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Jello Biafra

Jello Biafra Quotes

Singer

Jello Biafra is a renowned American singer, best known for his role as the lead vocalist for the punk rock band Dead Kennedys. He is recognized for his radical lyrics and anti-establishment stance, which have had a profound impact on the punk rock movement.

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All People Punk Ifs Thinking Way Band Rocks Wells Important Knows Years Bigs Country Culture Kids School Trying Activist America Body

Famous Jello Biafra Quotes

“I think one of the most important things punk brought back was the whole concept of staying independent and doing things yourself. It made music a lot less boring in any category you can name.”

Thinking Made Important Whole Names Concepts Independent Important Things Boring Staying Categories Punk

Author:Jello Biafra

“I'm tired of being ruled by the Skull and Bones. The only place they belong are on punk-rock albums!”

Rocks Tired Albums Bones Punk Skulls I'm Tired Punk Rock Skull And Bones

Author:Jello Biafra

“In many ways, I have no idea what would have become of me if punk hadn't happened, because the '70s turned out to be so stale, and so boring, and so backward compared to what had come just before. We were too young to have fully experienced the '60s and the fervor of the anti-war movement.”

Ifs Way Ideas War Young Happened Movement Boring No Idea Anti War Punk Stale Fervor So Boring Anti War Movement

Author:Jello Biafra

“I got out of that immediately was that now, all of a sudden, rock music had become a spectator sport, that corporate labels and their bands were the new establishment, and punk was there to fight them the way the activist hippies must have fought what the establishment must have been ten years before. And it was interesting to see the reactions in different parts of the country.”

Way Years Has Beens Different Country Fighting Sports Interesting Rocks Band Ten Reactions Labels Corporate Activist Establishment Punk Spectators Hippie Rock Music

Author:Jello Biafra

“In San Francisco, most of the older activists, especially at Berkeley, were very hostile towards punks. The music, certainly, wasn't nice and mellow for them, and neither was our look or our attitude. While in Vancouver, the two most important early punk bands, D.O.A. and the Subhumans, were both managed by former yippie activists, who saw this as a logical extension of what they were already doing.”

Looks Two Important Attitude Saws Nice Band Former Logical Activist Punk Extensions Hostile San Francisco Mellow Vancouver Berkeley

Author:Jello Biafra

“From the beginning, there was so much pressure in the early San Francisco punk scene for everyone to be different than everyone else, to flaunt your intelligence and insights instead of every band sounding alike, like what plagues punk music in particular today.”

Different Today Particular Scene Band Pressure Insight Punk Plague San Francisco Punk Music

Author:Jello Biafra

“The underground scene is still a cool way to meet a lot of cool people, see a lot of interesting bands and get a lot of food for thought, but people have to remain curious and get their brain activity food from other places besides punk.”

People Way Stills Interesting Brain Scene Activity Band Curious Punk Cool People

Author:Jello Biafra

“My attitude is if somebody blunders into the level of popularity; at least remember the human factor. These guys are still human beings and hopefully still have hearts and if you keep in touch with them rather than vilify them you may be able to encourage them to go in the right direction. What I'm hoping will eventually happen is that they will grasp the amount of power and financial clout that is now at their fingertips and use those as tools to help real people with real things the way punk politics was always designed to do before, but nobody had any money.”

“Punk is not dead. Punk will only die when corporations can exploit and mass produce it.”

Dies Produce Mass Corporations Punk Exploits

Author:Jello Biafra

“Punk was originally about creating new, important, energetic music that would hopefully threaten the status quo and the stupidity of the 1970s.”

Important Creating Stupidity Hopefully Punk Status Quo Energetic Challenging Status Quo Challenging The Status Quo

Author:Jello Biafra

“I think that what's perceived as punk out in shopping malls or in chain stores or on MTV has almost nothing to do with what punk is about.”

Thinking Stores Chains Shopping Punk Malls Mtv

Author:Jello Biafra

“The last true punk band to get a major label contract was The Dickies.”

Lasts Band Majors Labels Contracts Punk

Author:Jello Biafra

“The jury had down right contempt for punk rock grass roots ethics.”

Rocks Ethics Roots Grass Contempt Punk Jury Punk Rock

Author:Jello Biafra

“Punk rock will never die, until something more dangerous replaces it.”

Dies Rocks Dangerous Punk Punk Rock

Author:Jello Biafra

About the Author

Born: June 17, 1958
Known for: Singer
Quotes: 96

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