Dead Kennedys are an American
punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
band that formed in
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, California, in 1978. The band was one of the defining punk bands during its initial eight-year run.
Initially consisting of lead guitarist
East Bay Ray, bassist
Klaus Flouride
Klaus Flouride is the stage name of Geoffrey Lyall (born May 30, 1949), an American musician who is the bassist and backing vocalist for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Ca ...
, lead vocalist
Jello Biafra, drummer
Ted and rhythm guitarist
6025, 6025 left in 1979, and Ted left the following year after the band recorded their acclaimed first album ''
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables'' (1980). The band's longest-serving drummer was
D. H. Peligro, who replaced Ted in 1981 and remained until his death in 2022. Dead Kennedys recorded the EP ''
In God We Trust Inc.'' (1981), followed by three more studio albums, ''
Plastic Surgery Disasters'' (1982), ''
Frankenchrist'' (1985), and ''
Bedtime for Democracy
''Bedtime for Democracy'' is the fourth and final studio album by American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Released in 1986, songs on this album cover common punk subjects often found in punk rock lyrics of the era such as Conformity (psychology), ...
'' (1986), the latter of which was recorded and released shortly after announcing their breakup in January 1986. Most of the band's recordings were released on
Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 by Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra and guitarist East Bay Ray in San Francisco, California, with the intention to release the Dead Kennedys' self-produced single " C ...
, an independent record label founded by Biafra and East Bay Ray.
Following Dead Kennedys' dissolution, Biafra continued to run Alternative Tentacles, and went on to collaborate and record with other artists, including
D.O.A.,
NoMeansNo
Nomeansno (sometimes stylized as NoMeansNo or spelled No Means No) was a Canadian punk rock band formed in Victoria, British Columbia, and later relocated to Vancouver. They released 11 albums, including a The Sky Is Falling and I Want My Mommy, ...
and his own bands
Lard and the
Guantanamo School of Medicine, as well as releasing several spoken word performances. In 2000 (upheld on appeal in 2003), Biafra lost an acrimonious legal case initiated by his former Dead Kennedys bandmates over songwriting credits and unpaid royalties. In 2001, the band reformed without Biafra; various singers have since been recruited for vocal duties. Although Dead Kennedys have continued to perform over the years, they have not released any more studio albums since ''Bedtime for Democracy''.
Dead Kennedys' lyrics were usually political in nature, satirizing political figures and authority in general, as well as popular culture and even the
punk movement itself. During their initial incarnation between 1978 and 1986, they attracted considerable controversy for their provocative lyrics and artwork. Several stores refused to stock their recordings, provoking debate about censorship in rock music; in the mid-1980s, vocalist and primary lyricist
Jello Biafra became an active campaigner against the
Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). This culminated in an obscenity trial between 1985 and 1986, which resulted in a
hung jury
A hung jury, also called a deadlocked jury, is a judicial jury that cannot agree upon a verdict after extended deliberation and is unable to reach the required unanimity or supermajority. A hung jury may result in the case being tried again.
Thi ...
and also hastened the band's demise.
History
Formation of the band (1978–1979)
Dead Kennedys were formed in June 1978 in
San Francisco, California
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
, when
East Bay Ray (Raymond Pepperell) advertised for bandmates in the newspaper ''
The Recycler''. The original band lineup consisted of East Bay Ray on lead guitar,
Klaus Flouride
Klaus Flouride is the stage name of Geoffrey Lyall (born May 30, 1949), an American musician who is the bassist and backing vocalist for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Ca ...
(Geoffrey Lyall) on bass,
Jello Biafra (Eric Reed Boucher) on vocals,
Ted (Bruce Slesinger) on drums and
6025 (Carlos Cadona) on rhythm guitar. This lineup recorded their
first demos. Their first live show was on July 19, 1978 at Mabuhay Gardens in San Francisco, California. They were the opening act on a bill that included DV8 and Negative Trend with The Offs headlinin
Dead Kennedys played numerous shows at local venues afterward. Due to the provocative name of the band, they sometimes played under pseudonyms, including "The DK's", "The Sharks", "The Creamsicles" and "The Pink Twinkies". ''
San Francisco Chronicle
The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. ...
'' columnist
Herb Caen
Herbert Eugene Caen (; April 3, 1916 February 1, 1997) was a San Francisco humorist and journalist whose daily columnist, column of local goings-on and insider gossip, social and political happenings, and offbeat puns and anecdotes—"A continuo ...
wrote in November 1978, "Just when you think tastelessness has reached its
nadir
The nadir is the direction pointing directly ''below'' a particular location; that is, it is one of two vertical directions at a specified location, orthogonal to a horizontal flat surface.
