Unbeknownst to SNL, Fear had bussed in rabid fans to NYC to mosh/stage dive during the broadcast. They also caused lots of damage - one quote was $200,000 worth of damage, but that may be overblown.
Nonetheless, all this earned them a lifetime ban from SNL (big whoop) and a place in the annals of rock/punk - not just for the raucous performance but things like:
- telling the audience that "it's great to be back in New Jersey,"
- yelling "NEW YORK SUCKS!" during the live broadcast, and
- singing highly inflammatory (in some quarters) songs like "Beef Bologna" and "New York's Alright If You Like Saxaphones" (search for the lyrics...they are epic but here's a sample: New York's alright If you wanna get pushed In front of the subway, New York's alright If you like tuberculosis...).
Interestingly, SNL went to commercial right when Fear started "Let's Have a War" which is in the cult movie "Repo Man" which has a Class A punk soundtrack.
I never saw the Dead Kennedys but Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables should be in the Library of Congress as a Culturally Important work of art. The same should also go for several songs by The Undead but that's because I think Bobby Steele not only rocks but because he got rooked by The Misfits.
