Jello Biafra: Difference between revisions

Politically, Biafra is a member of the [[Green Party of the United States]]<ref name = "Green"/> and supports various political causes. He ran for the [[2000 Green National Convention|party's presidential nomination]] in the [[2000 United States presidential election|2000 presidential election]], finishing a distant second to [[Ralph Nader]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.globalgreens.org/history/chronology/2000 |publisher=Global Greens |title=Global Green Party History Chronology – 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616180058/http://www.globalgreens.org/history/chronology/2000 |archive-date=June 16, 2013 |access-date=September 4, 2012 |quote=With 295 votes, Nader received 92% of the convention total, followed by ten votes each for Jello Biafra and Stephen Gaskin |url-status=dead}}</ref> In [[1979 San Francisco mayoral election|1979]] he ran for mayor of [[San Francisco]], California. He is a supporter of a free society and utilizes shock value and advocates [[direct action]] and pranksterism in the name of political causes.<ref name="Green">{{cite journal|first=Jello|last=Biafra|url=http://www.greens.org/s-r/22/22-02.html|title=Jello Biafra for President|journal=Synthesis/Regeneration|issue=22|date=Spring 2000|access-date=July 13, 2021}}</ref> Biafra uses [[Absurdism|absurdist]] media tactics, in the leftist tradition of the [[Yippies]], to highlight issues of [[civil rights]] and [[social justice]].

Eric Reed Boucher was born in [[Boulder, Colorado]], the son of [[Virginia Boucher]] (née Parker), a librarian, and Stanley Wayne Boucher, a [[psychiatric]] [[social worker]] and poet.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailycamera/obituary.aspx?pid=167349278|title=Stanley Boucher Obituary: View Stanley Boucher obituary|publisher=Legacy.com|access-date=August 3, 2014|archive-date=February 22, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222051832/http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dailycamera/obituary.aspx?pid=167349278|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Bibliographic Directory of Librarians in the United States and Canada}}</ref> His sister, Julie J. Boucher, was Associate Director of the Library Research Service at the [[Colorado State]] Library; she died in a mountain-climbing accident on October 12, 1996.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lrs.org/boucher.php|title=Julie J. Boucher Memorial Award for Intellectual Freedom|publisher=Lrs.org|date=October 12, 1996|access-date=August 3, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121026113233/http://www.lrs.org/boucher.php|archive-date=October 26, 2012}}</ref>

As a child, Boucher developed an interest in international politics that was encouraged by his parents. Boucher became a fan of [[rock music]] after his parents accidentally tuned in to a rock radio station.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alternativetentacles.com/bandinfo.php |title=Bands |publisher=Alternative Tentacles |access-date=August 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316144308/http://www.alternativetentacles.com/bandinfo.php |archive-date=March 16, 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> As a teenager, his high school [[guidance counselor]] advised him to spend his adolescence preparing to become a dental hygienist.<ref>{{Cite web|title = Jello Biafra Talks Politics, Music and The Music Business – Janky Smooth|date = April 7, 2015|url = http://www.jankysmooth.com/jello-biafra-interview-politics-music-business-interview-janky-smooth/|access-date = August 31, 2015|archive-date = December 8, 2015|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20151208222920/http://www.jankysmooth.com/jello-biafra-interview-politics-music-business-interview-janky-smooth/|url-status = live}}</ref>

In 1977, he worked as a [[roadie]] for a local band called The Ravers (who later changed their name to [[The Nails]]),<ref name="medium.com">{{cite web|title=The Man, the Myth, the Legend, Jello Biafra |work=Medium |url=https://medium.com/the-riff/the-man-the-myth-the-legend-jello-biafra-d13d2df23f98 |date=September 17, 2022 |last1=Razin |first1=Alexander }}</ref> helping set up their equipment at shows, including as an opener for the [[Ramones]].<ref name="punknews.org">{{cite web|title=Interviews: Jello Biafra on what makes up Jello Biafra |url=https://www.punknews.org/article/65388/interviews-jello-biafra-on-what-makes-up-jello-biafra |date=December 8, 2017}}</ref> The job ended shortly after the Ramones show, when The Ravers were offered a record contract and left Colorado.<ref name="punknews.org"/> Boucher credits seeing [[Joey Ramone]] as inspiration to become a singer, and the Ramones lyrics for inspiring the use of humor in his own songs.<ref>Biafra, Jello. "Joey Ramone." ''Machine Gun in the Clown's Hand''. San Francisco: Alternative Tentacles. 2002. [http://www.alternativetentacles.com/octopodes/765/ygK579NSlQpElm7tXKA/Jello_Biafra-Joey_Ramone.mp3 MP3 link] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110603233632/http://www.alternativetentacles.com/octopodes/765/ygK579NSlQpElm7tXKA/Jello_Biafra-Joey_Ramone.mp3 |date=June 3, 2011 }}</ref>

