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FROM THE SKAULT - The Eichlerverse
128 Plays9 days ago
For the month of May, Checkered Past is releasing compilations of past episodes From The Skault!
Fourth week in and we are giving a true time capsule of CPSC! We compile all 4 episodes featuring fan favorite guest and HyperSka Superstar, Eichlers! It may start innocently enough but the bits, chaos and surprises ramp up episode to episode!
Includes:
No Doubt
Sublime
Sugar Ray
Mest
Don't miss the epic 4 year Anniversary episode coming out June 3rd, 2025!
Hosts: Celine, Rob and Joey
Engineer: Joey
Editor: Cutman
Theme Song: OAO by Mad Bomber Society
Skassociate Producer: Chris Reeves of Ska Punk International
Special Thanks: Keelan, Mega Michi and Adam the Ska Mailman
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to Checkered Past
00:00:00
Speaker
What up Checkerheads, Checkered Rob here, letting you know a little bit about today's episode. As I told you on the previous episode, this month of May 2025, we're going to be playing compilation episodes of a bunch of different episodes we've released over the years.
00:00:15
Speaker
Last week, we did all of the Jigsca episodes. And then today, what I have in store for you is a compilation of one of our all-time favorite guests, Eichlers, if you don't know who Eichlers is, he is the hyper-ska, hyper-pop aficionado from ah the Bay Area in California and has appeared on a lot of cool stuff, um not the least of which is the most recent Omnigon record.
00:00:40
Speaker
ah You can see him on tour here and there. Eichlers is a great friend of ours, has been a mutual follower on our socials since the very beginning of our days. ah He has been on the show every solitary year around October, November.
00:00:54
Speaker
um And usually the episode is some kind of bit. So it starts off innocently enough when we talked about No Doubt, and then it just kind of progresses ah to get crazier and crazier each year.
00:01:07
Speaker
So settle in. These are four years worth of Eichler's episodes, and it's starting now.
Meet the Hosts: Rob and Celine
00:01:20
Speaker
On this episode, all the boys get the girls in the back. There cannot be any uncertainty as we delve into the diamond-selling artists that caused a wave, or three. No doubt, on Checkered Past, the SCODcast.
00:01:56
Speaker
What up Checkerheads? Welcome to Checkered Past, the SCODcast with Celine and Rob. The show where a Scandolph and a Frodo Skankins explore the history and impact of a different band each episode and hope to bring in new fans along the way. Scandolph. I'm... Oh, Scandolph is good.
00:02:12
Speaker
Ah, whatever. I'm Rob and this is my sister and co-host, Celine. Hi. you Hi. Hi. What's going on, Celine? Oh, you know just surviving. Not thriving, but surviving. How about you?
Adventures and Anecdotes: Pub Crawl Stories
00:02:26
Speaker
Well, let's pick it up Where We Left Off.
00:02:29
Speaker
Pick it up, pick it up. Where we left off. Pick it up, pick it up. Where we left off. Good times. ah Well, since the last time we recorded, we did the annual checkered past, what do want to call it, pub crawl, Golden Mile. Sure. Where we try to do 10 bars A pub crawl.
00:02:49
Speaker
We do 10 bars in 12 hours or something like that. um We made it a grand total of eight. I didn't think. made seven. Yeah, i think you bowed out. Because I came late.
00:03:00
Speaker
So it's rad. If anybody is curious to see 10 seconds of ah me drinking beers on TikTok, it's not worth it. So that whole thing was fine. And I know we bowed out early because, you know, we're in our 30s and 10 bars is really difficult. And pandemics. Yeah, I was into... We're trying to hit all the patios at a distance we could.
00:03:19
Speaker
It was getting to a point where we're running low on patios and high on what I would think of are infectious humans. Yeah. No, I wasn't having any of that. No. There was, i do have a story to tell about us trying to get home. Because this is funny, because on on a recent episode, you talked about your ah co-worker getting into a scooter accident. Passing away on a scooter. I mean not dead. I guess if so, my co-worker's not dead.
00:03:44
Speaker
But she really hurt herself. She got fucked up by a scooter. And so we heard your story and then we decided after eight beers to scooter home. So we have Lime and Bird here in Edmonton. And Ariane is a big, my wife is a big Lime fan and has bunch of credits all set up.
00:04:04
Speaker
We're walking around White Avenue, which is like the cool hip part of town. And she finds two scooters after us walking around for 15 minutes or something like that and seeing at least two people fall down. but um One guy fell down on the sidewalk in front of a paddy wagon.
00:04:21
Speaker
And the cop came out and was just like... yeah Like, why? What? Like, what are And the guy's like, no, I'm okay. I'm okay. And he's like, I just saw you fall down in front of me. Like, what do you think I'm going to do about this?
00:04:33
Speaker
um But then the the scooter wouldn't work for some reason, the ones that Arianne found. And she put in, like, $50, I feel like. Maybe less than that. But, like, $30 to try to get us to go home. That's a lot of scoot money. And it didn't
Celine's Life Updates: Salon and Solo Travel
00:04:47
Speaker
work.
00:04:48
Speaker
That's insane. And it sucked. And so we decided we're going to go head over and do bird scooters, which were nearby. And so I put money in on the Bird app and then we started scootering around. i thought the Bird app was Twitter.
00:05:02
Speaker
Yeah. So I put a bunch of money on Twitter. a Funny thing, the scooters didn't start working. Yeah. But then I found this other app that was called that was called Bird. i was like, ah, that's the one. And we start scootering and everything is great and I'm not dying. um which Is it fun?
00:05:17
Speaker
No, it's terrifying. oh did you say wee-ee-ee? I did, but I was also like, whoa. like, whee. And then I was like, whoa. But the thing is, is that it only works on White Avenue. And we were on a block off of White Avenue because we didn't want to be like in the middle of people.
00:05:34
Speaker
And it immediately stopped scootering. Like if you're off the map of where it goes. Like a hard stop? No, it just like starts shutting off. And so you're just like like drifting and you can't do anything. like Tokyo? Tokyo.
00:05:45
Speaker
Yeah, like a lot of that drifting. Yeah. Like in Tokyo, where I've been and drifted. ah And so we just abandoned our scooters there and walked home.
00:05:56
Speaker
ah So the moral of the story is... Fuck scooters. Well, it's the little bit. have because Engineer Joey, oddly enough, was the one who inspired us because he scooted into the Golden Mile.
00:06:08
Speaker
Just like scooted right up. Yeah, but Engineer Joey doesn't value you his life. He also like kick flipped off of it, I think. i Definitely not. Yeah. Don't give him that much credit. Anyway, so that was that's the part of that night that I don't love.
00:06:24
Speaker
Anyway, Celine,
Eichlers Joins the Podcast
00:06:26
Speaker
how about your side? um say Yeah. So I have lots of life news. We signed an offer to lease on a new space for our salon. hand clap emoji yeah in hoping that like it's in this like little fancy area that's supposed to look like an amsterdam and it's across the street from a cemetery manchester square yeah manchester square so yeah it's horrifying i'm gonna be so in debt but you know we'll see how it goes i'm sure it'll be fine when do you start
00:06:59
Speaker
Well, do we have like three months of oh my it's so boring. We have like three months of no rent right now. So it'll take about six to eight weeks for the contract stuff to be done. So then we have to get going in about four to six weeks. Holy shit, that's coming up. Yes, but we're waiting for our funding to come in because my co-owner is Métis. So we have some grants and loans um for our Métis-owned business.
00:07:22
Speaker
So yeah, it'll be sweet. And it's government money, not band money. yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Of course. that's Don't have to feel guilty taking it from others. I know. Who deserve it? But anyways, um I'm also, my friend Maz introduced me to a band, Maniskin, the Eurovision winners.
00:07:39
Speaker
And they're the pride of Italy right now. And they're very good. I'm really excited about that. um It's a little cheesy, but I don't fucking care. I love me some cheesy rock and roll. So check out Maniskin. I don't think they need, they won Eurovision. I'm like, check out this band Maniskin.
00:07:54
Speaker
um I hired an apprentice at work, my friend Cody. So I'm delegating tasks. um I booked a solo trip to the Nordic Spa.
00:08:07
Speaker
by myself that I'm very excited about. is in Banff? Kananaskis. Kananaskis. Yeah, so it's like an outdoor pool and massage because I've been <unk>re all sad. There's a lot going on in the world. It's a real bummer of a world, real dumpster fire.
00:08:21
Speaker
Women and don't have autonomy over their bodies. The Taliban has taken over Afghanistan and we seem to be real chill about it. There's like several genocides. Anyways, yeah, it's like a bummer of a time, man.
00:08:36
Speaker
i took I noticed that you didn't invite me to the Nordic Spa. I'm not saying that I'm sad about it. but Are you working Monday and Tuesday? There is two queen beds. No, I'm working. Yeah. yeah
00:08:47
Speaker
Still, I like to be asked. i Would you like to come to the Nordic Spa? No, I'm busy. ah but Okay, fuck you. good and bad. Lots of good, lots of bad.
00:08:58
Speaker
Isn't that the duality of life? Yin and yang, you know? That's as good a time as any to introduce our guest. We are thrilled as shit to introduce. They're the singer, songwriter, and hyper ska superstar whose new single Two of Us is streaming everywhere right now.
00:09:14
Speaker
Ike Lurs is here. Hi, Ike. Hi. hi hi what's going on how are things things are good is fucking beautiful here in california today oh my god where in cali are you i'm in the bay area the bay area of about 20 minutes east of san francisco that's cool i've been to san francisco Yeah, it's the the best place. i lived I lived in Salt Lake City for the past five years after like growing up here and just being back. I've been back for like seven months or so. Oh, right. And just like within the first couple of weeks, I was like, man, why did I ever leave? This place is great.
00:09:52
Speaker
but Why were you in Salt Lake City? ah So much cheaper. Yeah, I can only imagine. I'm really into um the Real Housewives of Salt Lake City, so it looks a lot like Canada. Salt Lake City?
00:10:05
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, Utah is a little bit like, well, like here. Yeah, Edmonton-esque, Alberta-esque. yeah um mountains and shit there's like mountains and shit yeah well because colorado looks exactly exactly like exactly like alberta yeah it's where it's ridiculous except for like the high elevation we're like middle elevation but yeah ed california seems pretty idyllic it seems yeah it's very nice rules but you'll be underwater soon haha Joke's on you.
00:10:37
Speaker
Joke's on you. We're nowhere near water. we're just in minus 40. So sad. ah it'll go down to minus 30 because of climate change anyway. Oh, yeah. So that'll be nice.
00:10:48
Speaker
ah So that'll be nice. That'll be nice. So let's talk ska. That's why we're here. That's why you're here. So talk to me. When did you first hear about ska music? What got you into it?
Eichlers' Musical Roots
00:11:00
Speaker
So i feel I feel like super fortunate. my um My parents got me into ska. That's i remember I remember being child in the car with my dad, and we were listening to the radio. i don't remember what station, but some radio station was playing Our House by Madness. And I was like, what's this? And my dad's like, oh, it's madness. And then like I think the next day or like pretty soon thereafter, he bought me the Ultimate Madness like compilation CD.
00:11:30
Speaker
And I just listened to that shit nonstop. That's sweet. That's a good first out freaking ska intro. Right? Yeah. And then like my mom got wind of that and she's like, oh, you like ska? And my mom like historically is a huge fan of ska and reggae. And she's like, check out the specials, check out the English beat and just like got me super into two-tone.
00:11:47
Speaker
That's amazing. Yeah. And so, and then like soon thereafter I got into punk and then obviously discovered third wave shit. And then I remember, I remember like seeing that Jim Carrey movie, Fun with Dick and Jane. Yeah. theater Like with my family, we had this tradition where we'd go see a movie like on Christmas Eve every year. And I think that was one of them one year. And Time Bomb by Rancid is in that movie.
00:12:12
Speaker
Oh, yeah. And I was like, yo, what song is this? My mom's like, oh, no, it sounds like the specials.
00:12:19
Speaker
She's like, good thing it's one of these specials. And then, yeah, I eventually found that song and then just dove the fuck in. You done doved in. it's done doved in. You done doved.
00:12:31
Speaker
That's like the third time. I think parents are like the number one source of two-tone music. Like so many people we've talked to are just like, my parents into two. Skate, video games are the number one third wave. Oh, yeah. so it's either it's either Tony Hawk Pro Skater or or my parents had Madness Records. Yeah.
00:12:49
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. That, that, that tracks. Except for the the Tony Hawk thing. I like, I never played the first one. So I got to Superman just through like getting into real big fish and writing that proverbial third wave.
00:13:02
Speaker
And then I found out it it was in Tony Hawk. So I i just, that nostalgia completely missed me. You're talking about if I go crazy now, will you still call me Superman? Three doors down is my favorite Scottie. How'd you know? Yeah.
00:13:18
Speaker
Except they're fucked because they played some fucking Trump. I think they played a Trump nomination. No! Three doors down! Three thumbs down. Three thumbs down. three One, two, three. three That's some high quality checkered past shit right now. Three doors down. You know, i don't i feel like like this is a tangent, but...
00:13:42
Speaker
do you feel like all those like post grunge bands that were like like here in canada like we had so many because nickelbacks from alberta do you guys call them butt rock there too no so know like will yeah yeah but we just call them good music no way so bye hannah alberta is a like an hour and a half away from here and that's where nickelbacks from so you can see it in the music video photograph Is it in one of the photographs? I think so. Oh, that's some cred.
