Waxing Nostalgic: Dead Kennedys, “Insight”

By Jeffery X Martin

The Dead Kennedys were one of the most famous punk bands of the Eighties. Formed in San Francisco in 1978, The DKs were also one of the most outspokenly political bands, each song like a sandwich board. They found their arch-nemesis in President Ronald Reagan and his administration and they poked through the hypocrisies that abounded in that hellish decade, demanding a return to integrity and the simple act of telling the truth.

They also released an album called Frankenchrist, which included a poster of an H.R. Giger painting called Penis Landscape. It was pretty much what you’re thinking; a bunch of yellowish/grey Giger cocks, going in and out of things. It’s a dirty picture, and I mean dirt. I can’t tell what’s on those body parts. Some kind of goo or fungus or excrement, something. It’s not a clean painting. There’s an inherent element of funk to it. The band got hauled into court for that one, charged with obscenity, back when that word meant something and was still used incorrectly. The trial ended with a hung jury, as funny as that is, but the record was still banned from a lot of record stores.

All this to say the band was abrasive. They couldn’t stay out of your face. They were unafraid to go to the wall with their point of view and they didn’t care who they took with them.

They were also brutally funny, with a humor based firmly in an “I told you so” attitude. They were the band every parent loved to hate. Every establishment figure fell victim to the Dead Kennedys’ music: the Reagans, the religious right, and even the Peace Corps were lambasted by them. They played deranged surf music that could fire up the pit and had the words to back those riffs up.

It’s not really a surprise that some of their best songs got buried. Sure, almost everyone has heard “Holiday in Cambodia.” Most of us have lived “Too Drunk to Fuck.” A whole new generation was introduced to the Dead Kennedys when their song, “Police Truck” was used as the theme for the monster hit video game, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater.

It’s easy to ignore a little song like “Insight,” found on the 1987 compilation album, Give Me Convenience or Give Me Death. This song finds lyricist/singer Jello Biafra at his most compassionate. There is a sense of anger here, but there’s also a sense of sadness.

Who’s that kid in the back of the room?
He’s setting all his papers on fire.

“Insight” is the one true Anthem of the Weird Kid. The one the teachers never understood, the one the jocks made fun of, the one who never bought into the system and its ideas about what a person should be. One can’t help but think that the Weird Kid was the DKs’ target audience. The ones who thought too much about things besides algebra and prom dates.

Where did he get that crazy smile?
We all think he’s really weird.

There’s an undercurrent of tension when you’re the Weird Kid. Frustration builds, becoming unbearable, and it has to come out somewhere. Maybe it’s in the mosh pit, maybe it’s in some form of self-harm, maybe it’s something more terrible, an outburst of violence. At its best, though, that kind of pressure forms a person with a deeper understanding of human nature. Someone who understands that being on the inside has its own levels of hell. Sadness is at the root of the anger, a deep mourning for potential that will remain untapped.

Why doesn’t he want tons of friends?
Says he’s bored when we hang around.

While “Insight” may have been geared towards a teenage audience, there’s still a harsh lesson here for we who have allegedly grown up. Be nice. Be inclusive. Don’t be an asshole. It’s not that hard. And don’t get so caught up in what you do that you forget who you are. You may be part of the Old Boy Network, able to get things done with the snap of a finger, but you’re still a human being, and a little human decency goes a long way. It’s a good reminder from an unexpected source, one worth paying heed to.

We’re all planning our careers.
He says we’re growing old.

For some bizarre reason “Insight” is not on Spotify, but you can download it for free on the Dead Kennedys website. To listen to all the other music mentioned in the Waxing Nostalgic series check our exclusive Spotify playlist! It’s free, subscribing is free, and it’s an eclectic collection of music, to say the very least. Hook yourself up!