Shortly after graduating high school, he formed a band called The Healers, with John Greenway and an unknown third member. Boucher has described The Healers' music as "banging on instruments we didn't know how to play when our parents weren't home". While never playing a show, the band made recordings, including an early version of "[[California Über Alles]]", but did not want any of it to be released to the public.<ref>{{cite web|title=Jello Biafra: "I'm not a drug addict, I'm not religious, music is my… |url=https://www.kerrang.com/jello-biafra-im-not-a-drug-addict-im-not-religious-music-is-my-higher-power-and-i-never-know-whats-coming-next |date=January 14, 2021}}</ref> Some of their music was made available on a 2009 compilation of late 1970s Colorado punk bands titled ''Rocky Mountain Low'', including the original version of "California Über Alles", which [[Maximum Rocknroll]] described as experimental improv in their review.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://archive.org/details/mrr_314|title=Maximum Rocknroll 314 (2009 July)|access-date=June 17, 2025|via=Internet Archive}}</ref>

[[File:Jello-Biafra.jpg|thumb|Biafra performing with the Dead Kennedys]]

In June 1978, Boucher responded to an advertisement placed in a store by guitarist [[East Bay Ray]], stating "guitarist wants to form punk band",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.geocities.com/capitolhill/congress/2503/interview10.html |title=Interview with Jello Biafra |publisher=Webcitation.org |access-date=August 3, 2004 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091020024641/http://geocities.com/CapitolHill/Congress/2503/interview10.html |archive-date=October 20, 2009}}</ref> and together they formed the Dead Kennedys. He began performing with the band under the stage name Occupant,<ref>{{cite book|last1=Wilson|first1=Dave|title=Rock Formations: Categorical Answers to how Band Names Were Formed|date=2004|publisher=Cidermill Books|isbn=0974848352|page=214|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tOpB23GGxAIC&q=%22jello+biafra%22+occupant&pg=PA214|access-date=June 1, 2017}}</ref> but soon began to use the stage name Jello Biafra, a combination of the brand name [[Jell-O]] and the short-lived African state of [[Biafra]].<ref name="medium.com"/>

Biafra initially attempted to compose music on guitar, but his lack of experience on the instrument and his own admission of being "a fumbler with my hands" led Dead Kennedys bassist [[Klaus Flouride]] to suggest that Biafra simply sing the parts he envisioned to the band.<ref name="re/search">V. Vale, ''Incredibly Strange Music, Vol. 2'', RE/Search Publications, 1995</ref> Biafra sang his riffs and melodies into a tape recorder, which he brought to the band's rehearsal and/or recording sessions. By all accounts, including his own, Biafra is not a conventionally skilled musician,<ref name="re/search"/> though he and his collaborators ([[Joe Keithley|Joey Shithead]] of [[D.O.A. (band)|D.O.A.]] in particular) attest that he is a skilled composer<ref name="shithead">Keithley, Joe. ''I, Shithead''. [[Arsenal Pulp Press]], 2004.</ref> and his work, particularly with the Dead Kennedys, is highly respected by punk-oriented critics and fans.

  | description  = "Holiday in Cambodia" by the Dead Kennedys from ''Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables''

The first single by Dead Kennedys was "[[California Über Alles]]". The song, which spoofed California governor [[Jerry Brown]], was the first of many political songs by the group and Biafra. Its popularity resulted in being covered by other musicians, such as [[The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy]] (who rewrote the lyrics to parody [[Pete Wilson]]), [[John Linnell]] of [[They Might Be Giants]] and [[Six Feet Under (band)|Six Feet Under]] on their ''[[Graveyard Classics]]'' album of cover versions. Not long after, the Dead Kennedys had a second and bigger hit with "[[Holiday in Cambodia]]" from their debut album ''[[Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables]]''. ''[[AllMusic]]'' cites this song as "possibly the most successful single of the American hardcore scene"<ref>Mason, Stewart. "[{{AllMusic|class=song|id=t2757927|pure_url=yes}} Holiday In Cambodia: Song Review]". ''Allmusic''. Retrieved January 25, 2006.</ref> and Biafra counts it as his personal favorite Dead Kennedy's song.<ref name="Progressive"/>