The direction opposite of the nadir is the zenith.
Et ...
, along comes a punk rock group called 'The Dead Kennedys', which will play at Mabuhay Gardens on Nov. 22, the 15th anniversary of
John F. Kennedy's assassination." Despite mounting protests, the owner of Mabuhay declared, "I can't cancel them NOW—there's a contract. Not, apparently, the kind of contract some people have in mind." However, despite popular belief, the name was not meant to insult the Kennedy family, but according to Ray, "the assassinations were in much more poor taste than our band. We actually respect the Kennedy family. . . . When JFK was assassinated, when
Martin Luther King was assassinated, when
RFK was assassinated, the
American Dream
The "American Dream" is a phrase referring to a purported national ethos of the United States: that every person has the freedom and opportunity to succeed and attain a better life. The phrase was popularized by James Truslow Adams during the ...
was assassinated. . . . Our name is actually homage to the American Dream."
6025 left the band in March 1979 under somewhat unclear circumstances, generally considered to be musical differences. In June, the band released their first single, "
California Über Alles", on Biafra and East Bay Ray's
independent label,
Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 by Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra and guitarist East Bay Ray in San Francisco, California, with the intention to release the Dead Kennedys' self-produced single " C ...
. The band followed with a poorly attended
East Coast tour, being a new and fairly unknown band at the time, without a full album release.
''Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables'' (1980–1981)

In early 1980, they recorded and released the single "
Holiday in Cambodia". In June, the band recorded their debut album, ''
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables'', released in September of that year on the UK label Cherry Red. The album reached number 33 on the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
. Since its initial release, it has been re-released by several other labels, including
IRS
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting Taxation in the United States, U.S. federal taxes and administerin ...
, Alternative Tentacles, and Cleopatra. The 2005 reissue—the special 25th-anniversary edition—features the original artwork and a bonus 55-minute DVD documenting the making of the album as well as the band's early years.
On March 25, 1980, Dead Kennedys were invited to perform at the
Bay Area Music Awards
''BAM'' (short for ''Bay Area Music'') was a free bi-weekly music magazine founded and published by Dennis Erokan in the San Francisco Bay Area from January 1976 until June 1999.
History
''Bay Area Music'' magazine was first published in Janu ...
in an effort to give the event some "new wave credibility", in the words of the organizers. The day of the performance was spent practicing the song they were asked to play, the underground hit "California über alles". The band became the talking point of the ceremony when after about 15 seconds into the song, Biafra stopped the band—in a manner reminiscent of
Elvis Costello's ''Saturday Night Live'' appearance—and 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, all wearing 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 started playing a new song titled "Pull My Strings", a barbed,
satirical
Satire is a genre of the visual arts, visual, literature, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently Nonfiction, non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ...
attack on the ethics of the mainstream music industry, which contained the lyrics, "Is my cock big enough, is my brain small enough, for you to make me a star?". The song also referenced
The Knack's song "
My Sharona". "Pull My Strings" was never recorded for a studio release, though the performance at the Bay Area Music Awards, which was one of only two times that the song was ever performed, was released on the band's 1987 compilation album ''
Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death''. In a 2017 interview about the show Klaus stated, "We did one other performance of it at The Mabuhay and that was the only other time we performed it... like within a week of the Bammies" It’s unknown if this performance was ever recorded.
In January 1981, Ted announced that he wanted to leave to pursue a career in architecture and would help look for a replacement. He played his last concert in February 1981. His replacement was
D. H. Peligro (Darren Henley). Around the same time, East Bay Ray had tried to pressure the rest of the band to sign to the major record label
Polydor Records
Polydor Limited, also known as Polydor Records, is a British record label that operates as part of Universal Music Group. It has a close relationship with Universal's Interscope Geffen A&M Records label, which distributes Polydor's releases in ...
; Biafra stated that he was prepared to leave the group if the rest of the band wanted to sign to the label,
[Nardwuar the Human Serviette, December 2005 interview with Jello Biafra and The Melvins, as reproduced i]
Alternative Tentacles Batcast No. 15, April 25, 2006
though East Bay Ray asserts that he recommended against signing with Polydor. Polydor decided not to sign the band after they learned that Dead Kennedys' next single was to be entitled "
Too Drunk to Fuck".
When "Too Drunk to Fuck" came out in May 1981 it caused controversy in the UK, as the BBC feared the single would reach the Top 30, which would necessitate its title being mentioned on ''
Top of the Pops
''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...
''. It was never played, although it was simply called "'Too Drunk' by the Kennedys" by presenter
Tony Blackburn.
