a band known as Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, which included Ralph Spight of Victims Family on guitar and Billy Gould of
Faith No More Faith No More is an American rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before settling on the current name in July 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/r ...
on bass. This group debuted during Biafra Five-O. In 2011, Biafra appeared in a singular concert event with an all-star cast of Southern musicians including members from
Cowboy Mouth Cowboy Mouth is an American band based in New Orleans, Louisiana known for fusing alternative rock with album-oriented rock, roots rock, and jam band influences. Formed in 1992, the band saw early mainstream success in the 1990s, including th ...
,
Dash Rip Rock Dash Rip Rock is an American rock band. Originally playing rockabilly and country music, the band is best known for its cowpunk sound, which mixes punk rock, rockabilly, hard rock, country and boogie. ''The New York Times'' stated that Dash Rip ...
, Mojo Nixon and Down entitled, "Jello Biafra and the New Orleans Raunch & Soul All Stars" who performed an array of classic Soul covers to a packed house at the 12-Bar in New Orleans, Louisiana. He would later reunite with many of the same musicians during the Carnival season 2014 to revisit many of these classics at Siberia, New Orleans. A live album from the 2011 performance, '' Walk on Jindal's Splinters'', and a companion single, ''Fannie May''/''Just a Little Bit'', were released in 2015.


Alternative Tentacles

In June 1979, Biafra co-founded the record label Alternative Tentacles, with which the Dead Kennedys released their first single, "California über alles".In
Dead Kennedys v. Jello Biafra
, Cal.App.1 Dist.,2003 A094272, the label was legally formalized in 1981 but it existed informally since 1979. Biafra became the sole owner of the label in 1986.
The label was created to allow the band to release albums without having to deal with pressure from
major label A record label, or record company, is a brand or trademark of music recordings and music videos, or the company that owns it. Sometimes, a record label is also a publishing company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the produc ...
s to change their music, although the major labels were not willing to sign the band due to their songs being deemed too controversial.Huey, Steve. "
Jello Biafra Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and politician. He is the former lead singer and songwriter for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Initially ac ...
. ''Allmusic''. Retrieved February 20, 2005.
After dealing with Cherry Red in the UK and
IRS Records I.R.S. Records was an American record label founded by Miles Copeland III, Jay Boberg, and Carl Grasso in 1979. I.R.S. produced some of the most popular bands of the 1980s, and was particularly known for issuing records by college rock, new wave ...
in the US for their first album ''Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables'', the band released all later albums, and later pressings of ''Fresh Fruit'' on Alternative Tentacles. The exception being live albums released after the band's break-up, which the other band members compiled from recordings in the band partnership's vaults without Biafra's input or endorsement.. Biafra has been the owner of the company since its founding, though he does not receive a salary for his position; Biafra has referred to his position in the company as "absentee thoughtlord".Vander Molen, Jodi.
Jello Biafra Interview
". ''The Progressive''. February 2002.
Biafra is an ardent collector of unusual
vinyl records A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English), or simply a record, is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove ...
of all kinds, from 1950s and 1960s ethno-pop recordings by the likes of
Les Baxter Leslie Thompson "Les" Baxter (March 14, 1922 – January 15, 1996) was a best-selling American musician and composer. After working as an arranger and composer for swing bands, he developed his own style of easy listening music, known as exotica ...
and Esquivel to vanity pressings that have circulated regionally, to German crooner
Heino Heinz Georg Kramm (born 13 December 1938), known professionally as Heino, is a German singer of Schlager music, Schlager and traditional Volksmusik. Having sold a total of over 50 million records, he is one of the most successful German musici ...
(for whom he would later participate in the documentary ''Heino: Made In Germany''); he cites his always growing collection as one of his biggest musical influences. In 1993 he gave an interview to
RE/Search Publications RE/Search Publications is an American magazine and book publisher, based in San Francisco, founded by its editor V. Vale in 1980. In several issues, Andrea Juno was also credited as an editor. It was the successor to Vale's earlier punk rock fanz ...
for their second ''Incredibly Strange Music'' book focusing primarily on these records, and later participated in a two-part episode of
Fuse TV Fuse is an American pay television channel launched in 1994 which was originally dedicated to music. After merging with the Hispanic and Latino Americans, Latino-oriented NuvoTV in 2015, Fuse shifted its focus to general entertainment and lifestyl ...
's program ''Crate Diggers'' on the same subject. His interest in such recordings, often categorized as
outsider music Outsider music (from " outsider art") is music created by self-taught or naïve musicians. The term is usually applied to musicians who have little or no traditional musical experience, who exhibit childlike qualities in their music, or who su ...
, led to his discovery of the prolific (and schizophrenic) singer/songwriter/artist
Wesley Willis Wesley Lawrence Willis (May 31, 1963 – August 21, 2003) was an American musician and visual artist. Diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1989, Willis began a career as an underground singer-songwriter in the outsider music tradition. Wil ...
, whom he signed to Alternative Tentacles in 1994, preceding Willis' major label deal with American Recordings. His collection grew so large that on October 1, 2005, Biafra donated a portion of his collection to an annual yard sale co-promoted by Alternative Tentacles and held at their warehouse in
Emeryville, California Emeryville is a city located in northwest Alameda County, California, in the United States. It lies in a corridor between the cities of Berkeley and Oakland, with a border on the shore of San Francisco Bay. The resident population was 12,905 as o ...
. In 2006, along with Alternative Tentacles employee and
The Frisk The Frisk was an American punk rock band from Berkeley, California, formed by Jesse Luscious, Mike Sexxx and Zach Attack, all former members of The Criminals, along with AFI member Hunter Burgan, following The Criminals 2000 breakup. The Frisk ...
lead singer Jesse Luscious, Biafra began co-hosting ''The Alternative Tentacles Batcast'', a downloadable
podcast A podcast is a program made available in digital format for download over the Internet. For example, an episodic series of digital audio or video files that a user can download to a personal device to listen to at a time of their choosing ...
hosted by alternativetentacles.com. The show primarily focuses on interviews with artists and bands that are currently signed to the Alternative Tentacles label, although there are also occasional episodes where Biafra devoted the show to answering fan questions.