00:14:17
Speaker
I don't know if that's the kind of cred you want, but it's what you got. But we have so many of those bands, like Theory of a Dead Man, Default, Our Lady Peace. They're all from Canada. and i don't get it. All good. They're all good. Every single one of them. just We're talking about straight bangers? Man, hit son hits on hits on hits. Starseed?
00:14:33
Speaker
Okay, shut up. I like OLP, okay? No way. Nickelback isn't good, but Our Lady Peace is sweet. Not the new stuff. I've never listened to that band, but every time I hear someone talk about Canadian music, they come up.
00:14:46
Speaker
but So lady I assume they're a gigantic deal. Rain Maida a beautiful man. yeah we're also like, under just he's like the, uh, Oh fuck. I was going to say, whoever, what's the Weezer guy? Rivers Como. He's the Rivers Como of Canada.
00:15:00
Speaker
I don't know about that. Oh, okay. yeah Perfect reaction. So how about live ska music? What was the first show you've ever gone and seen?
00:15:12
Speaker
first show or the first concert? yeah Dealer's choice. okay ah Let's go with the first show because i don't even know why asked that because i don't remember the first concert I saw. Joke's on me. i have a terrible memory, full disclosure.
00:15:24
Speaker
but Same here. Y'all going to be getting a lot of,
00:15:30
Speaker
uh. The first show I went to was um this, I was in high school. it was It was a ska show. It was at this place called Red House in Walnut Creek, California.
00:15:41
Speaker
where I grew up, famously where the story so far is from. Okay. And I saw this band who went to my high school, or I was in middle school. I think they were like freshmen in high school. They were called Playground Authority.
00:15:55
Speaker
Awesome. Straight up like real big fish worship. Yeah, of course. they had They had this one song, The Girl with the Checkerboard Shoes. That's cute. Yeah. the songs write themselves yeah yeah i went to see them play and they played with a band called a class act this band called osh core i think osh core they were kind of more i don't want to say like crack rock steady but definitely a little more ska core than like real big fish okay all right and osh core sounds like a baby's band Yeah, Oshkor Begorskor. So, yeah, like, that's what that's what I thought, too. But there's, like, a hardware store out here called Orchard Supply Hardware. Oh, my God.
00:16:35
Speaker
So these fools would wear, like, Orchard Supply Hardware hats and play Scott Kordies. That's funny, actually. That's quite funny. Yeah, it was it was it was something, for sure. um They were sick, though. And then I think the main the main person from that band, like, went on to be in a bunch of like, very sick hardcore bands. Sweet.
00:16:51
Speaker
Was it a good show? It It was awesome. Did you have a nice time? i I skanked a ton. Did you skank? Yes. I did skank, me and a bunch of my friends from, yeah, around that time. And that was the first time I ever heard of Skank and Pickle, too.
00:17:06
Speaker
Because one of the keyboardists from a class act was wearing a Skank and Pickle shirt. And I was like, what the fuck is Skank and
00:17:15
Speaker
And they're from that area. yeah Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. They're from about an hour south of where I grew up. Oh, yeah. um And yeah, now and Pickle is my favorite third wave band. and I'm very good friends with Mike.
00:17:29
Speaker
That's awesome. Yeah. that's That was my first show. It was great. It all comes around full circle, hey? So what's the best show you've ever seen then? If we're going to flip the script on that one. Ska show? or Yeah. Or just best show? oh Oh, yeah. Either one.
Concert Experiences and Influences
00:17:43
Speaker
let's do Let's do best show. I still think about this. This like two years ago. um Brockhampton and 100 Gex touring together was just like, i can't believe that happened.
00:17:55
Speaker
I saw them in Salt Lake City and I've just been a gigantic Brockhampton fan for years, for like the last four years now. And then 100 Gex, obviously big fan. And just to this day, just even even now, just can't believe that that actually happened. And I got to like experience 100 as big as they are now then.
00:18:15
Speaker
No, they were they were the opening band. Crazy, because they're huge now. Yeah, they're gigantic. Kids love them. So, yeah, I feel... I've tried to listen to 100 Gex. feel too old.
00:18:27
Speaker
I feel too old. That's funny, because you... I like Hyperpop. But 100 doesn't do it. I like Dorian Electra and, like, Charlie XCX, but... I love Charlie. I love Charlie so much, actually. Yeah, Charlie does.
00:18:42
Speaker
Yeah, so I do... It's not that I don't like Hyperpop, but... hundred 100 Gex is a toughie for me, but i'm I'm open. I'm on the i'm on the other end. 100 Gex is the only one I think dig. Yeah, because tried to show Rob Dorian Electra. i was not into it. And Rob was like, I get it. But 100 Gex is rules, yeah.
00:18:59
Speaker
Yeah, i'm i'm kind of I'm kind of there with you, Rob. I like but like i mean, like I love other hyper-pop artists, but course in terms of Dorian Electra, like everything I've heard is like, this is cool. I just never want to listen to it. What?
00:19:11
Speaker
i I'm super, like, I'm always very, like, aesthetically charged. So i just, like, love them as a human. And they're very trolly. They've got a whole look and a whole lot. yeah. They're incredible. So I just like them as a human. I wish I had that confidence to, like, just go for it.
00:19:28
Speaker
oh totally gender fuck the world you brought up 100 gex which is of course we're just talked about it but like stupid horse sounds a lot like a catalyst point in terms of like a song that really influenced you like am i going off am i am i wrong in that just like it's it really yes i'm wrong okay yeah um that's good it's just yeah like i see the parallel right and so i just wonder how how like 100 gex has influenced you i guess Yeah, I mean, honestly, most other 100 Geck songs that aren't that song. but Really? That's wild. don't really listen to that record very much. I listen i have like SoundCloud rips of all their like live Minecraft sets that they've done oh yeah over the years, and those are way more influential. Oh, yeah. That's awesome.
00:20:17
Speaker
Their production is so fucking silly. Yeah. Just from from like a yeah, just a production standpoint, the things that they do, like making the music just vocals aside, it's so goofy and just like they they don't fucking care. No, I respect that. Like, I expect the trolliness of like, they're just like, i don't know, this is fucking we're doing this.
00:20:38
Speaker
Yeah, like they did. They want like my my probably my favorite track of theirs is a remix of Halsey's Without Me. But all the like drum sounds are fucking banjo kazooie sound of that That's funny. That's amazing. That is funny. Genius.
00:20:54
Speaker
They're so smart and goofy. They seem like academically goofy. So if you were like, so how would you recommend people like get into them? Because like there's, it's just like, just massive in terms of like output in terms of like all the stuff they have out there.
00:21:10
Speaker
Like, where did you start? Yeah, I, I, I got into them early. late 2018 maybe before before the LP came out I would I have this really good friend in Salt Lake their name is Val ah we played music together they were in we're in the same band for a while same two bands here and there um and they like I don't know how they found 100 Gex but they put me and the rest of our friend group onto the the EP and we we all got really into oh my god what's oh what's holy shit I can't I can't remember what like the fuck
00:21:45
Speaker
ah and Anyway. that like This is like talking to myself. This is like talking to Robin Slim on Checkered Past. Yeah. Give as good a memory as I do. Oh, my God. I have to look this shit up.
00:21:57
Speaker
and yeah This is going to drive me crazy. Yeah. But yeah. Here we go.
00:22:03
Speaker
Bloodstains. There we go. Good Lord. yeah that That song is was just like next level. i was like, whoa, this is amazing. Sweet. And then just like kind of kept an eye on them. I got really into Laura's solo shit. Never really liked Dylan's solo stuff very much, but huge fan of anything Laura touches.
00:22:22
Speaker
They also look and cool. but That's how I like i looked into them because i was like, who are these people? They look cool. Okay, so yeah, as somebody who's like a little hesitant and feels old listening to them, what song would you or a couple songs would you recommend like ah a newbie to like kind of get into it? Like what's a good like entrance point for an oldie like me?
00:22:44
Speaker
I think, I think a hundred decibel cloud k is good. k That song's just great. It's got like the tappy emo guitar. Yeah. Yeah. It's got the big bass. It's got screaming emo guitar and screaming. Yeah. but I like that. It's perfect. And, uh,
00:23:01
Speaker
gek to you the last song in the record's really good it's just geted it's all i like it's all hook i'm gonna give it a really good shot yeah you have sold me so you you may brought up that thing with the emo guitar i watched your video that you did on the new single where you showed the guitar you were playing i'm not gonna lie i was actually like super impressed because i actually thought you sampled in your music i didn't realize you a lot of my stuff live which is so rad Yeah, I'm like guitar player first and foremost.
00:23:27
Speaker
So it's definitely like fun to sample, but i it's it's a little too limiting just because I, you know, sometimes I can't get, I can't make the things that I want with just samples. Of course. So it's it's easier if I just play it myself. That's so cool. um you should tell the Insane Clown Posse that.
00:23:45
Speaker
I don't want to tell those guys anything. Except keep doing what you're doing, guys. You're doing amazing. Love you both. Violent Juggle loads of respect for them.
00:23:57
Speaker
Juggle loads of respect? You just like talked over an amazing pun. I'm so sorry. What'd you say? You said juggle loads of respect. Okay, that is good. He took a sip of his copy. Juggle loads of respect. well that's like Yeah, anyway.
00:24:11
Speaker
Um... ah ah So what kind of emo music were you into that kind of influenced you?
Inspirations from Japanese Music
00:24:19
Speaker
um Maybe. Oh, God, this is going to sound so fucking pretentious.
00:24:23
Speaker
um Like the inspiration that I take in terms of like writing emo guitar comes from this Japanese ah post rock, maybe. Sure. Band called Jocho.
00:24:34
Speaker
Okay. They're just absolutely beautiful kind of math rock. Okay. They have a flute player and just the the guitarist, Daijito, is like incredible, but never just like noodling for the sake of like guitar masturbation. It's always super melodic and just, oh, band is just insane. Just, I put on any other songs, Goosebumps, four and a half minutes. Sorry, what was the band again?
00:25:02
Speaker
Jocho. Jocho. Yeah, J-Y-O-C-H-O. They're incredible. They're so good. And that doesn't sound pretentious at all. That just sounds cool. Oh, yeah. No, you're just good. Yeah, not at all.
00:25:12
Speaker
Thank you. It's just, you know, you're influenced by whatever you're influenced by, right? Yeah. Yeah. No, that's amazing. There's a band from Japan. I'm actually Googling it right now. um That was like a a black metal avant-garde band that had a saxophone.
00:25:28
Speaker
but the fuck were they called sigh that's the name of the band sigh they're rad similar kind of idea where it's not like very noodley that's korea that is korea oh sigh ah okay gotcha it's because sigh yeah i got it nicely done i wonder if i play saxophone i hope so do you think i like ska I'm so fucking lutely. silent We should get, we should get, do they like ska on this right now? yeah I'm going I'm going to message Jake and just be like, yo, do it. Say we're are up. We're live recording. We need to know while we record. I don't know what time it is in Korea. Maybe, maybe size management teams size gigantic. If you're listening, sorry if you're listening, oh yeah. so if you're listening Shout out big fan shadow big fan. I love gentlemen.
00:26:18
Speaker
I like you and that pencil little apple guy. um So and I guess the last question I have is then what's what's exciting you about the new ska that's coming
The New Ska Scene
00:26:30
Speaker
up right now? Like all the new tone artists and all this crazy stuff that's been happening in ska over the last 12 months and you're a big part of it.
00:26:38
Speaker
like what's What's exciting you about this new wave that's coming up? Not wave, but... Emerging artists. The community aspect for sure. Everyone is so fucking supportive. Except on Reddit. this fucking Fuck Reddit. I know, right? Everyone else but Twitter, Instagram, everything. Yeah, Ska Reddit and Ska Facebook.
00:26:55
Speaker
Ska Facebook? Is it bad too? Three thumbs down. I haven't even tried. Three thumbs down. Three thumbs down. I love it so much. But yeah, so the community, yeah. Yeah, the community aspect is so cool.
00:27:07
Speaker
That's awesome. i was I was talking to my friend Chris this morning. Chris from Scott Punk International. Who was recently on the podcast. Ooh, okay. Yeah, we got him on the pod. I love Chris. We love Chris too.
00:27:17
Speaker
yeah He did Tokyo Scott Paradise Orchestra. Of course he did. That fool loves that. Yeah, he was awesome. Yeah, he was really great to talk to. That rules. and yeah Yeah, Chris and I were talking this morning just about the new tone scene because I got wind of someone like talking talking shit about it. It's just like but such a waste of energy because this they were just like up in arms. They're like, new tone, it's just third wave. I think they were thinking about it just like from a musical aspect. It's just ska punk. It's like...
00:27:45
Speaker
Okay, sure, maybe, but even then, it's not it's not about like the pure like sound of the music. It's about you know the political mindset and supporting LGBTQ folks and standing up for issues like social issues and social change that we believe in, as well as kind of pushing like the boundaries of ska music and what you can do with that.
00:28:07
Speaker
And also just being supportive and positive for people who are like you and who are also like-minded on those issues and stuff. And like not, I think it's like just breaking down. i feel like just that, just Gen Z and millennials are just breaking down a lot of like gatekeeping things that have existed in the genre for so long. Like no women, like no queer, no femme, whatever, no no BIPOC people. And then just like, it has to sound like this. I feel like a lot of the new bands that we talk about all the time, like We Are the Union, Cat Bite, Flying Raccoon Suit, et cetera, what you're doing, like it's just kind of...
00:28:41
Speaker
In a nice way, kind of saying, like, fuck you to all the, like, gatekeepy, you know, I don't know. It's nice. Totally. The het, cis, white dude, because I feel like that, which is, the interesting because obviously it had Jamaican origins, but yeah, a lot of white dudes.
