Jello Biafra

• Genre: Spoken Word
• Hometown: San Francisco

About

With his slight lisp and high, nasal whine, ex-Dead Kennedy Jello Biafra's voice is not one you easily mistake. Nor can you ignore his hyper-charged rants regarding politics, the media, censorship, dunderheaded macho behavior, politics, and inane drug laws. Biafra is a seething cauldron of intelligent aggression, never afraid to point fingers at hypocrisy, corruption and general idiocy where he sniffs it out. He has played the part of muckraker with bravado ever since the Dead Kennedys' first album Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables was released in 1980. In 1979, Biafra mounted a serious campaign for mayor of San Francisco; he came in fourth out of ten -- not bad considering his tactics included vacuuming leaves off of Senator Diane Feinstein's lawn and proposing legislation in which all businessmen would be required to wear clown suits. On his 2000 release, Become the Media, Biafra shows that time has not dulled, deadened or drained him one bit. He attacks the political system, bringing up pointed facts and inflammatory opinions.

- Will Lerner