Spoken word

Biafra became a spoken word artist in January 1986 with a performance at
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
. In his performance he combined humor with his political beliefs, much in the same way that he did with the lyrics to his songs. Despite his continued spoken word performances, he did not begin recording spoken word albums until after the disbanding of the Dead Kennedys. His ninth spoken word album, '' In the Grip of Official Treason'', was released in October 2006. Biafra was also featured in the British band
Pitchshifter Pitchshifter are an English industrial rock band from Nottingham, formed in 1989. The band was started by lead guitarist and programmer Johnny A. Carter, and bassist and vocalist Mark Clayden. The band’s early material was characterized for ...
's song ''
As Seen on TV As seen on TV is a generic nameplate for products advertised on television in the United States for direct-response mail-order through a toll-free telephone number. ''As Seen on TV'' advertisements, known as infomercials, are usually 30-minute sho ...
'' reciting the words of dystopian futuristic radio advertisements.


Politics

Biafra has resisted identifying with any particular political party or ideology, saying, "I don't label myself strictly an anarchist or a socialist or let alone a libertarian or something like that," In a 2012 interview, Biafra said "I'm very pro-tax as long as it goes for the right things. I don't mind paying more money as long as it's going to provide shelter for people sleeping in the street or getting the schools fixed back up, getting the infrastructure up to the standards of other countries, including a high speed rail system. I'm totally down with that."


