• AOL
  • MAIL
    • You might also like: 
    • Music | 
    • Movies | 
    • TV | 
    • Celebrity News
    •  and More
    Sign In / Register
Spinner
  • Main
  • Spinner RPM
  • Features
    • The Hit List
    • Spinner Interview
    • Tributes & Essays
    • Music Appreciation
  • Songs
    • Free MP3 of the Day
    • Play Full Albums Free
  • Videos
    • The Interface
    • Sessions
    • Video of the Day
    • All Videos
  • Radio
    • AOL Radio
    • AOL Radio Toolbar
    • Shoutcast
  • AOL Music Sites
    • The Boot
    • The BoomBox
    • Noisecreep
    • AOL Music Blog
  • SXSW
  • Send Feedback
  • Katherine McPhee

    Watch Katharine McPhee Sessions
  • Sugarland

    Watch Sugarland's Sexy Duet With Matt Nathanson
  • Beyonce

    Get Beyonce News
  • Katy Perry

    Read Latest on Katy Perry
  • Ringo Starr

    Read Ringo Starr Interview
  • Jill Janus of Huntress

    Huntress Reveal Debut Album Art
  • Kellie Pickler

    Read Kellie Pickler Interview
  • Chris Brown

    Chris Brown 'Wins' Unwelcome Award

Spinner Exclusives

  • The Interface - Live Performances
  • Listening Parties - New CDS for Free
  • Spinner Radio
  • Listening Parties - New CDS for Free

Features

  • Best Songs 2011
  • Top Albums of 2011
  • Sad Songs
  • Music Geeks in Film
  • Best Opening Lyrics

All Categories

  • Monthly Mixtape(1)
  • A Day in the Life(5)
  • All About Jazz(96)
  • Awards(233)
  • Free MP3 Download of the Day(1675)
  • Around the World(205)
  • Between the Notes(36)
  • Book Club(94)
  • Celebrity Doppelganger(18)
  • Clash of the Cover Songs(49)
  • Coming Out Stories(23)
  • Concerts and Tours(6848)
  • Count Five(83)
  • Exclusive(5982)
  • Guest Blogger(133)
  • Holy Hell(1016)
  • I Fought the Law(111)
  • I Freakin' Love This Song(252)
  • In House(12)
  • Listen Up!(18)
  • Movies(424)
  • Music Appreciation(123)
  • New Music(862)
  • New Releases(615)
  • News(12281)
  • PhotoSynthesis(88)
  • Picture Book(31)
  • Politics as Usual(61)
  • Pop Culture(93)
  • Potent Quotables(776)
  • Q + A(494)
  • Quizzes & Trivia(6)
  • R.I.P.(454)
  • Road Report(61)
  • Rock Almanac(366)
  • Rock Hall(44)
  • RPM(263)
  • Spinner Says(16)
  • Spinner Interview(212)
  • Television(245)
  • The Chum Bucket(777)
  • The Hit List(1389)
  • Twisted Tales(194)
  • Video(1786)
  • Video of the Day(1226)
  • What's That Song?(134)

No Singer? No Problem! Dead Kennedys

  • Posted   by Spinner Staff
  • Comments
Email This

Dead Kennedys

Old Singer: Jello Biafra
New Singer: Brandon Cruz

After years of intra-band legal battles, Biafra's estranged bandmates hired an actor – a sitcom-bred '60s child star at that – to pantomime the fury of one of hardcore's great communicators. Most serious fans were outraged. Not quite as bad as a Kristi Yamaguch-led Bad Brains on Ice, this hollow experiment proves that the revolution truly will not be televised.

Previous Next
  • Filed under: The Hit List
  • Email This

All the AOL Music info you want to know

Carolina Rebellion 2012: Shinedown,…

Noisecreep

Getty Images The Carolina Rebellion festival is set to return on Saturday,…

M.I.A. Middle Finger: Madonna Says Act…

The Boombox

Christopher Polk, Getty Images It's been almost a week since Madonna's…

Graffiti6: 'Free' Band Talks American…

AOL Music Blog

Damon Dahlen, AOL Our latest In House guest, Graffiti6, comes all the way…

See all AOL Music »

Add a Comment

Sign in »
*0 / 3000 Character Maximum
5

5 Comments

Filter by:
Gen

I hate the Dead Kennedys. Always have. I love most punk but for some reason, I never liked them. I know, I know. Whatever. I just could never get behind their shit.

August 13 2008 at 10:24 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Kyle

Brandon Cruz was also in the punk band Dr. Know in the eighties. He was a child star sure, but he has more punk points than you. The Dead Kennedys no longer exist even with Brandon cruz, they are known as the DK Kennedys. EnjOi!

April 25 2008 at 2:22 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
brandon cruz

you are way behind on this story, and you have it all wrong. i sang for the band from 2001 to 2003. i quit in april 2003. the rest of the band, well, ray anyways, didn't want to tour, write new songs, or change the set list. i was replaced by jeff penalty, who was with them until last month. now they have another singer, the guy from the winona riders. they have also kicked DH Peligro out of the band. now it's just ray and klaus. did you research this article? do you know anything else about the band or about me? it is obvious that you didn't. i was not hired to pantomime jello. i could never sound like him, nor would i want to. i was a child actor. so what? is everyone accountable and damned for what they did when they were six years old? i have been in punk bands since 1979. my band opened for dead kennedys twice in 1981. i have known all of the band members since then. you have no clue as to what happened between jello and ray, klaus, and dh. i had nothing to do with the lawsuit, but in the end, biafra was found liable. i know realize that all of them were wrong, messed up, and should have done things differently. biafra is my friend now. i go see him speak. he comes to see dr. know play. we talk. i am not in dead kennedys anymore, i haven't been for 5 years, and i do not support what they are doing. i did for a little while, but when i realized what manipulations were going on, i quit.
next time, do your homework.
brandon cruz

April 03 2008 at 10:59 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
ChuckieDoll

That's the way it is with entertainment industry socialists, Joe. They want to re-distribute everyone elses wealth. Not their own.

