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List Price: $12.95 | | Publisher: Last Gasp
Salesrank: 1059645
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| Our Price: $7.34 |
| Used Price: $3.97 |
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| Media: Paperback |
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Editorial Review:
The Dead Kennedys roared to life in the late 1970s: their left-wing political stance, shock tactics, and messages of rebellion against corruption stirred everybody up, including Tipper Gore and her pack of conservative music-banning buddies. This book focuses on the band from its conception through its breakup in the mid-1980s, and includes reproductions of flyers, promo shots, snippets of interviews, lyrics, and rare photos. Lead singer Jello Biafra's candidacy in the 1979 San Francisco mayoral race is also entertainingly detailed.
Dead Kennedys: The Unauthorized Version Reviews:
Great Band, Mixed Review 
2008-11-14 - Actually I give this five stars for being a unique glimpse at the early Dead Kennedys and the punk rock scene in the Bay Area (pictures of Jello's campaign and wedding alone are worth it, especially if you were around 11 when all of it was taking place). But the unauthorized business is just not right nor in keeping with punkgeist, and for that I have to give it one star. Averaged out, that's three stars. Thanks for the peek into early punk culture, though.
DK would have preferred this book to have never come out 
2008-05-30 - This is an interesting read, but, according to DK, a great misrepresentation of the early California punk scene in an over priced book. They say that had they been given the choice, they "would have preferred it never came out."
DK warns: "Let the buyer beware."
Brief 
2006-11-10 - I should have checked the fine print. This book is more like a picture/scrap book, not an indepth autobiography as such. Was disappointed additionally with the waffer thin size of this book. I should have listened to the DK and not brought it.
DK's 
2001-12-14 - this is a must have book for any DK's fan, solely because it is a book about the dead kennedys. it's not really a very good book persay, but who wouldn't want a book about them? it seems like a condensed version of the liner notes from all the records, more or less. there are a few pics which you probably won't find anywhere else, as well as a letter from members of the band denouncing the book itself. nonetheless, a must buy.
Punk Morals or Punk Entertainment?
2001-07-10 - This book was, in my opinion, the most interesting compilation of DK info/lyrics/pictures that I've ever seen. Being part of the FOWJB (Formerly Obsessed With Jello Biafra) Club, I know how it feels to pick up this book being a DK fan. I found the book in Tower Records in New York, and I was intensely happy with just looking at the book for at least a week after. It is an incredible find for any DK fan.
However, the question arises when you read the letter on the back cover of the book: Is the band proud of this book? The answer in simple. No. The Dead Kennedys themselves opposed the printing of this book. For various reasons (I won't spoil the good read for you, should you want the book.) they didn't want it to come out. Also, even though it is a punk book, it somehow strikes me as a "very special issue" of "Bop" or something in that line of publications. The book offers no substance at all, really, only rare pictures and articles. Any good punk rocker will feel a twinge of guilt while reading this book.
So it comes down to this: Obsess over the band, or support the band's wishes? Although the band is broken up, and long gone besides, it's still a question that deserves to be considered. So think about this point: is it your principals or your obsessions that rule?