Mayoral campaign

In the autumn of 1979, Biafra ran for mayor of San Francisco, using the
Jell-O Jell-O is an American brand offering a variety of powdered gelatin dessert (fruit-flavored gels/jellies), pudding, and no-bake cream pie mixes. The original gelatin dessert ( genericized as jello) is the signature of the brand. "Jell-O" is a ...
ad campaign An advertising campaign is a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme which make up an integrated marketing communication (IMC). An IMC is a platform in which a group of people can group their ideas, beliefs, and conc ...
catchphrase, "There's always room for Jello", as his campaign slogan. Having entered the race before creating a campaign platform, Biafra later wrote his platform on a napkin while attending a
Pere Ubu Pere Ubu is an American rock group formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1975. The band had a variety of long-term and recurring band members, with singer David Thomas being the only member staying throughout the band's lifetime. They released their ...
concert where Dead Kennedys drummer Ted told Biafra, "Biafra, you have such a big mouth that you should run for Mayor." As he campaigned, Biafra wore campaign T-shirts from his opponent Quentin Kopp's previous campaign and at one point vacuumed leaves off the front lawn of another opponent,
Dianne Feinstein Dianne Goldman Berman Feinstein ( ; born Dianne Emiel Goldman; June 22, 1933) is an American politician who serves as the senior United States senator from California, a seat she has held since 1992. A member of the Democratic Party, she was ...
, to mock her publicity stunt of sweeping streets in downtown San Francisco for a few hours. He also made a whistlestop campaign tour along the
BART Bart is a masculine given name, usually a diminutive of Bartholomew, sometimes of Barton, Bartolomeo, etc. Bart is a Dutch and Ashkenazi Jewish surname, and derives from the name ''Bartholomäus'', a German form of the biblical name ''Bartho ...
line. Supporters committed equally odd actions; two well known signs held by supporters said "If he doesn't win I'll kill myself" and "What if he does win?"Biafra, Jello. "Running for Mayor". ''I Blow Minds for a Living''. San Francisco: Alternative Tentacles. 1991. At the time, in San Francisco any individual could legally run for mayor if a petition was signed by 1500 people or if $1500 was paid. Biafra paid $900 and got signatures over time and eventually became a legal candidate, meaning he received statements put in voters' pamphlets and equal news coverage. His
platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...
included unconventional points such as forcing businessmen to wear clown suits within city limits, erecting statues of
Dan White Daniel James White (September 2, 1946 – October 21, 1985) was an American politician who assassinated San Francisco Mayor George Moscone and Supervisor Harvey Milk, on Monday, November 27, 1978, at City Hall. White was convicted of manslaugh ...
, who assassinated Mayor
George Moscone George Richard Moscone (; November 24, 1929 – November 27, 1978) was an American attorney and Democratic politician. He was the 37th mayor of San Francisco, California from January 1976 until his assassination in November 1978. He was known ...
and City Supervisor
Harvey Milk Harvey Bernard Milk (May 22, 1930 – November 27, 1978) was an American politician and the first openly gay man to be elected to public office in California, as a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Milk was born and raised in N ...
in 1978, around the city and allowing the parks department to sell eggs and tomatoes with which people could pelt the statues, hiring workers who had lost their jobs due to a tax initiative to panhandle in wealthy neighborhoods (including Feinstein's), and a citywide ban on cars. Biafra has expressed irritation that these parts of his platform attained such notoriety, preferring instead to be remembered for serious proposals such as legalizing
squatting Squatting is the action of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied area of land or a building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have lawful permission to use. The United Nations estimated in 2003 that there ...
in vacant, tax-delinquent buildings and requiring police officers to run for election by the people of the neighborhoods they patrol. He finished third out of a field of ten, receiving 3.79 percent of the vote (6,591 votes); the election ended in a
runoff Runoff, run-off or RUNOFF may refer to: * RUNOFF, the first computer text-formatting program * Runoff or run-off, another name for bleed, printing that lies beyond the edges to which a printed sheet is trimmed * Runoff or run-off, a stock market ...
that did not involve him (Feinstein was declared the winner).


Presidential campaign

In 2000, the New York State Green Party drafted Biafra as a candidate for the Green Party presidential nomination, and a few supporters were elected to the party's nominating convention in
Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...
. Biafra chose death row inmate
Mumia Abu-Jamal Mumia Abu-Jamal (born Wesley Cook; April 24, 1954) is an American political activist and journalist who was convicted of murder and sentenced to death in 1982 for the 1981 murder of Philadelphia police officer Daniel Faulkner. While on death r ...
as his running mate. The party overwhelmingly chose
Ralph Nader Ralph Nader (; born February 27, 1934) is an American political activist, author, lecturer, and attorney noted for his involvement in consumer protection, environmentalism, and government reform causes. The son of Lebanese immigrants to the Un ...
as the presidential candidate with 295 of the 319 delegate votes. Biafra received 10 votes. Biafra, along with a camera crew (dubbed by Biafra as "The Camcorder Truth Jihad"), later reported for the
Independent Media Center The Independent Media Center, better known as Indymedia, is an open publishing network of activist journalist collectives that report on political and social issues. Following beginnings during the 1999 Carnival Against Capital and 1999 Seatt ...
at the Republican and Democratic conventions.


