Joey Ramone and Eric Boucher (aka Jello Biafra) in Denver, Colo. 1977
 
Here’s a clip of the always witty, acerbic and insightful Jello Biafra on Canadian TV show The Hour.

I’ve known Jello since he was an 18-year-old hippie in Boulder, Colorado.  He was one of the smartest kids I’d ever met with an incredible knowledge of rock and roll and a radical, edgy sensibility. At a time when most longhairs where luxuriating in the Rocky Mountain High vibe, Jello was busy inhaling vinyl and sniffing grooves. We first met in a used record store. I think he was buying some Roxy Music and T. Rex.

He was one of a handful of Boulder teenagers who supported my punk band in 1976. He’d help carry my group’s equipment at gigs so he’d get into clubs that had a 21-years and older door policy. I’m not sure but that might have gotten him into his first Ramones’ show when I opened for them in 1977 in Denver.

I’ve literally watched Jello grow from a brilliant kid into a brilliant adult. I love the fucker. He has stayed true to his core beliefs while many aging punks have sold out and played it safe.
 

 
Photo: Don Fleming