The Dead Kennedys received some controversy in the spring of 1981 over the single "[[Too Drunk to Fuck]]". The song became a hit in Britain, and the [[BBC]] feared that it would manage to be a big enough hit to appear among the top 30 songs on the national charts, requiring a mention on ''[[Top of the Pops]]''. However, the single peaked at number 36 in the charts.<ref>{{cite web | title=Dead Kennedys - Singles | publisher=Officialcharts.com | url=http://www.officialcharts.com/artist/_/dead%20kennedys/ | access-date=September 5, 2014}}</ref>

The EP ''[[In God We Trust, Inc.]]'' contained the song "[[Nazi Punks Fuck Off!]]" as well as "We've Got A Bigger Problem Now", a rewritten version of "California über alles" about [[Ronald Reagan]]. Punk musician and scholar [[Vic Bondi]] considers the latter song to be the song that "defined the lyrical agenda of much of hardcore music, and represented its break with punk".<ref>{{cite book|first=Vic|last=Bondi|authorlink=Vic Bondi|title=Feeding Noise Back Into the System: Hardcore, Hip Hop, and Heavy Metal|publisher=Brandeis University|location=Boston, Massachusetts|date=May 1, 1993|page=5}}</ref> The band's most controversial album, ''[[Frankenchrist]]'', brought with it the song "MTV Get Off the Air," which accused [[MTV]] of promoting poor quality music and sedating the public. The album also contained a controversial poster by Swiss [[surrealism|surrealist]] artist [[H. R. Giger]] entitled ''[[Penis Landscape]]''.

The Dead Kennedys toured widely during their career, starting in the late 1970s. They began playing at San Francisco's Mabuhay Gardens (their home base) and other Bay Area venues, later branching out to shows in southern Californian clubs (most notably the [[Whisky a Go Go]]), but eventually they moved to major clubs across the country, including [[CBGB]] in New York. Later, they played to larger audiences such as at the 1980 Bay Area Music Awards (where they played the notorious "[[Pull My Strings]]" for the only time), and headlined the 1983 Rock Against Reagan festival.<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Spencer|last=Ackerman|url=http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=online&s=ackerman061404|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040628105334/http://www.tnr.com/doc.mhtml?i=online&s=ackerman061404|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 28, 2004|title=Reagan's Punk Rock. Reagan Youth|magazine=[[The New Republic]]|date=June 14, 2004}}</ref>

Biafra has been a prominent figure in the Californian punk scene and was one of the third-generation members of the San Francisco punk community. Many later hardcore bands have cited the Dead Kennedys as a major influence.<ref group="nb">Biafra's spoken word work has been less influential to other artists than his music. However, Biafra's spoken word work is often mentioned by [[Sean Kennedy (author)|Sean Kennedy]] as being a major influence on his work: "Episode 2". ''SKTFMTV''. By Sean Kennedy. Perf. Sean Kennedy, Jello Biafra. [http://sktfmtv.rantmedia.ca/ Rantmedia] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060203233939/http://sktfmtv.rantmedia.ca/ |date=February 3, 2006 }}.</ref> Hardcore punk author [[Steven Blush]] describes Biafra as hardcore's "biggest star" who was a "powerful presence whose political insurgence and rabid fandom made him the father figure of a burgeoning subculture [and an] inspirational force [who] could also be a real prick ... Biafra was a visionary, incendiary [performer]."<ref>{{cite book|first=Steven|last=Blush|title=American Hardcore: A Tribal History|publisher=[[Feral House]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=2001|pages=102–103|isbn=0-922915-71-7}}</ref>

After the Dead Kennedys disbanded, Biafra's new songs were recorded with other bands, and he released only spoken word albums as solo projects. These collaborations had less popularity than Biafra's earlier work. However, his song "That's Progress", originally recorded with [[D.O.A. (band)|D.O.A.]] for the album ''Last Scream of the Missing Neighbors'', received considerable exposure when it appeared on the album ''[[Rock Against Bush, Vol. 1]]''.