Post-2000

After losing the 2000 nomination, Biafra became highly active in Nader's presidential campaign, as well as in 2004 and
2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
. During the 2008 campaign Jello played at rallies and answered questions for journalists in support of Nader. When
gay rights Rights affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people vary greatly by country or jurisdiction—encompassing everything from the legal recognition of same-sex marriage to the death penalty for homosexuality. Notably, , 3 ...
activists accused Nader of costing
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...
the 2000 election, Biafra reminded them that
Tipper Gore Mary Elizabeth "Tipper" Gore (née Aitcheson; born August 19, 1948) is an American social issues advocate, activist, photographer and author who was the second lady of the United States from 1993 to 2001. She was married to Al Gore, the 45th vi ...
's
Parents Music Resource Center The Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) was an American committee formed in 1985 with the stated goal of increasing parental control over the access of children to music deemed to have violent, drug-related or sexual themes via labeling albums ...
wanted warning stickers on albums with content referencing
homosexuality Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to peop ...
. After
Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...
won the general election, Biafra wrote an open letter making suggestions on how to run his term as president. Biafra criticized Obama during his term, stating that "Obama even won the award for best advertising campaign of 2008." Biafra dubbed Obama "Barackstar O'Bummer". Biafra refused to support Obama in 2012. Biafra has stated that he feels that Obama continued many of
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
's policies, summarizing Obama's policies as containing "worse and worse laws against human rights and more and more illegal unconstitutional spying." On September 18, 2015, it was announced that Biafra would be supporting
Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007 ...
in his campaign for the 2016 presidential election. He has strongly criticized the political position of
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...
, saying "how can people be so fucking stupid" on hearing the election result. He also criticized Trump's cabinet picks, saying of then-Secretary of Energy
Rick Perry James Richard Perry (born March 4, 1950) is an American politician who served as the 14th United States secretary of energy from 2017 to 2019 and as the 47th governor of Texas from 2000 to 2015. Perry also ran unsuccessfully for the Republica ...
, "The last person we want with their finger on the nuclear button is somebody connected to this extreme Christianist doomsday cult." On February 28, 2020, Jello announced that he would be supporting both
Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann Warren ( née Herring; born June 22, 1949) is an American politician and former law professor who is the senior United States senator from Massachusetts, serving since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party and regarded as a ...
and Bernie Sanders in the
2020 presidential election This national electoral calendar for 2020 lists the national/federal elections held in 2020 in all sovereign states and their dependent territories. By-elections are excluded, though national referendums are included. January *5 January: **C ...
. "I personally like Warren slightly better than Bernie because: 1) She’s done her homework. Bernie too, but not to quite the same depth or degree. 2) Think about it — who really has a better chance of actually beating Trump, and helping flip Congress and state legislatures? It’s Elizabeth Warren, hands down." He went on to say that he considered Joe Biden and
Mike Bloomberg Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is an American businessman, politician, philanthropist, and author. He is the majority owner, co-founder and CEO of Bloomberg L.P. He was Mayor of New York City from 2002 to 2013, and was a ca ...
"almost as bad as Trump". On April 12, 2020, Biafra expressed disappointment that Sanders had suspended his campaign for the 2020 Democratic nomination.


