It's the community of artists that such a law should offend, but very well may not, he said. Specifically, Biafra is concerned that other members of the arts community won't oppose the measure because it specifically involves music. It's in their own backyard. They can't just put their heads in the sand and pretend that since the bill only applies to music that it won't soon apply to their violent and questionable TV shows. The California measure follows similar legislation in Texas that was signed into law last summer.
Music is a red herring.
It's always been used by demagogues to put themselves on the map. But Olberg denied such charges, saying that the measure doesn't attempt to restrict speech. All we're saying is that lyrics that we know cause people to take certain actions that we think are unhealthy for the culture of California, we're not going to invest in those things and thereby promote such activity. Biafra, who has a history of fighting what he sees as censorship battles, is likely to oppose the legislation every step of the way. In 1986, Biafra was arrested on charges of distributing harmful material to minors when a sexually explicit poster by H.R. Giger was included in the Dead Kennedys' Frankenchrist album.