In April 1986, police officers raided Biafra's house in response to complaints by the [[Parents Music Resource Center]] (PMRC).<ref>{{cite news|first=Ted|last=Drozdowski|url=http://www.providencephoenix.com/archive/music/97/07/10/JELLO.html|title=Bullshit detector|newspaper=[[The Phoenix (newspaper)|Providence Phoenix]]|date=July 10–17, 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060304152601/http://www.providencephoenix.com/archive/music/97/07/10/JELLO.html |archive-date=March 4, 2006|access-date=January 24, 2006}}</ref> In June 1986, L.A. deputy city attorney Michael Guarino, working under City Attorney [[James Hahn]], brought Biafra to trial in Los Angeles for distributing "harmful material to minors" in the Dead Kennedys album ''[[Frankenchrist]]''.<ref group="nb">Guarino alleged that a family claimed that the poster had harmed their children. This was the first instance of a musician on trial for obscenity. Many sources cite the trial of [[2 Live Crew]] as the first, but that trial was three years after Biafra's.</ref> However, the dispute was about neither the music nor the lyrics from the album, but rather the print of the H. R. Giger poster ''Landscape XX'' (''[[Penis Landscape]]'') included with the album.

Music author [[Reebee Garofalo]] argued that Biafra and Alternative Tentacles may have been targeted because the label was a "small, self-managed and self-supported company that could ill afford a protracted legal battle."<ref>{{cite book|first=Reebee|last=Garofalo|title=Rockin' Out: Popular Music in the USA|publisher=[[Allyn & Bacon]]|location=Boston, Massachusetts|date=1997|pages=433–434|isbn=0-205-13703-2}}</ref> Facing the possible sentence of a year in jail and a $2,000 fine, Biafra, [[Dirk Dirksen]], and Suzanne Stefanac founded the No More Censorship Defense Fund, a benefit featuring several punk rock bands, to help pay for his legal fees, which neither he nor his record label could afford. The jury deadlocked 5 to 7 in favor of acquittal, prompting a mistrial; despite a motion to retry the case, the judge ordered all charges dropped.<ref>{{cite news|title=Deadlock in Biafra Trial Results in Dismissal|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1987-08-28-me-2818-story.html|agency=[[Associated Press]]|newspaper=[[The Los Angeles Times]]|date=August 28, 1997}}</ref> The Dead Kennedys disbanded during the trial, in December 1986, due to the mounting legal costs; in the wake of their disbandment, Biafra made a career of his spoken word performances.

Biafra has a [[cameo role]] in the 1988 film ''[[Tapeheads]]''. He plays an [[FBI]] agent who arrests the two protagonists (played by [[Tim Robbins]] and [[John Cusack]]). While arresting them, his character asks "Remember what we did to Jello Biafra?" lampooning the obscenity prosecution.

In October 1998, three former members of the Dead Kennedys sued Biafra for nonpayment of royalties. The other members of Dead Kennedys alleged that Biafra, in his capacity as the head of [[Alternative Tentacles]] records, discovered an accounting error amounting to some $75,000 in unpaid royalties over almost a decade. Rather than informing his bandmates of this mistake, the suit alleged, Biafra knowingly concealed the information until a [[whistleblower]] employee at the record label notified the band.<ref>''Dead Kennedys v. Biafra'', 46 F.Supp.2d 1028 (1999)</ref>

According to Biafra, the suit resulted from his refusal to allow one of the band's most well-known singles, "[[Holiday in Cambodia]]", to be used in a commercial for [[Levi's]] Dockers; Biafra opposes Levi's because of his belief that they use unfair business practices and [[sweatshop|sweatshop labor]].<ref>{{cite news|first=Kimberly|last=Chun|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2001/05/11/kim.DTL&type=music|title=Everything's Better With Jello|newspaper=[[The San Francisco Chronicle]]|date=May 11, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080417164137/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=%2Fgate%2Farchive%2F2001%2F05%2F11%2Fkim.DTL&type=music |archive-date=April 17, 2008 }}</ref> Biafra maintained that he had never denied them royalties and that he himself had not even received royalties for re-releases of their albums or "posthumous" live albums which had been licensed to other labels by the Decay Music partnership. Decay Music denied this charge and have posted what they say are his cashed royalty checks, written to his legal name of Eric Boucher.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.deadkennedys.com/check.htm |title=Welcome To The Official Website For Dead Kennedys |publisher=Deadkennedys.com |access-date=August 3, 2014 |archive-date=September 23, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923213131/http://www.deadkennedys.com/check.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> Biafra also complained about the songwriting credits in new reissues and archival live albums of songs, alleging that he was the sole composer of songs that were wrongly credited to the entire band.