00:28:56
Speaker
It's an embracing of Manu Chow's Pachanka, which I've talked about on the pod before, which is about, like... you know, bringing all your influences together. Right. And so it's not just about like purity of the sound, which I think is when we talk about the gatekeepy side of like third wave fans, it's like, they want it to sound third wave, not, know and not remembering that like band, like skank and pickle was like infusing funk music or, yeah or fucking fishbone. I've listened to almost nothing until I started mainlining. No doubt. A couple days ago, we got our fishbone in every episode of fishbone comes up. good I hate
00:29:33
Speaker
slain hates fishbone yeah i historically just like fishbone it's been it's too it's too look at me ah look at me look at what i'm doing and they should be looked at because they fucking rock yeah oh my god i'm not boning in any boneyard i keep telling you i love you gotta bone in the bone yard i'm gonna bone in the bone yard it's on e.t come on Oh my god. Yeah. The EP gets brought up. Truth and Soul. I know Witch Police when he was on the pod was like furious.
00:30:03
Speaker
yeah And so many people are just like. yeah I think Slim is like trying to see how many enemies she can make by shit-talking. Yeah, I also hate musicians. It's like canonical on the pod. I don't remember who we were. Oh no, I just said something where was just like, ah like musicians. and So now it's. Same now. It's canon.
00:30:25
Speaker
So now it's canon. That's a good as good a time as any to to take a break here. But before we do that, this is the most important thing. We have to play a little game for Selene called Guess That Horn Section. actually don't know. There are way too long.
00:30:43
Speaker
She actually knows we know. Guess that horn. Selene, believe it or not, no doubt had a horn section. Like a a steady one?
00:30:54
Speaker
For the first two records they did. Like the same on the horns? one? A rock steady. one Hey, baby. Am I right? ah So go ahead. How many horns are in the band? Two. No doubt.
00:31:08
Speaker
and Three? Yep.
00:31:13
Speaker
Keep going. Trumpet. Yes. Trombone. Yes. Saxophone. Bam. When in doubt. When in doubt. One of each. when When in no doubt. When in no doubt. Trumpet, trombone, saxophone.
00:31:27
Speaker
The standard horn section. And it was... James Trombone on the trombone. Yeah. No, I don't need to figure out their names.
00:31:38
Speaker
It would be awesome if you had a name that was your interest. like Microphone podcast host on the saxophone. i'd be If that was my name. Why do I should change my name? Yeah. go from rob to microphone joe yeah my my microphone jones microphone jones it sounds like the worst like it's microphone jones like yeah you'd be like uh who's the guy who did like number one with a bullet it'd be like like um microphone jones giving you the top 40 actually like uh famous like early 2000s rapper mike jones that's his full name jones oh my god yeah who the fuck is mike jones right not really yeah
00:32:15
Speaker
wasn't that what Wasn't that the record? Who the fuck is Mike Jones? or Yeah, that was kind of his thing yeah from what I remember. Microphone Jones. microphone so We may have brought it up on the podcast before, but I have like a soft spot for pen and pixel art, the the the company that did all the Southern rap ah artwork.
00:32:32
Speaker
There's an awesome Vice documentary with the guy who did that, and he did like art for like UGK and stuff like that. oh So if you ever saw like the the artwork that has like,
00:32:43
Speaker
I don't know, like a bear with sunglasses and like gold chains and stuff. Yep. They did all of it. And he did like thousands, thousands of them. And the document. That's so cool. That'd be a good tattoo. He just had like a database full of shit like to Photoshop on. That's it. And they would bring in, they would take like three pictures and you would just Photoshop crazy jewels. And it's amazing.
00:33:07
Speaker
and it's the greatest thing I've ever seen. I may have talked about it on the podcast before with this much hype and excitement. I know. But I encourage everybody. And if I remember what the guy's name. But Pen and Pixel is the name of the the company that did it. They don't exist anymore. but But anyway. rest in Rest in Pixels. Rest in Pixels.
00:33:25
Speaker
R.I.P. Now we're going to take a quick break. And when we return, we're going to enter the time scotching. Woo. Woo. Woo.
00:33:41
Speaker
Welcome back. Now it's time to take the time-scot-sheen to 1986 to explore the checkered past of No Doubt. be Beep, beep, boop.
00:33:52
Speaker
Beep, beep, beep. Beep, boop, beep. y'all heard of this band before? That's a new one. Yeah, I know. I wanted to do a different sound. Is that good? yeah Thank you so much. and All right. This is the biggest band that I think we've covered so far in terms of like album sales. So I think we all know who this band is, right? No doubt.
00:34:09
Speaker
I don't know. Never heard them. Gwen, Tony, the other two. What? so the Gavin Rosdell, who? ah Yeah. He'll come up. but So the stuff that I used to find out about No Doubt was Wikipedia, my favorite source.
00:34:25
Speaker
um There was a few articles in some Orange County magazines that I pulled. I also found the band's old website from 2009. I've been doing that lately. That's been working out.
00:34:35
Speaker
That's fun. And I watched a VH1 special of No Doubt. That's like a, you know, behind the band or whatever. It's not exactly behind the music, but something similar to that. I encourage everyone to absolutely not watch it. It is extraordinarily boring. And the whole – it's like an oral history, so it's just interviews with the band members. Oh, my God. They do not want to be there for that. No. They do not.
00:34:58
Speaker
Like, they're, like, checking their watch. Not exactly. but What a year was it made? you like two thousand It was a um around Rocksteady. would have been in that era. So like 2001, 2002? Yeah. Around 2002, I think, because it seemed like there were rock stars at that time.
00:35:16
Speaker
um Too cool to be interviewed, man. Yeah. I mean, behind the music. i don't know, man. i don't want to talk about my music. The music speaks for itself, man. You know. Yeah. Fucking musicians.
00:35:29
Speaker
but they But, you know, they got some tidbits about all the drama, the very public drama that goes in their life. So we're probably not going to surprise too many people and when we talk about it. But for the sake of argument, let's take the time, Scotchene, 86, when high school student Eric Stefani was working at Dairy Queen.
No Doubt's Formation and Challenges
00:35:50
Speaker
DQ?
00:35:51
Speaker
Anaheim, California. And where he was working there, he met with and John Spence and decided to form a band based on Madness, which is his favorite band. And he introduced them to his sister Gwen, who decided to join the band as a singer.
00:36:07
Speaker
So at this time, when they start the band No Doubt, that's what it's called, because I guess John Spence's favorite saying was No Doubt. ah Literally, that's it. Fair.
00:36:17
Speaker
That is that's very SoCal. Yeah. Yeah. A hundred percent. I was just like, oh, it tracks. Yeah. No doubt. So they decide to form this band heavily based in two-tone ska and they have a gigantic member list. We're talking like early big D sized. Gigantic member. Yeah.
00:36:37
Speaker
um in clarking Sounds like my honeymoon. Nice. sounds like my honey Sounds like my honeymoon. Gigantic member. Go on. We didn't stop. That's perfect. So nice. Got him.
00:36:50
Speaker
So good. Got him. Got him. Got him. So some members include future Starpool vocalist Alan Mead. You know how much I love Starpool. Oh, my God. We were so mean to them on our first episode. um Gwen's later boyfriend, Tony, ah it was on the base.
00:37:09
Speaker
And the group would culminate in a blockbuster show at the high school graduation in 1987. That was apparently so crazy that the cops came because people were rioting and skanking.
00:37:21
Speaker
I don't know if that's true. That sounds like urban legend type of thing. ah Suburban legend. I just have a hard hard with how the band sounded back then. I have a hard time believing that.
00:37:37
Speaker
um Yeah. You and me both. That's just them hyping it up. Yeah. They were rioting and skanking is not anything I've ever heard. Also. Yeah. Cause you're just.
00:37:49
Speaker
i It's the eighties, man. Yeah. 1987 have been in the year I was born, so what do I know? Nothing. And Tony and Gwen's relationship would start around this time, and it was salacious because you weren't allowed to date band members or something.
00:38:05
Speaker
they they They said that a couple of times. I don't know if i believe it. ah Tragedy would befall, though. This is kind of the dark part of the band's history. John Spence would famously and ah unfortunately commit suicide in December of 1987. I didn't know that. Yeah, right before they were going to play a huge show at the Fender Ballroom. Damn.
00:38:26
Speaker
So at this time, they had two they would do a two-singer thing. So would be like female-male vocal. And do the trade-off. So Gwen was the sort of secondary singer at this point in their career.
00:38:37
Speaker
Then that Alan Mead guy who would be in Starpool later would step in for a bit and then eventually he would just leave. And then Gwen was there full time. So the road obviously the suicide affected the band quite a bit. They broke up for a period of time, but then got back together because they said that's what John would want them to do. wrong So whether that's true or not, or they just really wanted... I mean, i probably would keep going. I don't know. it's But that sucks. like um Yeah, I didn't know that happened. I didn't know that was the history. It's one of like...
00:39:07
Speaker
Two really famous pieces of history about no Doubt's early years. The other being that, not to tip my hat, Eric Stefani would go on to animate for The Simpsons. Ow.
00:39:17
Speaker
That was your hat tipping into my eye. Oh, yeah.
00:39:22
Speaker
There was no... i want everybody who's listening... There's no visual component to this. I... Celine did no mime work. No. That's really lazy. That's like really hardcore improv work there. Just said ow. Riveting.
00:39:35
Speaker
Riveting. So then the famous the other famous ah members of the band would start joining around this time too. So Tom DeMont would join as the guitarist in 88. He was a hair metal guitarist, ah which makes sense. It is California in the 80s. They said that Warrant was the biggest band at this time.
00:39:53
Speaker
that's She's My Cherry Pie, ah which I believe that song was actually released in the 90s. I think. I want to say that. that was I think that's the end of hair metal is Cherry Pie by Warrant.
00:40:04
Speaker
how do you think How many dancers do you think have stripped to Cherry Pie? Probably a lot. ah Probably Ben Carr from the Boss Tones. Yeah. You think? Yeah. Probably. I got nothing out of that one.
00:40:19
Speaker
Adrian. That's work is real work. Yeah. I'm not. There's no judgment. i I'm just saying he did it. I wanted to pepper it in. Adrian Young, who's the Mohawk drummer guy, would join um around this time, too. Apparently, he called the band um off of the... He found their demo CD, which had their phone number on it, and he just called them and said, ah hey, if you're looking for a drummer, i have eight years of experience.
00:40:43
Speaker
But he only had one year of experience. This is the second or third time we've heard about bands band members lying to the band to get onto their recordings and stuff. so Every time I hear when people do that, I'm like, right, you could just lie.
00:40:58
Speaker
like I haven't tried that before. how are they going to check your reference? Exactly. could just lie Especially in the 80s? Yeah. What are they going to do? call your like Call your high school band? Yeah. Call your parents. and They've been playing drums for eight years. They started last year. why do you want Shut up, mom.
00:41:19
Speaker
oh I'm trying to play in no doubt. like Oh, ruin everything. The horn section would join at this time, too. And then the debut studio recording would come out, which is called Everything's Wrong.
00:41:34
Speaker
which you may or may not have listened to because it's on a moon. definitely do not listen to Yeah, that's fine. It's on a moon compilation called Ska Face. Yeah, had write that one down.
00:41:46
Speaker
So I'm going to share my audio so we can start listening to some sweet tunes. All right. Ooh. Yeah. Spooky It's ganky. Yeah, like, so this actual Ska.
00:42:00
Speaker
I got real Ska. Damn. Damn.
00:42:06
Speaker
Surprising, right? That's good.
00:42:10
Speaker
There's the madness thing. So Eric is playing the keyboards. And he, I will say this, Eric is a rad keyboard player. I really his keyboard playing. Eric Stefani? Yeah.
00:42:22
Speaker
Is Eric Stefani I don't know. You should look it The Ska Daddy meter. Oh, yeah. You should check the Ska Daddy meter. I want to say, this is whose idea was that? Sorry, this is like a tangent. so Somebody on our group thread said Céline should have a Ska Daddy meter.
00:42:38
Speaker
Oh, that was Joey. Thanks, Engineer Joey. This is a professional podcast where we do things like that. yeah So, speaking of Eric, this is what he said on the band's early years.
00:42:49
Speaker
Practices and... Not hot. Not hot? Not hot. No, not hot. He's definitely not. Yeah. He's kind of corny looking. I'd say, like, and i I don't... Well, I don't feel that. He's like a four or five. He's going listen this podcast. raised from Fiverr and Frenzy is our ten.
00:43:04
Speaker
So, we did JFK recently, and he... He apparently said, ah oh she gave me a seven, but I would call myself a five. yeah Or a six. Or a six. was flattered by my seven. Yeah, he was flattered by your seven.
00:43:18
Speaker
and So you never know. It has to do with like your personal thought about yourself, I guess. ah So Eric said that the practices ended with a ritual. Everyone gave $5 to cover the cost of the rented rehearsal hall. If we needed more time than three hours, we first had to decide if we had enough money.
00:43:34
Speaker
So it's weird to say that No Doubt was at a time when they didn't have money for anything, but clearly they they would have. um So then in 1991... They would get a big break. The AR rep for Interscope, which is a new label at this time, his name was Tony Ferguson, would sign the band to a multi-album deal after seeing people stage dive at their shows. Ooh.
00:43:55
Speaker
In an interview, he said... all it takes. Yeah. Apparently, he said he'd gone to dozens of ska shows and never saw anybody stage dive. Like, there was just no excitement for it. Well, now I'm going to go any local ska show and stage dive until they get signed. calling bullshit. Yeah, Ike's calling bullshit. He just didn't see enough, like, fishbone.
