Sunday, August 9, 2015

punk - Dead Kennedys: Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, The Early Years

2014
204 pages

With all of the punk literature coming out in recent years and with all of the band histories and bios, there’s been nothing about Dead Kennedys until 2014. Now there are two books about the band’s debut album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables; there's a 2015 book in the 33/3 series and this one that started as liner notes for the album’s 2009 25th anniversary commemorate reissue. I’m happy about this because Dead Kennedys were, and still are, my favorite of the American hardcore punk bands. When I was in my mid to late teens I listened mostly to electronic music when a friend gave me a cassette mix of songs from Dead Kennedy’s Plastic Surgery Disasters and Lard’s Pure Chewing Satisfaction. I didn’t mind Lard, DK singer Jello Biafra’s industrial rock collaboration with Al Jourgensen, but I by far preferred the Dead Kennedys songs. A short time later I purchased Frankenchrist on cassette during the same trip to Spinables (now Vertigo Records, a record store in Ottawa) that I also picked up the Kevin Martin curated compilation Macro Dub Infection II. Not long after that I had most of the DK discography.  Now that I have a particular interest in books about counterculture I find myself reading books about bands and musicians whose work I have no interest in so I find the publication of books about the Dead Kennedys to be a happy occasion.

The book itself has a tight focus on the band’s formation and earliest performances through to the recording and release of their first album, Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables, with a detailed discussion of each individual song. The book’s content is largely derived of interviews conducted with each band member and, as is well known, the majority of the band is in a long war over the band’s legacy with their former lead singer and songwriter, Jello Biafra. They hate each other and the things they disagree over in this book are the things I heard them fighting about when I first heard about their disputes: songwriting credits. Unfortunately these arguments make up a lot of this book’s content. Biafra, of course, has been able to continue his career in music without calling himself the Dead Kennedys, and anything his ex-bandmates say about Biafra’s ability to write a song has to be balanced against that. Like most Punk icons, Biafra’s talent for songwriting has waned over a 30 year period, but some of his collaborations from the early post DK years, the recordings with DOA and NoMeansNo especially, were top-notch. Even though his recent work might not stand with the classics, they can be considered “good”. My point is, the attribution of all those Dead Kennedys songs is contested territory, and this book is a battleground, but at least we can observe Biafra’s career as a songwriter beyond the Dead Kennedys legacy.

There’s more to the book than the arguments between old friends and the history of how they came to be. There’s also a lot of history of the practical business end of investing in, recording, manufacturing, promoting, and distributing the album. Ogg’s book includes some photos of the band that I haven’t seen anywhere else as well as some original artwork by Winston Smith, the great photomontage artist who produced a lot of album artwork for Biafra’s recordings and designed the iconic DK logo. The book ends with a series of statements from rockers and other types about how important Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables is to them, confirming the album’s status as a cannonical punk album. The one thing I was looking for but never found was the meaning of the album’s title. Maybe I skimmed over such a discussion but I find that after reading the book I still don’t know what Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables means. Anyways, I hope there are more books about Dead Kennedys are in the works out there. I just found out that DH Peligro, the drummer for the Dead Kennedys for most of their original run, published a book in 2013 so maybe there are more DK related books than I thought.