April 03 2008 at 12:31 AM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply
Joe

Jello Biafra is a poser ... he owes the rest of the band royalties. He became "the man" after years of screaming against the man. East Bay Ray IS the Dead Kennedys!

April 02 2008 at 9:58 PM Report abuse Permalink rate up rate down Reply

Follow Us

  • Newsletter
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • RSS

Sign Up for Spinner's Newsletter! Get free MP3s, play a selection of each week's new albums free, read features, win sweet music swag and more!




  • Contact Us
  • Send News Tips
  • Advertise with Us

SIGN UP FOR SPINNER'S NEWSLETTER

  • Get free MP3s, play a selection of each week's new albums free, read features, win sweet music swag and more!

  • Sign Up!

AOL Radio

Listen to Slacker AOL Radio Now
play arrow
Top Indie - Today's best indie rock and pop
play arrow
Indie Rock Mix - A mix of new and old indie rock
play arrow
New Indie First - The latest in indie music
Online Radio Guide

Listen to Full CDs

  • Paul McCartney, 'Kisses on the Bottom'
  • Sharon Van Etten, 'Tramp'
  • AIR, 'Le Voyage Dans La Lune'
  • Bahamas, 'Barchords'
  • Band of Skulls, 'Sweet Sour'
  • Play More Albums Free

Most Popular

  • Can You Guess This Famous Face?
    Like

    22

  • Katy Perry Divorce: With No Prenup How Much Will Russell Walk Away With?
    Like

    17

  • It's Pink!
    Like

    14

  • M.I.A., Fiance Benjamin Bronfman Split, Singer Rarely Sees Son -- Report
    Like

    55

  • Alori Joh Dead: Singer and Kendrick Lamar Affiliate Dies at 25
    Like

    107

  • PHOTO: Miley Cyrus Wears Racy Garter Tights
    Like

    94

  • Can You Guess This Famous Face?
    Like

    8

  • PHOTOS: Anti-Gay Protesters Getting Pwned
    Like

    2K

  • It's Madonna!
    Like

    2

  • The Best And Worst Burgers
    Like

    212

  • Suge Knight Arrested on Marijuana Charge and Traffic Warrant
    Like

    30

  • Powell 911 Call Released: Cops Declare Investigation Of Missing Mom A Murder Case
    Like

    324

  • Thudda Boy Dead: Rapper Brondon McDaniel Dies From Gunshot Wound
    Like

    40

  • Woolly Mammoth Allegedly Caught On Video In Siberia
    Like

    864

  • Chi Cheng Improving: Deftones Bassist Raises Leg After Three Years in Coma
    Like

    219

  • PHOTOS: Massive Whale Shark Reeled Into Harbor
    Like

    2K

  • WATCH: This Is Your Body On Ramen
    Like

    18K

  • WATCH: Rose McGowan, Christie Brinkley & Minka Kelly Stumble On Runway
    Like

    17

  • Steve Jobs FBI File Reveals Bomb Threat, 'Tendency To Distort Reality' And More
    Like

    1K

  • WATCH: JFK Intern Discusses Sordid Details Of Affair
    Like

    814

  • 10 States Receive Waivers From No Child Left Behind Law
    Like

    4K

  • Third Photo Rejected By Yearbook, Editors Choose For Her
    Like

    91

  • WATCH: 7-Year-Old Girl Kicks And Screams Out Kidnapping At Walmart
    Like

    4K

  • U.S. Marines Posing With Symbol Resembling Nazi Logo 'Not Acceptable'
    Like

    2K

  • Valentine's Day: Celebs Show Us How To Wear Lingerie (PHOTOS)
    Like

    12

  • Women Of A Certain Age With Hair Of A Certain Length
    Like

    66

  • Santorum Sweeps Colorado, Missouri, Minnesota, Embarrassing Romney
    Like

    998

  • The Oldest Found Work Of Art Ever!
    Like

    1K

  • Which Colleges Have The Best Quality Of Life?
    Like

    754

  • THE HUNGER BLOGS: A Secret World of Teenage 'Thinspiration'
    Like

    1K

  • Post 50 Celebrity Dream Homes on the Market (PHOTOS)
    Like

    21

  • PHOTOS: I Was Made Over By Olympic Gymnast Alicia Sacramone
    Like

    14

  • Is This The Legendary Worm Monster Of Iceland?
    Like

    698

Also on AOL

Quick Links

  • Slipknot Masks
  • Saddest Songs
  • Funny Music Videos
  • SXSW 2011

Also on AOL Music

  • Concert Tickets
  • Grammys 2012
  • Music Videos
  • New Music Releases

Blogs on AOL

  • Country Music
  • Hip Hop Music
  • Metal Music
  • Pop Music News

More on AOL

  • Best Lyrics
  • Best Metal Songs
  • Break Up Songs
  • Online Radio

More on AOL

  • Christmas Music
  • Classic Rock Songs
  • Best Songs of 2010
  • SHOUTcast

Help Links

  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
  • Trademarks
  • About Our Ads
  • Follow Spinner on Twitter
  • The Interface
  • Free MP3
  • Full CDs
  • RSS

Spinner.com © 2011 AOL Inc. All Rights Reserved.