''In God We Trust, Inc.'', ''Plastic Surgery Disasters'' and Alternative Tentacles Records (1981–1985)

After Peligro joined the band, the extended play ''
In God We Trust, Inc.'' (1981) saw them move toward a more aggressive hardcore/thrash sound. In addition to the EP's controversial artwork depicting a gold Christ figure on a cross of dollar bills, the lyrics contained Biafra's most biting social and political commentary yet, and songs such as "
Moral Majority", "
Nazi Punks Fuck Off!" and "We've Got a Bigger Problem Now" placed Dead Kennedys as the spokesmen of social protest, while "Dog Bite", a cover version of ''
Rawhide'' and various joke introductions showed a much more whimsical side. In 1982, they released their second studio album, ''
Plastic Surgery Disasters''. The album's cover features a withered starving African child's hand being held and dwarfed by a white man's hand, a picture that had won the World Press Photo award in 1980, taken in Karamoja district in Uganda by Mike Wells.
The band's music had evolved considerably in a short time, moving away from hardcore formulae toward a more innovative jazz-informed style, featuring musicianship and dynamics far beyond other bands in the genre (thus effectively removing the music from that genre). By now the group had become a de facto political force, pitting itself against rising elements of American social and political life such as the religious right, Ronald Reagan and the idle rich. The band continued touring all over the United States, as well as Europe and Australia, and gained a large underground following. While they continued to play live shows during 1983 and 1984, they took a break from releasing new records to concentrate on the
Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 by Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra and guitarist East Bay Ray in San Francisco, California, with the intention to release the Dead Kennedys' self-produced single " C ...
record label, which would become synonymous with DIY alternative culture. The band continued to write and perform new material during this time, which would appear on their next album (some of these early performances can be seen in the ''
DMPO's on Broadway'' video, originally released by
Dirk Dirksen and later reissued on Rhino).
''Frankenchrist'' and obscenity trial (1985–1986)
The release of the album ''
Frankenchrist'' in 1985 showed the band had grown in musical proficiency and lyrical maturity. While there were still a number of loud/fast songs, much of the music featured an eclectic mix of instruments including trumpets and synthesizers. Around this time
Klaus Flouride
Klaus Flouride is the stage name of Geoffrey Lyall (born May 30, 1949), an American musician who is the bassist and backing vocalist for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Ca ...
released the similarly experimental solo EP ''
Cha Cha Cha With Mr. Flouride''. Lyrically, the band continued their trademark social commentary, with songs such as "MTV Get Off The Air" and "Jock-O-Rama (Invasion of the Beef Patrol)" poking fun at mainstream America.
However, the controversy that erupted over
H.R. Giger's ''
Penis Landscape'', included as an insert with the album, dwarfed the notoriety of its music. The artwork caused a furor with the newly formed
Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). In December 1985 a teenage girl purchased the album at the
Wherehouse Records store in
Los Angeles County
Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...
.
[Wishnia, Steven. "Of Punk and Pornography: Rockin' With the First Amendment". ''The Nation''. October 24, 1987.] The girl's mother wrote letters of complaint to the
California Attorney General
The attorney general of California is the state attorney general of the government of California. The officer must ensure that "the laws of the state are uniformly and adequately enforced" (Constitution of California, Article V, Section 13). The ...
and to Los Angeles
prosecutors.
In June 1986, members of the band, along with other parties involved in the distribution of ''Frankenchrist'', were charged criminally with distribution of harmful matter to minors. The store where the teen actually purchased the album was never named in the lawsuit.
The criminal charges focused on an illustration by
H.R. Giger, titled "Work 219: Landscape XX" (also known as ''
Penis Landscape''). Included as a poster with the album, ''Penis Landscape'' depicts nine copulating penises and vaginas.
Members of the band and others in the chain of distribution were charged with violating the California Penal Code
[California Penal Code](_blank)
at leginfo.ca.gov on a
misdemeanor
A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than admi ...
charge carrying a maximum penalty of up to a year in county jail and a base fine of up to $2,000. Biafra says that during this time government agents invaded and searched his home. The prosecution tried to present the poster to the jury in isolation for consideration as obscene material, but Judge Susan Isacoff ruled that the poster must be considered along with the music and lyrics. The charges against three of the original defendants, Ruth Schwartz (owner of
Mordam Records
Mordam Records was a California record distribution company for independent record labels. It was founded in San Francisco in 1983 as an independent punk distribution company by Ruth Schwartz (one of the original co-editors of '' Maximum RocknRoll ...
