Jello’s brand of protest
Ex-Dead Kennedy blasts
U.S. involvement in gulf
“If you can’t annoy somebody,
there’s little point in writing.”
- Kingsley Amis
Dam it all anyway! Jello Biafra
puts out an anti-war record and
they Finish the war (or stop firing
the guns, anyhow).
What if they gave a war and
finished it before anyone could
protest?
A guy (whoops, a person) just
doesn’t have a chance to do any
good protesting lately—all the big
events are either too far away or
are over before one has the chance
to get angry.
Then again, there is a host of
general social yuckiness in which
we wallow every day that calls for
constant vigilance and redress,
offering endless opportunities for
I comment and criticism.
Since the breakup of the Dead
Kennedys, former lead singer Jello
Biafra has released a number of
“spoken word” albums that com
bine his warped humor with vi
cious satiric wit.
He also has been involved in
several musical collaborations and
a film project and has become a
media figure since the obscene
“obscenity” trial concerning the
Dead Kenncdys’ Frankcnchrist
release and its poster insert by Omni
favorite H.R. Gigcr.
The question of protest was
nearly and neatly made moot con
cerning the recent war in the gulf,
yet that has not dulled Jello’s rage.
With the release of a single called
“Die For Oil, Sucker,” Jello has
made it OK to protest again. George
Bush may have gotten over the
“Vietnam Syndrome,” but Jello has
not heard the news.
With a rhythmic, rhymy cadence,
Jello unleashes his fury in two se
lections taken from one of his
j numerous live readings.
Available on vinyl and cassette,
the title reading is a vituperative
j blast against the gulf war that pres
ents Jello at his most brash, fram
ing the question: “Which would
you rather sacrifice? Your hot car
or your life? Die for oil, sucker.”
On the flip side is “Pledge of
Allegiance,” which ties together
the fiag-buming controversy with
the non-issue from the last election
regarding the recitation of the pledge
in the classroom.
Here is Jello at his finest, railing
against “psychopathic Pentagon
gangsters,” referring to the Ameri
can public as “sedated tabloid ro
bots” and asking, “Bum, baby, bum:
If the communist countries can do
it, why can’t we?”
Toward the end of the selection,
Jello docs offer a few positive al
ternatives for avoiding war, but the
overall tone is one of angry criti
cism.
Jello does get out of hand with
album review
the rhetoric here and there and
provides a feast for conspiracy
theorists, but the listener can surely
allow for some “protestic license”
in the midst of current global events.
Along with the words of this
single comes a trademark Alterna
tive Tentacles poster full of Win
ston Smith-style clip art gathered
into a collage of readings and graphic
visual images.
For another side of Jcllo, one
might sample some of his recent
musical collaborations, such as the
“Last Scream of the Missing Neigh
bors” LP on which Jello sings with
longtime labelmates DOA.
Once Canada’s premier thrash
band, DOA has slowed down quite
a bit over the years and gotten
“powerful” like so many other aging
punk bands.
With “LastNcighbors,’’though, .
DOA is re-energized, pouring out
solid blasts with titles like “Wish I
was in El Salvador,” “Attack of the
Peacekeepers” and the side-long
“Full Metal Jackoff.”
Then Jello joins DOA lora lack
luster cover of “We Gotta Get Out
of This Place,” a move m irrored on
last year’s DOA album, “Murder.”
With a move to Rcstlcss/Enigma
Records and a dreadful cover of
“Midnight Special,” DOA fell back
into the gloppy grown-up punk
groove, far from the days of the
belting-out thrashers who used to
visit Omaha’s Howard Street Tav
ern.
For “Murder,” DOA resurrected
some of the old members like Dave
Gregg, but the group needs to dive
all the way back into its past, when
people could slam to every song.
Back to Jello — those in Lin
coln interested in hearing him in
person will get an opportunity on
April 18 when he speaks in the
Nebraska Union.
"Gel off your butt before your
bull's blown off."
-Jello Biafra
Bryan Peterson is a senior Kngiish,
philosophy and psychology major and a
Daily Nebraskan arts and entertainment
reporter and columnist.
Laquan
Continued from Page 9
begins with embarrassing recordings
of various important politicians say
ing “1 cannot recall” in the Iran-Con
tra hearings. The lyrics go on to at
tack the Keating Five, the national
debt and U.S. involvement in Pan
ama. Lyrics include ‘‘1990 and still
flying Jim Crow/Using Willy Horton
to frighten whiles on election night/
A thousand points of light, right?”
The last song on the album is
“Puddin’ Pie”, a six- minute vulgar
track designed to provoke censors
and shock the hearer into paying at
tention to the last line, “Whenever
you go for puddin’ pie, I suggest you
use your prophylactics.”
Rounding out the record are tracks
“Tear Your Soul Out,” “Let the Vibes
Flow,” “Witness the Drift,” and
“Lyrical Theory.”
Laquan notes inspirations ranging
from the Bible, the Koran and the
Torah to the Black Panthers, Mal
colm X and Dostoyevsky.
