[.ca] No More Cocoons

From Amazon.com:
The similarities between former Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra and 1950s "sick" comic Lenny Bruce get pretty weird here. Both were bad boys stung by the authorities for taking their satire too far (Bruce for his shooting off his dirty mouth and Biafra for distributing dirty pictures with DK albums). Both also then turned their careers into an increasingly bitter public airing of their own legal hassles and censorship woes. Biafra covers that ground on Cocoons and aims for his favorite target, Tipper Gore's dreaded Parents Music Resource Center. What keeps it entertaining--besides the sheer punk-rock nyah-nyah quality of Biafra's voice--is Biafra's own "sick" humor and his burning intelligence. A little dated, but forever defiant. --Michael Ruby

typically pungent Biafra:
Kind of like a sarcastic Noam Chomsky, Jello Biafra continues his crusade against censorship, corrupt politicians, and nearly everything else that's rotten about America. Like his other spoken-word albums, this one's well-rounded, but tracks like 'Mild Kingdom' and 'Stars and Stripes of Corruption' seem a bit...well...weak. After all, they're both (nearly) verbatim speeches lifted from ol' Dead Kennedys lyrics.

buy it:
very good. expand your knowledge with this set

The First and the Standard:
Biafra's first album prepared his followers for something they weren't used to listening to...Speeches. However, Biafra changed the common American punk rockin' fun lovin' kids' ideas about what life is really all about. Another thing Biafra taught us is simple: Speeches can be fun. Take "Message From Our Sponsor" for a very prominent example. Jello speaks of a future world that's not too far off from our own at this point. Notice that a lot of Jello's SW pieces turn into songs. "Mild Kingdom" sure sounds like a certain DK song that I can't remember the name of right now. "Stars and Stripes of Corruption" is obviously the inspiration for the song version that goes by the same title. Life to Jello is not about fist fighting like so many punk rockers out there. It's about freedom fighting. Jello, over all of his albums, has taught us one thing: we have to fight this. Corporations, republicrats, nuclear warheads, censorship, and racism IS out there. This is what I like to think is Jello's most "fun" album. So many conspiracy theories and jokes packed in, you'll forget you're not watching TV! Is that a good thing?

Jello gets up in your face:
Jello Biafra, the original politically-incorrect bad boy, splashes into spoken word with No More Cocoons. One of the most arresting albums I've ever listened to, NMC contains lots of material that, while dated, still relates to our lives today. Ronald Reagan may no longer be president, but with Jesse the Governor Ventura considering the office, it's healthy to think that "What Reagan Didn't Know" is probably a tenth of what Ventura doesn't know. Other excellent pieces on this album are "Names for Bands", "Letter to Tipper Gore", "Urinalysis is Freedom" and "Why I'm Glad the Space Shuttle Blew Up". We may not hear about it anymore, but Gore once was a fierce advocate for censoring music in this country. We don't think to ask if they're still sending plutonium up in space shuttle flights, but would they really tell us anyway? We take our freedom for granted... Jello helps to remind us (again and again) that nothing in this world should be taken for granted. Especially our freedom.

Excellent exposure of the PMRC and what they stand for!:
I have listented to this and The High Priest of Harmful Matter and they are both excellent depictions of the PMRC and the idiocy of our government. I disagree with his overall political ideologies but I agree that something must be done about the status quo. END

• Message From Our Sponsor \oLive\c
• Soundbite -- Jaw One/The Prosecutor Speaks \oLive\c
• Mild Kingdom \oLive\c
• Soundbite -- Jaw Two \oLive\c
• Vietnam Never Happened \oLive\c
• What Reagan Didn't Know \oLive\c
• May All Your Dreams Be Wonderful \oLive\c
• Soundbite -- Jaw Three \oLive\c
• Urinalysis Is Freedom \oLive\c
• Names for Bands (New Improved Version) \oLive\c
• Talk on Censorship/Letter to Tipper Gore \oLive\c
• Why I'm Glad the Space Shuttle Blew Up \oLive\c
• Fuck Facts! \oLive\c
• Stars & Stripes of Corruption \oLive\c