Jello Biafra, singer of Dead Kennedys : "In some ways, Punk should die"
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2024
- Le punk est-il toujours vivant ? Alors que débute à Paris l'exposition Europunk, nous avons posé la question (et bien d'autres) à Jello Biafra, leader engagé du groupe américain Dead Kennedys.
Entretien et réalisation : Caroline Besse, Jean-Baptiste Roch et Alice Gancel.
#punkrock #music #punk
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"Even the Butthole Surfers think I'm weird." I love that.
elsquibbs No, it is not . . . it would have been great if he just said, "Weird?? I am not weird" . .
Abu Cihan No, it's not what?
Cool, it's not cool . . .
Abu Cihan I did not say it was cool. I said I loved it.
elsquibbs Hahaha NO IT'S NOT
Jello was always the definitive Punk - intelligent, thoughtful, not always what you expect, and realistic about Punk's relevance in today's age.
R JN Besides, he's still alive lol That's something doesn't happen very often
DIY punk is still around. Theres plenty of good punk.
being a realist has become punk
R JN Maybe you're making assumptions.
Keyser Sozë agreed
When Jello gets asked those vague questions trying to bait him into giving pretentious answers, you can see him getting instantly pissed off with every fiber of his body. It's hilarious.
And yet he still gives pretentious answers
“What drives me mad? Stupid questions.”
@@solarprogeny6736 When ur asked pretentious, u gotta answer pretentious..
You want the man to give them a full preach how they shouldn't make trash content.? You dickwat.
The Dead Kennedys are not the Dead Kennedys without Jello. Who the hell would bother going to see them without him? That'd kinda be like watching fireworks on TV,,,yeah you're seeing them...but not really.
johnnie1600 I agree
johnnie1600 I agree with you 100%, but i got to see modern DK and I gotta say they still fucking rocked. current frontman is no jello but still a great performer
+johnnie1600 True, but Jello wasn't ALL of DK, just part of it. Ray probably played the next biggest part, because his surf-punk guitar riffs took up the next biggest chunk of the mix. It's actually pretty hard to replicate his tone unless you have an original Echoplex.
***** Fair enough. Yes, they were amazing musicians for that genre especially. However, it was never EBR's riffs that made them stand out, imho. It was Jello's vox. Totally unique and anyone trying to duplicate it (if they even could) would be immediately called out for trying to sound like Jello. He was and is irreplaceable. Just sayin.
I thought the same thing until I saw them with Skip, I went just to see Shattered Faith, I was actually pretty impressed. It was also nice to hear the other members of the band, same as seeing Germs and Lornas bass opened the show, seeing Pat and Don perform was part of the experience.
His Attitude is more punk than he will ever realize
@Pedro Vaz go back to your cave
@Pedro Vaz have a beer, listen to Pistols and meditate on the word "fun". Kind regards, Bye!
@Pedro Vaz OK. This comes to a point where
hops and malt are lost. Vai in pace ♠
@@BobbySpiessVienna
Lmao, are you PISSED off?
This Is the prove that you faced a REAL punk, not a politically correct soft bitch
@@BobbySpiessVienna
Ah e sei pure italiano? Meraviglioso!, Hai sbagliato a scrivere HOPES comunque🙃
Hahah, punk...
Dicendogli di meditare sul "divertimento" praticamente insulti gli stessi Kennedys che la politica e "l'anti-divertimento" se li mangiavano a colazione... Un vecchio ossessionato da un uomo che manco conosceva hahah!
Il punk politico proprio come Kennedy deve morire (niente di personale)
i thought he's being interviewed in prison when i saw the thumbnail
haha, love the bright orange shirt!
So did I
same, i also didnt question it
lol
Hahaha fucking ayes !!! Same here 🤣🤣🤣🤣 I busted out laughing when I seen this comment 😂😂👏👏👏
Jello once delivered a key note speech at my uncle's college in the 80's entitled "Why I'm glad the Space Shuttle exploded"
That’s so badass
"Why I'm glad the space shuttle blew up" was a track on Jello's first spoken word album. You can check it out here.
ua-cam.com/video/4sH8P7o8E2U/v-deo.html
What a pretentious dick.
@@c-force5217 No, it isn't.
That definitely didn’t go over well lmao
Don't worry Jello, I stole all the Dead Kennedys albums.
i was about to say the same thing! hahahahaah!
Juvie Beans still somebody had to pay for that
As it should be...
Juvie Beans me too !
#TRUEPUNX
"if somebody comes to Paris claiming they're Dead Kennedys BE VERY CAREFUL, it might be a really bad cover band"
That same cover band came to New Zealand too. There is no real DK without JB
@Spend it in the USA! Did you ever find out if Carole killed her husband?
puppets, willingly or unknown.. these machines influence us more than we want to admit.
When he start to talk about music he gets passionate and socially awkward. I do the same.
