Jello Biafra
1 catalogued object connected to Jello Biafra.
Biography
Person.
Jello Biafra is an American musician, spoken-word performer and independent-label operator whose work with Dead Kennedys made political satire central to the sound and identity of late-1970s and 1980s American punk. As the band’s lead singer and principal lyricist, Biafra combined surf-punk speed, theatrical vocals and confrontational humour with songs about policing, consumer culture, authoritarianism and American political life.
He also co-founded Alternative Tentacles in 1979, a label that became an important infrastructure for punk, hardcore, experimental music and spoken word long after the original Dead Kennedys period ended. Biafra’s later career has included collaborations, solo spoken-word releases and Jello Biafra and the Guantanamo School of Medicine, maintaining the connection between music and political commentary that defined his earliest work.
Reviewed 2026-08-19Selected sources
- Alternative Tentacles — Jello BiafraBiafra’s role as Dead Kennedys singer and songwriter, co-founding of Alternative Tentacles in 1979, spoken-word work and later musical collaborations.
- Alternative Tentacles — AboutAlternative Tentacles’ 1979 foundation by Biafra and its long-running role in punk, hardcore, experimental music and spoken word.