Skankin’ Pickle. I always loved that band name. I thought you should know.
Around the time of about 1995-1998, I was really into the distinctive music that originated in Jamaican dance halls of the 1960s, found it’s way to disaffected British youth in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, and then somehow ended up in mid 1990’s mainstream American music culture in the hands of bands like The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish, and Goldfinger. And you had bands like No Doubt, 311, Sublime, and Rancid who featured elements of ska, but you wouldn’t necessarily pin them with that label.
Although back then, that was a badge of honor. Everyone was skankin’ (for those who don’t know, the dance associated with ska) to the horns and the uptempo beat that emphasized the 2 and the 4. Everyone was screaming, “oi, oi, oi!” and I’m not sure we knew why. We were hypnotized by the spectacle of all the dancing, hats, and horns. Skankin’ was not a choice we made. It was an imperative we followed.
I use the term “we” quite loosey goosey, fyi. Even at its height, I’m sure I remember a lot of people who were thoroughly annoyed by it. That’s fine. That happens. I was not one of those people, though.
In fact the first concert I ever saw in Chicago as a freshman at North Central College in suburban Naperville was The Mighty Mighty Bosstones at the Riviera Theatre. The impression that I got?1 I would never tire of this music!
There was this little record store near campus called Busy Bee, which truly was a jewel of a store—one of the first places I bought my Ramones, Velvet Underground, and yes, underground ska cd’s.
One such ska cd was a compilation, or in actuality a “skampilation” called Oi!/Skampilation Vol #1 that featured bands both known and unknown to me, including what I could have sworn was the band Skankin’ Pickle, but upon a review of the track list, apparently did not. Still a great band name nonetheless!
In case you’re wondering, though, the Spotify link to this masterpiece is found below, and though there is no sign of any Skankin’ Pickle, there is Skavoovie and the Epitones and Mephiskapheles…two other phenomenal band names:
I was OBSESSED with this cd. I’m sure I played it for my younger brother, Jeremy a trillion times too, which I think he appreciated? I’ll have to ask him. Although, I guarantee if I mention the name Mephiskapheles, he’ll immediately be taken back to that moment in time. Although be careful not to say the name Mephiskapheles three times consecutively as I assume you’ll conjure a pork pie hat wearing, trumpet playing demon who will keep asking you to “pick it up, pick it up” and you won’t know exactly what you’re supposed to pick up, but you better figure it out because he’s not stopping!
There’s definitely a punk tinge to the aforementioned skampilation record, which I think is what also drew me in. Rancid was one of my favorite bands back then and they knew how to toe that line between ska and punk. In fact, their MTV hit, “Time Bomb” is very much a ska song. But there was no mistaking them for the Bosstones, who played it a little more closely to the well-dressed British 2 Tone bands than the snarling Clash punk edge that Rancid exhibited.
It was bizarre how popular and culturally engrained ska was there for a bit. Maybe it was just still that time where record labels were trying to throw everything that seemed “alternative” at the wall to see what stuck. Ska was big in skater culture, which by this time was starting to gain a bit of mainstream attention when it came to style, so there was money to be made.
And I’ve often wondered if it wasn’t a bit of a reaction to the heavy and dark grunge sound of the early part of the decade. When I saw the Bosstones back in 1995, it hadn’t been that long ago that Kurt Cobain left this world by suicide, which put an emphatic, tragic end to the grunge era. Maybe we needed upbeat, danceable music with horn sections and bands who have members who are specifically there just to skank and nothing else. Goofy at times? Maybe. Fun? Oh most definitely. It just might have been a bit of a balm for weary music fans too.
But ska’s moment in the sun wouldn’t last long. It retreated back to the underground before the new century even started. The Bosstones kept playing music for many years and only broke up within the past handful of years. As far as I know, a lot of bands like Fishbone and Bouncing Souls are still out touring to fans who still can’t get enough of the beat. Rancid is still around…though less ska than they once were. No Doubt just reunited too, but they were always more of a pop band, but still, I wonder if they’re ever tempted to delve back into their skankin’ roots?
Did I tire of it? Yes and no. Yes, in that my interest started going more into the areas of jazz, punk rock, hip hop, and classic country by the late ‘90s/early 2000s. But no, in that I came to fall in love with the 2 Tone era bands like The Specials, which led me back further to the Jamaican originators like Desmond Dekker and Toots and the Maytalls.
But I think I’m back in a point in my life where maybe a touch of nostalgia is leading me back to re-listen to some of the ‘90s stuff. I’ll probably have to throw on Oi!/Skampilation album at some point in the near future as well. My aging joints don’t love the idea of skankin’, but I think the ska bug is never truly out of your system once it finds its way in. Maybe it lies dormant for awhile, but there’s just something about it that has stuck with me, even 30 years later.
What is that “just something”? I really don’t know. I’ve always liked music with horns, as a former trombone player myself. That’s probably part of it. The groove is, dare I use the infection analogy again? It’s infectious! Seems a little like lazy writing, but it’s also pretty apt as far as descriptions go.
Ska isn’t one thing, though. A lot of it is actually quite political. A lot of it decries injustice and racism. Some of it’s just fun stuff you’re supposed to skateboard to, but my point is, it’s got quite a bit of depth too. Just listen to Desmond Dekker and you’ll understand. Joe Strummer did.
And will it come back? Will there be a Fourth Wave ska movement? I doubt it. But I will say that when I was at a Jeff Rosenstock concert last week, there was definitely a ska song and definitely some skankin’ happening, so who knows, maybe the kids are into it and I just don’t know. But I can’t imagine it’ll ever be like it was back in the ‘90s—on tv, in movies, in commercials…everywhere.
Ska and popularity always seemed to have an uneasy relationship anyhow. Maybe anything popular in the ‘90s was a little self-conscious about popularity and what that meant? It was a self-conscious time. Being authentic meant everything. Being too earnest or too eager could lose you points with your fan base. And you had to stay true to that base, no matter what.
And I think that’s what longevity is all about, though. Some people will never stray from ska and the bands tend to know that they’ve earned years of loyalty and don’t take it lightly. They’re true to this base and the base keeps them out on the road. It’s a beautiful symbiotic relationship that takes time and effort to cultivate, but makes for career length stays in music, even if your genre is nowhere to be found on the charts anymore.
In short, ‘90s ska might be a minor blurb in the history of popular music, but it still lives on like any sub-genre that connects with people who never stop needing all the things that it gives them—Horns? Dancing? Grooves? Punny band names? Statements about fun? Statements about political issues? Oi! and Pick it up? If you know, you know!
That’s the impression that I get.
A reference, of course, to the song “The Impression That I Get”, which sat at the apex of the ska scare of the ‘90s. Mostly it’s a song about a guy who doesn’t knock on wood, but knows someone who has, so he thinks, “Hmm…maybe I should”. But he’s glad he hasn’t. Because it’s not good. And that’s what he thinks. In the weirdness that was ‘90s alt-rock and mainstream music, the song actually charted at #46 on the Billboard Hot 100. That slot is currently occupied by “Paint the Town Red” by Doja Cat. But you’d expect that. Back then, who the hell knows what was going on!
Oi, oi. The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones are the one and only Ska band I remember. Still, you kept me reading, Andy. One question, though, are you sure Jeremy appreciated your efforts to brainwash, or, educate him, to the subtleties of Ska? Lol
Kurt went to the Supernova International Ska Fest last fall and had the greatest time. I'm gonna make sure he reads this one!