Machine Gun in Clown's Hand

Jello Biafra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 19, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 3
• Label: Alternative Tentacles
• ASIN: B00006JID2
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #82,951 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Full Title - Machine Gun In The Clown's Hand - Spoken Word Album #7. Art work concept by Jello Biafra, executed by John Yates, with lots of trademark, splatter-graphic collage art guaranteed to blow your mind and raise an eyebrow or two. 22 rants includin --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious..Informative...You're Stupid If You Don't Buy It!, November 20, 2002

By 

William Sassenberger (Tucson, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Machine Gun in Clown's Hand (Audio CD)

This 3 CD set has a lot in common with the new David Cross CD on Subpop-both are politically incorrect, both are hilarious and both touch upon what's excruciatingly important today if you have a brain: Get this CD! I'm not going to spoil it for you and tell you all the punchlines. Whatever your political leanings, you need this CD.
The only caveat I have is that Jello needs to tone down his mimicry voices-they can be a little annoying, but on the other hand, Jello's voice (and lyrics) are what made the Dead Kennedys so great in the first place. If you liked the Dead Kennedys, or even thought they were vaguely interesting in a fringe sort of way, you will love this, especially in the age of King George II, and I mean LOVE this-it will change your life...PASS IT ON!

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Muckracker and Raconteur., May 10, 2004

By 

John J. Baker (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Machine Gun in Clown's Hand (Audio CD)

Apart from the dire warnings of the ol' Reagan/Bush I gang reclaiming the White House under Dubya's banner and the exploitation of the 9/11 casualties, Biafra can temper the listening experience with a few tales from his wacky youth.

For instance, he sidetracks from taking swipes at the Dubya pinata to recall his high school days: He had a geometry teacher whose language, like Dubya's, grew more and more garbled the more he tried to explain "angles C, A and 'Bwee!'" to his bemused class. His lectures devolved into such jibbering nonsense as: "Oober de Ahmpus Blabby Dwerp?" and "Lassie, Bottomless Negroes!" I heard this anecdote live and on CD and it is a constant source of amusement for me, my wife and my friends.

THIS is the essence of keeping a humorous spirit in times like these. Contrast this with Dubya's terminally clueless stabs at humor: The engagment where he showed a still of himself peeking under his desk and quipping, "Those WMD's have to be somewhere!" Our Prez doesn't seem to realize that self-deprecating humor doesn't work when the subject in question is GENUINELY incompetent and UNREPENANTLY rash.

Enough of him, though. Jello's "whistle-stop" speeches are informative, but have the festive atmosphere of late-night stand-up comedy. I was never attracted to the Dead Kennedys, but I'm glad that band introduced the country to this irreverent talent. His ex-bandmates should feel fortunate to have known such a venerable kidder: I heard about what you naughty little boys are doing to Biafra in the courtroom! Shame on you three! Straps to the bootie all around!

Though I am registered Democrat, I too am saddened by "my" party's weakness and the Republican's blind loyalty to the pampered child in the White House. I sympathize with the Green Party and I do NOT think they were the "spoilers" at the 2000 election. This country desperately needs a third party to challenge the Donkey party's complacency and the Elephant party's belligerence.

Finally, kudos to Biafra for acknowledging himself as a torchbearer and not an idol on a pedastal. "People come up to me and exclaim: 'OOOOOOH! YOU CHANGED MY LIFE!' Maybe... Now it's YOUR turn."

Pass me that torch, Jello m'boy. I'm ready to run a lap...

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jello does it again, January 23, 2003

By 

Mary (Davis, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Machine Gun in Clown's Hand (Audio CD)

There is just too much material for this guy out there, he can't resist! This is his 7th spoken word album. It cover mostly current events, politics, etc. with a neat clip at the end about Joey Ramone. I have his other albums, and if you don't, you'll probably get a bit more out of this album than I did. He tends to reuse certain things a bit, but was enough new stuff to be worth the money. Its a good second opinion about what is going on in the world today, and makes one think about the "what ifs?" in this day in age. If you want more of his creative writing stuff, "No More Cocoons" and "I Blow Minds for a Living" are definitly the way to go.