"I realized I had ‘fallen and I can’t get up!'"
The Dead Kennedy’s were essential listening for any young surf punk coming of age in the 1980s. Bursting out of San Francisco all snarling and anarchic, the quintet, originally featuring East Bay Ray, Klaus Fluoride, Ted, 6025 and Jello Biafra mashed California’s “surf sound” with London’s mash and thrash to great effect. Anyone who knew what was what had that iconic DK logo etched onto PeeChee folders, harder nuts etching it into textbooks and future felons etching right into the wood of the desk itself.
Though only lasting around 10 years (not including a 2001 reunion), the Dead Kennedy’s made many iconic albums, including the critically-acclaimed debut Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables wherein California Über Alles led off the second side.
What a tune.
Well, in a melancholic twist, Biafra, now 67, suffered a nasty stroke over the weekend. His record label, Alternative Tentacles, took to social media to explain, “On Saturday, March 7th Jello Biafra suffered a hemorrhagic stroke caused by high blood pressure.”
Biafra, jumping in to provide color, added, ”I hopped out of my bed because I needed to pee, and my left leg just collapsed under me and I fell to the floor. I couldn’t even break the fall with my left arm because it wasn’t working either. I tried to hop back up again, and I couldn’t. I realized I had ‘fallen and I can’t get up!’”
He is currently in the hospital but stable and recuperating.
Does that make you feel old or do you live by the credo “old punks never die?”
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Don’t forget the alternate version!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=VmJYpAycF0c
So KICK ass
Not to kick a man when he’s down, but given his political pronouncements he’s been brain-dead for years. Let’s hope he pulls a Fetterman recovery.
DK was the best.
Wishing Jello a quick bounce back.
cheers
I Stumbled across my older brothers DK cd collection in the early 90s and it completely changed the direction of my life. His line ‘I’d rather stay a child and keep my self respect if being an adult means being like you’, is still stuck in my brain to this day.
Also, not including DH Peligro in the band list (yes I know he joined later) is a terrible sin. Plus 6025 only featured on a couple of songs.
Dh pelligro, wow, incredible drummer. Anyone see them at narrabeen antler?
There was a kid named Anton, blood enemy and he became a member of FFF.
He claimed that I punched his brother at Big Dume. I saw him at the masque and we had a contentious awareness of where each of us were as the cheap shots became expected. I always kept my head on a swivel if I knew Anton was there.
DK’s were playing a warehouse in Pedro, rough rough hood. Was talking to kids I knew who surfed Gaffey lefts when I saw him and he was wearing his FFF costume, first time I knew he was involved. FFF never arrived alone in costume so I looked round for the other coyotes, none seen. It’s on.
Entire warehouse was a pit, Jello yelled something and it was on. Full mayhem. As I circled looking for Anton, I saw two guys pin him against a wall and beating him. As he slid to the floor, another dude kicked him with army boots. Kid had a slash in his cheek from the kick, I saw his teeth through the wound, blood squirting.
His eyes recognizing me were alarmed, but I grabbed his shirt and helped lift him to his feet as guys were circling round taking shots at everyone. I got clocked in the ear. I just said, let’s get out of here and suddenly, the fire hose trapped us against the wall. San Pedro Fire was ending the concert. I thought I broke my wrist protecting my face from hitting the wall. Anton slumped and the hose moved to other rioters. I grabbed him again and we made our way outside to the waiting cops.
A week or two later, DK played Devonshire Downs, FFF territory. I was confronted immediately, wasn’t supposed to be in the valley. The Fire Dept arrived and I ran because I knew their strategy. Not sure that concert ever began.
FFF would become a major factor and Punk died because clubs couldn’t control the gang violence. Cathe De Grand had become a war zone. I have more stories.
Cuckoo’s Nest, even with Gilded Cage, was so tame in comparison. I loved Jack G TSOL era. Vandals.
Then Distorted came to the Olympic Auditorium and LAPD were there in force. Wow. Guys were throwing beer bottles at the riot police. Imagine fighting LAPD in riot gear?
Huntington Park show followed and that was the end of punk shows. The cops brought an army.
Get well Jello
California Uber Alles
Let’s lynch the Landlord…. fuck yeah, great memories
was the Distorted gig with The Exploited?
Yes
6 bands, were you there?
I was. The Olympic was great. Roller derby and punk rock.
Fake wrestling too
I think it’s a church right now.
There was an abandoned church in Herm Beach that BF played at. I was taken to a “show”, there was no billing or management, just a hollowed out church
We had some home town punk in Sunset Beach. Mike Martt and Rhys Williams had the band Funeral, and later Martt formed Tex and the Horseheads. Rhys was also lead guitarist for the Joneses. Rhys still surfs with me on the Central Coast.
gunna reach out to a buddy who surfed SB, still does.
I don’t recognize these names. There were a LOT of bands
Lot’s of cross pollination with people filling in or short lived bands. Do you remember the FlyBoys from Long Beach? They were great. Also the back up band for Chris D. on the first Flesheaters 45(Radio Dies Screaming).
