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American University

by John Dissed

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scottschoenberg American University by John Dissed makes you think of some awesome post-punk band that you can’t quite place, a band that delivers creative riffs and singalong choruses with an elusive naturalness. But then you realize you can’t place the band because they never existed. This is the platonic ideal of rock-and-roll music made real by John Dissed and his band. Superb stuff. And the concept revolving around JFK’s death makes for an intriguing listen.
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  • Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album

    Comes in a beautiful 4-panel Digipak, designed by illustrator and writer Guerilla 808, of Atomsplit Comics.

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1.
American University 05:33
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2.
Dirty Business 03:54
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3.
Mister Megalomaniac 05:33
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4.
Lambs to the Slaughter 04:38
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5.
Blood and Red Roses 04:29
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6.
Shutterbug 03:06
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7.
Mary Meyer 03:21
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8.
The World is Not the Real World 04:58
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9.
Unspeakable 02:27
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10.
Gratitude 03:50
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about

After completing his politically-charged, post-9/11 debut album Red Flag in 2012, rock ‘n’ roll singer-songwriter John Dissed took the next logical step to explore another of America’s taboo “deep events”: the Kennedy assassination.

The idea was cemented after a conversation with fellow rocker and political songwriter, Anthony Castillo of the band Slow Motorcade. As Dissed tells it, “Anthony went to hear a talk by Judyth Vary Baker, a biologist who allegedly had an affair with Lee Harvey Oswald in 1963. The essence of her talk was that Oswald didn’t fire a shot and actually tried to save the president. I was so intrigued by that idea; I ordered her book immediately.”

Dissed didn’t stop with Baker’s book, and offers an extensive suggested reading list on his website of the books that informed the songs. “Everything I read told a different aspect of the story, yet didn’t contradict the others, so I took all the information I gathered and wove together the overall fabric of the album”.

Since the album’s completion in 2018, Dissed learned about how Baker’s revelations caused a massive split in the JFK research community, between those who believe her story and those who don’t. Rumor has it though, that filmmaker Oliver Stone — whose 1992 film JFK was a major influence on the album — was overheard saying to her at a recent JFK conference in Dallas where Judyth’s supporters gathered to hear talks from her and other researchers, “I believe you”.

Review from i94bar.com:

“When both irretrievably corrupt, collaborating, billionaire owned, fat cat political parties are 100 percent complicit in knowingly propping up completely fabricated, mythological stories to manufacture consent for a babies in cages prison state and permanent lies for imperialist wars for the insatiable profits of the one percent, hungry ghost, demonic extortionists at the top, it is absolutely essential that we, the people, educate our peers, and organize authentic resistance, and become the new media. If you think you might appreciate an album's worth of simple, Nick Gilder style, solid gold pop hooks galore spiked with revolutionary truth-telling and courageous common sense, you will probably really thoroughly enjoy this important LP! John Dissed is a modern day Billy Bragg or Joe Strummer and "American University" is his ambitious D.I.Y. tour de force concept album, a pleasing throwback to the days of the Adverts, Lords Of the New Church, and Wanderers with a cinematic Pink Floyd ambience. John Dissed is a cool as fuck Jimmy Dore/Lee Camp/Caitlin Johnstone style, truth-telling punk activist, he's ready to testify-he has thoughtfully and painstakingly researched the Kennedy assassination cover-up and written all these catchy, memorable, melodic pop tunes like a garage land, low budget Oliver Stone from the long lost underground, before media-monoliths took over every platform, replacing truth and soul with lifestyle programming and cash-grab garbage-pop..." — General Labor

credits

released February 27, 2021

John Dissed: vocals, guitars; Hector Fereirro: bass; Jeff (McQueen) Moscone: drums: Phil Aiken: keyboards (on "Mister Megalomaniac"); Mixed by Eric (Mixerman) Sarafin; Mastering: Pete Doell @Aftermaster Audio; cover art by Guerilla808, of Atomsplit Comics.

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John Dissed Los Angeles, California

Zbigniew Brzezinski’s “political awakening” is alive and well in rock & roll, thanks to Los Angeles guitarist-turned singer- songwriter John Dissed, who after years of various collaborations with vocalists began singing and recording his own songs in the fall of 2007. ... more

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