Same here
@guinness4life I can barely play any instruments correctly either but that never stopped me
Found all the cool kids
grrizo my wife has told me several times...that in the 25 years we have been together, “although you are a very open minded and kind person...you become exceptionally passionate and opinionated when you talk about music.” 😆
Very relatable
I really would love to see Henry Rollins and Jello Biafra sit down and have a dialogue.
Phillip Roberts YES! I still search YT for any shred of a dialogue.
zyphoid666 really?? I find he always states the obvious. he's overrated.
Phillip Roberts it's happened . Rollins is pretty far from as smart and a lot of people seem to think . Jello and joeyshit head had better conversation than he and Rollins . Rollins is a story teller . He's articulate but doesn't really have a smart view of his own. He kind of just tells good stories of " the good old days " . Anyone who was THERE can do that haha .
I'd love to see those two and Chi Pig from SNFU have a chat.
They are both trite, both dated, both had hey days, and honestly both are very boring.
"Punk's not dead, it just deserves to die
When it becomes another stale cartoon
A closed-minded self-centered social club
Ideas don't matter, it's who you know"
One of the most eloquent rock personalities I've ever seen. A very sharp mind he has. Seems he has a genuine understanding of things.
***** Yeah, I guess so. How come I sounded so fanatical here? I was drunk, maybe. Nonetheless, he's still pretty sharp-witted.
Caverman no, u r so right. he's very smart, very on it, etc. he's got an amazing mind, he's a great person to talk to, funny and smart.
Cosmic Fool I, for the most part agree with your comment here aside from your (apparent?) disdain towards "(in spite of that band's slow decline into metal)" Propagandhi's progressive musical journey. I wouldn't necessarily label their later works as "metal" but more so "progressive". I've always dug their politics and lyrics but it wasn't until they moved away from that FAT WRECK style of song structure that they really became a true favorite of mine. There ARE some bands where that "pop/skate punk" really suits them but Prop really came into their own as a unique band when they branched off into something bigger as that sound. That style just became too "dime a dozen" for me and I'm glad they chose the musical path they evolved into. Just my personal opinion and preference. Cheers! 🍻
He's an old cynic....nothing more now.....just like Rollins....people who were too often onstage.
Unlike 95% of punks he actually understands politics
Plenty of people think Jello's an asshole but I think he's cool as hell
+Sean Lynch hes old school great punkmaster..
His attitude and sense of humor remind me of Frank Zappa in a lot of ways
yeah
+Sean Lynch I love Jello, he's almost a fucking idol to me.
+Sean Lynch I think Jello is a grade-A douche. But, he did have some interesting answers. I guess they both go together sometimes.
Punk should die, "the man" killed most of it. But there's always that kid listening to the Clash in his garage playing on 20 dollar guitar, that's the spirit.
@Pedro Vaz shut up. Everything is pointless anyway. Let people have their fun.
@Pedro Vaz nah im good on that. White nationalism is just another brand of sheep
Pedro please shut the fuckity fuck up boy
@Pedro Vaz cool man, it doesn't matter anyway. Eventually the world is going to blow up and then all the stars in the universe are gonna blow up and then when it's nothing but black holes, those too will blow up. The only thing that will be left is the void of space.
@Pedro Vaz Nazi Punk FUCK OFF
Was in a band myself at the time and mr.Biafra was real enough to seriously answer back if you wrote or/and send him a tape or a record with your work. Not all that common in the world.
Wow!
He's such a sweetheart
That's awesome
Punk has changed over the years. But that's what happens with a lot of things. Punk is alive. It's just different.
Agree. It seems generational. I am old enough to look at grunge as the new punk since it rebelled against all the hair metal/glam rock back in the late 80s and early 90s. It had to happen.
lol grunge died in 1994 and gave birth to crappy radio rock
People who consider fucking 5 seconds of summer punk ugh
Yeah. I mean, what I think punk is isn't even what my friends think punk is. I honestly disagree with Mr Biafra here about his preference of the Ramones over the Clash, because I think the Clash's tendency to try new things and experiment with new sounds and to write songs that didn't fit within a traditional "punk" sound, or a traditional "rock" sound, was what punk is really about.
I mean, obviously I respect his opinion to fuck because he's Jello fucking Biafra and the Dead Kennedys is my second favorite "punk" band after the Clash, but still.
And I think that ability for punk to encompass those facets but also defy them is part of what makes punk rock "punk rock"
+dkyelak thrash was the original rebellion to those glam bands
I saw "Dead Kennedys" at Muddy Roots this past year. It, in fact, was a really bad cover band or - as I like to put it - sad Dead Kennedys karaoke.
"Ramones or Clash?" *Throws sticky note away* "Ramones." I love this guy!
I'm assuming his choice there reflects his general opinion on british vs american punk! Personally I think it depends: when it comes to hardcore and more garage-y styles of punk, yeah I think overall american bands take the cake. However, I think the Brits have THE definitive form of pop punk without question.
