Dead Kennedys

:This page is about the band; see Kennedy family for the political dynasty, or The Kennedy Curse, which inspired the name "Dead" Kennedys

History

Dead Kennedys formed in June 1978, after guitarist East Bay Ray advertised for band mates. The original DK lineup consisted of Jello Biafra on vocals, East Bay Ray and 6025 on guitars, Klaus Flouride on bass, and Ted (Bruce Slesinger) on drums. The band was initially known as "The Sharks" before changing to Dead Kennedys. They played numerous shows at local venues, and in October of 1979, released their first single, "California Über Alles", on Alternative Tentacles. They followed with a well received east-coast tour. 6025 quit after this due to musical differences between himself and Biafra.

Related Topics:
June - 1978 - East Bay Ray - Jello Biafra - 6025 - Klaus Flouride - Bruce Slesinger - 1979 - California Über Alles - Alternative Tentacles

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Prior to the release of their debut album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, Dead Kennedys were invited to perform at the Bay Area Music Awards in front of music industry big-wigs to give the event some "new wave credibility" in the words of the organizers. The day of the show was spent practicing the song they were asked to play, the underground hit "California Über Alles". In typically subversive, perverse style, the band became the talking point of the ceremony when after about 10 seconds into the song, Biafra said, "Hold it! We've gotta prove that we're adults now. We're not a punk rock band, we're a new wave band." The band, who all wore white shirts with a big, black S painted on the front, pulled black ties from around the backs of their necks, to form a dollar sign, then tore into the previously unheard "Pull My Strings", a barbed, satirical attack on the ethics of the mainstream music industry. As well as containing the lyrics "Is my cock big enough, is my brain small enough, for you to make me a star", the song also sent-up The Knack's biggest new wave hit, "My Sharona". The song was never recorded in the studio but this performance, the first and only time the song was ever performed, was released on the posthumous compilation album Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death... and the band was never invited to play the awards show ever again.

Related Topics:
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables - Bay Area Music Awards - Subversive - New wave - Satirical - Cock - Brain - The Knack - Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death

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After their debut album, drummer Ted was replaced with D.H. Peligro. Throughout the 1980s, they toured all over the United States as well as Europe, gaining a large following in the underground music scene. In 1981, the band released the single "Too Drunk To Fuck". The song caused much controversy in the U.K as BBC feared the single would reach the Top 30; this would require a performance of the song on Top of the Pops. However, this never came to be as the single peaked at #31. The EP In God We Trust, Inc. (1981) and album Plastic Surgery Disasters (1982) showed a development in musical style, and their music became a political force, pitting itself against rising elements of American social and political life such as the religious right and Ronald Reagan.

Related Topics:
D.H. Peligro - United States - Europe - Too Drunk To Fuck - Top of the Pops - In God We Trust, Inc. - Plastic Surgery Disasters - Religious right - Ronald Reagan

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The release of the album Frankenchrist (Alternative Tentacles; Virus 45) in 1985 caused a fervor with the newly formed PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center), and in 1986, the members Dead Kennedys, along with other parties involved in the distribution of Frankenchrist, were brought to trial for "distribution of harmful matter to minors" due in part to an H.R. Giger illustration included with the album. Biafra says that during this time government agents invaded and searched his home. The band members were each faced with up to a year in jail and a $2000 fine. In 1987, the charges were dropped after a three-week trial. The album, however, was banned from many record stores nationwide.

Related Topics:
Frankenchrist - PMRC - H.R. Giger

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After the release of Bedtime for Democracy in late 1986, the band called it quits. Biafra went on to become a highly active political force, appearing on numerous television shows and releasing a number of spoken-word albums.

Related Topics:
Bedtime for Democracy - Spoken-word

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