I've just been googling and can't find any interview where Jello Biafra talks about John Lydon or vice versa. Not even opinions of each other bands. I know they were part of different scenes back then but I'm surprised I can't find anything. Neither man is particularly shy! Any help would be great.
I've never heard Jello talk about johnny but i imagine he viewed him the same way crass did. Just a corporate shill
I must say I rarely listen to it these days but Dead Kennedys I think had the most substance. I can easily enjoy them whenever the fancy takes me. I think their music aged the best.
the sex pistols and the clash are alright too, but to me the dead kennedy's always seemed more authentic, and they didn't have as much of a pop influence to their music as other punk bands.
Musically they had that uniqueness. I love Clash too but a lot of their musical directions steered so far from their roots. I feel Dead Kennedys always had that firm base with brilliant surfer riffs and just strange arrangements without just trying to be different. The Sex Pistols are fun and obviously deserve recognition for being that big bold punch but musically they were quite shallow.
Though i agree with this, I still can't think of a single punk band that actually sounded like the sex pistols. Very hard hitting thick production was also key to that
shallow in what respect? their arrangements were beyond what other punk bands at the time were doing (such as the ramones).
I am an old fan of punk. The Clash is one of my all time favorite bands. I also dig newer stuff like Rancid and Down by Law. Sex pistols kicked ass. Love their message to the Rock n' roll HOF.
Give me the Misfits (Danzig era), Bad Brains, Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Dead Kennedys and so on and so forth. Late 70's to mid/late 80's hardcore punk gave us some amazing bands and genre defining albums.
I think I'm being harsh with shallow in their overall sound. I think I meant more lyrically and points. I love the Clash's lyrics but for me, Dead Kennedys were just that much more clever. Even if you don't agree with either bands politics you can at least admire the lyrics when compared to a lot of punk bands now and back then. As a Scotsman I'd have to point to The Exploited. Political but barbaric in comparison of lyrics to DK. Might be a bit off topic now! Anything at all, anyone?
Yeah I find that there is some punk from that era that I used to love as a teenager that I now cannot stand or find to be bland but bands like the Misfits and Black Flag hell no. Nothing beats The Misfits though for me. They are my favorite Punk and one of my favorite groups. Up until their first break up in 1983. After that when they reformed in 1995 with Jerry Only and Michale Graves on vocals, I parted ways with the band. I now look at them and see the group as a former shadow of themselves. Jerry Only saddens me because he is pimping out the name because he knows without using the Misfits name nobody would give two shits about him or his music. Oh well still have the 77-83 classic line up with Danzig on vocals to make me happy. My all time favorite Punk song!
I can't imagine Jello cared much about the Sex Pistols politically or musically other than respect for their contribution -as the Sex Pistols were a put together punk band on a corporate label EMI -specifically designed/formulated to fuse the atitude and energy of Richard Hell, the sound of the The Stooges, and the look of the New York Dolls into something they could sell in oppostion to the soft and progressive rock that had stagnated radio. - Wheras DK was a political DIY punk effort during their entire run -putting out there own label and distro -very different from the Sex Pistols - Plus The Sex Pistols were finished before the Dead Kennedys had national punk exposure so they really weren't contemporaries at all -by then John Lydon was doing the post punk thing. I have alot of respect for guys like Jello, Cory Rusk, Ian Mckaye, Fat Mike and such -who really do the punk DIY ethic -hand shake contracts etc -They are true alternatives to the radio garbage we are fed.
Thanks for the reply. I thought they wouldn't really be in the same scene but both of them are interviewed quite frequently and do love to give opinions! I'm just surprised really. I could imagine Jello wouldn't exactly praise John Lydon but it'd be interesting to read.
You should rent "The Filth and the Fury" it's great doc about the sex pistols Really powerful moments from John Lydon in the film whe he talks about them taking on the whole of the english empire with their music, but yet couldn't save his best childhood friend (who he got to join the sex pistols despite his lack of actual bass palying ability) from one lousy heroin addict (Nancy)
