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Dead Kennedys frontman blasts former bandmates
Ex-Dead Kennedys frontman Jello Biafra blasted his former bandmates this
week, saying he was "totally embarrassed" by their plans to release early
recordings and other rarities without his permission and says he'll fight
$200,000 judgment against him.
In a statement issued through his label, Alternative Tentacles, Biafra said
he has filed a motion for a new trial and will appeal a San Francisco
Superior Court decision awarding the other Dead Kennedys $200,000. Last
year, a jury decided Biafra failed to pay back royalties to the three other
members.
In the statement, Biafra acknowledged an "accounting mistake," and said he
has already paid East Bay Ray, D.H. Peligro and Klaus Flouride back
royalties. Biafra also said he offered them future payment, an offer they
declined.
Legal action began after Biafra opposed allowing Levi's to use the Dead
Kennedys' 'Holiday in Cambodia' for a television commercial.
"I could think of no worse way to stab Dead Kennedys fans in the back than
to turn around and trash everything we ever stood for and allow one of our
best (and my favorite) songs to be used to sell products by a global
corporation with controversial labor practices," said Biafra in the
statement.
