Some reactors have struggled with the intention behind the lyrics to this song but the Haniers have grasped it well. Thanks for picking this song, which I've liked since it was released.
Weird I think the lyrics are talking about these people doing the review. People hidden from the world who think they are destined to make it better. They are not, they are incapable of it and if they ever faced it they would be destroyed. That is the whole point of the song.
@@brobogan5102 Yes, it makes sense. I mean I'm sure these guys are not so 'up themselves' to think they are changing the world. Maybe 'conceited' is more accurate
The Dead Kennedys opened my eyes to US politics the same as the Clash did here in the UK. What they sang about is still relevant today. All governments getting there dirty fingers in countries all over the world to keep us safe. East Bay Rays surf guitar was a one off for "punk". Saw them, minus Jello obviously, last month here in UK and still a great show. RIP DH who passed away recently and is here on the video.
Jello has been kind of clueless about a lot of stuff in recent years. He's more of a liberal than an open minded thinker in some ways. At the time he was a hell of a lot more aware and informed than most though and he certainly opened my eyes to some topics.
Blew me away when I first heard this as a 16 year old punk in 1980! I'm 60 now and it still sounds explosive! Finally got round to seeing them in Bournemouth U.K. In 2017! D.H.Piligro (drums) RIP!.
One of the best? Who else is there? The Ramones are fun but apolitical, Pere Ubu is great but only in small doses, Black Flag et al just suck. Who am I missing?
@@FFM0594Huh? Are you stupid? I was talking about punk lmao some people love the Sex Pistols, some love the Bad Brains and someone else loves Doom those are different tastes though.
I’m LOVING this reaction from both of you , their other massive hit among many was California Uber Alles, if you like this , you’ll love that and I implore you to consider it . It’s gonna be a good day and thanks to you guys for starting it like this 👍🏴
Jello is THE modern day prophet on earth. When I was 16 "DK is right about everything!". When I was 30 "well things are more complicated". Now in my 50s "DEAD KENNEDYS ARE RIGHT ABOUT EVERYTHING!"
It was released at the time of the boat people who were fleeing Cambodia and Laos etc at the time. The Killing Fields had just been uncovered by journalists.
A pretty loose interpretation of the word "Hit" , not sure if either singles reached any of the charts around the world. If only they had. Both songs however are DK's most famous (infamous) of their discography.
I love the Dead Kennedys, because they are necessary. We need people like Jello Biafra, who will stand up and say," this is bullshit" Loving the fact you got it Hanier Family , a lot of reactors miss the point of the band.
DK was great music but jellos politics(especially now as the world is different than 45 years ago) are trash calling everyone nazis pushing censorship and telling people to get the government flu jab lol
When I was a teenager in the70's & 80's, punk bands were my main news source, mainstream news told us nothing (they still don't). Cambodia, Nicaragua, Congo, etc. etc. 30+ years later, I still look for the truth, and I'll always be a punk, it means questioning the powers that be and helping others, no matter what. Great channel guys
Pol Pot ! Pol Pot ! .. Classic Punk Rock 45 from the San Francisco based Dead Kennedys. They were really good & really controversial but did it with a sense of purpose. Good stuff 👍
They are keepers for sure empathetic humans are what we need more of the only problem is i hate seeing them struggle with finances and tiredness from working to the bone and poor Cynthia with her back pain which is something i can empathize with I've had three operations on my spine over the last 30 years and I'll tell ya this for free IT'S DEBILITATING HORRIBLE AND PAINFUL AS HELL it takes the shine off most things in life and makes it had to smile when you just want to SCREAM!!!
The Video is some a session at Target with the album cut. Target was a collective that shot a lot of Cali punk back in the day. Also ironically Pol Pot s genocide was stopped by the Vietnamese army and not "The West". Don t quote me here but Pol Pot killed around 30% of cambodia population, estimates vary but its in that ball park
Context of offensive words matters. People who get offended at the use of a word without making the effort to understand its use offend me 😀 Another DK song that I feel is still relevant is Police Truck.