00:44:11
Speaker
Didn't see enough fishbone. Honestly, yeah. That's what I'm saying. Or the Untouchables. They played with, no doubt played with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Fishbone, and the Untouchables in the 80s, right? I mean, that makes sense. They're all California bands.
00:44:25
Speaker
Sounds about right. Yeah. um And so they gave... $13,000 is the amount of money they were given to record their debut. So they had enough music. They had a bunch of demos and recorded a few new tracks.
00:44:39
Speaker
But, of course, taste change. And grunge would be taking over the nation in 91. So anything high energy or positive ah basically spelt doom for the band in their first record. And it was an abysmal failure.
00:44:55
Speaker
And everyone everyone wass just too angsty at the time? Yeah. They only sold 30,000 records, which at the time was not a lot. um They recorded a video for the song Trapped in a Box, but MTV rejected it. Whoa. And said, no, we're not playing this.
00:45:12
Speaker
So this is where we're going to have some fun. Yeah. So let's talk about it. No Doubts, self-titled, first record. What are your thoughts? Ike, you're chomping at the bit. Let's hear Chomping at the bit. Okay.
00:45:27
Speaker
i just I just wanted to interject because you said $13,000 was how much they were paid to record their debut. The first record? Yeah. Okay, there's a skank and pickle song called $13,000 is a lot of food.
00:45:41
Speaker
Oh, yeah. And I pulled up the lyrics and it doesn't seem like it has anything to do with it. oh But that is a fucking weird coincidence. Breaking chews. skanking news skanking news skanking news oh my god I was I got so excited there for a second like I just broke cracked the code yeah I was I was super excited too I was like this was a no doubt this the whole time could have been because that would been later right so call was coming from inside the house yes alright the woman the doctor's a woman the doctor's a woman twist
00:46:20
Speaker
You know what? just going to start by playing Trapped in a Box. Why not? and So this was the single. Ike is snapping his finger.
00:46:30
Speaker
I'm skipping. He's not doing anything. He looks so happy right now. He looks like he likes this.
00:46:42
Speaker
This is not my favorite No Doubt song, course, but... You don't like this. You don't like this. There's a definite like circus-iness to early No Doubt.
00:46:52
Speaker
like It does sound fairground-y, which could be from the Madness influence, because Madness was like all English music hall, which had a fairground thing to it. But then they're also tapping this.
00:47:04
Speaker
little swingy, finger-popping business. Just trapped in these books.
00:47:15
Speaker
Anyway, that's trapped in a box. It's not very good. god, it's punishingly bad. Listening to that record for the first time and then going on the Wikipedia page and finding out that like that was the single, I was like, what the fuck? There's some song from this record that's still in their top five on Spotify and I'm worried that it's that one.
00:47:35
Speaker
It could be. No, it's not. Oh, thank fucking god. What was it? Let's see if I have it. it's It's not on there. I swear the last time I looked at their Spotify page, there was something from that on there, but it's not.
00:47:49
Speaker
it Yeah, I was going to pull up there. i was going to do Big Five at the end of episode. might still do it. I might do Big Five just like for fun um because the the YouTube music top five is is hilarious.
00:48:00
Speaker
Yeah, so their influences at this time are very rooted in disco. They keep saying New Wave. No kidding. But i don't I don't hear, like a little bit, because I know Gwen's a big Blondie fan, so I can okay hear the Blondiness a little bit.
00:48:14
Speaker
But I don't get New Wave as much as I get disco, right? Yeah, definitely. But Blondie had a lot of disco. Say that again? Blondie had a lot of disco elements. That's true. Lots. This is like the second track in.
00:48:29
Speaker
Oh no, this is i think the third or fourth. This Get On The Ball. This is a little bit more in the ska. I don't dislike this one. This is actually like a third wave song. yeah It's just like pretty... And she's not doing too many vocal affectations.
00:48:46
Speaker
That's what was so punishing about this record for him. It's a lot. It's much vibrato. It's a lot. It's so put on. Yeah. Because especially if you listen to like their later records and you can tell she she doesn't have to do that. But obviously it's for... It would be hard to but do live too. That's all I can imagine too is like if you're putting on this kind of like vocal thing, like doing it live would not be fun. Watch do it right now.
00:49:15
Speaker
perfect thank you Now do it for the next 45 minutes. All right. yeah Call my bluff. You pass away. You die. Here's the disco. Let's get back. This the one I love.
00:49:29
Speaker
I will say. low-key love that. Say what this. Yeah, so Eric's keyboard. The T4-6. It's fun. But. And Tony's a pretty rad bass player. Like, I do have a soft spot for, like, funk bass playing.
00:49:41
Speaker
The vocals are tough on this album. Yeah, it's rough. The bass playing is tough on this album, I don't know. The only slap bass I like is when Just Friends or Fishbone does it.
00:49:52
Speaker
I was gonna say, you only fishbowl that. I was gonna say, Fisher, he's fan. Yeah, everything else is just punishing me on this record. What about when it's in Rockabilly or Psychabilly music?
00:50:03
Speaker
How do you feel about... Fuck it. fuck it! I used to be a new rock and billy-sike really good. It's not proud moment. It's fine. You're allowed to like it. I'm not sure about that.
00:50:15
Speaker
Not in front of our present company. Not in front of our present company.
00:50:23
Speaker
So the only other song I've queued up from the debut was Sad For Me. ah People love their ballads. I'm going to go out on a limb and say full-blown despise No Doubt ballads.
00:50:34
Speaker
Full-blown hate them. Like, I just... Full doubt. Yeah. There is no doubt in my mind how much I hate... Although this is kind of funny because it's like a little Baroque keyboard thing. But like... Chamber music? A little bit, right? yeah yeah do don't get it.
00:50:51
Speaker
Like, why? That's dumb. I don't like it. It's upsetting. It's a weird album, right? Like, it's long, too. Isn't it like 50 minutes? Like, there's like 15 or 16 songs on the first record. Yeah.
00:51:03
Speaker
The second half is much more fun than the first half. The first half, like, once you once you get through all the... burn from the parent Like, the songs get more fun. The one I didn't cue up, the song I do like is... What's it called? something Something a Little Refreshing, where she just lists food. Yeah.
00:51:21
Speaker
Yeah, that song rock. I love that. It's the only song on the record I like. I love that. It's like the dance hall crasher song Skinhead Barbecue. Like, I just love song where they just list food. Yeah. it's like that That's rad.
00:51:33
Speaker
like food. Go for it. I'd be into, like, somebody who's just, like, ah concept album about food. I'm sure that's been done. I haven't listened to it. Maybe not That's the thing. I haven't listened to it.
00:51:45
Speaker
Last minute thoughts on No Doubt's self-titled Celine? I mean, yeah, just I didn't hate it, but the vocals are trying. And the chamber music song is weird and it's upsetting. i I remember disliking it more, but I still came away saying like this is I'm not going to listen to this again. Probably. I'm probably good. yeah Yeah. I'm probably fine.
00:52:07
Speaker
Ike, what's your last minute thoughts? punishingly bad like us aside from nostalgia i i heard it for the first time a couple months ago and i was like holy shit this is what people are referring to and they're like dude no doubt used to be like a real ska band we before the pod we came on or it was me and i think joey saying like and maybe we'll say this more when we get to tragic kingdom but they're not really a ska band no not really not really right there's not that much I feel cheated because you know as people are always like, dude, there used to be a ska band and they're just they just play like Baroque funk. and i quote quote by agent it broke fun
00:52:45
Speaker
Quote by Joey was like, he's like, I don't know why, like I was listening to it this morning on whatever in the home and Joey's like, ah don't know why people are so upset that they sold out. It sounds pretty poppy to me. and was like Tragic Kingdom and I was like, yeah, it's not like they, I don't think they sold out. No, I think there was no qualms about them wanting to be ah big pop band. Yeah. Yeah. It's clear from the selling out. I don't agree with that at all.
00:53:09
Speaker
But you know what? So they're, they're an OC ska band. And we had this thing when we talked to some OC fans on, it was on Reddit, but but when we did say Ferris and it's just this internal mindset, like it's so internal.
00:53:24
Speaker
I don't know. Is that true in Cali? Like you would probably know better, but like it everything has to stay within OC. Like I'm sorry for any OC listeners we may have, but Some people really gave us the gears early on and when we were doing this podcast about bands leaving the OC to do bigger things is just not acceptable. So I don't know.
00:53:43
Speaker
i' from From what I've heard, that kind of tracks. Actually, no, no. I haven't heard anything about, like, blood in, blood out of the OC ska scene.
00:53:56
Speaker
We carve off your OC ska tattoo. i know Vato's Locos forever. but Yeah. I know that there's, like, a very distinct sound in that area.
00:54:07
Speaker
And, like, deviating from that is just, like, big noise. big like red x and oh yeah on you but or and and there's i don't know i i have almost no conception of what that scene is outside of like hypothetical generalizations like that that's fair who's to say especially 30 years ago who knows yeah totally like at the time it would have been way different too almost 40 35 years ago that's disgusting oh right that's my age but What's my age again? What's my age? Blink and you miss it.
00:54:43
Speaker
This is why we're friends, Ike. Blink and you're 182. okay Do you know why they call it blink 182? Because you look at it, you turn 182 degrees and you walk away.
00:54:57
Speaker
Do you guys remember that stupid joke? No. That is awful. That's the worst shit I've ever heard. I like i did turn that into a blink joke. People would say that about the Xbox 360 when it came out at my high school.
00:55:09
Speaker
like Because you play it, you turn 360 degrees and you walk away. But if you turn 360 degrees, you would just be walking forward again. So that's why the Xbox is so great. I'm actually really upset about that.
00:55:23
Speaker
I just remember hearing someone say that and was like, that's dumb as fuck. What are you doing? Did you hear that joke, Engineer Joey? No. I'll tell you later. Still fighting. He's got to open his engineers. He's missing all the jokes. Great engineer. ah My engine engineers...
00:55:43
Speaker
um So Eric ah said at the time about this record, the likelihood of No Doubt's melodic tunes flourishing in an angst-filled music scene was about as good as the possibility of Eddie Vedder breaking a smile.
00:55:57
Speaker
There you go. That's a little joke. is That is dated. yeah People love Eddie Vedder, though. They love him so much. but It's evolution, baby.
00:56:09
Speaker
does does he Do you have a do you have like a grunge daddy neither? where does Where does he rank? Grunge Daddy? I don't know. I guess. i just like hate I just dislike him, but I guess he's good looking, so he gets a seven.
00:56:22
Speaker
Kirk contains the ten. What about Dave? obviously Grohl? Yeah. ah I love Dave. He's like eight or a nine for sure. well okay What about Chad Bad Daddy Kroger? ah Oh, fucking 12 off the chain.
00:56:34
Speaker
Whoa, Grunge Daddy Meter. Pew, pew, pew. Gotta love that noodle hair. Remember when they when Nickelback did like of a disco song? was good.
00:56:45
Speaker
It's the canon now that that I love Nickelback. Yeah, now it's canon. You hate fishbone and love Nickelback. You can give me your Scott card whenever you want. i I look at that take. I i turn 360 degrees and I walk away.
00:57:02
Speaker
And I walk right into Nickelback's house because I fucking love them. With arms wide open. With arms wide open. Oh, that's Creed, though. Grunge daddy, daddy meter. Christian christian christian grunge daddy meter. Nice daddy meter.
00:57:20
Speaker
Honestly, a six. ah Scott Stapp. Scott Stapp. He gave me a Scott Stapp infection. The band would tour against the album. Yikes. Yikes.
00:57:31
Speaker
Yikes. Oh, this is, we're just stacking these. Oh, I can't keep up. I'll stop talking. Oh, my God. My eyes. No, keep doing it. This is what I came here for.
00:57:46
Speaker
So the band would tour against the album around 92, but received no backing from Inderscope except for a small per diem. Famously, the program director of K-Rock would say, It would take an act of God for this band to get on my radio. i The tour failed as the band couldn't get the draw they wanted and in fact found that their album wasn't even available in the cities they were touring in.
00:58:08
Speaker
Eric Stefani, rejected, would begin withdrawing from the band around this time. oh it was made for can It was made more contentious when Interscope tried to get a producer to help in the songwriting. Eric Stefani famously hates people interfering with his songwriting.
00:58:22
Speaker
Famously? Yeah, apparently. Okay. Interscope did not want to deal with the band in this uncooperative state, and so they pitched them to their subsidiary Trauma Records. So Trauma, I looked it up, is famous for Bush, Shaq's rap album, and the Olsen twins' soundtracks. Shaq, Keel, O'Neal? Hits on hits on hits on hits. No, the other Shaq.
00:58:47
Speaker
Shake Shaq. but Yeah, Shaquille O'Neal had a rap album. I didn't he had a rap album. Why wouldn't he? He had like three rap albums. I love Shaq. That's sad that I didn't know. sad I didn't know. He's got discography.
00:58:59
Speaker
That's amazing. Is he good? Probably. It's fine. Yeah. I'm sure he had got a good producer. He could probably pay for it. Probably had like DJ Premier or something. like him as a genie. me too. yeah i preferred i prefer Sinbad as a genie. Yeah, he's good genie.
00:59:15
Speaker
So in 1993, the year where the band knuckles down to record their follow-up, which Tony refers to as their battleground years, 1994 would be the linchpin moment with Eric Stefani leaving the band to amanate amanate to animate for The Simpsons in the middle of their recording session. So he wrote and recorded a ton of music, put a bunch of keyboard parts in, and then kind of bailed.
