Search - Jello Biafra :: Become the Media

Excellent, as always.

Jack Dempsey | South Miami Beach, Florida | 04/24/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You never have to worry about what you're in for when you invest in something featuring Jello. With this, his latest installment, he (once again) does not fail to deliver the goods.Perhaps I should note that I am a bit biased when it comes to ANYTHING by JB. He has been part of my life for the last 20 some odd years. I remember being far younger, skating the streets of San Jose and San Francisco (and the eventual half-pipe in my backyard) on either a 1st model Rob Roskopp, a Gator, a Slasher, a Caballero, or whatever else I could manage to slave away for as I mopped floors. In my mind, I would play over and over and over again all the songs off "Fresh Fruit..." or "Plastic Surgery..." Then, came my copy of "Skateboard Party" and I was in heaven. Of course, I remember having to dutifully hide my copy of "Frankenchrist" so my folks wouldn't find it, or more specifically, the "harmful matter" a la Geiger within it. I remember being tremendously jealous when a friend of mine (who also had a ramp) claimed (i.e., lied) that East Bay Ray happened to come by and skated with him.It was between DK, any of the Bones Brigade videos, and the occassional Faction record, Black Flag record, and later, DI, Descendents, and Adolescents, that I could be found.Flash forward almost two decades. Now I am an attorney (that still sounds odd to me, even after 6 years), trying hard to take down some of the biggest theiving corporations in the business...health care. In these days, I cannot express what comfort I find in seeing Tony Hawk still skating, and Jello still delivering his best. After straying FAR off the subject at hand, let me say that this release is awesome. JB sounds even more finely honed and razor sharp. If you're reading this review, I would wager you at least know (kind of) what to expect. In that respect, be prepared to be blown away.I haven't enjoyed something more since his "High Priest..." and "No More..." releases. But, do not let that imply that you should skip over anything in between. Get it all. But, try to get it directly from A.T. or your local (starving) mom and pop store.And, if the man himself should happen across this (as he has been known to do in other reviews), good luck with all the crap you are currently being forced to endure. And, of course, thank you for all the years of support (and enjoyment) that you have provided me and countless others."

An Intelligent View of Current Events.

princessali1027 | Bedford, TX United States | 11/08/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've been a long time fan of Jello Biafra. For about two years of the 17 years I've had on Earth. I have all of his albums, I've met the guy and heard him speak.
The first thing I said when the 3 CDs were done playing was: "Wow. Jello really has grown up..." It's perhaps a funny thing to say, since Jello has been a mature vocal commentator for years, and yet in my opinion, he really has grown within this new album. Notice there's none of the fun little tracks like on the last albums, some examples being "Names for Bands" and "Half-time". In my opinion, Jello's best is in this album, his most mature insightful commentary, no filler, no bull, is in this album. I highly, HIGHLY reccomend this album. I'm so glad to see Jello making such an incredible album, same as always, after all these years."

Fantastic, Informative (and a little Sad)

Melkor | San Diego, CA USA | 07/23/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yet another fantastic CD from Jello. It's a little sad to listen to him speaking at the Green Party convention, when there was so much hope before the elections.There is a lot of material on "Become the Media" that was discussed in his other CD's, but it's nice to have the information on WTO and NAFTA all in one place and updated. Jello's stories of crashing the Democratic and Republican conventions were hilarious. Almost as good as a Michael Moore bit. As Jello says, "We must never forget the value of pranksters" and "It take a child to RAZE a village". On a more personal level, it was interesting to hear Jello's reflection on Columbine, his position on online music trading, as well as his side of the story on the DK members suing him over the rights of their music.The only drawback to this CD is that Jello doesn't back up his statements as much as he used to. In his previous spoken word albums, he would frequently back up his arguments with the books or articles that he got his information from. When making statements as controversial (and sometimes as blanketly general) as he can, it's good to have sources to go and double check.Still, it usually isn't too hard to find out information if you look for it.If you don't have any of Jello's spoken word CD's yet, this is a great one to start with. A great CD for anyone with who leans towards the progressive left. If you are upset by what this CD has to say, then remember not to sit on your hinder; you must go out and do what Jello says: Become the Media!"