Michael Franti Heads Spitfire Tour/ Wetlands Preserve/ March 28, 1998
Hardcore spoken word activists railing against hypocritical politicians, multinational corporations, antiquated drug laws, and anti-human economic policies kept the environmentally concerned Wetlands club positively energized with reactionary sighs of “let freedom ring!” at the first annual Spitfire tour. Each of Spitfire’s messengers strove to take the power back, educate the masses, and as Spearhead’s Michael Franti said, “enrage, empower, and inspire.”
Franti delivered his revelations in rap style, getting several audience members to clap along to catchy lines such as the vindictive “fully marinated/ now I’m ready for the fire.” After an extended introduction concerning the tribal feuds Arizona’s indigenous Big Mountain Reservation have suffered through assimilating American culture, Franti gave corporations the finger and launched into a ‘boom-bap’ streetwise re-interpretation of “The Sound Of Music.”
Former MTV VJ/ Seattle radio host Kennedy, self-proclaimed “mouthpiece for the right,” went on an anti-Social Security rant which was too straightforward and in need of a wry twist of humor. Preaching to the converted seemed like overkill. Nevertheless, she relayed a tale about her hemp growing Romanian grandma and neatly linked this to the irresponsible 1930’s bill outlawing marijuana in the States.
A short film about medical marijuana patient Todd Mc Cormick’s battle with cancer and unjust imprisonment followed.
Fragile, lispy Newsradio host Andy Dick (fresh from a Howard Stern grilling and author of the rectal folly “Little Brown Ring”) then took to the mike, proclaiming himself a “poster child for drug abuse” who had the “long arm of the law crammed up (his) ass” for the “luxury of smoking pot.” Accompanied by acoustic guitarist Andrew Sherman (and currently on probation in a Drug Diversion Program), Dick told of his mother’s last days on earth when her fearful ‘chronic’ taboo faded and she cooked a few joints to improve her quality of life.
As heartfelt as it was absurd, his hilarious “Cock And Balls” left the male audience in hysterics. After philosophizing about the Seven Deadly Sins, he tore into a poignant toilet vignette and then played a love-obsessed stalker in a geeky Jonathan Richman manner.
Obscure Village Voice cartoonist Tom Tomorrow came on-stage following his parodic film strip “This Modern World,” deflecting mainstream media biases and complaining about “blind trust democracy” while regurgitating conventional anti-establishment wisdom.
Outspoken hyperintellectual anti-censorship advocate and Green Party presidential hopeful Jello Biafra has continuously railed against political sloth’s and misguided Washington Wives (led by bubble-headed PMRC dimwit Tipper Gore). A former San Francisco mayoral candidate and Dead Kennedys frontman, Biafra received an enormous applause before pitting feudalistic gun-toting parasites against grim proletariat serfs. Pronouncing “insurrection can be fun!,” Biafra warned of short-term radical fundamentalists being as dangerous as blow job king Bill Clinton (whom he accused of treason for his pro-World Trade Organization stance).
He condemned bovine growth hormone “Frankenfood,” proposed amnesty on student loans and decriminalization of drugs, supported pirate radio and t.v. and raised awareness of the “frontier sabotage” of the internet. But he went off the deep end with anti-capitalistic Socialist rhetoric – mandating a $200,000 maximum wage. On the current legal front, former Dead Kennedys members have decided to sue Biafra and his Alternative Tentacles label over royalties because he “refused to put “Holiday In Cambodia” on a Levi’s commercial.”
While Biafra didn’t condemn taxation collected for poor and suffering, he realized America’s corrupt politicians allow taxation without representation. Don’t forget, America told Britain to fuck off over a 2% tea tariff 200 years ago. Let the revolution begin!