Labels

united states (55) 1990s (25) history (21) 1980s (20) 1960s (19) 2000s (18) 1970s (17) Canada (16) anarchism (15) punk (15) memoir (14) outlaw bikers (14) documentary film (11) civil rights movement (10) new york city (10) film (9) zines (9) 19th century (8) 1950s (7) 20th century (7) black panther party (7) irish republican army (7) 1940s (6) 2010s (6) beats (6) essays (6) hells angels (6) hippies (6) journalism (6) science-fiction (6) street art (6) the troubles (6) England (5) United Kingdom (5) anti-globalization (5) communalism (5) computer hackers (5) exhibition catalog (5) graffiti (5) homeless (5) international (5) labour strike (5) occupy wall street (5) organized labour (5) quebec (5) 1930s (4) France (4) IWW (4) biographical drama (4) dada (4) david graeber (4) drama (4) interviews (4) malcolm x (4) novel (4) provisional IRA (4) psychedelia (4) sncc (4) sociology (4) street gangs (4) surrealism (4) survivalism (4) transcendentalism (4) white nationalism (4) 1920s (3) 4chan (3) BBSs (3) Emma Goldman (3) Europe (3) Karl Marx (3) Texas (3) Toronto (3) anarcho-primitivism (3) anarcho-syndicalism (3) anonymous (3) anthology (3) anti-civilization (3) autobiography (3) banksy (3) comedy (3) critique (3) direct action (3) ethnography (3) football hooligans (3) hacker groups (3) hacking (3) journalistic (3) ku klux klan (3) labour (3) martin luther king jr (3) mongols (3) philosophy (3) radical right (3) reader (3) situationism (3) student movement (3) vagabonds (3) white supremacy (3) william s burroughs (3) /b/ (2) 1910s (2) 1981 Hunger Strikes (2) AFL-CIO (2) Alexander Berkman (2) American South (2) American revolution (2) Andre Breton (2) Arab Spring (2) Australia (2) Baltimore (2) Cromwell (2) English Revolution (2) Fidel Castro (2) Germany (2) Greece (2) Levellers (2) Manchester (2) Marcel Duchamp (2) Max Ernst (2) Mikhail Bakunin (2) Montreal (2) NAACP (2) Peter Kropotkin (2) Portland Oregon (2) Ranters (2) Robin Hood (2) Salvador Dali (2) Southern Poverty Law Center (2) action film (2) animal liberation (2) anti-capitalism (2) anti-war (2) anti-war movements (2) article (2) aryan nations (2) avant-garde (2) bandidos motorcycle club (2) biography (2) black flag (2) black power (2) blek le rat (2) brook farm (2) crime drama (2) critical mass (2) cults (2) cultural criticism (2) david duke (2) design (2) diary (2) dishwasher pete (2) east bay dragons (2) eldridge cleaver (2) environmentalism (2) fan fiction (2) gerry adams (2) historical drama (2) historical survey (2) hobos (2) how to guide (2) indigenous struggle (2) internet memes (2) ireland (2) italy (2) jack kerouac (2) jared taylor (2) john waters (2) john zerzan (2) julian assange (2) keith haring (2) mail art (2) media criticism (2) mohawk warriors (2) mole people (2) murray bookchin (2) musical (2) mysticism (2) nativism (2) new age (2) nomadism (2) northern ireland (2) occupy movement (2) official IRA (2) oka crisis (2) operation black rain (2) oral history (2) paranoia (2) paul goodman (2) philip k dick (2) phone losers of america (2) photobook (2) phreaks (2) piracy (2) posse comitatus (2) prank phone calls (2) primary source (2) revolution (2) sabotage (2) self-publishing (2) shepard fairey (2) spain (2) student protest (2) terrorism (2) the order (2) travel (2) tristan tzara (2) true crime (2) txt files (2) ulrike meinhof (2) underground media (2) unorganized militias (2) 1%ers (1) 17th century (1) 1860s (1) 1900s (1) 1969 (1) 1970 (1) 1972 Bloody Sunday (1) 1980s. memoir (1) 2009 (1) 2011 (1) 2600 Magazine (1) Alberta (1) Alexandros Grigoropoulos (1) Amsterdam (1) Arthur Segal (1) Athens (1) Ben Reitman (1) Bethel (1) Bill Haywood (1) Boston (1) Brad Carter (1) Brendan Hughes (1) British Columbia (1) Burners (1) Burning Man (1) CLASSE (1) Captain Mission (1) Cass Pennant (1) Charles Fourier (1) Chartists (1) Che Guavara (1) Christopher Hill (1) Christopher Street Liberation Day (1) Columbia University (1) DOA (1) Darkthrone (1) David Ervine (1) Dead (1) December 2008 riots (1) Derrick Jensen (1) Dial (1) Diggers (1) Diggers (1650s) (1) Dorothea Tanning (1) Drop City (1) E.D. Nixon (1) East Side White Pride (1) Edward Winterhalder (1) Egypt (1) Emiliano Zapata (1) Emory Douglas (1) Emperor (1) Eric Hobsbawm (1) Eugene V. Debs (1) Exarchia (1) FLQ (1) Factory Records (1) Fenriz (1) French Revolution (1) GLBT rights (1) Gabriel Nadeau-Dubois (1) Gandhi (1) Gay Activist Alliance (1) Geert Lovink (1) George Washington (1) Georges Janco (1) Great Depression (1) Groote Keyser (1) Harlem (1) Haymarket Bombing (1) Henry David Thoreau (1) Henry Rollins (1) Hillel (1) Ho-Chi Minh (1) Hunter S Thompson (1) Hunter S. Thompson (1) Idaho (1) India (1) Indignados (1) Inter City Firm (1) Irish national liberation army (1) Isidore Isou (1) Jack Cade (1) Jeff Ferrell (1) John Humphrey Noyes (1) Joy Division (1) Kemal Ataturk (1) King Alfred (1) Konstantina Kuneva (1) LETS system (1) Labor Party (1) Lenin (1) Leonora Carrington (1) Lettrisme (1) Libertatia (1) Louis Aragorn (1) Luddites (1) Madagascar (1) Mafiaboy (1) Maine (1) Mao Tse-Tung (1) Maple Spring (1) Marcel Janco (1) Margaret Fuller (1) Mark Rudd (1) Martin McGuinnes (1) Mayhem (1) Michigan Milita (1) Moncton (1) Montgomery Bus Boycott (1) Morris Dees (1) Movement Resource Group (1) Mulugeta Seraw (1) National Film Board (1) Ned Kelly (1) Netherlands (1) New Brunswick (1) Norway (1) OK Crackers (1) Occupy Homes (1) Oklahoma (1) Oklehoma (1) Oneida Community (1) Ontario (1) Oscar Wilde (1) Oslo (1) Owen Sound (1) Pagans Motorcycle Club (1) Palestinian nationalism (1) Patrick Henry (1) Paul Eluard (1) People's Kitchen (1) Phalanx Communities (1) Philadelphia (1) Phillipe Soupault (1) Process Church (1) Quakers (1) Randy Weaver (1) Raoul Vaneigem (1) Raymond Pettibon (1) Rene Magritte (1) Robespierre (1) Robiespierre (1) Romania (1) Rome (1) Rosa Parks (1) Rubell Collection (1) Ruby Ridge (1) Russian Revolution (1) Sacco and Vanzetti (1) Samuel Gompers (1) Sinn Fein (1) Situationist International (1) Society for a Democratic Society (1) Sojourners for Truth and Justice (1) Staughton Lynd (1) Surrealists (1) Switzerland (1) T.A.Z. (1) The Rebels (Canada) (1) Thessaloniki (1) Thomas Paine (1) Timothy McVey (1) Tobie Gene Levingston (1) Tom Metzger (1) Toronto Video Activist Collective (1) Tunisia (1) UVF (1) Ulster Volunteer Force (1) Ultras (1) University of Moncton (1) Varg Vikernes (1) WWII (1) Walt Whitman (1) White Citizen's Council (1) Wisconsin (1) Woody Guthrie (1) Workers' Party of Ireland (1) Yes Men (1) Yolanda Lopez (1) Zurich (1) abbie hoffman (1) abolitionism (1) acadian nationalism (1) amana (1) american renaissance (1) anarchist black cross (1) anarcho-communism (1) andreas baader (1) anti-consumerism (1) anti-rent movement (1) arcades (1) arizona (1) art book (1) art history (1) art strike (1) assata shakur (1) atf (1) automatic writing (1) bandidos (1) bandits (1) bartering (1) bay area (1) bertrand russell (1) bicycles (1) biker church (1) bikies (1) black lives matter (1) black metal (1) black radicalism (1) bob black (1) bob flanagan (1) bobby seale (1) bryon gysin (1) business (1) caledonia conflict (1) cats (1) chicago (1) chicago 68 (1) chicago 8 trial (1) children's book (1) chris carlsson (1) chris kraus (1) church of life after shopping (1) church of stop shopping (1) civil disobedience (1) comic book (1) commentary (1) commune (1) communism (1) confidential informants (1) conscientious objectiors (1) contemporary (1) cope2 (1) core (1) correspondence (1) crimethinc ex-workers collective (1) critical race studies. (1) critque (1) crossmaglen (1) cult of