The two albums that shaped Jello Biafra: “My ground zero”
There’s something Kafkaesque about the very idea of punk. It’s defiantly operates against the grain, but if you’re not cool, then you’re not punk. You’ve got to be brazen yourself and not care what anyone else thinks except for everyone you hang out with.
When it comes to punk music, it’s got to be angry, aggressive and radical, but if it doesn’t fit in with everyone else on the bill, then you’re an outsider. Then, of course, after all that, if you pay too much attention to what everyone else is doing in order to fit in and be a part of your community, then you’re a poser.
Got that? Good. It’s the reason why all the best people involved in punk at any level transcended it in some way. There’s always going to be people actually going their own way. Folks like Laura Jane Grace, Soul Glo, Henry Rollins and, a man who takes going his own way to a whole new level, Jello Biafra.
The man born Eric Boucher has always carried himself with the wild-eyed, provocative energy of a man constantly daring you to question his punk credentials. Beginning with that unmistakable quiver of a voice that carries more than a hint of The B-52s, all the way down to him doing that least punk of things and actually running for mayor of San Francisco before the Dead Kennedys ever even formed. His campaign slogan? “There’s always room for Jello.”
One gets the feeling that whatever he’s up to, Jello Biafra would be doing it whether there was a punk scene or not. He’s proudly marched to the beat of his own drum and that goes for his influences too. Even the name of the magazine he talked to for this interview would set off alarm bells for even the most open-minded of punkers. In an interview with Prog Magazine, Biafra talked about the two records that influenced him the most. In true Biafra fashion, one is a record no self-respecting punk could argue with and one is a little less predictable.
“Next to Funhouse by The Stooges, Space Ritual is my Ground Zero for what made me what I am today. There would be no Holiday In Cambodia without them.” That’s right, one of the touchstones for Jello Biafra’s entire career, who directly inspired one of the best songs in punk rock was Hawkwind. The band combined the heaviest part of prog with the most indulgent side of hard rock. Or maybe it was the other way around.
Even today, you’d sooner admit to liking Shibari than the ‘Silver Machine’ hitmakers. Compared to Jello Biafra, though, we are weak-willed conformists scared to stand out. He knows it too. ‘Halloween’, one of the Kennedys’ absolute best moments, is about telling people off for being too scared to act and dress the way they want to and hiding behind socially acceptable occasions like the titular holiday to truly express themselves.
In Biafra’s mind, he loved the band, and punk was all about expressing yourself regardless of what anyone else thought. So, to him, that was that. This is absolutely the way it should be, and since it led to some of the best and most influential music of the 1980s, maybe it’s something we could all stand to learn from.
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