), Steve Boudreau (a distributor involved in supplying ''Frankenchrist'' to the Los Angeles Wherehouse store), and Salvatore Alberti (owner of the factory where the record was pressed), were dismissed for lack of evidence.
In August 1987, the case went to the jury with two remaining defendants: Jello Biafra and Michael Bonanno (former Alternative Tentacles label manager).
However, the criminal trial ended with a hung jury, split 7 to 5 in favor of acquittal.
District Attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...
s Michael Guarino and Ira Riener made a motion for a retrial which was denied by Judge Isacoff,
Superior Court
In common law systems, a superior court is a court of general jurisdiction over civil and criminal legal cases. A superior court is "superior" in relation to a court with limited jurisdiction (see small claims court), which is restricted to civil ...
Judge for the County of Los Angeles. The album, however, was banned from many record stores nationwide.
After the break up of the band, Jello Biafra brought up the court case on ''
The Oprah Winfrey Show
''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...
''. Biafra was on the show with
Tipper Gore as part of a panel discussion on the issues of "controversial music lyrics" and censorship.
''Bedtime for Democracy'' and break-up (1986)
In addition to the obscenity lawsuit, the band became increasingly disillusioned with the underground scene as well. The hardcore scene, which had been a haven for free-thinking intellectuals and downtrodden nonconformists, was attracting a more violent audience that imposed an increasing level of brutality on other concertgoers and began to alienate many of the bands and individuals who had helped pioneer the movement in the early 1980s. In earlier years the band had criticized neo-Nazi skinheads for trying to ruin the punk scene, but just as big a problem was the popularity of increasingly macho hardcore bands, which brought the group (and their genre) an audience that had little to do with the ideas/ideals they stood for. Biafra penned new songs such as "
Chickenshit Conformist" and "
Anarchy for Sale" that articulated the band's feelings about the "dumbing down" of punk rock. During the summer they recorded these for their final album, ''
Bedtime for Democracy
''Bedtime for Democracy'' is the fourth and final studio album by American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Released in 1986, songs on this album cover common punk subjects often found in punk rock lyrics of the era such as Conformity (psychology), ...
'', which was released in November. The artwork, depicting a defaced
Statue of Liberty
The Statue of Liberty (''Liberty Enlightening the World''; ) is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in New York Harbor, within New York City. The copper-clad statue, a gift to the United States from the people of French Thir ...
overrun with Nazis, media, opportunists, Klan members, corrupt government officials, and religious zombies, echoed the idea that neither America itself nor the punk scene were safe havens any more for "your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free". The album contains a number of fast/short songs interspersed with jazz ("D.M.S.O."), spoken word ("A Commercial") and psychedelia ("Cesspools In Eden").
The band decided to split up in January 1986, prior to the recording and release of ''Bedtime for Democracy'', and played their last live show with the original lineup on 21 February. Biafra went on to speak about his political beliefs on numerous television shows and he released a number of
spoken-word albums. Ray, Flouride, and Peligro also went on to solo careers. As of 2025, it remains the band's final studio album.
Band reformation and death of Peligro (2001–present)
In 2001, Ray, Peligro, and Flouride reformed the Dead Kennedys, with former
Dr. Know singer
Brandon Cruz replacing Biafra on vocals. The band played under the name "DK Kennedys" for a few concerts, but later reverted to "Dead Kennedys" permanently. They played across the continental United States, Europe, Asia, South America, and Russia. Brandon Cruz left the band in May 2003 and was replaced by
Jeff Penalty. The band has released two live albums of archival performances on Manifesto Records: ''
Mutiny on the Bay'', compiled from various live shows including a recording from their last show with Biafra in 1986, and ''
Live at the Deaf Club'', a recording of a 1979 performance at the Deaf Club in
San Francisco
San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...
which was greeted with more enthusiasm.
On October 9, 2007, a
best of album titled ''
Milking the Sacred Cow'' was released. It includes two previously unreleased live versions of "Soup Is Good Food" and "Jock-O-Rama", originally found on ''Frankenchrist''.
Jeff Penalty left the band in March 2008 in what he describes as a "not amicable split."
In a statement released, Jeff said that, following a series of disputes, the band had secretly recruited a new singer and played a gig in his neighbourhood, although he also stated he was "really proud of what we were able to accomplish with Dead Kennedys".
He was replaced by former
Wynona Riders singer Ron "Skip" Greer. D. H. Peligro also left the band to "take some personal time off". He was replaced for a tour by
Translator
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...
drummer Dave Scheff.
