Talk:Jello Biafra

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homophobe?[edit]

i heard a rumor he’s anti LGBT and against same sex marriage. is this true? — Unsigned, by: 2607:FB90:6F93:85E7:74FD:31FF:9F8F:BD9E / talk

I really like Dead Kennedys, but it wouldn't surprise me. but it might also be a case of "no information makes people speculate" because after a Google search I didnt really find anything.--Spoony (talk) 23:49, 28 April 2022 (UTC)
Not sure about this. I can't find a lot he's said on the topic but he has criticised homophobia in others.[1][2] Alternative Tentacles, the record label he ran, had some queercore bands like Pansy Division. There have been a few controversialist actual gays who opposed gay marriage (I can imagine Biafra might be hostile to marriage in general), and some surprising people seem to be transphobic these days. There may have been individual cases where he said something offensive, and he might have defended some of the many homophobic punk/hardcore bands (Bad Brains, Angry Samoans, The Queers, ...), but I'd definitely like evidence. --Annanoon (talk) 14:55, 29 April 2022 (UTC)
Songs like “chickenshit conformist” has explicit lyrics calling out bands that “queerbash”. The DK have a lot of songs dripping in irony meant to sarcasticly poke fun at the things that pissed them off or worried them. “Police truck” for example sings from the perspective of an abusive cop but the song itself is clear in it’s intent as against police brutality. The cover of “I fought the law” the band did was sung from the perspective of the man who murdered Harvey Milk “twinkies are the best friend I ever had”. It was written because Jello Biafra was deeply upset at the court verdict. If you have trouble understanding irony and sarcasm then DK’s music can come off as openly evil, but that’s the satirical intention —- to point out the things in society that genuinely are evil (at least from the band’s perspective). They have a few songs that expresses their authentic points of view from “Stars and Stripes of Corruption” to “Chickenshit Conformist”. Jello has always been candid about the inspiration for his songs, and it’s always came from a perspective deeply angered by societal injustice. The way Jello has always felt artistically inspired to express said frustration was through sarcastic over-the-top satire. But this isn’t to say it has never backfired for the band, just look at the story behind why the band wrote “Nazi punks fuck off”. Jello has been very supportive of LGBT+ folks on social media and in past interviews. He has also been very quick to call out the racist reaction to gangster rap in 90’s despite being a man who openly used the n-word in the song “holiday in cambodia”. - Only Sort of Dumb (talk) 20:52, 9 June 2023 (UTC)
For context “Nazi Punks Fuck Off” wasn’t sarcastic. The song was written because the sarcastic intent behind songs “Kill the Poor” was missed by some listeners who started showing up at their shows. - Only Sort of Dumb (talk) 21:01, 9 June 2023 (UTC)