Do You remember these
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
My friend was friends with Mike, surfs Anderson Street daily
Knows Texarkana too
Smog Vomit on base. Did your friend work for Lost… and have a sister named Brandi, by chance?
No, he surfs Anderson street daily and rode for Doc
Punks were always the best at finding random “pop-up” locations.
like being pool skater and finding empty pools.
You didn’t find pools, you emptied good ones
Upp the risk factor exponentially
Korean Mega Church
Yep. That was nuts. We were actually on a Cal surf/skate tour and planned it around the gig. We didn’t stay through the whole thing because it got way nuts…but were invited to a party where the Jerks were playing…..that also got raided.
I got whacked by a cops baton because they had set up a gauntlet from the door to the street, but it was worth it because we met these girls there and…..well. Wild night.
Fuck Yeah brother!
We were like wild animals
L.A. in the 80’s was the Savannah for wild things.
Truly was
And I had 2nd point to myself for years
You and Hippy had to of crossed paths back in the day
so many ways…. we have friends in common, good friends
no doubt. My parents moved to PV in 79 and I lived in PV for a short spell, before moving to Newps. Even worked the yards at TI as a forklift operator.
he knows some of the PV guys I know there so wouldn’t be surprised if we not only crossed paths but hung out a bit.
I was in PV till ‘81, then moved to Echo
How good were the jetties before they filled in? Holy moly
Hey Campy, you gotta watch the clip I drop below….. You were there in that time.
Some of the funnest times at the Cuckoo’s Nest was the mayhem between the Zubie’s cowboys in the shared parking lot. Saw Black Flag there and it might have been Rollins first gig with them.
You know the place?
Placentia Ave if memory serves. I grew up in Sunset Beach and went to H.B high(until they tired of me).
You know Tom’s Burgers across 17th St? We would stash our bikes there and scale the wall next to the dumpsters, home in the ghetto in ten minutes down Superior.
And the CMPD would watch the fights unless the cowboys began to lose.
Legend of Pat Brown.
Oh my….these are golden memories.
great tale!
what was / is the FFF?
google is not being much help.
Fight For Freedom
Punk Gang, huge membership
Damn Hip, you should write a book. You always have the best stories. Love hearing others stories that closely or mirror my times in the early to mid 80’s no matter what part of the country, Oz,NZ etc. Thanks for sharing.
wild times PP
I could read surf stories all day, that’s why we take surf trips
Hey Hippy, You familiar with SP Rancho?
Too much Lard .
but where does he stand on god???
The fuck is a PeeChee? You mean Trapper Keeper? Munchcheechee? Chia pet? And real punk is the Wailers’ first Island album, Catch a Fire.
https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
You find little to no difference between ska/rock-steady and 60’s punk from MC5?
Kick out the jams, motherfuckers!
I admit for the first time ever Otto you stumped me. MC5?
this should really rattle your noggin
https://www.vvein.org/zine/mc5-city-detroit-spawned-rock-roll-revolution
More rattled that you know this! An anti capitalist anti white pro earth punk rage group?!?!? And Otto!! In the same breath?!?!??!
Monchhichi monchhichi, they’re soft and cuddly. https://uploads.disquscdn.c… https://uploads.disquscdn.c…
You never had a PeeChee? My goodness. I always knew you came from money.
If I can from money I’d be on Stab paying the firewall. You’re thinking of Hippy. And nope, trapper Keeper all the way and fill it with Garbage Pail kid stickers. Then a clipboard and we’d put all sorts of florescent grip tape on it. The 80s.
ya’ fuckin’ jokin’ mate!
PeeChee, the folder that you masking taped so you could draw endless great waves, surf pictures and board designs on.
the folder that folded perfectly so you could stuff it in the back pocket of your OP cord shorts.
Where were you raised? Liechtenstein?
Everyone had them
even if you did have a Peter Max folder, you still had the PeeChee in your back pocket. remember when you’d go to school with like 6 sheets of writing paper in your PeeChee? one for each class.
And jealously guard your pencil with your sharpener!
HA! I was gonna say that. used to have a game here called “Pencil fights” where you challenge each other by trying to snap the other guys pencil with yours.
if you won, the other guy had to give you his lunch money (quarter).
fuckin’ stupid, but funny.
I remember fucking with guys breaking the lead and they didn’t have a sharpener and you couldn’t talk in class to borrow one….
This is Trump’s fault. The Dead Kennedy’s dropped out of this year’s Punk in the Park because owner of Brew Ha Ha productions made a $1000 contribution to Trump’s 2024 campaign.
“Dead Kennedys have always stood firmly against authoritarianism, racism, and fascism. That has not changed. After these scheduled appearances, we will not be participating in future Punk in the Park events.”
The iconic punk band, which began in San Francisco, was then blasted by former lead singer Jello Biafra, who left the band in 1986.
“They’re taking the money $$$, and THEN pulling out? The real Dead Kennedys would never have let this happen in the first place,” Biafra said in a statement. “One more sordid reason I don’t ever want to play with them again.”
