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Friday April 14th – Jello Biafra in Ottawa !

SteveThe Owl

By SteveThe Owl
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SteveThe Owl Newbie

SteveThe Owl

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Friday April 14th – Jello Biafra in Ottawa!

CKCU 93.1 FM, punkottawa.com and revolution rock present:

Jello Biafra (spoken word)

Bronson Centre (211 Bronson Ave.)

ALL AGES, 6:30pm, $15 adv tickets.

Jello Biafra was singer for the Dead Kennedys, and he runs the record label Alternative Tentacles. He does political spoken words shows, and he also recently recorded some albums with the Melvins.

http://www.alternativetentacles.com

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StoneMtn Newbie

StoneMtn

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That is awesome.

He was scheduled to speak in Whistler. Some dumbass was the promoter. I think he forgot to tell Jello about the gig. He definitely forgot to tell the venue where Jello was supposed to be playing, as well as the outlets in town who were supposed to sell tickets.

Needless to say, no Jello, and it was very disappointing. Someone please review this after it happens.

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  • 4 weeks later...
SteveThe Owl Newbie

SteveThe Owl

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Got yer tickets yet?

Here's the cool piece by John Akpata that appeared in last week's XPress:

Biafra's war on terror

John Akpata

Light a fire under the choir's ass

I was first introduced to Jello Biafra when I was in grade 9. An older boy was suspended for wearing a Frankenchrist T-shirt to school. Artist H.R. Geiger's Penis Landscape sparked a lot of debate. After listening to the entire album in one sitting, I became angry at what I learned. My father explained to me what really happens during a military coup. My mother explained to me how Third World labour works. Jello Biafra also made me aware of Mumia Abu-Jamal, a black Pennsylvania journalist in jail since 1982 on doctored cop-killing charges. Twenty years later I was able to interview the man who taught me that it is perfectly fine to be mad as hell about injustice.

As an icon of the punk movement, Jello Biafra enjoys revealing the ugly truth to the masses. I asked him where this all came from. "When I was 5, I saw Lee Harvey Oswald get shot [on TV] in my living room. When I was six years old one of my teachers wrote on my report card that I was going to be a discipline problem. I thought that teacher liked me. I saw the Kennedys get shot. My parents did not hide reality from me - they told me what was really going on. I became interested in the news and world politics at a young age. I saw no difference between cartoons and the news.

"That is why I hate racism, why I hate war. That is how I learned that globalism and environmental destruction is wrong. Eventually I reached a point where I didn't care. I will not worship at the feet of Oliver North."

Biafra believes that the best way to cause trouble is to tell the truth to the masses. He refused to reveal the details or content of his upcoming performance, but did give some hints. "The show itself is hardcore infotainment on topics that are of concern. I offer some interesting information in a unique fashion. I inject my weird sense of humour into the stew. I know that I may be preaching to the choir, but there is nothing wrong with lighting a fire under the choir's ass."

ADDICTED TO DRUGS, ADDICTED TO AID

According to Biafra, the choir needs to examine the bigger picture on American foreign policy. We had a tête-à-tête on terrorism, and agreed on most of the facts: 80 to 90 per cent of Europe's heroin comes from Afghanistan; poor people in a war zone can't grow food for money, so they grow opium instead. Opium produces morphine and codeine and is also processed into heroin. "Since the U.S.-led, now apparently U.S.-abandoned military action in 2003 and 2004, heroin production has gone up 3,000 per cent. We now let the warlords run the heroin trade. These guys are producing sealed packages with their own logos on it." So the situation has gotten worse, not better, and the bad guys are making more money than they used to.

Biafra said that there is not just one reason for terrorism. From Afghanistan we moved to Pakistan. "Pakistan has abandoned its public school system. Forty per cent of Pakistan's debt could go to education, but instead it goes to the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund. Terrorists and jihad are selling build-your-own nuclear bomb kits for $60-million U.S. They are so broke and have no other source of income, so they are selling bomb kits to the kooks that could start World War III. This is a textbook example of how globalism has created and contributes to terrorism."

Biafra told me that Canada is also in trouble. "All Canadians must know that we have reached the tipping point in terms of global warming. Also the privatization of water will be a great way to spark an uprising for most parts of the world. Bechtel is trying to sue the government of Bolivia for $25 billion in lost profit in the dispute over ownership of rainwater and freshwater. Think of what that means to Canada. Also, just after September 11 Tom Ridge [the former director of Homeland Security] came to Ottawa to tighten up the asylum laws. It is now almost impossible to seek asylum in Canada. Those laws have to be rolled back. And don't let Stephen Harper become an armchair leader loyal to George Bush Junior. If he does, you better fight like hell."

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Biafra is not a pessimist - he is a realist. "The worst possible people are in charge, and they are putting the accelerator right to the floor. Right now there are two superpowers on the face of the planet. One is the United Snakes of America; the other is global world opinion. Monsanto has patents for rice in India that has been grown by the indigenous people for thousands of years. Now that Monsanto is demanding royalties off of the rice that is grown, people are becoming familiar with how cold-blooded the corporations are, and will never stand for it."

For those people who live in the Matrix, Jello Biafra is your Morpheus. "I try to offer people a way out. I outline a step-by-step way to allow you to escape the corporate food chain. First, try not to work for them. Even if you do work for them, remember a prank a day keeps Big Brother away. Don't give your money to corporate chain stores, you're only feeding the corporate predators. At your school find out how much research is being done for the military industrial complex. Try and stop it."

Biafra has been toughened by his own personal epic battle - the breakup of the Dead Kennedys.

"The breakup of the Dead Kennedys was a 15-year conspiracy. There was a trial. People lied on the witness stand. Management and legal representatives of the industry helped my former bandmates to sue me for damages. Now I have no legal say whatsoever in what happened with the Dead Kennedys. Even though I get some money, I am not allowed to know the source of that money. Meanwhile they put together a fake reunion tour, used my face and all of my lyrics and songs, but I have no say in any of it. If you want an example of how corrupt it all gets, do your homework on this."

Biafra's motivation to fight for his own rights has definitely given him strength in his pursuit of global justice. He is a great speaker, he backs up his arguments with facts and details, and still has the heart of a punk rock legend. "I have done well as a professional troublemaker. People are still interested in what I say and what I do. We still have rights, at least on paper, and if not I will cause trouble anyway."

JELLO BIAFRA

FRIDAY APRIL 14, 6:30 P.M., $15/18

BRONSON CENTRE

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