00:59:40
Speaker
So at this time, Tony would end his relationship with Gwen Stefani. Tony. Tony. Hey, I'm watching The Sopranos right now. It's pretty good. Did you hear that The Sopranos is like a good show?
00:59:50
Speaker
no No. Yeah. i heard that I heard that. And it's pretty good. And the horn section would fluctuate a little bit more, but not really full time. um This is kind of like, no doubt not famous for having a horn section and they don't really show up in their next couple of records. Yeah.
01:00:07
Speaker
So this chaotic time would fuel the band to self-produce a follow-up that's a B-sides and outtakes record. That's kind of funny. They released their outtakes record first, mother which they rooted in more of a grunge alternative rock sound.
01:00:23
Speaker
Trying to get famous. I bet you. um And they removed almost all their funk and disco. um god this this album would loved it so much exceed expectations it sold three times over three times as much as the debut and it was self-released so their record label did not put out what would be called the beacon street collection right in 1995 and that's when they would actually tour on the first warp tour as a headliner where's beacon street in anaheim california And it was right around this time that Gwen started sort of davating sort of dating Gavin Rossdale, although it was only very briefly. And in actually in 95, Gavin would be dating Courtney Love. Oh, amazing. Yeah. What a great, oh.
01:01:09
Speaker
I mean, i know Courtney Love is. So let's talk let's talk about Beacon Street. That's the next. They would have been a really attractive couple. Definitely. Wait, what? That was more that I was excited. I guess so.
01:01:21
Speaker
So Courtney Love, at the time? At the time, maybe. At the time. Yeah. she's And Gavin. Gavin's a 10. Grunge Daddy meter. There we go. Gavin's a 10. For sure.
01:01:32
Speaker
so let's talk Beacon Street. 10 songs. Pretty short little guy. But yeah, how do you feel about the Beacon Street collection overall? Ike.
01:01:44
Speaker
Much better. Much better. yeah Much better. um Yeah, I actually found myself. I just feel like they learned how to write choruses. like they They came into their own like as kind of a Yeah, because the first shrieking... The first shrieking.
01:02:00
Speaker
The first record is all shrieking and funk bass. And it's just like insufferable. And then this one, there's still quite a bit of shrieking.
Beacon Street Collection: A Turning Point
01:02:08
Speaker
and It's much more listenable. Well, as funk. I remember the shrieking afterwards.
01:02:13
Speaker
Yeah. I'm going to play what I argue is the best No Doubt song ever. um so we'll see. i think this is not a controversial take, but Total Hate 95. Oh, yeah. Total Hate is good. Featuring Brad Knoll of Sublime.
01:02:26
Speaker
do like Total Hate. It's ska song. But it is a little like... I like the duet. i could I would have dug No Doubt with like a two vocal sound.
01:02:41
Speaker
I do like the duet. Yeah. Her voice sounds almost better with a harmony. Yeah. And I like her more screaming, like yelling. Total hate.
01:02:54
Speaker
Total hate. This part is just so try hard. So little hate. Yeah, it wasn't just like the fucking blast beat. They're like, we got the guy from Sublime, so we gotta like punk it up a bit.
01:03:06
Speaker
And it's just like, do you? Why? i I think they did a one for you, one for me, because Gwen was on saw Red. Sublime won. That song is miles bad. Engineer Joey, was your tramp stamp tingling?
01:03:20
Speaker
When we talked about Sublime. He has a Sublime tramp stamp. Oh, my my wife wanted to give me a ska tramp stamp the other day. We were doing stick pokes. Well, engineers got one already. Yeah, I caught a tattoo that says hi That's funny. right yeah That's rad. That's like brand ah very on brand. good Good for you for branding.
01:03:42
Speaker
Literally. Literally. Literally. branding is it literally but literally ah There were actually two singles from Beacon Street Collection. The last two songs, oddly enough. So I'm going to play them. So the first one was Squeal.
01:03:59
Speaker
It like, yeah I felt like there wasn't a lot of ska-ish stuff on Beacon Street until it kind of got to the side beat. And then there was quite bit. It's high days. It's toe-tappy.
01:04:09
Speaker
It's toe-tappy. Squeal. The swing thing was also always very relevant in mike early ska stuff. Yeah. like We talked about Save Ferris. It was obviously big on that. JFC. But like... Jesus fucking Christ. Jesus fucking Christ. Yeah, that's I was... Jeffrey Jeffrey Spann.
01:04:32
Speaker
Oh. Cherry Poppin' Daddies. The CPDs. Worst band name of all time. yeah Hands down. I do not know why they don't change it So i I may have told the story on the podcast before, but like when they were first a band, like that was their shtick was being like misogyny of offensive.
01:04:52
Speaker
yeah Like they would like, but runstead they would drive out on like little cars that were shaped like penises. good yeah oh but it's funny because like disgusting in the after the 90s and into the 2000s like they became more like political and like kind of trying to push that but they never changed their band name so i'm i'm always like and like you're doing so much to wipe out your previous douchiness and then but you still are called the cherry poppin daddies Yeah, that's still their calling card.
01:05:24
Speaker
Even if they just call themselves CPD and just say it doesn't stand. Or Cherry Poppin' Maddie's. Maddie's is like a common non-binary parent term. People just call them the daddies. I've heard that before.
01:05:35
Speaker
The daddies would be just a band. That's my group of men that I've collected. Where does CPD rank on the swing daddy neighbor? Well, in the 90s?
01:05:45
Speaker
Zoot Suit Riot days? they I've always been pretty mediocrely average. They're all like across. You know what? I know. i don't want to overly defend, but Ska Boy, Ska Boy, JFK is an amazing record. Like their Ska record is so good.
01:06:00
Speaker
And they did a couple like um covers records that were like old timey, like Tin Pan Alley songs. And really good. I just wish they didn't weren't called Jerry Poppin' Daddy's. I had ah like a very similar, very long conversation with one of my dear friends, Jake, good because he's a huge fan. and Same thing, he's like, the band has had so many good records, and the main dude from that band is just such... like i think he's like a really good person, like yeah promotes a lot of like good social action and stuff, and has made a bunch of great songs, great songwriter, but...
01:06:35
Speaker
dude that name yeah the the defense i heard about it because they're from oregon is like i guess the late 80s oregon scene was just like like it was like weird and over the top and like like edgelord like that was just like like kind of edgelordy like they weren't unique right yeah but what's the like what do you picture when you hear cherry pop and daddies you hear a bunch of old men like with virgins right Anyway, it's so gross. I got one more Beacon song. It's Doghouse.
01:07:09
Speaker
Doghouse.
01:07:13
Speaker
Oh, there's some of that Eric keyboard. Sweet keyboard. Yeah, I like his keyboard playing. I think it's good. Little, like, reggae-y, sort of. Sort of not really.
01:07:27
Speaker
Yeah. It's fine. You know, like, I
Tragic Kingdom: Success and Themes
01:07:31
Speaker
remember defending the shit out of Beacon Street for so long, and then I re-listened to it front to back, and I was like, it's not all bangers.
01:07:39
Speaker
Like, there's like, half is really good, then half is still, like, the songs that are, like, too too grungy or too alt-rocky, like, are so dated. Yeah, what's the... There's that one song, Something Green or whatever, that just has that dark, frungy-ass bass intro.
01:08:00
Speaker
It just does not fit anything else on the record. Greater Pastures. Yeah. Oh, I wrote that. that it could be them You know what that reminded me of? It's like Old Monster Magnet or like in the Stoner and the ninety the like ninety s stoner rock Like, I remember reading an article one time that said that if Nevermind never came out, like, stoner rock would have been the grunge.
01:08:25
Speaker
That would have been the big sound of the 90s. Fascinating. I remember reading an article sometime. I could literally say anything. Yeah, I remember reading an article that said, Rob Piquette is one of the greatest podcast hosts of all time.
01:08:38
Speaker
Yo, I think I read that same article. Oh, so good. Two sources. Glowing praise. yeah I remember reading an article one time. i don't know what to tell you. I'm glad. Thank you. yeah That's what I was looking for is validation about my reading abilities. So this one time at Viceland, read an article. yeah Oh my God, congratulations.
01:08:59
Speaker
just so but The band was saving their best material, though, for their third album, which is read Tragic Kingdom, right? Tragic Kingdom is a pun on Magic Kingdom, if you didn't pick that up. hu um So bad.
01:09:15
Speaker
yeah Because I guess they were stone's throw away from Anaheim or from Disneyland. um More like Tragic Kingdom. The album is interesting because they're holding like rotten oranges and they're by like a, like it's like a semi-political statement, oddly enough, right?
01:09:31
Speaker
Like to say about how corporate and capitalistic, um you know, Disney is. But you don't really get that except for the song, Tragic Kingdom has a little bit of a dig. But for the most part, lyrically, this song is almost, or this album is almost completely about Gwen's breakup with Tony. Yeah. It was very emotional. Very much so. Right. It had lots of feelings. Yeah.
01:09:52
Speaker
I like feelings. The guy who produced it is a guy named Matthew Wilder, sorry matthew wilder ah who had a one-hit wonder in the 80s called Break My Stride.
01:10:02
Speaker
And he also would go on to write the Mulan soundtrack. Ha! Good. The record is gigantic. Tragic Kingdom, when it's released. It's also released in 95, so I think that's fun. Beacon Street was like March 95.
01:10:15
Speaker
Tragic Kingdom was like November 95. And again, they released their B-Sides record first, which I actually think is a great move. Like, that's actually smart. If you're trying to change your sound and, like, test to see if what you're doing is viable, doing all your outtakes first and then the full record next is, like, a good way to get people interested, right?
01:10:34
Speaker
So anyway, a Tragic Kingdom would hit number one on the Billboard 200. It would have seven singles. Just a Girl, Spiderwebs, Don't Speak, Excuse Me Mister, Sunday Morning, and then ah Hey You and Happy Now. Geez. Yeah. Seven singles. Five of which had videos.
01:10:53
Speaker
They were on MTV. They were on the radio. They were everywhere. It was released one month after Time Bomb. Oh, good timing. So basically... It was, yeah, it's ah it's totally good yeah timing. That's actually funny.
01:11:09
Speaker
The Summer of Scott would basically pick up at this point, right? So 96 through 98, you can argue all you want about who started the third wave. And I will. Let's go.
01:11:21
Speaker
It was Fishbone. Fishbone started the style. That's you were to say, right? Yeah. Fishbone started the style, potentially. But... It being a wave in terms of it being popular started with Rancid, Time Bomb, and No Doubt.
01:11:37
Speaker
But it's not really a ska record, as we've said before. There's so few ska songs on it, and we'll get into it in a second, but it's just so it's just wild to think about. um It only began charting like three months after it came out um when Just a Girl started getting radio play.
01:11:54
Speaker
But the biggest single is for sure Don't Speak. Don't Speak was a massive single. um Easily their biggest selling one. And it's a ballad. ah The record would sell 16 million copies as of the late 2000s.
01:12:09
Speaker
ah It was diamond or platinum in nearly every country. They were multiply nominated for Grammys and they won a VMA award. So damn not for nothing. Not for nothing.
01:12:20
Speaker
The media attention at this time was very odd because it was almost completely focused on Gwen dressing provocatively. Because in the Just a Girl video, she's got like... midriff showing and i guess it was salacious how could she that's like what people said about britney spears when she started like making hits too that's like all people talked about and it's it's so misogyny am i right the band was real super bitter about it because i guess spin wanted to do a photo shoot and they only wanted gwen and so the band was like oh we're a band we're
01:12:54
Speaker
But you know what? That's fucked up. That's how they got their records sold. I guess it depends if the ends justify the means. I suppose. Now that they're millionaires, ah who knows what they think about it this was the peak of Gwen's cultural appropriation style. Oh, yeah. Several bindies. Several bindies. Oh, so many Braids, cornrows.
01:13:12
Speaker
Yeah. oh it It was a different time, but, yeah you know, don't know. White girls have with bindies and not acknowledging... You know? Not a fan.
01:13:22
Speaker
Not a great look. Not a great look. White girls with cornrows also not a great look. Also, when you're, like, doing a weird, like, you're promoting fake in Jamaican with a bendy on. Speaking of skank and pickle.
01:13:34
Speaker
yeah So let's just pull a couple tracks off Tragic King. This is, I mean, this is the one everybody's heard. Arianne's dad has heard this record. Like, this is Lee. Lee, who's, like, a total Alberta fan.
01:13:49
Speaker
I don't want redneck, but definitely a Alberta man has heard Tragic Kingdom before. Which is insane. Yeah. That's crazy. So, i don't know. What are your thoughts? Tragic Kingdom. i Hold up? Doesn't hold up? I wouldn't say it holds. There's definitely some singles that I do really enjoy.
01:14:05
Speaker
Like, I like Sunday Morning, Spiderwebs. I don't like Don't Speak that much, but it is kind of a jam. I'm going to put Don't Speak on because it is so big. I don't dislike it. I just don't like ballads that much general, to honest. don't like either.
01:14:18
Speaker
Yeah. Ike. How do you feel? I can't make it all the way through. I tried to listen all the way through for the first time a couple months ago. i turned it off after the second song. Wow!
01:14:30
Speaker
The songs are so long, it's just insolent. They're very long. They're very long. Yeah. But it's also like pinpointed for radio play, too. Like Spiderwebs, the chorus kicks in at exactly one minute. Oh! Sorry,
Games and Ska Trivia
01:14:41
Speaker
it it finishes but at exactly one minute. Oh, interesting. So, you know, like... It's more sing-along-y.
01:14:47
Speaker
Yeah, it's... i' Like, to say it's a sellout record is probably disingenuous, but it is designed for radio play. Yes. Yeah.