Blue for You Agreed! The clash are just so much better too
it is because the clash is not punk
Doesnt Matter listen to their first album. They never claimed to be a full on punk band but the elements were there
@@Gabe7Gal British punk, is the home of real punk music, How anyone can say the Ramones were better than the Clash is ludicrous , and the Clash were up there with the best but not the best by a long way
It's a shame he doesn't seem to like the interview, I'm genuinely interested in the things he has to say.
I too am interested in what he has to say, but you have to think about how many interviews these artists are asked to do. Imagine how annoying it gets answering the same questions on a daily basis, not to mention the stupid ones, and he's been doing this for more than 30 years.
Plus maybe they caught him at a bad time.
punkinmyvitamins1
Yes, they caught him at a bad time. Jello Biafra was actually interesting from 1979-83.
When they asked interesting questions, he gave interesting answers. He didn't seem unfriendly to me, but he wasn't going to bother with simplicstic or superficial questions.
‘what remains of the dead kennedys’
Jello: welll...
me: THE FANS JELLO THE FANS , WERE STILL HERE
Jello was an important influence on me as a teen. I didn't have to agree with all of his views to be inspired simply to find my own voice and way. I feel the same of Morrissey and Paddy McAloon and many others. The greatest satisfaction in life comes from figuring out what you really feel and believe and acting in accordance with your own code no matter what popular opinion is prevailing. That to me is the essence of punk. The Smiths and DK were both punk. It's in your heart and head, not your haircut.
Rob Falgiano I'm sorry, you lost me near the end. The Smiths were not punk, they were shite.
MurderCapital666
NAY NYET NO NAH
Rob Falgiano Never, never, ever mix DK with the Smith. The only common of both bands is that they are using instruments. Smiths were never punk, that's not waht they are aiming for
Nope. You don't own the definition of punk and neither do I. So, to me, Smiths are as punk as DK or the Pistols. Challenge the status quo. in fact, they're more punk than either b/c they never reformed for cash. How's that?
Rob Falgiano I agree with that, The Smiths had the same passion if you know what I mean, not sure about Status Quo though ;-)
I'd love to hear a conversation between him and Johnny Rotten
"Hey."
"Hey."
"I'm Jello."
*Laughter
"I'm John."
*Laugh
"Nice to meet you."
*Inaudible giggling
"You too."
*Hurricane Katrina
@@Jsssddfgffghshdhdhusjsjd
These are adults.
Their balls have dropped voices are deep.
When this happens for you, then speak.
Yes, but which version of them? This version of Jello is far more thoughtful and perhaps less aggressive but still against selling out. Today's Johnny is far less sarcastic than the younger Rotten and doesn't care if anyone thinks he sold out. Both are politically aware and perhaps on the same sides in that regard, although I think Johnny may be more conservative now than Jello is.
@@cgvapors963
Different perspectives for sure.
The two have met before and talked, it was years ago in Australia. They were backstage of some show or radio station, not long after that rotten stated in a interview that he doesn’t like jello and jello takes himself too seriously and he’s boring. Jello stated that he liked John and thought they got along but after hearing what he said about him jello turned around and said John sounds like a old English grandma. Rotten doesn’t typically get along with other punk rock musicians. Just watch the documentary on epix which unfortunately jello didn’t take part in and was disappointing because several others did
He clearly knows the intentions behind these questions, and refuses to give away what the interviewers are looking for from him. His smile says it all hahahaha. I love him.
punk became mainstream decades ago. so to be in a punk band today is pretty normal. you want to rebel start a band like YES. that will annoy people.
@rj zander good God I love that! Ha!
What do you mean, piss off people ? Yes is super popular !
@@josephancion2190 : Yes is super popular to young people? Not that I'd mind it. :)
@@Rushtallica Super popular no, but not hated. They have a pretty good image, and people who know them like them. Music critics are often the ones giving prog a hard time.
You have to be a good musician to play prog. The beauty of punk was you didn't necessarily have to know how to play to get your message out.
"Green or red? I dont care." You dont go stupid question with Jello
+Tigor Nainggolan maybe she meant Jello colors.
Or maybe she meant "Green Party (that he belongs to) or the Communist (Red) Party?"
yup, it feels like Biafra is the one that didn't immediatly "get" the question (at least that what it seems like).
@I'm Awesome you're DOUCHSOME!!!
@@lipingpong6523 how Noble of you.
I saw Jello with 'The Guantanamo School of Medicine' three years ago at a music festival in Medellín, Colombia and still feeling the magic and energy of his performance. He's a genius and an extraordinary frontman.
hell yeah.the brown lipstick parade!
Now here's a guy you can rely on. Dear old Jello, never let us down, never sold out, never took the easy route for the dollar. Still making great music that's urgent, anti authority, necessary and educational, may his flame continue to burn brightly.
Never sold out? Take a look at his vax stance.