In May 2000, a jury found Biafra and Alternative Tentacles liable by not promptly informing his former bandmates of the accounting error and instead withholding the information during subsequent discussions and contractual negotiations. Biafra was ordered to pay $200,000, including $20,000 in [[punitive damages]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=17130 |title=Dead Kennedys Plan New Archival Releases Following Judgement Against Former Lead Singer Jello Biafra |website=Mi2N.com |access-date=August 3, 2014 |archive-date=May 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110526185731/http://mi2n.com/press.php3?press_nb=17130 |url-status=dead }}</ref> After an appeal by Biafra's lawyers, in June 2003, the California Court of Appeals unanimously upheld all the conditions of the 2000 verdict against Biafra and Alternative Tentacles.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.phillaw.com/casepdfs/Dead%20Kennedys%20Superior%20Court.pdf |title=Westlaw :''Dead Kennedys vs. Biafra'' |publisher=Phillaw.com |access-date=August 3, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227000532/http://www.phillaw.com/casepdfs/Dead%20Kennedys%20Superior%20Court.pdf |archive-date=February 27, 2012 }}</ref> Furthermore, the plaintiffs were awarded the rights to most of Dead Kennedys recorded works—which accounted for about half the sales for Alternative Tentacles.<ref>[http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/jello-biafra-gets-shot-down-by-dead-kennedys/ JELLO BIAFRA Gets Shot Down By DEAD KENNEDYS] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180202190146/http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/jello-biafra-gets-shot-down-by-dead-kennedys/ |date=February 2, 2018 }} Blabbermouth.com, accessed January 3, 2017</ref> Now in control of the Dead Kennedys name, Biafra's former bandmates went on tour with a new lead vocalist.<ref name=Penalty>{{cite web |url=http://www.punknews.org/article/28168 |title=Jeff Penalty leaves the Dead Kennedys |website=www.punknews.org|date=March 20, 2008 |access-date=July 17, 2011 |archive-date=May 21, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120521100001/http://www.punknews.org/article/28168 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In a May 2025 interview with ''[[Guitar World]]'', [[East Bay Ray]] discussed a potential reunion with Jello Biafra saying that he and [[Klaus Fluoride]] were open to a reunion however it would never happen and that Biafra was to blame. He said that over the years lucrative offers such as one in 2017 from [[Riot Fest]] were proposed to the band but Biafra was against it. “It’s not an issue for me or Klaus. It’s Biafra that turns down any offers for us to do something; we don’t have any problem.” East Bay Ray went on criticize Biafra's post Dead Kennedys career and how Biafra took credit for writing most of the band's songs in which he took exception to Biafra's claims by saying “We actually wrote as a band, where in effect, due to the chemistry between us, it was a case of two and two equaling five. None of us has had a solo career that was bigger than Dead Kennedys, which, to me, shows the power of a bunch of talented people getting together and creating something that was far greater than the sum of its parts. Jello didn’t bring in the songs. I know he’s created the myth that he wrote them all, but the question here is that if he did, why didn’t he ever do anything significant after leaving the band?,” adding, “[[Iggy Pop|Iggy]] left [[the Stooges]] and had a career; ditto [[Lou Reed]] with [[the Velvet Underground]] or [[Morrissey]] with [[the Smiths]]. Where’s Biafra’s solo career with a bunch of great songs? The songs were written in numerous different ways. “Holiday in Cambodia” started as a jam in the rehearsal studio” he said.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dead Kennedys’ East Bay Ray: Jello Biafra Won’t Reunite With Us Despite Lucrative Offers |url=https://consequence.net/2025/05/dead-kennedys-jello-biafra-wont-reunite/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR43ZRsml_c4QMnJl9l_jFfYf8k-pRkAIMWPeRuOQjgnY0iaVCU783wwOHt4cQ_aem_xRDdYh9x3cmG2HR0n-aMvA|website=Consequence | date=May 7, 2025 |access-date=May 8, 2025}}</ref>

Biafra, in a 2012 interview with the ''[[Tampa Bay Times]]'', stated he was not happy with the current direction of his former bandmates, nor did he want to restart the Dead Kennedys for [[nostalgia]] purposes:

