Jello Biafra is still really pissed off, is still really into mega-watt punk rock, is still laser focused on attacking injustice, is still really, really, really funny, still looooves to talk, and still has tricks up his sleeve. On Friday, Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine suddenly released Tea Party Revenge Porn. The record RIPS. Yeah, it's fast, it's heavy, it rocks, but more importantly, Jello is on FIRE (and the band kicks ass, too). Jello's career has many highpoints, and here's another one.
Of course, the new album blasts Trump- a lot. But, it also goes deeper and looks at the machinations behind the machinations. And perhaps somewhat surprisingly, a few times, Biafra opens up about himself, instead of what's going on during this insane year.
In order to dig into the album, Punknews' John Gentile called up Biafra to chat about the record just before midnight. In true Jello style, he was wrapping up a label meeting, preparing things for a charity auction, and answering e-mails like it was three in the afternoon. The pair talked for hours and covered the new record in detail, the upcoming election, that recent pesky Dead Kennedys remix, selfies, and a LOT more.
Because the chat was so wide ranging, we will be presenting this discussion in multiple parts over the next few days. Today's segment begins just as AT is wrapping up their meeting- label manager, Dom Davi is lamenting that Jello once chastised Davi for standing still during a concert with his arms crossed. Davi says, "Jello said to me, 'Do you even like music?'" Strangely, the comment seems to slightly wound Biafra, who is as fiery on stage as he is sensitive to his own feelings and the feelings of others. Biafra responds, "I don't even remember saying that…". Davi, appears to be shocked as he now learns that a comment that has affected him for the past few years was really just a forgotten aside. And, that's where our interview begins…
