Best political band: Dead Kennedys vs. The Clash vs. RATM

[SweetZombieJesus]

As much as I love the Clash, and as much as they are my favorite band of all time, I have to go with DK on this one.

I like RATM, but the lyric about the government killing Malcolm X and blaming it on the Nation of Islam on the song "Wake Up" drives me insane everytime I hear it. The government has done a lot of odious shit, but X's assassination was part of a power play on the part of Louis Farrakhan.

[Character Assassin]

1. Screw that little racist rat-bastard de la Rocha

Dead Kennedies hands down.

[Augspies]

6. Huh.

How is Zach de la Rocha a racist?

[Character Assassin]

10. By purposefully quoting other racists

Like in "People of the Sun", directly referencing the teachings of another racist shitbag, Leonard Jeffries. Do a google search on 'people of the sun' and leonard jeffries and see the filth that comes up.

And another little winner from "Down Rodeo", "so now i'm rollin' down rodeo with shotgun/ these people ain't seen a brown-skinned man, since their grandparent's bought one"

Right. Ok, Zach, tell it like it isn't, ya little racist prick.

[DBoon]

2. London Calling

for a Jaguar promotion lowered the Clash immensely. Musically they were the best of Brit punk. "London Calling" was the "White Album" of its generation.

The DKs suffered for their politics - the fight over the Giger painting broke apart the band.

Jello is still promoting radical views though Alternative Tentacles - nothing like Noam Chomsky and punk together.

In this day, though, I'd give Rage credit just for being here.

[CanuckAmok]

15. Can't blame the Clash for the Jag Ad.

Unfortunatley, it's because CBS/Epic owns the rights to the Clash's body of work.

Two points in the Clash's favour:

1) they wanted to release London Calling as it was eventually released, but CBS said "oh, no, we won't get behind a double album from the Clash right now, because our coke-addled third-generation beancounters and inbred pitchmen say the market won't sustain one". The members of the Clash said, "F*** you, we're releasing it our way or not at all", and CBS finally said they'd be willing to assume the additional costs of manufacture and distribution of a double album, but at a very high price which would have actually discouraged sales (to 'prove' to the Clash, and many other bands on their roster that they were indeed the masters of the game). The Clash finally said "fine, put our the double album, and sell it at a single LP price point. We, the members of the band, will absorb the costs, so our fans won't have to". And that's why London Calling is STILL the same price as a single album.

2) They were offered $10 million to do one reunion concert, and refused. Why? Because they had already gone on record as saying they'd never play together again. They had done all they wanted to do, and anything else they did together would have been cynical and exploitive.

Yes, yes, I know..."Cut the Crap". But, IMHO, that doesn't really count as a Clash album.

[DBoon]

17. Good thing

You know more about them than I do. I now give them more credit politically. Musically "London Calling" = punk "White Album"

Was sad to hear about MC5 doing blue jeans commercials. I can only assume in this case the guys really need the money.

[JanMichael]

3. I dig all three but RATM is my personal soundtrack to the Revolution.

I'm surprised that they ever got mainstream media airplay but they did...

It's actually kind of funny that Guerilla Radio was always one of my favs and now I get to play Bush-hater on the radio every Saturday afternoon:evilgrin:

I love just about every Rage song.

The fact that they broke up at EXACTLY THE WRONG TIME has me totally bewildered.

[vi5]

4. All 3 were and are full of crap.....

Fugazi is hands down the best political band since in every way shape or form they make the political personal and the personal political and they actually put their money where their mouth is with their ethics and where they put their money and how they make it.

I love DK's and the Clash's music but time has proven that their politics were for the most part disingenuous.

If I weren't so tired I could probably rattle off about a hundred other more and better political bands/artists.

[JanMichael]

5. FUGAZI!

Used to listen to them back in the before times in a basement apartment in Myszlenicza, Pl.

Sweet.

[Augspies]

7. And how has RATM politics proved disingenuous?

And I love Fugazi btw. But RATM just hits me in the right way.

WAKE UUUUUUUPPPPPPPP!

Jeremy

[JanMichael]

8. My problem is that I like ALL of them.

However RATM is in the truck 24/7.

People can bitch all they want about their politics or some BS comments but that fact is that they DO practice what they preach. At least as much as any of us do.

[chenGOD]

9. I don't see how Jello's poiltics are disingenuous.

You think Jello doesn't put his money where his mouth is? Alternative Tentacles doesn't run itself you know. And running for mayor isn't putting your money where your mouth is?

I like fugazi as well....

and I've never considered The Clash a punk band.

[proud patriot]

11. kick

:kick:

[Shakeydave]

12. Rage! Hands Down!

Woo Hoooooooo!

[renegade000]

14. i hear ya

"lights out, guerilla radio!"

[JanMichael]

24. I figured as much!

Bam! You're brain dead, ya' gotta fuckin' bullet in yer head!

[chrisesq]

13. I'm going to have to go with DK as well.

Not simply because of their music, but also because of Jello's legendary battle over the Frankenchrist issue. He really fought for the 1st Am. on that one

Another good one was Minor threat, however, they could fall under the Fugazi umbrella due to Ian MacKaye being the prime mover in both of those bands.

There was a band from Pittsburgh, PA that was really political called Anti-Flag. Really put out some radical stuff. However, I doubt they have the exposure that the other ones that everyone has mentioned.

[leftist_rebel1569]

16. RATM is my all-time favorite band

so I'd have to say them. The other 2 are good, yes, but...RATM is just way too good

[mitchum]

18. MC5 showed them all how it was done...

(or how not to do it)

[DBoon]

19. Punk avatar

So when do we see a punk avatar?

[muchacho]

21. request one

I requested, and created, the Zappa I'm using now.

[Cointelpro_Papers]

20. How about Anti-flag?

I say they beat all three of the above bands.

[PittPoliSci]

27. anti-flag

are nothing more than childish hypocrits. they say "we hate major labels!" yet they sign to fat wreck chords, a major punk label. puh-lease!

[Forkboy]

22. DK

would be my pick,though Fugazi is an excellent choice as pointed out earlier..

Just listen to Bedtime For Democracy...it's still all too fitting.

[CanuckAmok]

28. of course "Forkboy" would pick DK...

... I would expect no less.

Dead Kennedys: "...Anarchy sounds good to me, till someone asks 'who'll fix the sewers, will the rednecks just play king of the neighbourhood?'..."

and...

"...you wanna help stop war? Well we reject your application--you crack to many jokes and you eat meat...the surest way to put people off is to take ideas for change, and turn them into another church which forgets we're all human beings..."

I could go on...

[classics]

23. Midnight Oil

But i'll give a serious nod to rage.

[Uzybone]

25. Rage all the way

There'll be no shelter ...the enemy line is everywhere.

The roots are also pretty good, Im still looking
for ?uestloves "American Psycho" tshirt.

[PittPoliSci]

26. without a doubt, DEAD KENNEDYS

hands down.

[number9]

29. i thought i told you three times

all the above and then some

do you not listen?

[Township75]

30. DK!!!!!

RAge and all the others came after DK. They owe DK big for paving the political band highway.