🤡
I listened to the Dead Kennedys (when it was actually on the air) in my high school years, along with other punk and thrash metal bands. All of which were listened to for the purpose of feeling more empowered by "craziness." It was like being crazier than my own fears. I didn't really understand the lyrics the same way as I understand them today. The sound of Dead Kennedys are still interesting to me but not something I gravitate to all the time. Long story short: their lyrics are some of the most honest and poignant I've ever heard anywhere. As far as I'm concerned, they rank up with Lennon and Dylan, if not better. It's been a few months that I reconnected with my interest in this band, but I see them in an entirely new light in my older age. They are heroes to me and I share their enthusiasm in a very similar way as being a songwriter. An unexpected treat was to actually read their lyrics!
When I was a kid in the early 80's my older sister took me to a record store. I must have been 10 or so.
I didn't know most of the bands as I looked through the cassettes but I did recognize the Dead Kennedys because a scary older kid had it written in marker on the back of his jean jacket. Thanks scary kid, whoever you are because my sister bought me that cassette.
That's awesome.
I was lucky too, I have a cool older brother. I turned 10 in '82 and graduated high school in spring 1990, right after i turned 18. So about the same age at the same time period.
any assholes that play as the dead kennedys w/o jello should be shamed.furthermore-any assholes anywhere stealing old bands and band NAMES are true backstabbing assholes which this whole thing was AGAINST.if all-ALL of the original band members don't agree-FUCKING FORGET trying to steal something that's not yours-NO RESPECT TO thieves and backstabbers.MUCH LOVE AND RESPECT TO JELLO BIAFRA
the future belongs to part-time workers who sit up too late at night making shitty beats. punk lives on in that.
You have 8 minutes to interview Mr. Biafra and these are the stupid questions you come up with?! Seems like they passed around a sticky note pad and the 20-year-old interns wrote down some random junk.
I think that's exactly what happened.
Lol he called Jello Mr. Biafra
Green or red?
@@bradhorner green outside red inside this is who Biafra is.
that's news reporters for you and everyone involved in the media industry... they should know better than us since they are in charge of keeping us informed and to provide accurate information about society and our world but instead we got these huge morons in charge that make me wonder how they even managed to get a college degree in the first place.
jello biafra is the spirit of punk
I used to think I didn't like punk. Now I think I just don't like what it became... at least now I've heard the Dead Kennedys, I can take some comfort in knowing what it once was, and what it could have been if it hadn't been twisted into its present form.
Spot on. A haircut is not a lifestyle, imagine Sid Vicious at 35
no suburban rich fucker from Boulder Colorado is the 'spirit of punk'. Besides, that title belongs to Charlie Harper of UK Subs every punk knows that. For the best record label hanging on to the spirit of punk right now, check out Toxic State Records. Check out bands like Haram, Murderer, Dawn of the Humans, La Misma, and Anasazi to name a handfull. None of them fit the mould, they all broke it
I like this, he doesn't suffer any bullshit. Good man.
I love everything about this man, including his choice in Ramones over Clash 😂
Nah - it's the Clash for me, all the way! I find Ramones songs all sound so similar, and they weren't very political in content. I recognise that the Ramones will always be the grand-daddies of punk rock. But how much the Clash's song-writing grew and expanded so far out from their punk rock roots, not just into rock'n'roll, but into so many other genres (off the top of my head: ska, jazz, funk, dub reggae, gospel, calypso, rap, even into bizarre avant-garde territory) - and maintaining their unwavering focus on sociopolitical justice issues, never ceases to amaze me...!
@@dollcefina i appreciate the fact that you gave a whole explaination for choosing the Clash pfff and I completely agree 👏👏👏👏 I guess I just prefer Ramones because I'd always listen to them when I was little but the Clash is still Amazing 👌
he is a Yank, of course he chose Ramones over Clash
30+ years later and he still has his wild/sarcastic personality... I love it.
My first tattoo was the DK symbol at age 15. I asked my mum if I could get it and because she was the person that introduced me to punk she said yes! 😂 I've had a couple cover ups but never regretted my DK ink! ❤
Holy fuck - how _cool_ was your mum!!
Damn that’s punk as hell
7:37 they translated Arena Rock as "Rhino rock"
Is that what it is called in France?
No. "uh-REE-na" came out sounding like the French pronunciation of 'rhino'. It's an interesting flub.
Now I'm trying to imagine rhino rock. Perhaps it'd be a simultaneous battle of the bands: drown out or go home. Perhaps instead it's mindless musicians stirring kids into war toys... oh wait, we already have that.
pseydtonne that was cringy at best
cragnog...lol. Is there a difference?
he's a dislectic
He's a terrific guy, I know from personal experience. His haters tend to be boneheads.
Hey may be a terrific guy, but everyone other than his friends know him by his interviews, intolerance, and grandiose self image. Like it or not, most see him as a self absorbed douche bag that at one time, the right time, the right place, made good music. His impact outside of that in politics, or the world as a whole seems limited.