01:14:58
Speaker
But I feel like it was, like, their intentions all along. Yeah. Who knows? think Eric seemed more true to the, like, Scott sound. Yes. Or the two-tone. Eric is the one that was the artist.
01:15:09
Speaker
He didn't care about touring. he didn't on a tour. He just wanted to sit down and write music. And like some of these songs are his songs. It's just it's Gwen singing her lyrics over it. What genre would you say Don't Speak is?
01:15:21
Speaker
Acoustic pop radio song from the 90s. Do you think it has like a reggae-ish vibe? Not really. No, but it is would that be the argument?
01:15:32
Speaker
I guess so. I mean, so then Just a Girl is the other big song, right? This is where it gets like new wavy. This sounds like Blondie a little bit. Yeah, this is a Blondie vibe.
01:15:45
Speaker
This is absolutely just like radio pop rock. Yeah.
01:15:51
Speaker
But not as much like caterwauling like on the first record. Their vocals are better. Yes. They're definitely reined in quite a bit. they Yes. Reined in. their More intentional. Reiming.
01:16:03
Speaker
Good stuff. It's all right. When the song comes on, I'm like, it's fine. flopping. Yeah. It's fine. The video's kind of fun. And Excuse Me Mister is probably a better, like, punk song, I guess.
01:16:19
Speaker
But, like, I've listened to this so much. Like, it's a little played out for me. Yeah. Which is... But it's like I've listened to, like, Turn the Radio Off, like, a million times, and I don't feel played out by it. I don't know. It's just... Some things just stick to you better than others.
01:16:34
Speaker
um Like Sticky Tack? Just like Crazy Glue. Thank Just like Crazy Glue. Sticky Tack doesn't actually stick to you very well. Or walls. Sticky Tack is useless. Do people use Sticky Tack still?
01:16:46
Speaker
I used it in college and all my posters would just fall down. Yeah, mine too. We've all been woken up in the middle of the night by a Sticky Tack poster falling. It's terrifying. It's horrifying. Sunday morning.
01:16:57
Speaker
Sunday morning's good. I actually really like Sunday morning. We... Like this part? Is this the first song in the movie? No, it's like buried in the middle. i actually really like Spiderwebs. Spiderwebs is the first one.
01:17:09
Speaker
We, my band did a cover of this song, kinda. It's not hard to play on the bass. Tony's bass is reigned in. want to about somebody who's been like, yeah, he's not, except for different people, he's not really like funking it up.
01:17:25
Speaker
Not a lot of slide bass. Yeah. Him and Gwen were just like, fuck it. Yeah, you know what? to To be fair, like if they were in high school, like 17, 18 years old, it was just like, let me show you how good I play my instrument, right? Yeah.
01:17:40
Speaker
It's not necessarily about the song. I don't think that's a ska song, but I like it. No, it's a little reggae. Anyway, this is spiderwebs. There we go. That's a little bit more. This is probably Ska gets on the record.
01:17:54
Speaker
and I do i ah used to work at this liquor store and one of my supervisors plays in a Psychobillian and he knew that like I'm a big fan of Ska and we like came to a mutual understanding that both are very silly sometimes.
01:18:09
Speaker
Absolutely. this This song would play on like this shitty radio loop every couple hours or so. And every time it came on and those horns kicked in, he would just look at me from across the building.
01:18:21
Speaker
Every time you heard an upright face, you look at him. I don't know if this was the same outside of Edmonton, but in Edmonton, the ska and Psychobilly scenes were pretty intertwined. Yeah. They're almost like identical.
01:18:32
Speaker
Yeah. Like, it's like mod 60s, 50s, red lipstick. i speak Speaking of femme style, but. But the Peacocks were a ska Psychobilly band.
01:18:43
Speaker
There was actually like one. Yeah. They did a record on Asian Man, didn't they? They did. It's rad. i wing It got stolen from me. i don't have any... Swing kind of goes in between the two genres, too. Yeah. And like doo-wop-y, know...
01:18:55
Speaker
That's true. buy I really hope there's never and a new tone swing scene. You don't have to be a part of it. I guess that's true. I want to be a part of it. The cherry poppin'. The last song I'm going to play. i because i want to Feminist.
01:19:12
Speaker
The cherry poppin' feminist. i want to stop at 97. Better. That's so bad. It's still bad. The cherry eating feminist.
01:19:23
Speaker
the No Doubt did a cover of Oi to the World, the Vandals Christmas song, and it is awesome. I'm playing. ah yeah I actually did not know this song existed until I was researching for this.
01:19:37
Speaker
And this is like my jam. This is the kind of shit I like to listen to. I also love the Vandals. Oh, good thing. But it's, yeah.
01:19:48
Speaker
Yeah, so. Also Rangin. This is great. This is the best No Doubt song. Yeah. And then, here we go. That's actually really good.
01:20:01
Speaker
That snare sound is so fucking sweet. It's great. It's their best song. It is undoubtedly best No Doubt song. And it's not their song.
01:20:11
Speaker
cover. This is a fast No Doubt song. Says a lot. Says a lot.
01:20:19
Speaker
Damn. So let's ok let's finish there. Maybe at some point we'll talk about No Doubts Later stuff, Return to Saturn on, where they're not a ska band at all. And they do the whole dance hall record.
01:20:30
Speaker
Right. Which maybe. Maybe we'll do it on a bonus episode or something. But for now, let's call it 1997, No Doubt. Last minute thoughts. Anybody? um yeah you know what it wasn't as good as i thought it would be no i actually no i didn't love myself i didn't love myself to this and i feel bad but i i feel like mostly it's nostalgia for others because i think people remember it a lot more fondly than what it sounds like absolutely yeah i think my final take is that it's fine i have my doubts yeah have my doubts i have none
01:21:07
Speaker
is Do you think that's what that movie was about when Meryl Streep at the end was like, I have doubts. She's just talking about Gwen. Oh, absolutely. Hands down. that's ah That's a depressing movie, but I don't think that's what it's about. Ike, final thoughts?
01:21:21
Speaker
um Yeah. not a Not a fan. Some songs on Beacon Street were fun. Okay. ah Total Hate's fine. more like More like Total Hate 21. Boom roasted.
01:21:35
Speaker
I Total Hate 21. twenty one boom it i love roasted so with that we're gonna take one more break and when we get back segments
01:21:51
Speaker
all right now we're back and we're gonna play some games ike are you ready Let's do it. All right. So RZA. I'm not. GZA. Ghostface Killa. Raekwon.
01:22:02
Speaker
Redman. Method Man. The others. Yes, we all know the Wu-Tang Clan, but it may shock you to know that these weren't their real names. Oh, no. And Ska is no different in having individuals hide behind a false identity. I don't know what they're hiding, but I plan on outing them in a game I call the Jennifer Skarner Game or Wu-Skank Clan.
01:22:24
Speaker
Jennifer Scarner. Good lord. Because Jennifer Garner was in Alias. Oh, wow. That's... should oh Deep joke, deep joke.
01:22:34
Speaker
It's not for anybody, it's for me. but No, it's for no one. Just for Rob. So in this game, i ask rob I'll give you Ska person's real name, and you have to tell me their stage name.
01:22:46
Speaker
So I'll also give you a clue, because this they're not always obvious. um but if i if If you just start naming Aquabats, I'm going to be very upset. Ha! by buzz in with your own name or say ska or buzz or something and just take a guess and whoever has the most points at the end wins we good have you get it yeah yeah it's fine let's do it all right so the first one richard barrett the last name is the same russ yes oh aaron barrett really fish so close
01:23:21
Speaker
Well, that's what i I was going to say. Oh, duh. Aaron Barrett? you want to try again, Ike?
01:23:27
Speaker
No. That's okay. Wait, we're looking for the real name? No, their stage name. Oh, their stage name. yeah that ah Richard Barrett. Rick Barrett? Dick Barrett. Yes. Dick Barrett? Dickie Barrett. From the Money Money Boston.
01:23:41
Speaker
do I don't know that counts. Nobody gets a point for that one. That was hilarious. Oh, my God. i just I just heard Barrett, and I was like, go fish. Yeah. All right. Leonor Ortega. i don't think she's much of a golfer.
01:23:56
Speaker
Celine, you should know this one. It's the Fiverr and Frenzy woman. And her name is? I fucking have ADHD. I don't have a memory. I might give you that one. Okay, I'd go for it. Jeff? Jeff the girl. That's right. yeah Oh my god, Mommy Jeff.
01:24:10
Speaker
Sorry, Mommy Jeff. yeah Mommy Jeff. That's right.
01:24:14
Speaker
Scott. A nine on the mommy, Scott mommy meter. Scott gamy meter scott Sturgeon. I'm a 10. His name may sound like he's in the Wu-Tang Clan, but he does hang out at the New York at C-Squat.
01:24:26
Speaker
One more time? Scott Sturgeon. His name may sound like he's in the Wu-Tang Clan, but he hangs out in New York at the C-Squad. That's his real name. Scott Sturgeon is his real name.
01:24:39
Speaker
What band? Can we get a hint? ah Sure. Choking Victim. ike yeah stizza yeah stizza stizza that would be it okay god damn all right yeah jeff baker i don't think he wears a crown nor is he found in the wild west not unless there's reggae there
01:25:01
Speaker
no this game's hard i'm enjoying how hard i have no idea i have no idea one's king jango King Jango. King Jango. Yeah, me don't know, me dumb.
01:25:12
Speaker
Come on, me dumb dumb. You know, me don't know nothing. We dumb dumb. We dumb We don't know. kat I'm just baby. Douglas Trendle.
01:25:24
Speaker
With a tongue like that, he probably have no problem with his girl or her lollipop. Ew.
No Doubt's Legacy and Nostalgia
01:25:30
Speaker
Cherry popping daddies?
01:25:34
Speaker
No. The only hint I'll give you is two-tone. The specials. No. Madness. No.
01:25:40
Speaker
Ike, thoughts? ah know and No. None thoughts. No thoughts. Me baby, me just born, me no no nothing. Buster Blood Vessel from the from Bad Manners. Jesus. Lord.
01:25:52
Speaker
I can't wait till we like do a game where I ask you questions. Yeah, that's going to happen eventually. Christian Jacobs. His name sounds like a 90s rapper, but he prefers to entertain children.
01:26:05
Speaker
like Oh, Aquabats? Yes. And his name is? Sir Aquabat? The MC Bat Commander. let's see off But I'll give you a point for saying the band, yes. Yay!
01:26:16
Speaker
are you Are you mad, Ike? He looks pissed. I'm entertained. I love it. but Let's do one more. but um yeah let's do one more. Cecil Campbell.
01:26:29
Speaker
He might be the son of a king. He might be the son of a king. prince? Yeah. Prince of Egypt. Moses. oo Ike.
01:26:40
Speaker
yeahp Prince Buster. Yes. okay Moses, wasn't Ike got three, so. So I won? Yeah. ah Awesome. I think you won, Ike. We won. We won. we we don't We don't know something. I didn't cue it up, but i'm going to play I want to play Big Five on No Doubt just anyway. Okay, so Big Five is basically the top five songs on YouTube music, not on Spotify.
01:27:02
Speaker
Because we're Most streamed No Doubt songs across our whole discography. So we're not just doing this. You better not be trapped in a box. I will say, my only my only hint is that there is nothing off the first two records.
01:27:16
Speaker
That makes sense. So we'll just go back and forth. So, Selin. Don't to speak. Yeah, number one. Don't to speak. Ike. Underneath it all. Yeah. Number four. You're really lovely. Featuring Lady Saw.
01:27:32
Speaker
i This is just what I want. um na na
01:27:37
Speaker
Or is that just Gwen? That's just Gwen. just Gwen. That's just Gwen. So, Want to try another one? Spider-webs. No. Really? Surprisingly, yeah. I'm fine. know we're cool.
01:27:51
Speaker
Nope. Hey, baby. Well, Ike. Sorry, i age got too excited. You want to steal that one? baby. Yeah, hey, baby. yeah Thanks. All right, Celine, try again. You missed one from Tragic Kingdom. Sunday morning?
01:28:05
Speaker
Nope. Ike? No idea. Why you don't give me that eyebrow? The corporate eyebrow? Give it one more. Give it one more try, Celine. On Tragic Kingdom? Yeah.
01:28:16
Speaker
don't even remember any other song on Tragic Kingdom. I'm like a girl. I'm like a girl. justice Just a girl. Yeah. Just a girl is number three. Yeah. yeah But It's My Life, which was on their singles. Oh. Which one what is My Life? i don't even know what that was.
01:28:32
Speaker
Isn't yeah is that like it? i don't think I don't think it's Bon Jovi. Holy shit. That is Bon Jovi. Oh, my fucking God. I think it's like she has like a Marilyn Monroe like type hair in it. And she it's like kind of like this like 60 vibe. She looks really pretty, but I don't remember what the the music video is.
01:28:53
Speaker
It's my life. That's awesome. It's now or never. That was fun. I like how difficult that game was. might do it again. Bon Jovi is a 10.
01:29:05
Speaker
Is Bon Jovi daddy? On the sky. Bon Jovi is absolutely daddy-o. I can't wait until Bon Jovi makes a Ska record. Oh, going to happen. Ska-Jovi. Ska-Jovi. No, I don't have it. Ska-Jovi.
01:29:16
Speaker
No, there's better. Ska-Jovi. Ska-Jovi.
01:29:25
Speaker
Ska died in 1999. It's doomed to keep repeating its last day until it can break the cycle. Fine, I'll do it again. It's doomed to keep repeating. Ska died in 1999. Oh, that's awful.
