SKA
For most of us, high school is (and was) a tumultuous time. It makes sense that the music we choose to listen to during that season of life becomes an intrinsic part of the experience. And, oftentimes, it continues to be an important part of our lives long past high school!
I attended a small high school in rural South Central Ohio. It was the 90s, and there was so much good music on the radio and MTV. It was the decade of Nirvana and Pearl Jam and Soundgarden. Metallica and Tool and Pantera. Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson. And, somewhere, floating amidst all those bands, was Smashing Pumpkins. I appreciated all of these bands, but none of them spoke to my personality and outlook. They tended to be dark and depressing and, a lot of times, scary. I didn’t know it then, but I wanted to listen to something loud and rowdy and… fun? Was that possible? For loud, angsty music to be fun?
One glorious afternoon, my sister turned on MTV’s Total Request Live with Carson Daly (this was her daily afterschool routine) and my eyeballs and earballs were graced with the most angrily jubilant sounds I’d ever heard.
The video for The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ The Impression That I Get was playing.
The music was loud and energetic, upbeat and fun. But the lead singer’s voice sounded like he smoked ten packs a day. And when he intro’d the chorus he screamed. Like a barking, guttural scream.
My life changed that day. I fell in love with the ska music genre and I never looked back. I discovered so many bands that spoke to my experience and made me think about different points-of-view I’d never considered. But the music was fun and made the messages easy to digest even when they made me uncomfortable.
There were bands that were somewhat political, like the Bosstones and Five Iron Frenzy. There were bands that were just silly and self-deprecating like Reel Big Fish. And there were bands like Goldfinger and Less Than Jake that did not care what you thought about them and sang anthems to their haters. Among all these bands, there were songs of joy and messages about being true to yourself. It was cathartic on so many levels.
Ska skyrocketed in popularity during the 90s only to fizzle completely out in the early 00s. As a fan who still immensely enjoys ska music, it makes me sad that the genre has become a joke. Despite a small resurgence among bands like The Interrupters, it still seems that it’s not taken seriously by music critics and fans. It’s a travesty.
If you’ve never spent much time listening to ska, or if you’d like a reminder of how good this music can be, I’ve provided a few links to some of my favorite songs from my teen years.
After all, I’m a fan!
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Illegal Left (this song is a critique of policing)
Five Iron Frenzy - Old West (this song is a critique of American colonialism)
Reel Big Fish - Sell Out (this song is a critique of the music industry, and also themselves)
Less Than Jake - All My Best Friends are Metalheads (this song is about the importance of accepting others for who they are, and not who/what you think they should be)
Goldfinger - Authority (this is a song for the haters)
ABOUT THE DRAWING
Depicted here is what fans refer to as “skanking”. Skanking is the dance of choice for ska music. To see it in action, give it a search (albeit very carefully) on YouTube. I drew this character wearing the popular garb of late-90s ska fans: button-up shirt, tie, nice shoes, and rad shades. My inspiration for this character was Andy Samberg’s depiction of a ska fan in Brooklyn Nine-Nine where he proudly states, “Ska is a lifestyle! I will never turn my back on ska!” His character, Jake Peralta, did turn his back on ska. But I never will.
31 Days of Fandom - Day 4 HINT
Here’s a hint for tomorrow’s entry:
“He is not a tame lion…”
pickitup,pickitup,pickitup!
I remember ska fondly. I was really into a ska punk band called "Skankin' Pickle" from Dill Records. They were alot of fun to listen to!