Boycott of Israel

In mid-2011 Jello Biafra and his band were scheduled to play at the Barby Club in
Tel Aviv Tel Aviv-Yafo ( he, תֵּל־אָבִיב-יָפוֹ, translit=Tēl-ʾĀvīv-Yāfō ; ar, تَلّ أَبِيب – يَافَا, translit=Tall ʾAbīb-Yāfā, links=no), often referred to as just Tel Aviv, is the most populous city in the G ...
. They came under heavy pressure by the pro-Palestinian
Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a Palestinian-led movement promoting boycotts, divestments, and economic sanctions against Israel. Its objective is to pressure Israel to meet what the BDS movement describes as Israel's obligations ...
(BDS) campaign, and finally decided to cancel the concert – after a debate which according to Biafra "deeply tore at the fabric of our band ... This whole controversy has been one of the most intense situations of my life – and I thrive on intense situations". Biafra then decided to travel to Israel and the
Palestinian Occupied Territories The Palestinian territories are the two regions of the former British Mandate for Palestine that have been militarily occupied by Israel since the Six-Day War of 1967, namely: the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and the Gaza Strip. The In ...
, at his own expense, and talk with Israeli and Palestinian activists as well as with fans disappointed at his cancellation. In the article stating his conclusions he wrote: "I will not perform in Israel unless it is a pro-human rights, anti-occupation event, that does not violate the spirit of the boycott. Each musician, artist, etc. must decide this for themselves. I am staying away for now, but am also really creeped out by the attitudes of some of the hardliners and hope some day to find a way to contribute something positive here. I will not march or sign on with anyone who runs around calling people Zionazis and is more interested in making threats than making friends."


Personal life

Biafra married Theresa Soder, a.k.a. Ninotchka, lead singer of San Francisco-area punk band the Situations, on October 31, 1981.Soder can be heard singing background vocals on "Forest Fire" and "Winnebago Warrior" from the Dead Kennedys' album '' Plastic Surgery Disasters'', and playing synthesizer on "Drug Me" from the Dead Kennedys' ''Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables''. The wedding was conducted by Flipper vocalist/bassist Bruce Loose, who became a
Universal Life Church The Universal Life Church (ULC) is a non-denominational religious organization founded in 1962 by Kirby J. Hensley,James R. Lewis, The Encyclopedia of Cults, Sects, and New Religions' (2001), p. 769-70.U.S. Department of the Army, ''Religious R ...
minister specifically to conduct the ceremony, which took place in a graveyard.''New Musical Express'' press clipping reproduced in ''Dead Kennedys: An Unauthorized Biography'', Last Gasp, 1983. The wedding reception, which members of Flipper, Black Flag, and
D.O.A. DOA may refer to: * Dead on arrival * Dead or Alive (disambiguation) Film * ''D.O.A.'' (1949 film), a ''film noir'' * ''D.O.A.'' (1988 film), a remake of the 1949 film * '' D.O.A.: A Rite of Passage'' (1980 film), a documentary on the gene ...
attended, was held at director Joe Rees'
Target Video Target Video (aka TargetVideo77) is a San Francisco-based studio, founded by artist Joe Rees, who collaborating with Jackie Sharp, Jill Hoffman, Sam Edwards and others, archived early art performance, punk and hardcore bands on video and film. Per ...
studios. The marriage ended in 1986. Biafra generally does not discuss his private life. He lives in
San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
.


Selected discography

''For a more complete list, see the Jello Biafra discography.''


Dead Kennedys

* 1980 – ''
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables ''Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables'' is the debut studio album by the American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. It was first released on September 2, 1980, through Cherry Red Records in the United Kingdom, and I.R.S. Records in the United States. ...
'' * 1981 – '' In God We Trust, Inc.'' * 1982 – '' Plastic Surgery Disasters'' * 1985 – ''
Frankenchrist ''Frankenchrist'' is the third album by the American hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys, released in 1985 on Alternative Tentacles. The album is an example of the progressive, psychedelic side of Dead Kennedys' musical personality. The spaghetti We ...
'' * 1986 – ''
Bedtime for Democracy ''Bedtime for Democracy'' is the fourth and final studio album by American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Released in 1986, songs on this album cover common punk subjects often found in punk rock lyrics of the era such as Conformity (psychology), ...
'' * 1987 – ''
Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death ''Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death'' (stylized as ''Give me convenience OR give me death'') is a compilation album by the American hardcore punk band Dead Kennedys. It was released in June 1987 through front man Jello Biafra's record label Al ...
''


