The Story Remains The Same
Are you believing the morning papers? War is coming back in style! There's generals here, advisors there, and Russians nibbling everywhere, the chessboard's filling up with red, we make more profits when we blow off their heads! Economy is looking bad let's start another war! When ya get drafted! Fan the fires of racist hatred we want total war! When ya get drafted! Drooling fingers panic buttons, playing with missiles like they're toys, there's easy money, easy jobs especially when you build the bombs that blow big cities off the map just guess who profits when we build 'em back up! (Biafra When ya get Drafted)
This lyric from the Dead Kennedys song "When ya get Drafted" is an example of what this groundbreaking punk band stands for politically. The band's aggressive music and powerful lyrics shows them to be more than "The Foul Mouthed Yobs," punk rockers used to be described as (Miller 330).
Gunboat Smith (LOC)
Smith Street, Warwick - no's 55 to 61 Smith Street
Rutherford Smith and Romeo Peters"When ya get Drafted" is merely one example of the political messages that fill not only their music, but every aspect of their public persona. Dead Kennedys are the most significant politically charged punk rock band due to the bands use of sarcasm and cynicism, their employment of shock as a method of persuasion, and lead singer Jello Biafra's politically active career.
Dead Kennedys effectively use humor and cynicism as a method of persuasion in their music. They mock and laugh at those in power in order to appeal to their predominantly youth audiences. It has been proven that "Ironic wisecracks will enhance persuasion by serving as a distraction from counterarguments" (Lyttle). In the case of politics, this effect is extremely important because a "distraction from counterarguments" is essential (Lyttle). For example, the song "Kill the Poor" employs humor...