‘Penis Landscape’: The stunt that led to the demise of Dead Kennedys
For a band named after the assassination of prominent US politicians, Dead Kennedys were fittingly plagued with controversy. From including the message, “Home taping is killing record industry profits! We left this side blank so you can help” on the cassette release of their EP In God We Trust Inc to featuring an image of a malnourished Ugandan child on the cover of Plastic Surgery Disasters, the punk band were always out to shock. However, like Icarus, Dead Kennedys flew too close to the sun, with one shock tactic leading to the band’s ultimate demise.
Forming in 1978, Dead Kennedys instantly set themselves apart from their West Coast contemporaries. Under the leadership of mad punk professor Jello Biafra, the band quickly gained a reputation for their staunch political views and intense live performances. The band name, referencing the assassination of both JFK and Bobby Kennedy, was an immediate signifier that the group were out to stun the music industry, and they did so regularly.
After attacking everything from Pol Pot’s genocidal regime in Cambodia to the rise of neo-Nazism within the punk movement as part of their first two records, the band’s third studio album continued in the same vein. Frankenchrist featured a departure from the buzzsaw guitars and lightning-fast delivery inherent in their early hardcore sound, favouring generally slower tracks, which often rise in intensity as they progress. Tackling issues such as poverty, capitalism and the commercialism of the music industry, the album includes some of Dead Kennedys’ most beloved songs.
Of course, Frankenchrist could not escape the controversy which seemed to follow the band throughout their tenure. Frontman and predominant songwriter Jello Biafra placed a lot of importance on the cover art of his work, which is probably why his band produced some of the most iconic and recognisable album covers in all of punk music. For Frankenchrist, Biafra wanted to use an image by Swiss artist H.R. Giger, entitled ‘Penis Landscape’. The painting features multiple penises entering vaginas, arranging a particular pattern. After Biafra and his independent record label Alternative Tentacles contacted Giger, the artist agreed to let the band use his image for the cover at a reduced price of only $600.
Nudity is not hugely uncommon when it comes to album covers, but usually, naked figures are presented tastefully or at least seductively. The simultaneous brilliance and stupidity of trying to use ‘Penis Landscape’ was that it is neither tasteful nor sexy. It is simply faceless genitalia that appears to be buried in dirt.
Subverting expectations and challenging the perception of nudity, the image would have made an excellent album cover. However, in the ultra-conservative state of the USA, there is no way it would have ever been allowed to be published as a record sleeve. Not only was the artwork rejected from the front cover, but it was also rejected from being a gatefold image within the LP. Eventually, Giger’s artwork was included as an inserted poster with copies of the record.
Including the poster with copies of the album, accompanied by a warning sticker, led to Biafra being brought to trial and charged with distributing harmful content to minors. On top of that case, Shriners sued him for using an image of one of their masonic marches as the final album cover for Frankenchrist. Although neither of these cases led to any serious consequences or further prosecution, the legal costs incurred essentially bankrupted Alternative Tentacles and Dead Kennedys by extension.
Throughout these legal cases, the band managed to put out the compilation album Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death, as well as their final studio album Bedtime for Democracy, but ultimately, they could not recover from the lack of funds which resulted from their legal battles. Dead Kennedys revisited the legal courts in the 1990s, with the rest of the band suing Jello for unpaid royalties, a case which they won. The group reformed in 2001 without Biafra, something which caused a stir in the punk scene, and the group continues to tour to this day.