Spoken word

* 1987 – '' No More Cocoons'' * 1989 – '' High Priest of Harmful Matter: Tales From the Trial'' * 1991 – '' I Blow Minds for a Living'' * 1994 – ''
Beyond the Valley of the Gift Police ''Beyond the Valley of the Gift Police'' is the fourth spoken word album by Jello Biafra. The album included a cartoon tract insert by graphic novelist Daniel Clowes, ''Devil Doll?'', which spoofed the Chick Publications tracts. The album cover i ...
'' * 1998 – ''
If Evolution Is Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Evolve ''If Evolution Is Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Evolve'' is the fifth spoken-word album by Jello Biafra Eric Reed Boucher (born June 17, 1958), known professionally as Jello Biafra, is an American singer, spoken word artist and politician. He is ...
'' * 2000 – ''
Become the Media ''Become the Media'' is the sixth spoken word album by Jello Biafra. Topics covered include the WTO Meeting of 1999, the 2000 presidential election, the Green Party, the International Monetary Fund, the Columbine High School massacre, and the ...
'' * 2002 – '' The Big Ka-Boom, Pt. 1'' * 2002 – '' Machine Gun in the Clown's Hand'' * 2006 – '' In the Grip of Official Treason''


Lard

* 1989 – ''
The Power of Lard ''The Power of Lard'' is the debut EP by Lard, released in 1989. Critical reception ''Trouser Press'' wrote that "Biafra contributes a voice, label and sense of humor. That gets matched up to pounding, semi- industrialized rock by Ministry gui ...
'' * 1990 – ''
The Last Temptation of Reid ''The Last Temptation of Reid'' is the debut studio album by Lard, released in 1990. The album includes a cover of "They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!", originally performed by Napoleon XIV, with the addition of a guitar part and an extr ...
'' * 1997 – '' Pure Chewing Satisfaction'' * 2000 – ''
70's Rock Must Die ''70's Rock Must Die'' is an EP by Lard, released in 2000. Track listing Personnel Lard *Al Jourgensen – guitars, keys, programming, production * Paul Barker – bass, keys, programming, backing vocals (1), production *J ...
''


Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine

* 2009 – '' The Audacity of Hype'' * 2011 – '' Enhanced Methods of Questioning'' * 2012 – SHOCK-U-PY * 2013 – '' White People and the Damage Done'' * 2020 – ''Tea Party Revenge Porn''