Ted Warner i concur,and how relevant is this now,theyre still trying to flatten Damascus!!
+Haiku Automation - Can't really have a strong opinion or a strong sense of justice without stepping on some toes and ignoring a lot of doubters. Sure, that comes across as self-absorbed -if you disagree with what's being said. Otherwise it comes across as brave, inspired and unwilling to "play ball" with the same evils your lyrics frequently denounce.
If you ask me, his music deserves a lot more exposure; so much of the satire and indignancy is at least as relevant today as when it was first written... and yeah, it sucks that his band mates decided they cared more about their fistfuls of dollars than trying to make a difference, but that doesn't really say anything about Jello or his songs... just about them.
Ted Warner
I truly *wish* I knew from personal experience · however he's been *one* of the single·most GREATEST influences on me; my *WokeAF* (🤓) 🌍·view.
I admire & respect what JELLO (& the early ♫♪DKs♪♫) did for my contemporaries & peers, & for *me* ★ re: ★ our suddenly curious, newly opened·minds, & our growing of a healthy social skepticism with consideration for those holding the majority of wealth & power...
XO
Nah, he's a chode.
4:12 "Cool this sounds like Hawkwind!"
I'd kill to see his record collection.
Yes, there are some videos of him talking about and showing records from his collection. And, yes, it's as bizarre as you can imagine.
to kill for garbage ? are you soprano ?
I sacrafice myself to your cause
Kill the poor?😕Dear?😄😸
Donald Kelly it’s on here and it’s excellent
"5000 Fingers of Dr. T" a punk movie?...never thought of it that way but I guess hes gotta point.
Man, I love Jello. There is no Dead Kennedys without him
"I've never been that fast about getting things finished"
G.I!
the soundtrack of my early-80s teenage life.
He must be in his upper fifties, he still looks healthier than most I see in their teens or twenties.
😃
He's older than that. Easily mid 60s
@@josefranciscodasilvaeolive674 Doing well for himself
Pretty much all of the first/second wave punk rockers were Baby Boomers. Jello included. He's in his early 60s now.
He's 62 now, in early 2021.
When I saw the thumbnail I thought he was wearing a prison uniform lol
Jello for President!!!
Nah,he's a commie.
He's smarter than 99% of the current candidates.
+TheTurtlemans ye
I voted for him for president in the 2000 primaries. He lost the Green Party nomination to Ralph Nader.
Years ago he came in 3rd in a ‘Frisco mayoral election.
He's so charismatic and speaks so well
"Stay out of the way, Syria is a bad situation" is gonna be your best song, Jello.
Props to him for calling the Eagles "crap."
Do most think the eagles are crap?
@@edp3202 The Eagles are a crime against music.
@@archibaldbagge1235 why?
So pleased to see him from time to time on UA-cam. I'm 62, and he still never bores me.
Jello, I love you.
Maybe it's weird, but I was raised listening to the Dead Kennedys, the Ramones, Circle Jerks, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, DEVO, Nina Hagen and The Clash/BAD (and probably others I'm forgetting), and I sort of decided spur-of-the-moment to have a throwback night with myself tonight. Every time I do it, I find a song or an interview or another little tidbit that reminds me why my parents made the decision to play this stuff to me at such a young age, why they decided that the ideas in punk were important enough to lay on a little kid who knew nothing about politics or privilege.
I want you to know that my upbringing, in listening to the righteous fury of yourself and others at the state of the planet, has made me a better person. A stronger person. More able and willing to be uncompromising, to strive to help others, take names without taking shit, and try to speak up for those who don't have it as good as I do. I miss the punk revolution, almost as if I had been there. It was unafraid to cast light on the ugliest bits of our nature, it shook us and made us smell the piss we sprayed on our most vulnerable. And it hurts to know what I'm doing to other people, but that pain is nothing compared to what those people go through every day of their lives.
I just want to thank you. I don't even know if you'll ever see this, but thank you. I love you.
Thank you for this. I have a 5 year old and I'm trying to figure out how to introduce him to the world and punk music will be one of the ways I'll do it.
Right now his taste is a bit more goth, lol.
PocketWocket91 I hear you, even if jello never does, you're heard and you're spot on.
I'd suggest Finnish steel storm by Goatmoon as a kinda middle ground of the two genres
Privilege?
So weird!!!
Sucks about the other members and what they've tried to do
Will Shhh what happened?
They sued over royalties/money withheld by Jello. Check wikipedia, has a better explanation.
Jesus Monroe thank you :), i did
They also tour as DKs. Went to one of their gigs and it was just a like watching a cover band, not good.
Jesus Monroe well jello is a greedy piece of shit soooo
I saw the Dead Kennedy's in the 80's, in Irving Plaza NYC. It was the greatest punk show I have ever seen. Jello was electric, as he ripped up a bible onstage as he sang. The Kennedy's are the quintessence of punk, in my opinion. Punk for me has always been about the energy of chaos. You want to know the funny thing about chaos? Its fair
Fake edgyness. He is a CNN punk.
