Dead Kennedys “Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables” released almost 40 years ago (fall ’80). Alternative Tentacles/Cherry Red Records (UK – the album pictured here). An absolutely brutal and perfect punk pull for today. Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables was DK’s first album and is one of the genre’s best. Charged with political commentary (even the album’s title: Jello Biafra ran for mayor of San Francisco and one of his proposed polices was for the city’s statue of City Supervisor Dan White have rotten tomatoes available so people could pelt it; White assassinated Mayor George Moscone and City Supervisor Harvey Milk) – “Kill the Poor” (one of my favorite punk tracks of all time), “Holiday in Cambodia” (another absolute classic), “California Uber Alles” (same) and “Chemical Warfare” (again, yes). And if I was a renter at this time in 2020, I think the brilliant anthem “Let’s Lynch the Landlord” would be playing on repeat. So so good.

My first version of this album was on a shitty dubbed cassette around ‘85. I borrowed the record for someone when I was 14 years old and when I was taping it in my bedroom, my dad walked past and was horrified to see the band’s name on the album cover, not to mention the music. I was delighted with his reaction (of course).

**Run Out Groove Side A: “is life as boring as you are?”

Run Out Groove Side B: “Well??? Who are the brain police?”