No More Cocoons

Jello Biafra | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 29, 1993)
• Original Release Date: January 28, 1993
• Number of Discs: 2
• Label: Alternative Tentacles
• ASIN: B000000F77
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #269,693 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

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

Product Description

The obscenity case fought over the Dead Kennedys' album Frankenchrist was a prolonged and bitter battle that Jello Biafra, the band, and the co-defendants eventually won, but the case was not without cost: Alternative Tentacles, which Biafra owned, was driven to the brink of bankruptcy by all of the legal bills involved with the case. Partly as a consequence of having to raise cash and partly as a consequence of being so involved with the backdoor workings of both the music industry and the legal system, Biafra became a much more outspoken critic of censorship and political issues, opting to do a number of spoken word engagements around the country, some of which are captured on this two-record set. Of course, there are some tales from the trial, with the entirety of side three devoted to the battle being fought with Tipper Gore and the PMRC. On the remaining sides, Biafra explores a number of other political and civil rights issues, from the controversy over urinalysis to just what it was that Reagan didn't know while he was president. The way he rails on about the government and how it's working to undermine basic civil rights, both home and abroad, may have seemed a little hysterical and perhaps even a bit paranoid at the time, but it's interesting to see just how many of the issues discussed on this album have come back to haunt us more than once, especially terrorism. Most of the time, Biafra leavens these fairly heavy-duty subjects with a good dose of humor, but the closing track, "Stars & Stripes of Corruption," gets more thoughtful as it goes on. If you're aligned with Biafra's sensibilities, it's a fairly humorous listen, even this far down the road, but it does suffer a little too much from the preaching-to-the-converted syndrome -- if you lean toward the conservative in the least, you'll probably find it infuriatingly one-sided. Which may be half the point. ~ Sean Carruthers, All Music Guide --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The First and the Standard, February 6, 2001

By 

"princessali1027" (Bedford, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No More Cocoons (Audio CD)

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?

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jello gets up in your face, March 13, 2000

By 

sc_demandred (Irvine, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No More Cocoons (Audio CD)

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.

3.0 out of 5 stars Jello's spoken word albums are huge letdowns that get progressively worse, December 30, 2011

By 

mikespace "Mike D" (KCMO) - See all my reviews

This review is from: No More Cocoons (Audio CD)

"No More Cocoons" was released on album and cassette in 1989. At the time, it was pretty mind blowing stuff. Clearly it's the only Biafra spoken word album that's worth owning, as Biafra has a tendency to repeat verbatim - literally word for word - bits from his 1989 spoken word act even today.

Much like the DK albums, which are exponentially superior to the spoken word albums BTW, the first couple of spoken word albums are clear and focused. Eventually three or four albums down the line, however, they begin to annoy you with their repetitive nature and inferior artistry.

My suggestion to anyone wondering about the DKs, who doesn't know about them to buy "Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables" and "In God We Trust, Inc." as they are pretty much the best music the DKs ever did. If you love those albums, next you can sample bits and pieces of the later DK albums, as songs like "Stars and Stripes of Corruption" and "MTV Get Off the Air" are kind of funny at first.

If you enjoyed the much of the late-era DK albums, then I would advise you to buy this C+ rated spoken word CD. If you could stand the most rambling parts of albums like "Bedtime for Democracy" you might be able to get some pleasure and enlightenment from "No More Cocoons." Remember that Biafra's sophomoric radicalism can be tedious, if you are used to a higher caliber of punk rock music (Television, the Stooges, Ramones, Dictators, etc.) or political satire: George Carlin; et al.