Jello Biafra enlightened me to respect others . To do my best to evaluate my motives , passions , and society's misdirections. To be honest with myself and my fellows at all cost . Challenged me to comprehend and defeat my self doubt , fears , and insecurities ,see the beauty in the small things and stay true and accountable to humanity and my soul ideals .
Thank you "Eric". You'll always will be one of my rock heroes even though I wasn't old enough to see DK live, your lyrics and spoken word albums kept me thinking throughout the 90's. And I can always refer to those old songs for a refreshing sense of... dare I say it? Morality.
I still think you should talk to your former band mates more before calling them a word like that horrible "r" word. Not because I think I know you or them but because I have been amazed after hashing it out with people to find so many of us are just speaking different languages but are saying essentially the same thing.
Cry harder, freedom of speech
I’m disappointed that he no longer sounds like Daffy Duck.
The documentary film "American Hardcore" pretty much backs up everything Jello says here. I really miss 80's hardcore. Especially Reagan Youth. Those guys were awesome!
I... Love... Jello-Biafra, and The-Dead-Kennedys. :-)
God I miss this band.
The Dead Kennedy's were the band that started my musical awakening! I always copied the cassettes and skated better when they were playing. Scandal that the band sued the architect of the band.
Punk is whatever you want it to be. There's never been a single definition nor unanimous (or even majority) agreement on what it is. As long as you're doing what you like, believing what makes sense to you, and listening to what you want, you're about as punk as you can get in my book.
LOL
I may be gay but at least I'm literate.
LOL. Maybe I will.
LOL. I know. Ironic, right? Trolls aren't people though, so technically, it's okay I guess.
So everyone is punk. According to your definition Justin Beaver is punk because he is doing what he likes.. and what he likes is being a conformist. Eating food is punk, wearing clothes is punk, christianity is punk. The mere act of liking something is not punk. It has to have that added quality of liking something despite it being taboo. And in that sense, in my opinion, even being conventional can be punk.. but only in certain contexts.
And it is impossible to believe something that doesn't make sense to you. If you don't understand it then in what sense do you believe it? When you expand a definition to mean everything you are simultaneously divulging it of all meaning because you can't differentiate it from anything else.
Question "Green or Red" is classic New Mexico restaurant question. What kind of chile you want on your enchilada?
MMMMM that’s great
There's always room for Jello
Punk is like the bubonic plague. It's generally thought to be extinct, but it keeps popping up ;)
lovely quote man İ shall stole this
It's killer too.
Then Colorado prairie dogs must be punk as fuck!!
www.billboard.com/articles/business/touring/8526133/colorado-fireworks-show-canceled-prairie-dog-bubonic-plague
This man is a national treasure.
As long as bands like The Aquabats are around then the spirit of punk will never die.
beautiful smile
he's still very handsome.
"Punks not dead, it just deserves to die,
when it becomes another stale cartoon..."
Dead Kennedys, Chickenshit Conformist Like Your Parents
Jello knew punk (music in general) was in trouble back in the late 80's
+parker iles in what way? Jello wrote Chickenshit Conformist to express his dismay at what was happening in the punk scene during the 80s. Read the lyrics. I heard him say that music in general was going down the tubes, this was back in '88 when he did a Spoken Word event at my college, he lamented then that punk as he knew it was already dead and was back then being overrun by neonazis and death metal types, he would have said more but then he got into it with some idiot crazy Christian fundamentalists and spent the rest of the event destroying their hypocritical double standards, he even got one of them to admit that they (contemporary fundamentalists) were so judgemental and radicalised that they would probably crucify Jesus today for not being a crazy fundamentalist like them. it was fun to watch him get under their skin.
I remember that. But I wondered why Punks didn't realize how fundamentalist they themselves could be. Punks in the day where just as purist, radicalized, judgemental and elitist as anyone. They couldn't accept anyone. Not once did anyone ever say that anyone can be hypocritical with double standards. Who is perfect? It takes one to know one. LOL. Pointing out other peoples double standards is only half the truth. I guess it was why I never really was a true Punk.
Jeremy, I'd like to argue with you, but really I can't, because your right about that.
Jello was right but Bed Time sucked. It sounded like they lost their creative spark and phoned it in.
I was a lucky one, my local scene was so small, it consisted of everything counter-culture at the time. Punks, Skins, Metalheads, Industrial, Goths, even Ravers. It was a weird, magical thing.
this sounds corny because i'm 38 but i'm more "punk" now than i ever was back when i was a teenager who thought they were a punk rocker. and i was one that played drums in multiple regionally popular punk bands, at that. now-a-days i look like Mr. Businessman (with a few tattoos and piercings showing). Cops wave at me instead of leering at me, etc. Ideally, however, i'm a free thinking anti-war shroom head. Jello Biafra has always been and will always be my favorite punk rocker. what a cool, down to earth guy. I went to see him do a lecture back in 2002 or 2003. it was so dope. i would love to go see that same lecture again now that I am nearly 40.
