As a lot as Useless Kennedys followers would like to see the legendary punk band reunite with unique singer Jello Biafra, guitarist East Bay Ray insists it’s not gonna occur, and that Biafra is guilty.
Regardless of long-standing animosity and contentious authorized disputes, East Bay Ray instructed Guitar World in a brand new interview that he and bassist Klaus Fluoride could be open to performing with Biafra once more however that the singer continues to show down affords for a reunion (together with an obvious profitable one from Riot Fest in 2017).
“It’s not a difficulty for me or Klaus,” mentioned East Bay Ray. “It’s Biafra that turns down any affords for us to do one thing; we don’t have any drawback.”
The guitarist then referenced a lawsuit that he and his Useless Kennedys bandmates introduced towards Biafra in 2000 over withholding band royalties, which resulted within the singer having to pay not solely again royalties however punitive damages.
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“He bought caught together with his palms within the until and desires guilty us for getting caught, however he ought to by no means have put his palms in there within the first place,” remarked East Bay Ray.
The guitarist additionally took exception to the notion that Biafra singlehandedly wrote many of the songs throughout his run in Useless Kennedys from their 1978 formation by way of their preliminary breakup in 1986.
“We truly wrote as a band, the place in impact, as a result of chemistry between us, it was a case of two and two equaling 5,” remarked East Bay Ray. “None of us has had a solo profession that was larger than Useless Kennedys, which, to me, reveals the facility of a bunch of gifted individuals getting collectively and creating one thing that was far higher than the sum of its components.”
He continued, “Jello didn’t deliver within the songs. I do know he’s created the parable that he wrote all of them, however the query right here is that if he did, why didn’t he ever do something important after leaving the band?,” including, “Iggy left the Stooges and had a profession; ditto Lou Reed with the Velvet Underground or Morrissey with the Smiths. The place’s Biafra’s solo profession with a bunch of nice songs? The songs had been written in quite a few other ways. [“Holiday in Cambodia”] began as a jam within the rehearsal studio.”
Useless Kennedys reunited in 2001 with out Biafra. Authentic members East Bay Ray, Klaus Fluorider, and basic drummer D. H. Peligro (who changed unique stickman Ted in 1981) re-formed the band with singer Brandon Cruz. Peligro sadly handed away in 2022, however East Bay Ray and Flouride, together with present singer Ron “Skip” Greer and new drummer Steve Wilson, proceed to tour as Useless Kennedys.
Having wrapped up a handful of US dates in March and April, Useless Kennedys will play Spain and Portugal in June, and Australia and New Zealand in September. Choose up tickets right here.