On August 21, 2008, the band announced an extended break from touring due to the health-related issues of Flouride and Peligro. They stated their plans to collaborate on new projects. The band performed a gig in
Santa Rosa, California
Santa Rosa (Spanish language, Spanish for "Rose of Lima, Saint Rose") is a city in and the county seat of Sonoma County, California, Sonoma County, in the North Bay (San Francisco Bay Area), North Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay A ...
in June 2009, with Peligro returning to the drum kit.
In August 2010, Dead Kennedys announced plans for a short East Coast tour. The lineup assembled for this tour contained East Bay Ray, Peligro, Greer, and bassist Greg Reeves replacing Flouride, who was taking "personal time off" from the band. The tour dates included performances in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...
, New York City,
Boston
Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
,
Portland, Maine
Portland is the List of municipalities in Maine, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat, seat of Cumberland County, Maine, Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 at the 2020 census. The Portland metropolit ...
and
Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
. The band has played a reworked version of their song "MTV Get Off the Air", re-titled "MP3 Get Off the Web", with lyrics criticizing music piracy during their October 16, 2010, concert at the Rock and Roll Hotel in
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
Dead Kennedys had world tours in 2013 and in 2014, the latter mostly in North American cities. In 2015 and 2016 they toured again, including South America, where they had not played since 2001.
In 2017, East Bay Ray revealed that the band and Jello Biafra had been approached by the Punk-oriented music festival
Riot Fest about a potential reunion. While Ray and the rest of the band expressed interest in the concept, Biafra refused.
On April 26, 2019, the group released ''DK40'', a live compilation album celebrating 40 years since the band formed.
On October 28, 2022, D.H. Peligro died from an overdose of heroin and fentanyl, although it was initially believed to have been from possible head trauma from a fall at his home that day. Since Peligro's death, the band has performed in the UK with Santi Guardiola and the United States with Steve Wilson (who had played in D. H. Peligro's band Peligro before) filling in on drums.
Conflicts between members
Royalties lawsuit
In the late 1990s, former band members discovered they were being underpaid in terms of royalties from
Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 by Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra and guitarist East Bay Ray in San Francisco, California, with the intention to release the Dead Kennedys' self-produced single " C ...
. East Bay Ray, Klaus Flouride, and D. H. Peligro claimed that Jello Biafra had conspired to pay them lower royalty rates and then attempted to disguise the precise nature of the money owed. Biafra claimed that the failure to pay these royalties was an accounting mistake.
In 1998, the other three members of the band sued Biafra over these allegedly unpaid royalties. A jury ruled in their favor in May 2000, finding Biafra and Alternative Tentacles "guilty of
malice, oppression and
fraud
In law, fraud is intent (law), intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate Civil law (common law), civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrato ...
". Malice was defined for the jury as "conduct which is intended to cause injury or despicable conduct which is carried with a willful and conscious disregard for the rights of others".
Biafra's appeal was denied in June 2003; he had to pay the outstanding royalties as well as punitive damages,
[Dead Kennedys v. Jello Biafra Verdict]
Cal.App.1 Dist., 2003 A094272. and was forced to hand over the rights to the majority of Dead Kennedys' back catalogue to the Decay Music partnership.
This dispute caused minor waves within punk circles. Biafra claims that East Bay Ray had long expressed displeasure with Alternative Tentacles and with the amount of money he received from them, thus the original incentive for the discovery of the back payments. It was found out that Alternative Tentacles was paying Dead Kennedys less per CD than all the other bands, including Biafra himself, and not informing his other bandmates, which was the fraud. Biafra accused the band of wanting to license the famous Dead Kennedys song "
Holiday in Cambodia" for use in a
Levi's jeans commercial, which the band denied.
However, an instrumental loop from "Holiday in Cambodia" was part of the 1981
black comedy
Black comedy, also known as black humor, bleak comedy, dark comedy, dark humor, gallows humor or morbid humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally ...
feature film ''
Neighbors'', though it was not included on the soundtrack. The band maintains that the Levi's story was completely fictitious and invented by Biafra to discredit them.
Disputes over new commercial activities
Matters were stirred up even further when the three bandmates invited Jello Biafra to "
bury the hatchet" in the form of a band reunion. Jello Biafra felt it was unprofessional because no one contacted him directly. In addition, Biafra was dismissive of the reunion, and having long expressed his disdain for nostalgia and rock reunion/oldies tours in particular, argued that the whole affair was motivated by greed.