I can’t tell you how many people I know that claim to be heavily conservative and supportive of the MAGA movement but also are big fans of DK, Flogging Molly, Black Flag, The Clash, and, especially Dropkick Murphy’s apparently unaware of those bands long history of anti-establishment and anti-conservatism.
I played Flogging Molly’s “If I Ever Leave This World Alive” at my Father’s Celebration of Life.
I felt it would help my Mom feel closer to him at a time when she felt so far away from him.
Great band.
yeah, but their singer is also this singer
We Become One is my favorite on that album.
You just described orange county
Punk hypocrisy has been getting exponentially worse here over the last 15 years. Saw a Trump flag being flown on a truck with a Social D sticker just the other day.
Should it have been a pride flag?
the core punk rock community doesn’t discriminate against gays, so yes.
Com, you’re a young lad, but this will resonate
OC in all it’s glory https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URJk-Ex5Krw
Guarantee Trump has watched this
This is fucking hilarious…
oh, I remember this shithead.
It was all an act
Like the entire MAGA bullshit
uhhhhh, you dont know punk history much, do ya’?
I guess when slam dancing became “moshing”, punk became gay….but yeah, I can see young confused gays being attracted to the anarchist and anti-establishment tenets of punk.
In the infamous words of Pee Wee Herman: “I’m a Rebel, Dottie”
Punk was very homophobic, Com watch the Wally show I dropped
slam dancing never became moshing. two different disciplines. you been in a pit anytime recently?
Those are mainstream terms to describe chaos
Sounds like you’re projecting. If I had to guess, I’d say you’re in your 40’s so you were not there in the 80’s punk days.
but I get it; you were a wee lad, seeing all of us older hot lookin “surf punks”. We didn’t look like the euro punks. our teeth were shiny…and hot. You’d see us walking down the beach with our excellent boards, as you played with your sand castles and thinking: “WOOOWWWWW…He’s Hot”.
but it’s okay to have those feelings. We were hot! And chicks and gays are infatuated because…..we were hot…….and rebellious and made cool fashion statements….and had cool hair cuts….and were hot.
so enjoy your happy thoughts. savor those memories.
But please don’t ever question my punk bonafides.
I used to wear army boots with cowboy spurs for slamming, I sharpened my spikes with the teeth of fallen punks and my white shredded T had not one spot of white visible under the blood stains when I left a gig.
I haven’t been in a “pit” in a long time….because I grew up.
…but I did get tossed out for doing a stage dive…at a Surfari’s gig…..in Reseda. That’s core…..and we were hot!
idk, boomers stopped going to punk shows around these parts circa 1992, so there was no one to tell me about how you older punks apparently used to hate gays and such. Truly sounds like a golden age though!
I was way out of punk way before 92.
It wasn’t so much that we hated gays or any group. We didn’t discriminate with our disdain for societal organizations.
I was just saying if you think that bitd, the punk movement didn’t discriminate against gays….you’re wrong. plenty of anti-gay lyrics in punk. not saying it’s right, but just saying it was thing.
They’re so ignorant of history that they are just pulling images disparately, regardless of their contradiction. Very MAGA.
Racism was a theme though
SD are OC.
Three of those bands along with solo Henry still see meaningful rotation on my playlists. BUT then again I’m a bitter militant centrist.
TRUMP is Punk…..MAGA is PUNK!
John Lydon is a Trump supporter and a Conservative…..and without John Lydon, there is no punk.
Ramones came first and punk would have done just fine without The Sex Pistols.
HOW DARE YOU……..HOW DARE YOU!
Settle down and let’s at least agree that The Clash were better than either of those bands.
Absolutely 100%!
Theres nothing more punk than a bunch of boomers talking about what is and isn’t punk.
LOL
almost every other band on the bill followed suit.
This is the best Dead Kennedy’s song:
he had a banger of a spoken word set back in 2004 as part of the Rock Against Bush tour. His line that really resonated with a young Com was, “these conservatives care so much about the life of an unborn child in terms of being anti-abortion, but the moment that child is born to an impoverished mother, they say, ‘well fuck them, it’s not our responsibility.”
During his set, these “punk” guys in front of me wearing patched up denim battle vests and sporting spiked hair were booing and throwing middle fingers. I asked them if they even knew who this guy was and the band he formerly was the singer for. They told me to fuck off and that they didn’t care, and I told them that was precisely the reason that one of the them was wearing a Good Charlotte patch. One of them tried to take a swing, but security was on all of us almost immediately. They got kicked out and I got to stay. NOFX headlined and absolutely killed it.
NOFX impossibly good live.
Xox
So, according the editorial decoder ring,
he’s actually in prison.
Or was too drunk to fuck
or he’s still on Holiday in Cambodia
“I don’t care if it rains or freezes so long as I’ve got my plastic Jesus riding on the dashboard of my car.”
Mojo Nixon prefers to drink with the real Jesus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYpJPeaAHlw&t=7s
Excellent. The lyric I quoted was from a collab between jello and mojo.
Dog bite.