Aug
29
29
History On Another Level Of Sorting
Above: The Dead Kennedys in the studio, recording a song from the ‘In God We Trust’ EP
Jeesh. Who would’ve imagined that there was a professional-quality video of the entire session?
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ifthethunderdontgetya™³²®© said,
August 29, 2007 at 1:16
RCOKxxorz!one11!
Let’s see if I got anything decent in my house…
Hey, here’s teh Megatron McArdle song!
TRex said,
August 29, 2007 at 1:27
Isn’t that Billy Zoom from X sitting at the board?
caliph garrett said,
August 29, 2007 at 1:34
Nazi Punks, overproduced by Martin Hannett, take 4…
Kevin Bacon Holding Playdoh said,
August 29, 2007 at 1:50
Just popped by to let you know that this isn’t particularly new news punk-wise; My understanding is that after Biafra lost the lawsuits he was fighting against the rest of the band, in particular to the publishing rights, the rest of the band went on a spree of releasing everything they could to rustle up and earn money… there’s a good overview of the flood of stuff over at Prindles Record Reviews, (Link in the URL as I don’t know how to get hotlinking to stick here yet alas), with the footage you’ve found being released in 2003 on the “In God We Trust, Inc – The Lost Tapes” DvD. None of which I’ve bought, or even pirated yet to be honest, because I’m rather torn on the whole fight… leaves a bit of a sour taste.
Djur said,
August 29, 2007 at 2:09
This isn’t actually video of the In God We Trust, Inc. session. It’s video of the first session which was later lost and then re-recorded. Which makes it even more interesting.
TRex: Fun fact — last interview I read, Billy Zoom was a big fan of George W. Bush.
TRex said,
August 29, 2007 at 2:19
TRex: Fun fact — last interview I read, Billy Zoom was a big fan of George W. Bush.
GACK!!! Nooooooooooo!!
One more teenage crush lands in the bonfire.
Kevin Bacon Holding Playdoh said,
August 29, 2007 at 2:29
You misunderstand Djur… the footage above, which yes is from the original sessions (the audio to which was lost) is on a DVD called “In God We Trust, Inc – The Lost Tapes”, from 2003. Not the 1979 “In God We Trust, Inc” version, which has the second session and audio, but both are on the re-released update on the DK’s new label. My point was only that the original footage has been out (and reviewed, hence why I linked to Prindle where I first heard of the original footage) for a few years now, as has quite a large amount of other DK media (the other 3 members of the band have remixed all the albums too, including Fresh Fruit which they recently also won the rights too)
Lawnguylander said,
August 29, 2007 at 2:31
Is it heresy to say I never really liked the Dead Kennedys? If only their music had been as good as their politics and album covers. Am I going to get banned for saying these things?
On the other hand, IT-diggity, that’s a hell of a collection you’ve got there. Now I know how I’m going to spend the next few hours.
FS said,
August 29, 2007 at 2:37
8 songs in 5 minutes!
Gavin M. said,
August 29, 2007 at 2:38
Huh. I had a little email pen-pal thing with Billy Zoom a couple of years ago. We mostly talked about amps and other sound equipment (no politics that I can remember).
Nice guy, sort of private and gnomic like you’d expect him to be.
Kevin Bacon Holding Playdoh said,
August 29, 2007 at 2:41
Very much an acquired taste, the Kennedys I admit… My housemate hated them for their punk production values too, and just couldn’t get past his voice. But if you want Biafra-esque politics with better music to back it up, try LARD (Biafra and Ministry) or the Jelvins “Never Breath What You Can’t See” (Biafra and The Melvins). The Biafra & NoMeansNo album is great too, but alas also badly produced, which puts a lot of people off… and Tumor Circus is hit and miss (Biafra & Steel Pole Bath Tub) between genius and just ho hum. And the collaboration with DOA was probably the only decent album DOA ever released.
I like Biafra’s work a fair bit, as you can probably tell… just wish I knew what to believe about the whole legal shennanigans.
M. Bouffant said,
August 29, 2007 at 2:46
Trex, that’s not Billy, he was thinner & had different hair in those days. I dunno if he’s a Bush fan, but I’ve heard he is some kind of serious Xtian. Last I heard he was running a guitar repair shop in Santa Ana, or somewhere in Orange County.
Try this one on for size, punk-wise. Interviewer @ the end is murder victim Peter Ivers.
Billy Squier!!
mikey said,
August 29, 2007 at 3:14
Speaking of DOA, I hung with (Bloodrock drummer) Rick Cobb in Ft. Worth in the middle seventies. We had this righteous scam where we managed to convince a bunch of working girls we were cops and if they took care of our needs we’d tear up their files.
I always liked the concept of Bloodrock more than their execution. But long before a lot of bands had the courage to say the words, they said the fucking words…
mikey
Henry Holland said,
August 29, 2007 at 4:21
I only saw the DK’s once, on New Years Eve, at a bowling alley in North Hollywood, on the Plastic Surgery Disasters tour. It was kind of sad, to be honest.
The only thing I really disagreed with Mr. Biafra about was his anti-sports stance. It was consistent with his worldview, but, well, I love baseball and the real football (i.e. soccer). So sue me, Jello.
This is one of my very favorite chunks of lyric, one I always use when people start waving their flags in my face:
Thank you for the toilet paper
But your flag’s meaningless to me
Look around, we’re all people
Who needs country’s anyway?
M. Bouffant said,
August 29, 2007 at 4:31
Henry: Was that Godzilla’s? Always loved the chain-link fence that wound it’s way through the interior of the place. What a dump, as they say.