<blockquote>"We haven't talk in a dozen years. In their hearts they've become [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] and I just wouldn't do something like that unless we can bring back the real thing. In a way getting me back into the band would be their worst nightmare, like make them rehearse. When people tell me that I owe it to the fans to regurgitate nothing but old music with the people I used to play with, that's totally the opposite of what punk and Dead Kennedys means to me. The true spirit of the whole thing is to keep going, keep moving and make more new stuff. Nobody was more cynical than the original punks about nostalgia and retro because of all the rage on TV and people started to get nostalgic in goofy ass ways for the sixties and they were thinking, ''Yeah, that will never happen to us. That's not what I'm here for, sorry. It's not as if the people who come to the Guantanamo School of Medicine shows wanting nothing but old Dead Kennedys songs don't leave with a smile on their face once they've heard the new songs. It's not like I've forgot how to write this shit."<ref name="TBT">{{cite web |last1=Spears |first1=Steve |title=Jello Biafra talks about Dead Kennedys reunion |url=https://www.tampabay.com/content/jello-biafra-talks-about-dead-kennedys-reunion/2058581/ |website=[[Tampa Bay Times]] |access-date=May 13, 2025 |date=August 24, 2012}}</ref></blockquote>

In the early 1980s, Biafra collaborated with musicians Christian Lunch and [[Adrian Borland]] (of [[The Sound (band)|The Sound]]) and [[Morgan Fisher]] (of [[Mott the Hoople]]) for the [[electropunk]] musical project [[The Witch Trials]], releasing one self-titled EP in its lifetime.

In 1988, Biafra, with [[Al Jourgensen]] and [[Paul Barker]] of the band [[Ministry (band)|Ministry]], and [[Jeff Ward (musician)|Jeff Ward]], formed [[Lard (band)|Lard]]. The band became yet another side project for Ministry, with Biafra providing vocals and lyrics. According to a March 2009 interview with Jourgensen, he and Biafra are working on a new Lard album, which is being recorded in Jourgensen's El Paso studio.<ref>{{cite web

|url = http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Al+Jourgensen%3A+Sex-O+Olympic-O/

|title = Al Jourgensen: Sex-O Olympic-O

|publisher = [[SuicideGirls.com]]

|date = March 12, 2009

|access-date = March 12, 2009

|archive-date = March 16, 2009

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090316193551/http://suicidegirls.com/interviews/Al%2BJourgensen%3A%2BSex-O%2BOlympic-O/

|url-status = live

}}</ref> Jourgensen also claimed in 2021 that Biafra was in the works on a new Lard album. While working on the film ''[[Terminal City Ricochet]]'' in 1989, Biafra did a song for the film's soundtrack with [[D.O.A. (band)|D.O.A.]]. As a result, Biafra worked with D.O.A. on the album ''[[Last Scream of the Missing Neighbors]]''. Biafra also worked with [[Nomeansno]] on the soundtrack, which led to their collaboration on the album ''[[The Sky Is Falling and I Want My Mommy]]'' the following year. Biafra also provided lyrics for the song "Biotech is Godzilla" for Sepultura's 1993 album ''[[Chaos A.D.]]''.

In 1999, Biafra and other members of the [[anti-globalization]] movement protested the [[WTO Ministerial Conference of 1999 protest activity|WTO Meeting of 1999]] in [[Seattle, Washington|Seattle]]. Along with other prominent West Coast musicians, he formed the short-lived band [[No WTO Combo]] to help promote the movement's cause. The band was originally scheduled to play during the protest, but the performance was canceled due to riots. The band performed a short set the following night at the Showbox in downtown Seattle (outside the designated area), along with the hip-hop group [[Michael Franti|Spearhead]]. No WTO Combo later released a CD of recordings from the concert, entitled ''[[Live from the Battle in Seattle]]''.

As of late 2005, Biafra was performing with the band The Melvins under the name "Jello Biafra and the Melvins", though fans sometimes refer to them as "The Jelvins". Together they have released two albums, and worked on material for a third collaborative release, much of which was premiered live at two concerts at the [[Great American Music Hall]] in San Francisco during an event called Biafra Five-O, commemorating Biafra's 50th birthday, the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Dead Kennedys, and the beginning of legalized same-sex marriage in California. Biafra was also working with a band known as [[Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine]], which included Ralph Spight of [[Victims Family]] on guitar and Billy Gould of [[Faith No More]] on bass. This group debuted during Biafra Five-O.{{citation needed|date=September 2016}}

