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Jello Biafra (real name: Eric Boucher; born June 17, 1958, Boulder, Colorado) was the lead singer for the Dead Kennedys, a punk rock band.
Biafra has used absurdist media tactics in the tradition of the Yippies to highlight issues of civil rights, social justice, and anti-corporatism.
In 1979, he ran for mayor of San Francisco, California as a prank, using a slogan borrowed from a Jello ad campaign, "There's always room for Jello". His platform included ridiculous points such as forcing businessmen to wear clown suits. (Biafra has expressed irritation that this part of his platform attained such notoriety, preferring instead to be remembered for proposals such as legalizing squatting in vacant, tax-delinquent buildings.) He finished fourth out of a field of ten, garnering 3.5% of the vote; the election was resolved in a runoff that did not involve him. Also in 1979, Biafra formed the record label Alternative Tentacles.
Biafra was a swift critic of the Parents Music Resource Center, and has constantly criticised co-founder Tipper Gore, as well as the Tipper Sticker, a warning placed on records indicating explicit content.
In 1985, Biafra was brought to trial in Los Angeles for distributing "harmful matter" in the Dead Kennedys album Frankenchrist. In actuality, the item in dispute was neither the music nor the lyrics from the album, but rather a print of a poster included with the album, Penis Landscape, by Swiss surreal artist H. R. Giger. Biafra believes the trial was politically motivated, with a family claiming the poster harmed their children. How this alleged harm was discovered and the authorities' decision to press charges were disallowed by the judge, however. Nevertheless, the jury deadlocked 7 to 5 in favor of acquittal, prompting a mistrial; despite a district attorney motion to re-try the case, the judge ordered all charges dropped. The Dead Kennedys disbanded during the trial, but Biafra has since become a renowned Spoken word artist, and an icon for anti-censorship groups. In Biafra's second spoken word album, High Priest of Harmful Matter, he speaks at length about the details of the trial.
Biafra has released several spoken word albums, including No More Cocoons, and is the lead singer of the band Lard, which has released several albums, including The Power of Lard, The Last Temptation of Reid, Pure Chewing Satisfaction, and others. He has also made music with other indie bands, such as Mojo Nixon, D.O.A., NOMEANSNO, and The Melvins.
Biafra is often credited with coining the slogan "Don't hate the media, become the media" in 2000. Indymedia and related alternative media often use this line, or the now more apt "Don't hate the media, be the media".
In 2000, Biafra was drafted as a candidate for the Green Party presidential nomination, and a few supporters were elected to the party's nominating convention in Denver, Colorado. However, Ralph Nader was overwhelmingly chosen as the party's candidate.
Of note: "Biafra" was the name of a would-be country which attempted to secede from Nigeria in 1966; after four years of fighting and horrific starvation, Nigeria regained control of the nascent Biafran state. Jello Biafra came up with his name as an oxymoronic combination of a violent civil war and a consumer product.
Biafra was featured and has spoken at many of the H.O.P.E. conferences (audio is freely available of these apearances). He also appeared on-screen in "Bikini Bandits" (2002), alongside other musicians such as Maynard James Keenan of Tool (band), and Dee Dee Ramone of The Ramones.
In 1999, Biafra formed the short-lived band The No WTO Combo. In 2004, he released an album with The Melvins, Never Breathe What You Can't See.
Discography:
- "No More Cocoons" - 1987, Spoken Word Album No. 1
- "High Priest of Harmful Matter - Tales From The Trial" - 1989, Spoken Word Album No. 2
- "Last Scream Of The Missing Neighbors" - 1990, with DOA
- "I Blow Minds For A Living" - 1991, Spoken Word Album No. 3
- "The Sky Is Falling And I Want My Mommy" - 1991, with NoMeansNo
- "Beyond The Valley Of The Gift Police" - 1994, Spoken Word Album No. 4
- "Prarie Home Invasion" - 1994, with Mojo Nixon
- "If Evolution Is Outlawed, Only Outlaws Will Evolve" - 1998, Spoken Word Album No. 5
- "Become The Media" - 2001, Spoken Word Album No. 6
- "The Big Ka-Boom, Part One" - 2002
- "Machine Gun In The Clown's Hand" - 2002, Spoken Word Album No. 7
- "Never Breathe What You Can't See" - 2004, with The Melvins
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