Several DVDs, re-issues, and live albums have been released since the departure of Biafra most recently on Manifesto Records. According to Biafra, the live albums are "cash-ins" on Dead Kennedys' name and his music. Biafra also accused the releases of the new live material of having poor sound quality. Furthermore, he has stated he is not receiving any royalties from the sale of any Manifesto Records releases. Consequently, he has discouraged fans from buying any Dead Kennedy reissues. The other band members denied Biafra's accusations regarding the live releases, and have defended the mixes as an effort of hard work. Biafra dismissed the new group as "the world's greediest karaoke band." Nevertheless, in 2003,
Klaus Flouride
Klaus Flouride is the stage name of Geoffrey Lyall (born May 30, 1949), an American musician who is the bassist and backing vocalist for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Ca ...
said of performances without the band's former frontman: "There hasn't been a show yet that people didn't really like."
Biafra further criticized them for advertising shows using his own image taken from the original 1980s incarnation of the band, which he labeled as false advertising. He attacked the reformed Dead Kennedys in a song called "
Those Dumb Punk Kids (Will Buy Anything)", which appears on his second collaboration with sludge metal band the
Melvins
Melvins (sometimes the Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Primarily a trio, they have also performed as a quartet, with eith ...
, ''
Sieg Howdy!''
Biafra told an audience at a speaking gig in
Trenton,
New Jersey
New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...
, that the remaining Dead Kennedys have licensed their single "Too Drunk to Fuck" to be used in a rape scene in a
Robert Rodriguez
Robert Anthony Rodriguez ( ; born June 20, 1968) is an American filmmaker, composer, and visual effects supervisor. He shoots, edits, produces, and scores many of his films in Mexico and in his home state of Texas. Rodriguez directed the 1992 ...
movie. The reference is to a lounge cover of the song, recorded by the band
Nouvelle Vague
The New Wave (, ), also called the French New Wave, is a French art film movement that emerged in the late 1950s. The movement was characterized by its rejection of traditional filmmaking conventions in favor of experimentation and a spirit of i ...
, played during a scene in the ''
Planet Terror'' segment of ''
Grindhouse'', although no rape takes place, and in fact the would-be rapist is killed by the would-be victim. The scene in ''Planet Terror'' has would-be rapist, "Rapist No. 1" (
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Jerome Tarantino (; born March 27, 1963) is an American filmmaker, actor, and author. Quentin Tarantino filmography, His films are characterized by graphic violence, extended dialogue often featuring much profanity, and references to ...
) order one-legged stripper "Cherry Darlin" (
Rose McGowan) to get up off the floor and dance. At this point Tarantino hits play on a cassette recorder and Nouvelle Vague's cover of "Too Drunk To Fuck" plays. Biafra, disapproving of the situation, later wrote, "This is their lowest point since Levi's... This goes against everything the Dead Kennedys stands for in spades... The terrified woman later 'wins' by killing Tarantino, but that excuse does not rescue this at all. I wrote every note of that song and this is not what it was meant for.... Some people will do anything for money. I can't help but think back to how prudish Klaus Flouride was when he objected to H. R. Giger's painting on the "
Frankenchrist" (sic) poster, saying he couldn't bear to show it to his parents. I'd sure love to be a fly on the wall when he tries to explain putting a song in a rape scene for money to his teenage daughter... The deal was pushed through by a new business manager the other three hired."
The reformed Dead Kennedys followed their court victory by releasing reissues of all Dead Kennedys albums (except ''
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables'', to which they did not have the rights until 2005), releasing several new archival concert DVDs, and licensing several songs to ''
The Manchurian Candidate'' remake and the ''
Tony Hawk's Pro Skater'' video game.
East Bay Ray claims he received a fax from Alternative Tentacles purporting Biafra approved the licensing for the game.
The band claims on their website that they still pay close attention to an
anti-corporate ideology, despite performing on September 5, 2003, at a festival in Turkey that was sponsored by
Coca-Cola
Coca-Cola, or Coke, is a cola soft drink manufactured by the Coca-Cola Company. In 2013, Coke products were sold in over 200 countries and territories worldwide, with consumers drinking more than 1.8 billion company beverage servings ...
, noting that they have since pulled out of a show in Los Angeles when they found that it was being sponsored by
Coors. However, Biafra claims the previous licensing deals prove otherwise.
In a May 2025 interview with
Guitar World
''Guitar World'' is a monthly music magazine for guitarists and fans of guitar-based music and trends. The magazine has been published since July 1980. ''Guitar World'', the best-selling guitar magazine in the United States, contains original a ...