Those who don’t mind hearing
ethical platitudes and political com
mentary in rap will probably enjoy
the good danceable beat contained on
“Notes of a Native Son.”
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Courtesy of Citadel Press
Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert in “It Happened One Night."
Capra movie a success
Gable rewarded in film
In 1934, Clark Gable pulled a bit
of a no-no and asked MGM big
man, Louis B. Mayer, for a raise.
Gable’s successes found him as the
leading man in Hollywood’s star
system of the 1930s. Gable argued
that since he was making money for
the studio he deserved a larger cut.
Mayer was outraged with
Gable’s request and packed him off
to Columbia studios for loan out.
Mayer forced him to star in a do
nothing little picture called “It
Happened One Night,” a film
directed and co-scripted by the then
litlie-known Frank Capra.
“It Happened One Night” was
chosen by Mayer because the film
was slotted to be a silly picture with
little hope of any success at the box
office.
“So quietly did the picture open,
it failed to merit the usual second
week holdover at Radio City Music
Hall — a black mark against future
business,” said director Frank Capra
in his autobiography, “The Name
Above the Title.” “Then it hap
pened, all over the country — not in
one night, within a month. People
found a film longer than usual and,
surprise, funnier, much funnier than
the usual.” At this point, Columbia
was a “Poverty Row” studio, with
little claim to fame. The one asset it
had was a young Frank Capra. Co
lumbia couldn’t interest any star in
the script by Capra and Robert Riskin.
Myma Loy, Constance Bennett,
Margaret Sullavan, Miriam Hopkins
and Robert Montgomery all turned
down roles in the film.
With a grumbling Gable in their
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pocket as a reluctant leading man.
Capra and Riskin lured Claudette
Colbert from her four-week
vacation from Paramount, promis
ing her double her Paramount salary
and that the picture would be
finished within a month.
The pairing worked like magic.
The quick palter of lines betweer
Gable and Colbert in “It Happened
One Night” is every bit as quick
and electric as pairings of Powell
and Loy and Tracy and Hepburn.
Colbert’s role, as the runaway
spoiled heiress desiring to wed
against the wishes of her father
(Walter Connolly), is a role of
uppity perfection. Gable’s cute,
condescending banter is beyond
reproach, highlighting his role as
the somewhat sexist, always
endearing reporter with an altitude,
j “Your ego is absolutely colos
sal!” Colbert quips.
“Yep. Yep. Not bad ... How’s
yours?” Gable retorts.
Capra’s script effectively utilizes
the on-screcn electricity between
Gable and Colbert, particularly in
the rib-tickling scene of the two
crossing a river. Gable throws
Colbert over his shoulder and wades
across the river. Colbert squeals one
of her patented screwball squeals of
delight that she became so famous
for in the ’30s.
3 Bicycles For Sale
1968 Univega sport 12-speed Like new $150. Call 435
0011.
1990 Trek 1200,4 month old racing bike $426 obo.477
7854. leave message.
56cm Bianchi Brava, black racing bicycle with Shimano
105 components Asking $450 Call 466-9296 evenings.
59 cm Tornado. Campy. Columbus. 435-2322. ask lor
Bob Or 423-9441. Paul.
64 Bianchi San Berne, good shape. 18 spd . $300 obo
Cal' Dave at 436- 7741.
American Arrow 10 speed Excellent condition, Euro
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You know this is tne tirst ume
in years I’ve ridden piggy-back!”
Colbert squeaks.
“This isn’t piggy-back,” Gable
snaps.
“Of course it is ... I remember
distinctly my father taking me for a
piggy-back ride.”
“And he carried you like this, I
suppose? Your father didn’t know
beans about piggy-back riding.”
“My uncle’s mother’s brother
has four children and I’ve seen
them ride piggy-back,” Colbert
responds defensively.
“I bet there isn’t a good piggy
back rider in your whole family.
I’ve never known a rich man yet
who could piggy-back ride!” Gable
snaps.
“You’re prejudiced.”
“You show me-a good piggy
backer and I’ll show you a real
human. Now you take Abraham
Lincoln for instance — a natural
bom piggy-backer. Where do you
get off with that stuffed-shirt family
of yours?” Gable snaps again.
“It Happened One Night” ran off
with the top five Academy Awards
for 1934, including Best Picture,
Best Director and Best Screenplay
for Capra, Best Actor for Gable and
Best Actress for Colbert. The film’s
success also garnered important
gains for both Capra and Columbia
— turning Capra into a vital asset,
and Columbia into a major film
studio.
And Gable got his raise, too.
Stock is a Junior Knglish major and a
Daily Nebraskan arts and entertain
ment reporter and columnist.
5 Clothing For Sale
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1617 So. 17th.
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MACINTOSH PLUS COMPUTER 20 Meg Hard Drive
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7 Jewelry
Men'* 14 caral gold ring. Size 0 3.4. Appraised at S250,
taking bast offer. 436-8181.