Moon over Marin is the song that hooked me early 1984 that song and Bad brains PMA SET ME ONTO A LIFE TIME OF PUNKROCK and now at 53 I'm still stumbling and wobbling down the road of PUNKROCK and loving it
Yeah, it's a very accessible song for a more general audience. But first song that got me was Nazi Punks lol. Kinda on the opposite side of 'accessible".
I checked out the long version of the video. The part that was snipped was right before the last vocal section, and there really wasn't anything in it that would be even slightly offensive. I have no clue why it was shortened or how it was done so seamlessly.
Agreed, Fresh Fruit and Plastic Surgery Disasters are both great, Frankenchrist also has its moments, but I never took to Bedtime for Democracy. Also saw them in the 80's, unfortunately during their opening song, there was a stage invasion, a fight ensued, the band went off and never came back, making it at least memorable.
I'm so glad that you found this version of the video as the audio track is taken from the far superior Cherry Red single rather than the album track which most videos use. The drummer in the performance parts of this is Darren Peligro, though Bruce Sleshinger was their drummer when this was recorded. Keep up the good work, and more Jam please.
The Frankenchrist have a lot of good songs that still relevant today; i learnt english with Jello Biafra & The Dead Kennedys and Ice-T & Body Count, and... i'll that it'd worked.. also improved imo my way of think.
Sonic Youth I think were influenced by the DKs. Another band not afraid to write about darker subjects etc. I can hear quite a lot of similarities come to mention it. I think there was another band then called Hiroshima Heroes. As I said total freedom back then and independent record labels simply bypassed the board rooms of the music industry. I don’t think we realised how much freedom we had back then and corporate censorship and media and marketing can stifle artistic stuff, we now inhabit a very sanitised world. I miss those days. Such variation in music and a thriving underground scene. Keep up the good work thanks.
Cheers my friends as an old Swedish punkrocker that listened to Dead Kennedys among others and survived 80's and 90's despite doping my head away too much i gotta say i enjoyed your reaction. :p
Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo bay school of medicine Song to check out WE CREATED PUTIN. JELLO IS AS FEROCIOUS AS HE'S EVER BEEN AND ON POINT 👉☝️ AS ALWAYS
Great song. I think when this originally came out I think, as young people at the time, we tended to be more concerned about complacency than we were about activism and causing offence. I don't know how much people have changed, but the rules definitely seem to have.
I first heard this on 2JJJ in Sydney back in 1979. I strongly doubt 2JJJ (now the powerful Triple J radio station) would touch this tune with a ten foot pole.
Jello was , is, anti leftism. California Uber Allas is dedicated to Gov. Jerry Brown. He equates the left to Nazis. He ran for Mayor of San Francisco in 1980, against then mayor Diane Feinstein. " Give me liberty or give me convieince.
My take on this was that it was highlighting the horror of Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge. I can remember it on the news as a child. Dead Kennedys That is a name which makes you think. My neighbour was a big fan. They certainly knew how sing about issues. It’s just a protest song after all, as kids we were perfectly aware of what and who they were singing about- Pol Pot. Again, that time was a heyday of artistic licence and indie music wasn’t a genre it just meant a back street collective record label. Which gave bands total freedom to do what they liked.
Excellent review guys and totally on point, i love it when youngsters try to educate me, i just say to them, come back in 20 30yrs and we will see what your views are then.
Cynthia, I was like you when I first saw a picture of the DK's, circa 80/81. I looked at their name and the band, and thought ''nooooo way!''. lol My brother liked them, and saw them live when they came to Australia in the early 80's. I enjoyed Jello being interviewed on Aussie TV, but I wasn't going to listen to their music. I know this song because it forced its way into my life via 3RRR in the early 80's.
@@billhandley943 I loved the days when you could only go by an album cover. I was a little spoiled, because I was what they referred to in Australia as a Countdown kid. I was a devotee to a pop music show called Countdown, and I benefited by getting free records, or hearing records for free. I got hold of a lot of quirky New Wave stuff through being attracted to the album covers. I'm lucky to still have a turntable, but I just leave the playing to my kids. They enjoy exploring the past and listening to those records.