I wish Jello and Lydon would collaborate. Between the brains and the attitude they could do something special.
KEVIN COOL IDEA BRO! TWO OF MY FAVORITES!
The Finker what year was It from or what did he say I wanna know but theres like 11 interviews with him and nardwuar
Lydon is the biggest sell out going
Lydon has the attitude of a retiree who golfs a lot and thinks there's too many brown people in his town.
fuck Lydon he was the singer of a produced boy band called the Sex Pistols who were formed just to sell fashion
I still don't trust mechanics because of jello.
Or well paid scientists? "...you only talk in fact. You know you're always right, cos you know how to prove it step by step. PhD to show you're smart, with facts and formulas....etc etc".
He has a brilliant mind and does well at expressing it and that impresses me. I usually can't express what is in my head, even if it is just that I want to make some toast.
Jello is a legend. DK ain't the same without him.
I have another question for him: A sum of individual like-minded rebels from different social strata or an organized working class acting alone? I guess Jello would prefer the first, but I would go for the second.
Thank you for making this interview! I just listened to Bedtime for Democracy today and it felt like the best album ive heard in my life. I just felt it right down to the bone. I am so OVER this pandemic escapade because everything is backards, like Kennedys have been screaming for years. I had that album on Vinyl for years, even as a drum and bass Dj I had to have my one punk record in the batch. Wish I still had it but I definitely didn't get the rush from the album the same way I did today. I went into a NOFX deep dive for the last several years and maybe that obsession strengthened my reception to the album. I like fast music. Drum and bass is fast, punk rock is fast when it's done a certain way, all technical like, and it sounded so good with so much heart. I love walking around SF knowing that Dead Kennedys are from here.
I'm so happy he referenced Hawkwind.
Jello seems like an intelligent, articulate man. But like a lot of musicians outside the mainstream, he has a typically snobby attitude. I don't think all disco, soft rock and arena rock is crap. I personally like The Bee Gees, Steely Dan and Journey a lot more than Jello's music. Oh, and The Clash was awesome, too.
Aw, don't stop believin', merocket!
***** you sir are a genius
Agree, to limit yourself to one genre of music and have the nerve to comment derisively about it go ahead doesn't make you an ass not enlightened, as long as it has passion, soul dedication that's that's all it counts.
Kevin Patrick
I hate Journey, the Bee Gees, Steely Dan, I love the Dead Kennedys, The Descendents, Dinosaur Jr, Skinny Puppy, The Cure, Minor Threat, Joy Division, David Bowie, some Doom Metal, some Classical,.... difference of musical taste, I like music with Artistic Integrity, real and not fabricated passion.
He is. And I agree, the awful punk that's been made today should die, so we can make new punk that's as kick ass as it was when the Dead Kennedys were around, and Black Flag, And The Melvins, and The Ramones.
Jello rocks! His music always ramped me up for a good time!
7:37 there's a translation error. He says "arena rock" and the translator goofed and called it "ce 'rhino rock'".
Ramones or Clash? Biafra: Ramones! Black Flag Minor Threat. This guy is Genuine and Hardcore 🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴🏴
I’m not much into punk music and randomly looked up some of DK’s music from an article I read. I find his attitude and responses to be be very attractive
He said 'arena rock', not 'rhino rock'! They're slightly different...
Rhino rock sounds good
I love Jello. He is one of a kind. His work is great!
I read that as "dead singer of the kennedys" and was hella confused as to how they interviewed a dead person
I love people tearing each other to ribbons in the comment thread about "punk", where it started, what it means ect.
The George Gimarc book Punk Diary 1970 to 1979 is the most thorough list of not only what happened, but when. All from first hand accounts through people who were there at the time. So yes... the term punk, the look and sound all originated from america, with the aformention Richard Hell and New York Dolls directly influencing the look and sound of the pistols (Mclaren was involved with the Dolls England tour, even remembering an incident where Johnny Thunders puked into a potted plant apon arriving at the airport, a scene which he had Sid repeat for the pistols american tour later). The term punk came from the saying "any punk can do this" which in the early 70's was meant to insult the Garage bands active at the time. The Punk zine published in New York around 76' or 75' solidifying the name for the burgeoning New York movement. And of course, the Ramones were together in 74', and were the first band to call their fans punks according to a biography I read as a kid. It seemed to grow bigger quicker in the U.K. due to the same conditions (poverty, mass youth unemployment) and the fact that the entire U.K. is still smaller than America. The Ramones were never a household name till the 90's but the Clash had been on rock radio as long as I've been alive, things just spread quicker in the U.K. but American Begat Hardcore while the U.K. gave us OI!. In the end most bands either became new wave (Cocksparrer, Peter and the test tube babies) while others became speed metal (DRI, GBH, English Dogs). Pop punk rose to prominience while the genre kept splintering. That's been your quickie punk lesson for today.