01:29:35
Speaker
Ska died in 1999 and is doomed to keep repeating its last day until it can break the cycle with the help of Emily Blunt. This is Ska Sucks. Ska Sucks. Ska Revitalism.
01:29:47
Speaker
Cool, you stupid. brown All right. um I have one. I have one, too. This is a review from rate Your Music. um Bear with me while I find it. I said I had it and then I didn't pull it up.
01:30:00
Speaker
One star is Ezreal. I'm to bear with you. Heya, boo-boo. Nice. You guys have a picnic basket. I did. yeah Thanks for checking in on me.
01:30:11
Speaker
ah What's that thing from Harvey Birdman? It's like the the cookie bouquet and when Boo-boo's a communist. Did you get that thing I sent you? ah so ah So Ezreal, July 4th, 2010.
01:30:26
Speaker
One star review. So after years of treating alternative music and ska music in particular as some sort of niche genre, the major labels get together and decide to give us this. A mediocre soulless pop band fronted by a caterwauling Q-tip. Whoa. Rough.
01:30:42
Speaker
Yes, occasionally they throw in a reggae beat or a few horns so they can claim their ska credentials. However, even the silliest band from the early 80s, like Bad Brains, Bad Brains is not silly, silly yeah played this music with some soul.
01:30:54
Speaker
The reason only Gwen Stefani went on to anything else is because the rest of the band put as much heart into their music as the guys playing in the Rainbow Lounge at the airport Hilton. Good Lord. They pump out warmed over riffs, sometimes throwing in a sitar or wheezy organ to sound different. Wheezy organ. While Stefani yells tuneless nonsense. I didn't Lil Wayne played organ. That's what I call my dick.
01:31:16
Speaker
Wheezy organ. Oh, God. ah so I love it. everything about Everything about this band is calculated to sell, and to think I fell for it.
01:31:27
Speaker
Unlike Smash Mouth, I know where they this came from. Just a Girl is a good song, featuring some cars, keyboards. Spiderwebs is horribly whitewashed, but was still good. Don't Speak is surprisingly powerful and belies that Stefani may have had some talent if she had decided to pursue it.
01:31:43
Speaker
My rule is usually that if three songs are good, then the album must be worth having. At least another three will be worth hearing. Not so. That's a very forgiving rule. Yeah. Not so. Not so. Tragic Kingdom is bloated to an hour's worth, and I mean bloated. Bloated. As a dead cow sitting in the Sonoran Desert for three Whoa. And I thought that Smash Mouth was a chore. This is unbearable.
01:32:06
Speaker
Two more albums in this group mercifully vanished. Stefani, however, continues to pump out shiny Britney-esque pop turds for people brainless enough to purchase them. Okay. Woof. Glowing. Woof. I just imagined this i just imagine this smug-ass fool just typing this out on me. Smug-ass fool.
01:32:23
Speaker
Get him. The title of Rob's autobiography is smug-ass Smug-ass fool. Most likely. um You got one? I have one. oh yeah. I love this. Go for it.
01:32:34
Speaker
One out of five stars. um It's on the Tragic Kingdom vinyl. Tragic Kingdom? but The Tragic Kingdom? and Amazon presents Tragic Kingdom. Tragic Kingdom vinyl.
01:32:47
Speaker
um Reviewed in the UK on July 24th, 2020. The vinyl was damaged, but the box is not. This time, cannot return this item. The reason is coronavirus. Coronavirus.
01:33:00
Speaker
spelt c-a-r-o-n-a all of the amazon reviews all of the amazon reviews of tragic kingdom are about how shitty the vinyl is yeah it's like it's apparently sounds like shit people are mad yeah they they mad they they so mad big mad Big man. So the last thing we're going to do is we're going to social media for some questions. Rob, it's on you. Yeah, i we got we got a shitload.
01:33:29
Speaker
So um our pal, the NPR skanking department, writes, yes or no, do you pick up hitchhiklers?
01:33:38
Speaker
I read my wife that question when I tweeted it. and She was like, yeah. who I like a good hit. so because i fear. Yeah. Yeah, me too. I'm a big scaredy cat.
01:33:52
Speaker
Yeah, I always like, I know it's like an East Coast-y thing um in Canada. It's like people are like gar like, they call them like train hopper punks and they like hitchhike all the time. But I don't know. I don't want to, I don't know. no I don't want to die. Yeah, in our hometown, there would be people who would hitch from, to and from ah the two cities that were close to each other, right? Like that was pretty common in out in Alberta. Yeah. Rural Alberta.
01:34:15
Speaker
um I'm tiny femme, so I die and get stolen. Yeah. we to asked talked about this off pod ike but derek christensen is a loser asks what best ska release of the past year and you had some some thoughts but you had a hard time picking yeah i would say if we're let's let's read past year as this year the year of our lord 2021 yeah um they of my lord probably not my lord or not my lord um
01:34:48
Speaker
Right now, probably Better Medicine by the best of the worst. Nice. Is my favorite. Subject subject to change. There's still there still three months left. a lot could happen.
01:35:01
Speaker
Who's to say? Yeah, we got three months. What about you, Celine? What have you listened to lately that you're really into? Scott? Yeah. yeah I don't really like listen to Ska other than it was just for the podcast so I don't hate start hating Ska.
01:35:15
Speaker
That's okay. I did like Bite Me Bambi. I've been listening to Ska and Cat Bite's good but I've been so into Emil and the Sniffers. They just came out with their new album. and They released their singles. How's the album? Fucking great. I love it so much. Emil and the Sniffers. Emil and the Sniffers. They're like a garage punk band from Australia. they They're awesome. up It's the first band since like high school that I like feel like emotional when i listen to it and i'm like it's fucking ah awesome like she're so good that's she's super young she's like this badass chick who like has this crazy mullet and she like gives it her all she gives no fucks
01:35:51
Speaker
what's it's incredible what's the other guitar playing it's like crazy there's another like fucking like 77 garage punk oh it's so good there's another band too the one that's like i'm having smoke oh leave me alone the chats they're so good i'm on smoke oh that's one leave me alone i'm on smoke oh that's so good so leave me alone i have like such a soft spot for like garage punk music like because australian punk Yeah. Well, I had like a big burning heart phase where I was like listening to like those Swedish garage punk bands. Like I still think the second Hives record might be my desert, desert album. Like I could listen. It's only 30 minutes. I could listen to it fucking over and over again.
01:36:30
Speaker
I love it so much. Did y'all ever get into, they're not really garage. Maybe they are. Did you ever get into the exploding hearts? No. Oh, yeah. Who's that? Holy shit. Tell me more. Say less.
01:36:41
Speaker
Say more. They were, I think they're from Oregon. They were like a very kind of 70, yeah, kind of 77-ish punk, very New York Dolls and inspired. Okay. Speaking of language. Yeah. They put out one record and then like a B-sized collection.
01:36:56
Speaker
And then they played a show in San Francisco in like, oh shit, I want to, sometime in the early 2000s. And they're driving back up to where they lived in Oregon and got in a van accident and three quarters of them died.
01:37:10
Speaker
Damn! What? Yeah. Jesus. Very short-lived band, but beloved and fucking incredible. Awesome. Can you so write that down? yeah dm it to me on on twitter yeah i'm going to do it right now that sounds super up my alley we're gonna have a break between this and our second record and we're 100 gonna listen to it yeah you got it it's it's nuts um chris spi um he just chris he just threw us a bunch of questions from his patrons yeah um which one do i want to do what color is your energy
01:37:42
Speaker
What color is your energy, Ike? ah Hot pink. definitely oh my god Definitely not the A word. I'm not using the A word. What's the A word? Amber. Oh. You can't say it. Come Why? It's a 311 song. Oh, is it? That's funny. yeah um i I also relate. I'm more of like a... guess hot pink. Maybe more like a fuchsia or baby pink or like a millennial pink. Yeah, a little fuchsia.
01:38:09
Speaker
Rob, what's color... Red? No. Blue? Teal? Teal or like a royal purple? love a Royal I love royal purple. I love
Fan Interactions and Social Media
01:38:19
Speaker
royal colors. Same color as prince royal colors.
01:38:21
Speaker
Like a jewel tone? um Run the jewel tone. Run the jewel tones. Run these jewel tones. I don't know what that means. but adam yeah the lot The last question I'll throw here from Mini Vandal. ah Again, shout out to Mini Vandal, our buddies.
01:38:37
Speaker
If a ska pun falls in a forest and no one is around to pick it up, does Eichlers know about it? No, because if if I don't pick it up, Mini Vandal will. Constantly one-upping my ska pun. I can't keep up.
01:38:49
Speaker
It's like the perfect blend of infuriating and like respectable yeah uh i feel like i get shown up by mini vandal all the time and sometimes mary malady will throw something she's also pretty active fun she's on top yeah those two are just they're unreal i know i i made some joke on twitter a couple weeks ago and mary malady just like replied like probably 20 times with just different puns and i was like i can't i can't keep up yeah i had one Hey, she just released her record too. So shout out. Yeah. She's got, miss ah it's like an acoustic, no, all of her stuff's acoustic, but it's, it's good. Yeah. Check it out. I like Mary Malady a lot. She's awesome. Listen to that right after we're done.
01:39:31
Speaker
Perfect. Uh, well with that, thanks for listening to checkered past. Hit us up on Instagram, Twitter, and Tik TOK at checkered past pod, or send us an email at checkered past pod at gmail.com.
01:39:43
Speaker
Ask a question. Suggest bands. Bring us ska puns. Please like, subscribe, tell your friends, and rate us five stars on Apple Podcasts. that the most, though. Yeah, please. please ah Checkered Pass is engineered by Joey, produced by Ariane, and our theme song is OAO by Edmonton's own Mad Bomber Society.
01:39:59
Speaker
Eichlers, what do you want to plug? Plug. Hi. but Yeah, you can follow me everywhere. I'm at Eichlers, E-I-C-H-L-E-R-S underscore underscore. a most active on Instagram, Twitter, and the old TikTok.
01:40:15
Speaker
um Oh my God. i have I have a new single out. So you should go check that out. Oh my God. And um yeah, I'm just, I'm around.
01:40:26
Speaker
Come say hi. Hi. Every day. Hi. And then respond back. Where can people give you the most money is a question we are asking our guests. Bandcamp is good. Bandcamp is good.
01:40:37
Speaker
my Venmo PayPal is at Eichlers. Same thing as my ads. E-I-C-H-L-E-R-S underscore underscore. Send him some money. Money direct is sick. Yeah, just send him some money. Why not? Yeah. Keeps putting out rad tunes. Hyper ska superstar as you like to be doing that.
01:40:54
Speaker
ah One – well, that's not a Harmar Superstar reference, is it? I don't know what that is. Oh, okay. Then never mind. There was a guy, a comedian. His name is Harmar Superstar that would do like – it's just so close. I was like, I don't think it's a reference, but maybe it is. Anyway, he would wear no clothes and sing soul songs.
01:41:13
Speaker
um That sounds awesome. so It's so odd. It is very strange. i Should I wear no clothes and sing ska songs? Absolutely. yeah Who's going to stop you? Not us. it's no only fan Get Make some money.
01:41:24
Speaker
Make some money. OnlyFans. It doesn't work. OnlySkanks. Yeah, there we go. Thank you. You guys are picking it up. yeah Pick it up where you left off. So until next time, I'm Rob. I'm Solan. And in the immortal words of no doubt, I want some honey-roated... Oh, God, I fucked up. I'm going to do this again.
01:41:44
Speaker
Okay, until next time, I'm Rob. I'm Solan. And in the immortal words of no doubt, I want some honey-roasted walnuts, pepperoni slices, pasta, and burritos, different kind of rices. but somewhat So much wisdom in the old words.
01:41:57
Speaker
The Old Testament.
01:42:04
Speaker
On this episode, we
Upcoming Sublime Episode
01:42:05
Speaker
are killing it. We have 1.2 liters of malt liquor, but won't necessarily be robbing the hood as we tackle one of the biggest selling ska, nay, reggae bands of the 90s, Sublime, on Checkered Past, the Skodcast.
01:42:40
Speaker
What that?
01:42:43
Speaker
the show where a ion just can't stop it and a black tar hero international war criminal explore the history and impact of a different band each episode and hope to bring in new fans along the way i'm robin this is my sister and co-host sallin what was that
01:43:02
Speaker
These suck. this those I'm not proud of these. where like What were it? Sublime things? No, just like drug things. Drug things. Igon just can't stop it. Igon. Like gonja? Yeah.
01:43:14
Speaker
And Blacktar Heroin International War Criminal. Why didn't you go to Blacktar Heroin and then you went to war? Like, why did you have to dark? Because International War Criminal and I was like, I could put heroin in there. You lighter drug. That was your mistake.
01:43:27
Speaker
No, that one was good. The other one sucked. If anything, you should have gone harder on both of them. I like ganja. Saying ganja makes me feel weird.
01:43:38
Speaker
That's like a weed That sounds like personal problem to me, man. Like, yeah, I don't know. Jay, Engineer Joey's here. Engineer Joey has a very vested interest in this episode, so he's on mic today.
01:43:52
Speaker
i have the tattoo, so I have to be on mic. lower back tattoo. There's name for it. Yeah, I got to i have ah a Sublime Tramp stamp. Yeah, thank you. So this episode is very important to me.
01:44:05
Speaker
Ike's face is... God, I always ruin the guest. I always ruin the guest. They've seen the episode title. I guess, right? They know who's coming out. But it's like not professional. Joey, do you say ganja?