the dead cow (1) cultural theory (1) culture jamming (1) cybercrime (1) cycling (1) daniel domscheit-berg (1) david dellinger (1) david watson (1) dead kennedys (1) debbie goad (1) decollage (1) dishwashing (1) donn teal (1) drag (1) drill (1) drugs (1) dumpster diving (1) dwelling portably (1) ed moloney (1) education (1) educational (1) elliot tiber (1) emmet grogan (1) environmental movement (1) errico malatesta (1) fanzines (1) fay stender (1) feminism (1) ferguson (1) folklore (1) front du liberation du quebec (1) gay pride (1) general strike (1) george jackson (1) georges bataille (1) gerard lebovici (1) gnostic (1) graffiti research lab (1) guerrilla filmmaking (1) guide (1) guy debord (1) guy fawkes (1) hakim bey (1) hans kok (1) harmonists (1) hiphop (1) huey newton (1) humour (1) icarians (1) illegal immigration (1) immigration movement (1) independence movement (1) industrial workers of the world (1) inspirationalists (1) insurrection (1) islamophobia (1) jay dobyns (1) jean baudrillard (1) jean-michel basquiat (1) jello biafra (1) jerry adams (1) jerry rubin (1) joe david (1) johann most (1) john birch movement (1) john cage (1) john lewis (1) journal (1) judith sulpine (1) juvenile literature (1) kathy acker (1) keffo (1) ken kesey (1) kenneth rexroth (1) know-nothings (1) lady pink (1) language rights (1) lifestyle anarchism (1) literature (1) london (1) london ont (1) long kesh (1) los angeles (1) manifesto (1) martha cooper (1) marxism (1) masculinity (1) matthew hale (1) max yasgur (1) may day (1) medgar evers (1) merry pranksters (1) mexican mafia (1) michael hart (1) michael lang (1) micro-currency (1) microcosm publishing (1) middle-east (1) mini-series (1) miss van (1) mlk (1) mockumentary (1) mods and rockers (1) moot (1) nation of islam (1) national vanguard (1) native american party (1) neal cassady (1) neo-confederacy (1) neoconservatism (1) neoism (1) new left (1) noam chomsky (1) nolympics (1) non-violence (1) nonsense (1) north africa (1) notes from nowhere (1) obey giant (1) occupy london (1) occupy oakland (1) october crisis (1) oral biography (1) pacifism (1) parecon (1) peasant rebellion (1) perfectionists (1) photomontage (1) pirate radio (1) pirate utopias (1) poachers (1) poetry (1) polemic (1) police brutality (1) political science (1) popular uprisings (1) portland (1) post-WWII (1) prank (1) protest (1) radical art (1) radical left (1) ralph waldo emmerson (1) real IRA (1) red army faction (1) regis debray (1) retort (periodical) (1) reverend billy (1) rock machine (1) ruben "doc" cavazos (1) san francisco (1) scavenging (1) script kiddies (1) scrounging (1) secession (1) second vermont republic (1) self-published (1) semiotext(e) (1) sexual politics (1) shakers (1) shedden massacre (1) short stories (1) simulation (1) slab murphy (1) slave revolt (1) snake mound occupation (1) social ecology (1) socialism (1) solo angeles (1) sonic youth (1) sonny barger (1) south armagh (1) spirituality (1) squatting (1) stage performance (1) stencil graffiti (1) stewart home (1) sticker art (1) stokley charmicael (1) stokley charmichael (1) stonewall riots (1) straight-edge (1) street theater (1) subgenius (1) survey (1) sylvere lotringer (1) tariq ali (1) teacher (1) ted kaczynski (1) television (1) tent city (1) terror (1) thermidor (1) timothy leary (1) train-hopping (1) tramps (1) trickster (1) trolling (1) tunnel dwellers (1) undercover (1) underground press (1) underground railroad (1) uprising (1) urban infrastructure (1) utopian (1) utopian communities (1) vegan (1) vermont (1) war measures act (1) warez scene (1) weather underground (1) white power skinheads (1) why? (newspaper) (1) wikileaks (1) winnipeg (1) woodstock (1) word salad (1) world church of the creator (1) yippies (1) youth culture (1) z communications (1)