DEMIZE! said,
August 29, 2007 at 4:37
“deez guys is HAOULI! What kine’ ufa dem? Friggin’ Wierdos.” A perceptive comment here.RE.Angry Samoans.But I’ll take the Bad Brains thank You.
Djur said,
August 29, 2007 at 6:12
I’ve heard several times from people who claimed not to like the Dead Kennedys’ music, which I always found kind of bizarre. As punk bands went, the DKs were top notch in terms of playing ability. Really, I’d say the only punk bands that consistently outplayed them were the Minutemen and Bad Brains.
Righteous Bubba said,
August 29, 2007 at 6:25
Billy Zoom was always a right-winger.
Johnny Coelacanth said,
August 29, 2007 at 7:36
“Really, I’d say the only punk bands that consistently outplayed them were the Minutemen and Bad Brains.”
I have one word for you: Black Flag.
Cool video. More like this please. Who knew that Jello once was kinda good looking?
In re Jello side projects, Kevin upstream mentioned LARD, which was always my favorite. Drug Raid at 4AM is still teh roxxor, as the kids might have once said. Also, Jello has a memorable appearance on Ice T’s Freedom of Speech album. Shut up, Be Happy is more relevant now than it was in 1990. Joe Bob says look it up.
Finally, Bloodrock? I have an album of theirs, on an actual vinyl record (that’s analog technology to you kids).
C. elegans said,
August 29, 2007 at 9:35
Thanks for posting this, Gavin. Not my favorite DK tune, but it’s still great to finally see a decent recording after all these years. And speaking of awesome Biafra collaborations… what about Jello and Mojo Nixon’s “Will the fetus be aborted?” (Sung to the tune of “Will the circle be unbroken?”)
agrippa_cash said,
August 29, 2007 at 10:00
I didn’t like DK until I heard the Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprecy’s cover of California Uber Alles. I thought it was great (and I thought it was Public Enemy). Still not a huge punk fan, but the nonpunk production value got me to give the original a fair listening.
Kevin Bacon Holding Playdoh said,
August 29, 2007 at 11:59
Well, it’s morning now, and the ol’ brain cells are working properly again! And so I recall Biafra has also worked with GWAR (in the movie Skulhedface), and Pigface too… the other Kennedy’s might be really nice guys, or might not, but none of them have done anything else since.
GoatBoy said,
August 29, 2007 at 16:19
I second Jello and Mojo’s Prairie Home Invasion for a fine bar band helping Jello to find his art-damaged blue collar.
Mojo needs to get off the satellite radio (great though he is on it) and recommence fulfilling his destiny in smelly-ass dives throughout this great land of our’n!
Lawnguylander said,
August 29, 2007 at 16:29
OK, maybe I’ll go back and give the DKs another listen 25 years after I decided I didn’t like them. But on the subject of music that really sucks, did y’all see the Taxonomy of Shitty Rock that Norbiz put together? Very funny.
Olexicon said,
August 29, 2007 at 21:52
the big question is
“California Uber ales”
vs.
“We’ve got a bigger problem now”
I used to quote the entire intro to that one when i heard the words “last call”
Righteous Bubba said,
August 29, 2007 at 21:56
“California Uber ales”
I have a soft spot for San Francisco, but on the whole I would take ales uber California.
Northern Observer said,
August 29, 2007 at 22:08
Is my cock big enough
Is my brain small enough
For you to make me a star
Give me a toot
I’ll sell you my soul
Pull my strings and I’ll go far
Drool Drool Drool Drool
My Payolla
Best lyrics evah.
MCH said,
August 29, 2007 at 22:09
More beer, less California? I’m in!!
mikey said,
August 30, 2007 at 2:27
California has its downs, sure, but hatin on California is crazy. There is literally nowhere else where you can surf, sail, rock climb and ski all in one day, and be home to sleep in your own bed.
And all with world class restaurants…
mikey
M. Bouffant said,
August 30, 2007 at 4:54
You know it Mikey, screw those other side of the Rockies bastards!! I’m ready to secede right effin’ now!! (Fifth lagest economy in the world & all that.)
And by the way, flatlanders, even if we Native Sons of the Golden West don’t pull off Mikey’s above quadfecta every day, we at least have the option to do so. HAH!!
Arnold Schwarzenegger said,
August 30, 2007 at 5:25
Ad leezt ve haf ze Ohpshun to doo zo.
GoatBoy said,
August 30, 2007 at 6:24
“There is literally nowhere else where you can surf, sail, rock climb and ski all in one day, and be home to sleep in your own bed.”
mikey’s got the map to the locals only secret empty freeway system.
Herr Doktor Bimler said,
August 30, 2007 at 10:23
There is literally nowhere else where you can surf, sail, rock climb and ski all in one day, and be home to sleep in your own bed.
That was an imposter. The real Mikey would be “home to sleep in someone else’s bed”.
mikey said,
August 30, 2007 at 19:38
Oh, I don’t recomend all that healthy outdoorsy kind of shit. That’s crazy talk. Consider the forgoing to be marketing copy.
mikey’s got the map to the locals only secret empty freeway system.
One word. Pluterday!!!
mikey
Friday Night Punk- Dead Kennedys « Constitution Club said,
September 8, 2007 at 6:50
[...] It turns out that there are some grade-A videos of studio sessions of what many, myself included, consider the greatest punk band of all time recording one of their best albums, “In God We Trust” (via Sadly, No!). [...]