In addition to having been the frontperson of one of the greatest American punk bands, Dead Kennedys, Jello Biafra is known as a spoken word performer, record label executive, activist, and prankster. He’s also sometimes an actor—his first major role was playing “Mr. President” in the 1986 David Markey film Lovedolls Superstar.
Recently Biafra’s label, Alternative Tentacles, uploaded his “acting demo reel” or “showreel” as they’re called in “the business.”
This reel is typical of the sort of six-ish minute long compilations that actors use to get work in the film industry.
Biafra’s reel contains exceprts from his work in Portlandia, The Hipster Games: Blowing Smoke, Death and Texas, I Love You… I Am the Porn Queen, Skulhedface, Virtue, The Widower, and Tapeheads among others. In Tapeheads Biafra plays an FBI agent who gets to (gleefully, I’m sure) deliver the line, “Remember what we did to Jello Biafra?”—referencing his own raking over the coals in a 1985 obscenity trial over the H.R. Giger poster that was included with the Dead Kennedys’ album Frankenchrist.
Biafra as an FBI agent in “Tapeheads”
If you happen to know any bigshot Hollywood casting directors, forward this reel.
Biafra needs more screentime!
Previously on Dangerous Minds:
Jello Biafra meets the UFO cult: The Lost Footage found!
Jello Biafra for Mayor of San Francisco, 1979: ‘If he doesn’t win, I’ll kill myself!’