I've known the music and liked his "manic" way of singing... The first time i watched life footage... I was giddy to see his body language was just like I expected😅
Easily my favourite punk band (a big admission for a Brit). Biting, fierce satire coupled with brilliant musicianship, and beautiful noise, is outstanding, imho, xxx
I remember this when it came out, it got a bit of airplay on Triple R radio here in Melbourne. Thats where I first heard the Sex Pistols as well. I wanted to be punk but my parents wouldn't let me as I was only 14 and I guess I wasn't rebellious enough. So waited a few years and became a metal head in the early 80's. I always had a bit of a thing for punk rock, we had a few good local bands like the Saints & Radio Birdman who are worth a listen if you liked this.
Yeah. This channel has done that to us with some artists. Maybe you have to get to a certain age to get some things that some others understood well before you did.
So you read the lyrics first, watched the video first and did everything first before giving us your reaction. Cool reaction! Authentic. Why not just go in blind and not upload it if you think it's not going to work out? You're already spending time researching it and reactions should be mostly off the cuff anyway, so what's there to lose?
I love the dead kennedys, heres an idea for a comparison for you, the clash doing i fought the law and the dead kennedys doing their version, or if you just want a good laugh you could do "Too drunk to f@@k" or just a great tune in "kill the poor"!
If you haven't heard any of their stuff, there are two punk bands that I liked back in the day... The Vandals... Urban Struggle and (Illa Zilla) Lady Killa are a couple favorites 999... Homicide, Rael Rean and Feelin' Alright With The Crew were faves.
I really dislike the DKs and have so for 40 years, basically because of Jello's vocals, but I love you guys because you delve into the old punk stuff and it really flashes me back to those times. '70s-'80s Mod, Oi, Hardcore please. Love you two.
@@FFM0594 It's weird that you attack me over a silly, snarky RU-vid comment supporting a channel that I enjoy. My life story is great and I now wonder what led you to be bitter and hateful in your life story. Look, I want everyone to be happy and if I can help you in any way, just let me know. And that is not a fake post, I genuinely am willing to connect with you and do whatever I can to help.
the 12" version of this really slays, it has a dub "version" mid song mixed by Geza X... fucking phenomenal. This is the album version still great but not as epic. Still a great choice
I've never heard,or was aware of,the 12" version (does it exist?). This is the 7" single version though, not the album/LP version. It's a shorter intro, and or guitar solo on the single.
The 12" and the 7" were on Cherry Red which is the version used here. The album version, to me, was very disappointing as Ray's guitar work just wasn't as dynamic as the single and the mix felt weak.
Good reaction. You must listen to California Uber Allas, by Dead Kennedys .If you really want to listen to something amazingly brilliant, and different. Listen to the song,"When I see mommy i feel like a mummy, by Captain Beefheart. Not a punk band bu the way.
I think I'd already suggested this for a 'Who Did It Better?' episode before: 'Take This Job And Shove It' Dead Kennedys (cover) vs. Johnny Paycheck (original) 😊
Unfortunately it's impossible to find the album version of this song on RU-vid, but it's even better than this one. Actually, I recommend listening to the entire album.
I used to listen to Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables start to finish. My Mom had an issue with Forward to Death lol. Still love it as a 58 year old.😀
Very nice reaction. I saw these guys play at Monash University in Melbourne back in 1983, and they were just killer.. brilliant group... The media coverage and the treatment that the band had gotten in Queensland was a sad reminder as to just how fked up Australia was at the time with the conservative government and corrupt police. The fact the drummer was arrested in QLD for being black just blew my mind at the time. Anyway, getting on to offensive lyrics and a word of caution. The song ''Boys Light Up'' by Australian Crawl makes a reference to the ''mother's little helper that's kept in the draw''. The song's still worth a reaction, but be aware of that particular reference. Australian Crawl - Boys Light Up (2023 Remastered Version) Not the greatest video ever made, but better than all the others that are available in the youtubes.