In 2011, Biafra appeared in a singular concert event with an all-star cast of Southern musicians including members from [[Cowboy Mouth]], [[Dash Rip Rock]], Mojo Nixon, and [[Down (band)|Down]] entitled, "Jello Biafra and the New Orleans Raunch & Soul All Stars" who performed an array of classic Soul covers to a packed house at the 12-Bar in New Orleans, Louisiana.<ref>{{cite web

|url = https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFF59BD316B3ED29A

|title = Jello Biafra & the New Orleans Raunch & Soul All Stars

|publisher = WisdomStudios.com

|date = May 12, 2011

|access-date = May 12, 2011

|archive-date = July 7, 2013

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130707200635/http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLFF59BD316B3ED29A

|url-status = live

}}</ref> He would later reunite with many of the same musicians during the Carnival season 2014 to revisit many of these classics in Siberia, New Orleans. A live album from the 2011 performance, ''[[Walk on Jindal's Splinters]]'', and a companion single, ''Fannie May''/''Just a Little Bit'', were released in 2015.

In June 1979, Biafra co-founded the record label Alternative Tentacles, with which the Dead Kennedys released their first single, "California über alles".<ref group="nb">In [http://www.phillaw.com/casepdfs/Dead%20Kennedys%20Superior%20Court.pdf Dead Kennedys v. Jello Biafra] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120227000532/http://www.phillaw.com/casepdfs/Dead%20Kennedys%20Superior%20Court.pdf |date=February 27, 2012 }}, Cal.App.1 Dist.,2003 A094272, the label was legally formalized in 1981 but it existed informally since 1979. Biafra became the sole owner of the label in 1986.</ref> The label was created to allow the band to release albums without having to deal with pressure from [[major label]]s to change their music, although the major labels were not willing to sign the band due to their songs being deemed too controversial.<ref name="Huey">Huey, Steve. "[{{AllMusic|class=artist|id=p3666|pure_url=yes}} Jello Biafra]". ''Allmusic''. Retrieved February 20, 2005.</ref> After dealing with [[Cherry Red Records|Cherry Red]] in the UK and [[IRS Records]] in the US for their first album ''Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables'', the band released all later albums, and later pressings of ''Fresh Fruit'' on Alternative Tentacles. The exception was live albums released after the band's break-up, which the other band members compiled from recordings in the band partnership's vaults without Biafra's input or endorsement.{{Citation needed|date=August 2008}}. Biafra has been the owner of the company since its founding, though he does not receive a salary for his position; Biafra has referred to his position in the company as "absentee thoughtlord".<ref name="Progressive">Vander Molen, Jodi. "[http://www.progressive.org/mag_intvbiafra Jello Biafra Interview] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060625162455/http://progressive.org/mag_intvbiafra/ |date=June 25, 2006 }}". ''The Progressive''. February 2002.</ref>

Biafra is a collector of unusual [[vinyl records]] of all kinds, from 1950s and 1960s ethno-pop recordings by the likes of [[Les Baxter]] and [[Juan García Esquivel|Esquivel]] to vanity pressings that have circulated regionally, to German crooner [[Heino]] (for whom he would later participate in the documentary ''Heino: Made In Germany''); he cites his always growing collection as one of his biggest musical influences. In 1993 he gave an interview to [[RE/Search|RE/Search Publications]] for their second ''Incredibly Strange Music'' book focusing primarily on these records, and later participated in a two-part episode of [[Fuse (TV channel)|Fuse TV]]'s program ''Crate Diggers'' on the same subject.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jeEEwSQZoQ |title=Jello Biafra (Part 1) &#124; Crate Diggers - YouTube |website=[[YouTube]] |date=August 13, 2014 |access-date=February 18, 2017 |archive-date=February 19, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170219165229/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jeEEwSQZoQ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu2_SJcbWNE |title=Jello Biafra (Part 2) &#124; Crate Diggers &#124; Fuse - YouTube |website=[[YouTube]] |date=August 13, 2014 |access-date=February 18, 2017 |archive-date=September 25, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200925084920/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu2_SJcbWNE |url-status=live }}</ref> His interest in such recordings, often categorized as [[outsider music]], led to his discovery of the prolific (and schizophrenic) singer/songwriter/artist [[Wesley Willis]], whom he signed to Alternative Tentacles in 1994, preceding Willis' major label deal with [[American Recordings (US)|American Recordings]]. His collection grew so large that on October 1, 2005, Biafra donated a portion of his collection to an annual yard sale co-promoted by Alternative Tentacles and held at their warehouse in [[Emeryville, California]].<ref name="yardsale">{{cite web |url=http://www.alternativetentacles.com/news.php?page=3&news_section=MAIN&window_size=15&sd=E206Wu3H9XDt8-nfY3f |title=News |publisher=Alternative Tentacles |access-date=August 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312061547/http://www.alternativetentacles.com/news.php?news_section=main&page=3&sd=e206wu3h9xdt8-nfy3f&window_size=15 |archive-date=March 12, 2016 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Biafra became a spoken word artist in January 1986 with a performance at [[University of California, Los Angeles]]. In his performance, he combined humor with his political beliefs, much in the same way that he did with the lyrics to his songs. Despite his continued spoken word performances, he did not begin recording spoken word albums until after the disbanding of the Dead Kennedys.

