Vinyl: A look at punk's timelessness

By Siegfried Bilstein     2/10/11 6:00pm

There's no better way to celebrate Presidents Day than by examining two hardcore punk bands named after two of our nation's great leaders: Reagan Youth and Dead Kennedys. With their incredibly low production values and occasionally paradoxical political views, these pioneering bands are an important part of the American punk tradition. Reagan Youth's name is a reference to the Hitler Youth: Appropriately, the cover art of the seven-song E.P. Youth Anthems for The New Order, their only release during the Reagan Administration, features a cloaked Klansman chatting up an all-American family. Part of me hopes no young punks in the '80s confused this group of radical anarchists for racists, as some of lead singer Dave Insurgent's (aka Dave Rubinstein) family were Holocaust survivors. A hostile combination of anarchism and socialism, Reagan Youth's politics represented the vocal distaste many hardcore bands had for American conservatism.

Starting out of Forest Hills High School in Queens, N.Y., Reagan Youth quickly began touring the nation after their physics teacher shaved his head at one of their shows and became their roadie. Reagan Youth was loud, fast and angry, and brought this new, enraged punk to the East Coast.

They threw away all of the pop sensibilities of the Ramones (who, ironically, started out of the same high school) and proceeded to pummel audiences with such tracks as "Degenerated" and "Jesus was a Communist," which was on their third studio release, Reagan Youth Volume 2. Both Volumes 1 & 2 were released and recorded after the band decided to break up following the end of Reagan's second term.

---

---

Although their music is largely in the same vein as other hardcore groups such as the Circle Jerks or Minor Threat, Reagan Youth tend to feature much tighter drumming and some interesting lead guitar work. The later recordings actually feature a good number of the guitar solos that were so typically eschewed by punk acts of the time. In fact, their song "Get the Ruler Out" could even be described as a sped-up Hendrix track.

Punk rock is more attitude than music, and Reagan Youth perfectly capture the feeling of pissed-off kids armed with distortion pedals to battle their perception of the evil, racist society led by the Reagan administration. The sheer intensity and layered irony of Reagan Youth's music packs an emotional punch and is worth consideration by anyone interested in American music history.

Dead Kennedys, on the other hand, came screaming out of the Bay Area in California. With a delirious vocal delivery from their insane front man, Jello Biafra (born Eric Reed Boucher), and a penchant for extreme sarcasm, Dead Kennedys are actually among the more accessible hardcore punk groups. That is probably why they've resurged in popularity, as well as being featured on video game soundtracks for Tony Hawk's Pro Skater and Guitar Hero. While that sounds like selling out, burnt-out punks need royalty checks, and "Police Truck" and "Holiday in Cambodia" are great songs.

Although Dead Kennedys' moniker is more a nod to the death of the American dream than a tasteless insult to the president's tragic assassination, that didn't stop them from arousing a ton of controversy. Throughout their eight-year existence from 1978 to 1986, they participated in contentions from winning court cases that allowed them to release their "obscene material" to Biafra's debate with Tipper Gore on the Oprah Winfrey show.

Biafra is a fascinating character on his own; he has run both for mayor of San Francisco and for the Green Party's presidential nomination. He is also a very influential activist on many fronts, including free speech, environmentalism and the separation of church and state.

Dead Kennedys set the tone for hardcore punk. Unlike their forefathers the Ramones or the Clash, they refused to sign with major labels and didn't hide their frustration with radio-friendly sound. In their first two albums, they stuck to fast-driving rhythms and sinister-sounding guitar work.

The frightening "Chemical Warfare" off of Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables demonstrates a lot of these punk staples. However, when drummer D.H. Peligro joined the band, their style became more varied with psychedelic sounds, surf rock guitar riffs and an unexpectedly jazzy element to their work. The song "Riot" off of Plastic Surgery Disasters is a great example of their unrepentant sarcasm and aggressive musicianship. Dead Kennedys are a bit more fun than Reagan Youth, and with their five-album discography, there is a lot more to listen to.

Both of these bands are extremely influential in the hardcore punk scene, and their DIY aesthetic and attitude extends itself to other genres of music like ska, grunge and metal.

Their lasting influence is clear, as no local punk rock show can happen without a cover of "Police Truck" and at least five kids in Reagan Youth T-shirts. This Presidents Day, when you're thinking about two of the most popular leaders our country has ever had, take a moment and listen to two of the most subversive groups in the American punk tradition: Reagan Youth and Dead Kennedys.

Siegfried Bilstein is a Wiess College senior. Vinyl revisits classic music that is relevent to today's audience.

---