Turn it up mate ''mother's little helper that's kept in the draw'', they are just clever lyrics. As for politics it doesnt matter who's in power Labor or the LNP as they are both bitches to the globalists. Think about how nothing ever changes much when leadership changes hands. They are just pre-selected puppets. If you get to the top in politics its because you are willing to bow down before your globalist masters, nothing more.
Saw the Kennedys at the Pier Hotel Frankston. Same year. Excellent. Ha James Reyne. His mum taught me at school. She wasn't very happy about the album cover on The Boys Light Up. As I remember
@@yendor9078 A lot of my female friends hated Australian Crawl and the song ''Boys Light Up'', and they weren't too thrilled about that album cover either. I thought it was cool of the DK's to come around our humble little country.
It really seems like nobody understands what this song is about. It is a critique of young communists. Cambodia was under khmer rouge rule back then. It is criticizing all those young marxists who want the same for america, so they are basically telling them - go visit cambodia for holidays if this is what you want. It is not an anti war song, or even activism. Like like ever before this is very relevant in current society with this weird hard core left agenda amongst young people, where they dont recognize the horrors of communism.
thank you so much for playing this its just a great anti war song, another one you may find interesting is Afrika Bambaataa and John Lydon pretty sure its called world of destruction, glad to see alot of comments below thanks again
It really isn't an anti-war so much as a song mocking those entitled activist who think they will change the world. When really if they ever had to face it they would be crushed.
about being "beter off" that is the isllusion. having a house is imprisonment actually. having a fancy car does not make a person beter than the one spending 10 grand a month on crack or the person with nothing who may ironicaly feel free hapier and richer than someone who thinks they are the one who are "successful. the meaning of life is not status nor is it about this subjective view of sucess
I do like the Kennedys and this is one of their best. Can I suggest a comparison of "War", originally by The Temptations and covered by a band called D.O.A who did a stint as Jello's backing band for a wee bit. The song's original writer died either at the very end of last year or the start of this year. He also co wrote a whole bunch of stuff you will know. "Heard It On The Grapevine" and "Papa Was A Rolling Stone".
More Japanese bands for you. There is a Japanese All female band that are highly influenced by The Dead Kennedys. They are called Otoboke Beaver and well worth checking out.
How can you be my age and never have heard this ? It's not just anti racism but anti corruption and anti greedy government s; it's not left or right it's anti politics because we needed a new system then things got better now the hate Trump and Boris caused and we are in a hateful world once again. Right wing ethics are greed and hate of anything different which is horrible as is extreme left politics,
This is a truly great song one of the best from our era of punk music , but , the group seems to have been taken over by the hard left, i saw them when i was in California , and half the audience were not even watching the band as they circled in the "mosh pit" full of so called activists , who are quite extreme themselves , then i saw them in a place called Whitehaven in northwest England , an unlikely venue , and it was brilliant , what a great choice , and well explained in a very thoughtful way
Awesome! Some really heavy music in contrast to most of what we hear on the radio and tv these days. Been thinking, after seeing a few of your reactions (and I'm also a huge fan of bands like The Stranglers and Madness), what you guys make of some other big new wave acts. For instance, Simple Minds of the early 80's, who in my part of the world are still regarded as one of the most innovative band for a few years back then - and then they faded after kicking out their fantastic bass player Derek Forbes (1985)...They made great music, but their videos weren't that interesting. Some were even a bit embarrassing. The only enjoyable video would perhaps be "Love Song", but they made better songs back then. Unfortunately, not better videos. "Promised You A Miracle" was the song that caught my ear, but the video is terrible in my taste.
It's Dead Kennedys, not 'the' Dead Kennedys. Their songs are much more offensive than racism by design. Don't be star-bellied sneetches. You should do a reaction video on "Police Truck" or "I Kill Children". You know, songs you never see being covered by Green Day or Blink 182. Everyone should be aware of Cambodia's horrific experience with Marxism. You should watch the movie "The Killing Fields". Especially if you have no idea who Pol Pot was, or you think Communism is a good idea.
I love this channel and your insights. You are so right about pampered college students. Protest music like this won't get made today because younger musicians are pro establishment and pro war and pro authotarian woke.