,
East Bay Ray discussed a potential reunion with Jello Biafra saying that he and
Klaus Fluoride were open to a reunion however it would never happen and that Biafra was to blame. He said that over the years lucrative offers such as one in 2017 from
Riot Fest were proposed to the band but Biafra was against it. “It’s not an issue for me or Klaus. It’s Biafra that turns down any offers for us to do something; we don’t have any problem.” East Bay Ray went on criticize Biafra's post Dead Kennedys career and how Biafra took credit for writing most of the band's songs in which he took exception to Biafra's claims by saying “We actually wrote as a band, where in effect, due to the chemistry between us, it was a case of two and two equaling five. None of us has had a solo career that was bigger than Dead Kennedys, which, to me, shows the power of a bunch of talented people getting together and creating something that was far greater than the sum of its parts. Jello didn’t bring in the songs. I know he’s created the myth that he wrote them all, but the question here is that if he did, why didn’t he ever do anything significant after leaving the band?,” adding, “
Iggy left
the Stooges
The Stooges or Iggy and the Stooges, originally billed as the Psychedelic Stooges, were an American rock band formed in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1967 by singer Iggy Pop, guitarist Ron Asheton, drummer Scott Asheton, and bassist Dave Alexande ...
and had a career; ditto
Lou Reed
Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...
with
the Velvet Underground
The Velvet Underground were an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1964. Its classic lineup consisted of singer and guitarist Lou Reed, Welsh multi-instrumentalist John Cale, guitarist Sterling Morrison, and percussionis ...
or
Morrissey
Steven Patrick Morrissey ( ; born 22 May 1959), known :wikt:mononym, mononymously as Morrissey, is an English singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the frontman and lyricist of rock band the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 198 ...
with
the Smiths
The Smiths were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Manchester in 1982, composed of Morrissey (vocals), Johnny Marr (guitar), Andy Rourke (bass) and Mike Joyce (musician), Mike Joyce (drums). Morrissey and Marr formed the band's songwrit ...
. Where’s Biafra’s solo career with a bunch of great songs? The songs were written in numerous different ways. “Holiday in Cambodia” started as a jam in the rehearsal studio” he said.
Biafra, in a 2012 interview with the ''
Tampa Bay Times
The ''Tampa Bay Times'', called the ''St. Petersburg Times'' until 2011, is an American newspaper published in St. Petersburg, Florida, United States. It is published by the Times Publishing Company, which is owned by The Poynter Institute ...
'', stated he was not happy with the current direction of his former bandmates, nor did he want to restart the Dead Kennedys for
nostalgia
Nostalgia is a sentimentality for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations. The word ''nostalgia'' is a neoclassical compound derived from Greek language, Greek, consisting of (''nóstos''), a Homeric word me ...
purposes:
"We haven't talk in a dozen years. In their hearts they've become Republicans and I just wouldn't do something like that unless we can bring back the real thing. In a way getting me back into the band would be their worst nightmare, like make them rehearse. When people tell me that I owe it to the fans to regurgitate nothing but old music with the people I used to play with, that's totally the opposite of what punk and Dead Kennedys means to me. The true spirit of the whole thing is to keep going, keep moving and make more new stuff. Nobody was more cynical than the original punks about nostalgia and retro because of all the rage on TV and people started to get nostalgic in goofy ass ways for the sixties and they were thinking, ''Yeah, that will never happen to us. That's not what I'm here for, sorry. It's not as if the people who come to the Guantanamo School of Medicine shows wanting nothing but old Dead Kennedys songs don't leave with a smile on their face once they've heard the new songs. It's not like I've forgot how to write this shit."
Artistry
Music and lyrics
Dead Kennedys have been described as one of the first
hardcore punk
Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...
bands. They were noted for the harshness of their lyrics, which generally combined biting social satire while expressing a staunchly left-wing view of contemporary America. Unlike other leftist punk bands who use more direct sloganeering, Dead Kennedys' lyrics were often snide. For example, "
Holiday in Cambodia" is a multi-layered satire targeting both
yuppie
Yuppie, short for "young urban professional" or "young upwardly-mobile professional", is a term coined in the early 1980s for a young professional person working in a city. The term is first attested in 1980, when it was used as a fairly neu ...
s and Cambodia's recently deposed
Khmer Rouge
The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...
regime. Or, on "Jock-O-Rama", featured on ''Frankenchrist'', they mock southern small towns whose residents’ lives revolve around high school football.
Logo
The original logo was created by
Winston Smith. He later contributed artwork for the covers of ''
In God We Trust, Inc.'', ''
Plastic Surgery Disasters'', ''
Frankenchrist'', ''
Bedtime for Democracy
''Bedtime for Democracy'' is the fourth and final studio album by American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Released in 1986, songs on this album cover common punk subjects often found in punk rock lyrics of the era such as Conformity (psychology), ...