Collaborations


Filmography

* 1977 – ''This Is America, Pt. 2'' * 1981 – ''
Urgh! A Music War ''Urgh! A Music War'' is a 1982 British concert film featuring performances by punk rock, new wave, and post-punk bands and artists. Filmed in August to September 1980 it was directed by Derek Burbidge and produced by Michael White and Lynd ...
'' * 1983 – '' Anarchism in America'' * 1986 – '' Lovedolls Superstar'', directed by
Dave Markey David Markey (born December 3, 1963 in Burbank, California, United States) is an American film director. Biography As a self-taught filmmaker and musician, David Markey directed, produced, edited, and photographed most of his films, the majori ...
* 1987 – ''Household Affairs'', directed & filmed by
Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...
* 1988 – ''
Tapeheads ''Tapeheads'' is a 1988 comedy film directed by Bill Fishman and starring John Cusack, Tim Robbins, Sam Moore and Junior Walker. The film was produced by Michael Nesmith, who briefly appears as a bottled water delivery man. Plot After losing th ...
'', directed by Bill Fishman * 1990 – '' Terminal City Ricochet'' * 1991 – '' Highway 61'', directed by Bruce McDonald * 1994 – ''
Skulhedface ''Skulhedface'' is a 1994 movie that was directed by Melanie Mandl. It is yet another story in Gwar's grand storyline (about the ne'er-do-well Scumdogs of the Universe), and the third to be released on video. Story ''Skulhedface'' being the movi ...
'', directed by Melanie Mandl * 1997 – ''
Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore ''Mary Jane's Not a Virgin Anymore'' is an independent film written, directed, and produced by the self-anointed "Queen of Underground Film", Sarah Jacobson. It's a film about a teenage girl in the Twin Cities Area named Mary Jane who is curious ...
'', directed by
Sarah Jacobson Sarah Jacobson (August 25, 1971 – February 13, 2004) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. Early life Jacobson was born in Connecticut, moved to New Jersey in 1975, then to Edina, Minnesota in 1982. She graduated with ho ...
* 1999 – ''The Widower'' * 1999 – ''Virtue'' * 2001 – '' Plaster Caster'' * 2002 – '' Bikini Bandits'', directed by Steve and Peter Grasse * 2004 – ''Death and Texas'' * 2004 – '' Punk: Attitude'' * 2005 – ''We Jam Econo: The Story of the Minutemen'' * 2006 – '' Punk's Not Dead'', directed by Susan Dynner * 2006 – ''Whose War?'', directed by Donald Farmer * 2007 – '' American Drug War: The Last White Hope'', directed by
Kevin Booth Kevin Booth (born October 2, 1961) is an American film director, producer, lecturer and musician. He was known for his documentary film series '' American Drug War''. Booth worked with comedian Bill Hicks, until the time of his death on Febr ...
* 2008 – ''
Nerdcore Rising ''Nerdcore Rising'' is the official debut album by nerdcore rapper MC Frontalot. The album was first released on August 27, 2005 at the Penny Arcade Expo. It consists of 16 tracks; six new tracks and ten "classic megahits" that Frontalot had p ...
'', directed by Negin Farsad * 2009 – ''Open Your Mouth and Say Mr. Chi Pig'', directed by Sean Patrick Shaul * 2010 – ''A Man Within'', directed by
Yony Leyser Yony Leyser (born 1985) is a director and writer based in Berlin. Biography Early life and education Yony Leyser was born in DeKalb, Illinois in 1985 to an Israeli-Iranian mother and a German Jewish father. Leyser studied at the California I ...
* 2011 – ''I Love You ... I Am the Porn Queen'', short film directed by
Ani Kyd Ani Kyd (born September 15, 1969) is a Canadian, Vancouver-based musician, actor, and life coach. Career Kyd has worked with musicians including Meegan Bradfield (Limblifter), Lisa Wagner (Cello player for Moist), Gene Hoglan (Strapping Youn ...
* 2014 – ''Heino: Made in Germany'', directed by Oliver Schwabe * 2014 – ''
Portlandia ''Portlandia'' is an American sketch comedy television series starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein, set in and around Portland, Oregon, and spoofing the city's reputation as a haven for eccentric hipsters. The show was produced by Br ...
'', season 4, episode 4 – "Pull-Out King" * 2018 – ''Bathtubs Over Broadway'', directed by Dava Whisenant (as himself) * 2018 – ''Boiled Angels: The Trial of Mike Diana'', directed by
Frank Henenlotter Frank Henenlotter (born August 29, 1950) is an American film director, screenwriter and film historian. He is known primarily for directing horror comedies, especially '' Basket Case'' (1982), ''Brain Damage'' (1988), and ''Frankenhooker'' (199 ...
(narrator) * 2019 – ''
The Last Black Man in San Francisco ''The Last Black Man in San Francisco'' is a 2019 American drama film directed and produced by Joe Talbot in his directorial debut. He wrote the screenplay with Rob Richert and the story with Jimmie Fails, on whose life it is partly based. It s ...
'', directed by Joe Talbot


Notes


References


External links


Jello Biafra
on
Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 in San Francisco, California. It was used by Dead Kennedys for the self-produced single " California Über Alles". After realizing the potential for an independent label, t ...
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Biafra, Jello 1958 births Living people 20th-century American politicians Candidates in the 2000 United States presidential election Alternative Tentacles Alternative Tentacles artists American anti–Iraq War activists American anti-war activists American human rights activists American male film actors American people of Jewish descent American punk rock singers American satirists American male singer-songwriters American spoken word artists Anti-consumerists Anti-corporate activists Anti-globalization activists Boulder High School alumni California Greens Dead Kennedys members Finance fraud Green Party of the United States politicians Hardcore punk musicians Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine members Lard (band) members Male actors from Boulder, Colorado Musicians from Boulder, Colorado Pigface members Teenage Time Killers members Singer-songwriters from Colorado