Biafra then decided to travel to Israel and the [[Palestinian Occupied Territories]], at his own expense, and talk with Israeli and Palestinian activists as well as with fans disappointed at his cancellation. In the article stating his conclusions he wrote:

"I will not perform in Israel unless it is a pro-human rights, anti-occupation event, that does not violate the spirit of the boycott. Each musician, artist, etc. must decide this for themselves. I am staying away for now, but am also really creeped out by the attitudes of some of the hardliners and hope someday to find a way to contribute something positive here. I will not march or sign on with anyone who runs around calling people Zionazis and is more interested in making threats than making friends."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.alternativetentacles.com/page.php?page=jello_israel |title=Jello Biafra – Thoughts on Visit to Israel |publisher=Alternative Tentacles |date=May 15, 2011 |access-date=August 3, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141022155149/http://www.alternativetentacles.com/page.php?page=jello_israel |archive-date=October 22, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Biafra married Theresa Soder, a.k.a. Ninotchka, lead singer of San Francisco-area punk band the Situations, on October 31, 1981.<ref group="nb">Soder can be heard singing background vocals on "Forest Fire" and "Winnebago Warrior" from the Dead Kennedys' album ''[[Plastic Surgery Disasters]]'', and playing synthesizer on "Drug Me" from the Dead Kennedys' ''Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables''.</ref> The wedding was conducted by [[Flipper (band)|Flipper]] vocalist/bassist Bruce Loose, who became a [[Universal Life Church]] minister specifically to conduct the ceremony, which took place in a graveyard.<ref name="biafra_marriage">''New Musical Express'' press clipping reproduced in ''Dead Kennedys: An Unauthorized Biography'', Last Gasp, 1983.</ref><!--This reference done from memory, would someone be able to double-check?--> The wedding reception, which members of Flipper, [[Black Flag (band)|Black Flag]], and [[D.O.A. (band)|D.O.A.]] attended, was held at director Joe Rees' [[Target Video]] studios.<ref>{{cite book|first=Henry|last= Rollins|authorlink=Henry Rollins|title=[[Get in the Van|Get In The Van: On The Road With Black Flag]]|publisher=[[2.13.61|2.13.61 Publications]]|location=Los Angeles, California|date=1994|page=24|isbn=978-1-880985-24-3}}</ref> The marriage ended in divorce.<ref>RJ Smith, “Punk Rock on Trial,” [[Spin (magazine)|Spin]], February 2000</ref>

Biafra identifies as [[agnostic]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.podcastone.com/episode/Jello-Biafra | title=PodcastOne: Jello Biafra }}</ref> He has a [[Jewish]] great-grandparent, but was unaware of this until he was in his mid-40s. Due to his secular upbringing and lack of knowledge of his distant Jewish ancestry until adulthood, he does not consider himself Jewish.<ref>{{cite web |title=What Does Jewish Rock Look Like? |work=Savage Minds |url=https://savageminds.org/2006/04/28/what-does-jewish-rock-look-like/ |access-date=April 30, 2018 |archive-date=April 30, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180430181857/https://savageminds.org/2006/04/28/what-does-jewish-rock-look-like/ |url-status=dead }} April 28, 2006 – "He's Jewish." She was surprised to hear that The Tongued One was Jewish. Pressing my case, I continued: "Of course, most of your major rock stars are . ... (as later Jewish punks like Mick Jones, Jello Biafra, Joey Ramone, the Circle Jerks—all Jewish—and the Dictators—also all Jewish—would do).</ref><ref>Oy Oy Oy Gevalt! Jews and Punk: Jews and Punk

| 1995

| rowspan="2" | Jello Biafra with [[The Melvins]]