'', ''
Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death'', the back cover of the "
Kill the Poor" single and the
Alternative Tentacles
Alternative Tentacles is an independent record label established in 1979 by Dead Kennedys vocalist Jello Biafra and guitarist East Bay Ray in San Francisco, California, with the intention to release the Dead Kennedys' self-produced single " C ...
logo. When asked about the "DK" logo in an interview, Jello Biafra explained, "...I wanted to make sure it was something simple and easy to spray-paint so people would graffiti it all over the place, and then I showed it to Winston Smith. He played around with it, came back with a bunch of designs that had the circle and slightly 3-D looking letters and he had ones with different patterns behind it. I liked the one with bricks, but ultimately I thought simple red behind it was the boldest and the best."
Influence
Dead Kennedys have influenced multiple acts such as
System of a Down,
Green Day
Green Day is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Rodeo, California, in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong and bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt, with drummer Tré Cool joining in 1990. In 1994, their majo ...
,
Faith No More
Faith No More is an American Rock music, rock band from San Francisco, California, formed in 1979. Before September 1983, the band performed under the names Sharp Young Men and later Faith No Man. Bassist Billy Gould, keyboardist/rhythm guitarist ...
,
Rage Against the Machine
Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to Rage) was an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1991. It consisted of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim ...
,
Sepultura,
Descendents
The Descendents are an American punk rock band formed in Manhattan Beach, California, in 1977, by guitarist Frank Navetta, bassist Tony Lombardo and drummer Bill Stevenson (musician), Bill Stevenson as a power pop/surf music, surf punk band. I ...
,
Bad Religion
Bad Religion is an American punk rock band, formed in Los Angeles, California, in 1980. The band's lyrics cover topics related to religion, politics, society, the media and science. Musically, they are noted for their melodic sensibilities and ...
,
Slayer
Slayer is an American thrash metal band from Huntington Park, California, formed in 1981 by guitarists Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King, drummer Dave Lombardo and bassist/vocalist Tom Araya. Slayer's fast and aggressive musical style made them ...
,
X,
Minutemen
Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Min ...
,
The Hives,
Saves the Day and
Screeching Weasel among others.
Members
Current members
*
East Bay Ray (Raymond Pepperell) – guitars (1978–1986, 2001–present)
*
Klaus Flouride
Klaus Flouride is the stage name of Geoffrey Lyall (born May 30, 1949), an American musician who is the bassist and backing vocalist for the San Francisco punk rock band Dead Kennedys.Strong, Martin C. (2003) ''The Great Indie Discography'', Ca ...
(Geoffrey Lyall) – bass, backing vocals (1978–1986, 2001–2010, 2011–present)
*
Ron "Skip" Greer – lead vocals (2008–present)
* Steve Wilson – drums, backing vocals (2023–present)
Former members
*
Jello Biafra (Eric Boucher) – lead vocals (1978–1986)
*
6025 (Carlo Cadona) – rhythm guitar (1978–1979)
*
Ted (Bruce Slesinger) – drums (1978–1981)
*
D.H. Peligro (Darren Henley) – drums, backing vocals (1981–1986, 2001–2008, 2009–2022; his death)
*
Brandon Cruz – lead vocals (2001–2003)
*
Jeff Penalty (Jeff Alulis) – lead vocals (2003–2008)
* Dave Scheff – drums (2008)
* Greg Reeves – bass (2010–2011)
* Santi Guardiola – drums (2023)
Timeline
Discography
* ''
Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables'' (1980)
* ''
Plastic Surgery Disasters'' (1982)
* ''
Frankenchrist'' (1985)
* ''
Bedtime for Democracy
''Bedtime for Democracy'' is the fourth and final studio album by American punk rock band Dead Kennedys. Released in 1986, songs on this album cover common punk subjects often found in punk rock lyrics of the era such as Conformity (psychology), ...
'' (1986)
Videography
* ''The Art of Punk – Dead Kennedys'' (The Museum of Contemporary Art) (2013) - Documentary featuring the art of Winston Smith
See also
*
List of bands from the San Francisco Bay Area
*
Ronald Reagan in music
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
*
Alternative Tentacles's Dead Kennedys Biography
{{Authority control
1978 establishments in California
1986 disestablishments in California
2001 establishments in California
Alternative Tentacles artists
American satirists
American satirical musicians
Articles which contain graphical timelines
Cherry Red Records artists
Hardcore punk groups from California
I.R.S. Records artists
Musical groups disestablished in 1986
Musical groups established in 1978
Musical groups from San Francisco
Musical groups reestablished in 2001
Musical quartets from California
Obscenity controversies in music
American political music groups
American punk rock groups
Alternative rock groups from California