All that and not a single mention of The Saints?
@braindeadevilash - Oh yeah, George Gimarc was a regular in the alt.punk Usenet newsgroup in the mid-'90s (what you'd call an 'online forum' now, back when the internet was text-only!). Gawd, I feel old...
@@slotsoffun494 Someone should make a documentary on punk bands in the Antipodes (Australia / New Zealand)! I only know the one song by The Saints, 'Stranded', but I really love it.
I loved this band, and I'm curious why people have questionable amounts of distaste for Jello B. The lyrics for most of the DK songs were quite "on point" and relevant to this day.
The example of coupling in a band like "Sex Pistols" to be the embodiment of punk is amusing, considering they were thrown together to help sell a clothing line.
We have so many views of what "Punk" is. To me it's just music. The ideals typically are the fuel for their fire, but also (unintentionally) share the same components that fuel flames of hypocrisy. Fans of the scene are mainly bound and lured by the vivid fashion statements - proudly displaying non-conformity while conforming to very specific standards.
The whole US vs UK punk thing is also absurd and a joke, but many seem fine with perpetuating the nonsense.
Twain Driver I kinda enjoyed some of The Sex Pistols songs, but you are right they were thrown together like boy bands are today, to sell Vivian Westwood’s expensive crap designed to shock, purely for the sake of it. She was a fake and a rider of coat tails just like McLaren. The punk bands i did admire were definitely The Dead Kennedy’s, The Exploited, Misfits, UK Subs, Abrasive Wheels. The Ramones and a band that in its early days was labelled punk but was really just fucking hard, fast and LOUD rock n roll..........Motörhead. Jello is a genius in my opinion.
To be fair, it was McLaren pulling the strings behind that whole operation. The Sex Pistols ended up being too much for him, and they evolved into their own thing. I'm pretty sure they even grew to hate him, or at the very least they were butting heads with him. It's why they ruined his original idea for the song "Submission."
The Sex Pistols weren't put together to sell a clothing line. I don't know where this myth originated or why people keep repeating it, but it's not true. The reality is that they grew out of an earlier pub rock group called The Strand. They kicked Wally Nightingale out, added Glen Matlock as bassist, and asked John Lydon to sing. Malcolm agreed to manage them when he was asked to, but was clearly in way over his head and eventually quit. The lyrics, the music, the name, was entirely their own.
He has aged very gracefully and is so well spoken. This was a big surprise. Great video
You can see how difficult a person Jello is and why DK broke up.
🤨
I find many of Jello Biafra's views to be ill-advised nonsense (imo he increasingly lost the plot as he got older), but he sure did make great music back in the day
True, he, as does the Left, Hate Trump for ALL the wrong reasons. If they accused him of being a Zionist Jew puppet then they would be on the Right track, but they can't because They are ALL Marxist Indoctrinated Idiot's. The Useful IDIOT's of the Jew's.
Punk music died in 1986 but the spirit lives on. From the underground jazz scene to beatnik to hippies to the current underground hip hop scene the spirit lives on
furyus01 I agree. Though I personally find most of the lyrics of the current generation’s style of hip-hop to be incredibly stupid and boring they definitely bring the punk energy with their performance and delivery. Then there’s the beats. They’ve given the 808 new life. Lil Jon and the Eastside Boyz also had a very punk aesthetic in the early 2000’s.
@@4dhumaninstrumentality789 try artists like Eyedea & Abilities, Sage Francis. the Coup, and Saul Williams.
@tryina tryina underground as in not mainstream. Small label. Groups like Clipping. No need to be a douchebag man. So I enjoy online gaming with friends from around the world. So what? I went to Suicidal Tendencies in 84, DI DRI Slayer in 85. Thanks for trolling my profile though
That’s the thing, I forget who said it but I think it was one of the older punk guys, its not about the sound it’s about the attitude. Of course punk itself got very kind of commercialized in the 80’s with a lot of bands and fans coming in just for the anarchy aspect which is where hardcore and bands like minor threat come in to go against the influx of people just in it for the looks and not the message
I'd love to have a beer with Jello Biafra and talk for hours
I remember getting to stay backstage during the concert and hold East Bay Ray's beer. He gave me his phone number.
Lol
The man has always spoken truth to power and seems to have had a crystal ball in his head 40+ years ago.
As hardcore as Jello is even when he was young he a lot of almost common sense. Those lyrics he wrote are insightful as fuck. Even when he started making fun of Punk it was b/c he has a much more first principals view of things that all the trendy people that were probably around him. I had to add to this, what he just said about Assad was so spot on considering it was 8 years ago...
Look up his old interview on the Oprah show re: PMRC. He's amazing on it!!
The mighty Jello! Click-baity title but I love his explanation. A true punk icon!
I could listen to Jello talking all day long. Really interesting, and intelligent bloke!
Jello- Legend