01:44:17
Speaker
You're the resident weed-o in the family. Nah. I don't know. Sometimes when I'm being like facetious, I'll be like, yeah, smoke some ganja. there's There are ah weed stores here called Ganja Hut.
01:44:30
Speaker
Ugh, that's upsetting. Weed stores? Yeah. dispense They're not dispensaries, though. They're technically not. They're weed stores. They're cannabis outlets. Yeah, there we go. Cannabis outlets. Weed store. As opposed to, like, pa head shops.
01:44:42
Speaker
Yeah, a head shop has bongs. Uncle Dooley's, or whatever it's called. No, Uncle Ron's. and they yeah no Uncle Wieners is a different thing. There's Uncle Ron's. Uncle ro and uncle Ron's enough cannabis warehouse or something. It's stupid. i don't know.
01:44:58
Speaker
Don't give them money. Don't give them money. They needed to try harder. Planet of the Vapes. Okay, so you're going to talk about your costume at some point? Later. Later, okay.
01:45:10
Speaker
There's a visual pun happening in this episode. Selene has figured it out and she's a borderline upset about it. It's actually so funny but so stupid. It's like so stupid.
01:45:23
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, it'll come up later, yeah I'm sure. okay No, I just i didn't know when you wanted it to be mentioned. We'll cut it out. It's all good. Probably not. know how these episodes are done. We don't cut out anything.
01:45:36
Speaker
um Well, why don't we get into the meat and potatoes? We are absolutely thrilled to introduce our guest. He is a singer-songwriter and the HyperSka superstar, whose new album, My Checkered Future, is available everywhere through Bad Time Records.
01:45:51
Speaker
Eichlers is back. Hi, Ike. Hi. thank Hi. I'm back. Thanks for having me. I'm so excited to be here.
01:46:02
Speaker
We had to have you back because last time you were on, we talked about No Doubt, and we knew we had to keep it in the family. So we had to do Sublime. And next time, i don't know, Goldfinger.
01:46:13
Speaker
I don't know. I haven't thought that far ahead. Sounds like you did. No, I was listening to Goldfinger the other day. I'm like, this would also be a one for Ike. And there's a song in there. I really just um just, I make other people choose what band, but Ike doesn't get to choose. I just throw it. Yeah, poor Ike.
01:46:32
Speaker
But it works. not Hey, to Ike, that's how he possibly thinks it works every time. We'll find it. Behind the checkered curtain. Yes.
01:46:42
Speaker
Behind the checkered curtain. That's a great bonus pod episode. Yeah, that's a good title for something. Thanks. We'll give you five bucks for the name. Sick. ah Canadian.
01:46:55
Speaker
So, i you know. ah So i okay before we get into any of the questions we won't talk about your checkered past because we're all about the checkered future now but since you've last been the album came out you've been on the road like really want to hear how have things been and the 12 months since last time you're on checkered past.
01:47:19
Speaker
it's It's been awesome. just like Just so many so many new people in the checkered Ica sphere. um yeah Yeah, released a bunch ah bunch more music, put out my first album, um joined the Bad Time Records family with all of my favorite like modern ska artists.
01:47:38
Speaker
It's been so sick fucking sick. It's been honestly sick. Congratulations. Yeah, congrats. Thank you. Yeah, it feels really cool. and It's been fun to see you, um I don't know, ascend? i'm trying to think of a word.
01:47:54
Speaker
Do well. It's really nice to see you do well. ah Thank you. and Thank you. i appreciate that. Thanks. Yeah. and i'm I'm just constantly excited by how much ah other people also enjoy it.
01:48:07
Speaker
That rules. The way the time difference works out when you put out songs, I literally get a notification, like, right when I'm going to bed, usually.
01:48:19
Speaker
too. So you I always... So I, like, listen to them. Like, I'll listen to the new Ike song, like, on Bandcamp, like, right before I go to sleep. And then I'll listen to it. It'll be the first thing I wake up in the morning, usually the next day when you drop them.
01:48:32
Speaker
Just... The timing is just impeccable. works great. And also, they're never longer than two minutes. So, I mean, it's not like it's going to keep me up. Yeah, exactly. The song won't, but hopefully the energy is just like, whoa.
01:48:45
Speaker
It gets me hype. I have to wait the next day. I get too hype. um yeah I got to listen to it right then and there. and ah I definitely like have to have to like stop making music at a certain time of night. like I so i like made music until like up until I went to bed last night and then was just too hyped in bed just thinking about the song that I just was just working on.
01:49:08
Speaker
Fun. up That's very fun. Period. Like the band. But very fun. Magic! Fun exclamation point. Yeah. yeah Fun exclamation point. ah It's really awesome to see people like like we're seeing seeing Kenny out there we're seeing like you on tour and Beth's playing shows.
01:49:28
Speaker
It's like a lot of DIY people that you know built a lot of their music in the bedroom. Right. If you want to say it that way. um And like, so how has that translated to a live music environment? And like, how has it been different?
01:49:43
Speaker
It's, I don't know. It's, it, it's definitely gratifying in a way that like playing and practicing and writing with a band hasn't been, because like you said, the, like my creative process is so like,
01:50:01
Speaker
isolated and insular that being able to then take that and share it with other people in, in meat space, as my friend Ivy calls it, um is just like, it's, it's so cool. Cause it like immediately adds that social element that's missing from being a solo artist. And, you know, it's like, you can collaborate and like send emails with verses and files back and forth, but that's not the same thing as like,
01:50:28
Speaker
being in a room with someone crafting a song together. And if I can write a song with someone over the internet and then play it with them live, like, you know, Adam from Omnigone and I live pretty close to each other, but we didn't write that song together. But whenever we're able to do it together live, it just brings, just, I just feel like the, all the puzzle pieces fall into place.
01:50:49
Speaker
And it was cool to be able to, you know, share my solo music and my feelings and the stuff that I think is the coolest music ever. that I want to hear, like being able to share that with people who also think it's cool on like an everyday basis was just so gratifying and just really, really humbling and awesome in the most literal sense of the word.
01:51:14
Speaker
And is this going to like, do you feel like this is going to change the future of how you write music? Or you feel like it's just, empower it's empowering you to kind of keep the same way, but maybe enhance it more going forward?
01:51:26
Speaker
definitely Definitely the latter. like I got home from tour and i was just so inspired to just keep keep creating and making stuff. I was like, people people love these songs. I want to keep writing songs that I love that these folks are going to love even more.
01:51:40
Speaker
That's so cool. Yeah, I'm just striving to keep myself excited and hopefully other people are as excited about it as I am. do Do you have a like ah philosophy? could You release singles on top of the album. like I'll say when the album came out, I was pleasantly and excitedly surprised that it was all fresh material, basically.
01:52:03
Speaker
And I was like, oh, that's amazing because you release so many singles and now there's more singles coming out still since then. So it it doesn't dilute the brand by any means. But like what's your um philosophy in terms of writing and releasing music and in the intervals that you do release it?
01:52:21
Speaker
Um, I think I'm, I, I just like, I like putting stuff out. I have a very, i don't want to say short attention span, but like, I want to put stuff out while I'm still excited about it.
01:52:35
Speaker
And like, you don't want to sit on it for very long. Yeah. Yeah. And I, I sat on my checkered future for like a year and a half. which is not that long in the scope of things of how other artists have been the past. It felt hella long. That would feel so long to me.
01:52:52
Speaker
totally. And luckily like other people were excited about the record and you know hadn't heard anything like it. That like kind of reinvigorated my excitement for it. But...
01:53:04
Speaker
you know when When I finished the record, and you know Mike and i decided to put it out and we're waiting on the vinyl to come in and waiting to announce the record. like It was just such such old hat to me.
01:53:17
Speaker
And I still think the songs are awesome. I still think the record's fucking awesome. But it's cool to be able to still put out music that's ah fresh and exciting for me as well as for the audience.
01:53:29
Speaker
And I feel like that's that's not like, that's ah like a very modern convenience. Like people in the 80s and 90s couldn't do this kind of stuff just because you had to wait for the label and you couldn't just upload shit on a whim.
01:53:42
Speaker
So i feel I feel really fortunate to be able to- Take advantage of it, yeah. Yeah, yeah. And make make cool shit and put it out when I want. Well, it's just interesting to see how different people react. Like, I remember when it came out, just, like, everyone seemed to have a different favorite, which was, like, really fun.
01:54:00
Speaker
And people were, like, very passionate about which one their favorite was. Yeah. Yeah. alllthough All the people saying... Yeah. All the people saying that I Need Hep Immediately was their favorite just completely caught me off guard. I felt like of all the songs on the record, ah like real real songs on the record, that was the one that was like the most mid.
01:54:21
Speaker
So people just being like, yo, I fucking love that song. But they're all bangers, though. like There's a lot of bangers. You know, if they're all eight, nine, and ten, then mid is still a nine. You know what I mean?
01:54:34
Speaker
I guess. It's a lot of hits. I think when you're when your music has the urgency that it does too, by releasing the music sort of a little bit more rapidly than the average person, a to that point of it keeps that urgency alive and it doesn't feel like sad on and it just like comes out and it feels like the energy is right away.
01:54:58
Speaker
um so I love that. like It feels like every time a song comes out, I'm just like, oh, this is like even more fantastic than the last... song that I put out like it just feels like think there's no limit there's no ceiling I agree. Yeah. Anyway, that's me.
01:55:11
Speaker
gosh Yeah. It's not really a question. That's so sweet, Rob. Thank you. um Yeah. i just I just want to keep making stuff that's exciting to me and trying, trying new things and being as cutting edge as possible. Like I've, um I've always said, I think it's, I think like as an artist or musician or doing any sort of creative thing, you should be making the thing that you want.
01:55:34
Speaker
I don't And just life philosophy and, and, make the thing that you want to see in the world, right? if someone If someone was making the music I was making, I'd be like holy shit, this is my favorite artist ive ever.
01:55:45
Speaker
But no one's doing it, so I'm going to do it because it's fun. Hell yeah. So what's on the horizon? Like, what does your checkered future look like now? That's a really, really good timing for that question. I just, I spent all weekend writing songs and I'm pretty sure I have most of another album done.
01:56:05
Speaker
Not so weird, but like really, really coming together and it's fucking sick. I'm so stoked. Yeah. Yeah. so So what's the philosophy or like, what are you thinking? Like, is there any new influences or new vibes or anything new that you're, that you can spoil maybe a little bit for what's coming up?
01:56:25
Speaker
Yeah. um You want a Sklusi? You do want a Sklusi? I'm definitely incorporating ah lot more. Love a Sklusi. um I'm thirsty for Sklusi. ah My like favorite artist right now is this rapper named 454.
01:56:40
Speaker
And he does a lot of these like really cool like kind of nightcore pitched up... like trap and plug instrumentals, but like always really melodic, really cool lyrics.
01:56:52
Speaker
um And he'll do this thing where like half of the song will be like the sped up version of the first half of the song will be like the sped up version of the second half of the song. So like it kind of gets like the DJ screwed top chopped and screwed effect, like for the latter half. And by the time you reach the end of the song, you've heard the song twice, quote unquote.
01:57:12
Speaker
And I just think that's a really, really interesting, like, songwriting tool that I hadn't heard anyone else do. So I've been fucking around with that a little bit and just, like, kind of incorporating that. It kind of makes it so the whole song turns into a breakdown.
01:57:27
Speaker
Like, you hear it one time fast and then it goes, like, whatever way slower. It's good dancing music. It's good buildup. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. That's cool. Yeah, I'm just trying to just expand the Hyperscaw sound to keep up with my my changing interests and tastes.
01:57:43
Speaker
Yeah, but you stay on the cutting edge in a way that I, ah like, I only found out what black MIDI is, like, the genre, ah like, six months ago. So, like, I feel like I'm always five years behind on anything that's, like, cool.
01:57:58
Speaker
and By the time I find out about it, I'm like, oh, everyone's kind of come and gone with it. It depends how you define cool. but and No, you're not cool, but, like, that's, like, um interesting, like, or that's actually innovative and not just fad.
01:58:09
Speaker
You know what I mean? Like there's a difference between something that's a fad and something that's being innovative. um Like, how do you stay on top of all that stuff?
Genre Evolutions: Pop Punk and Bro Reggae
01:58:16
Speaker
I'm like genuinely curious. Yeah. i I just feel like I'm just I'm such an avid music fan.
01:58:23
Speaker
Like, I don't I don't listen to like the same 10 records that I loved in high school anymore. I'm always i've I've kind of realized over the years that the music that I love are like artists that at least to me don't sound like anything else I've heard before.
01:58:41
Speaker
Like that band, Van Tannen or Roe, I'm sure y'all have seen me post about it. I might have talked about it on here at the last episode, but they're just like, I've never heard a band that sounds like them. So they're like one of my favorite bands. And I've never heard ah group that sounds like Brockhampton. So they're one of my favorite like groups. And I've never heard a band that sounds like We Are The Union or Bad Operation, even though like those are ska bands, but they don't sound like any other ska bands.
01:59:09
Speaker
So and just constantly like needing to find something that's new and not done before and isn't um kind of played out is what keeps me going as a music fan and thus kind of influences the music that I'm making as well.
01:59:29
Speaker
Yeah, I definitely relate to that. I'm always looking for like a new thing. i'm always trying to be on on the pulse. And I get bored really quickly, too. Totally. So that I feel like that just like helps. I definitely wouldn't be able to be the like, listen to the same 10 albums you listen to in high school person.
01:59:46
Speaker
You can like sprinkle it in. oh yeah. There's a mood. You know, there's a mood. Yeah. there is the Yeah. there's There's nothing wrong with that, obviously. Like, and you know, there's, I still, I still look, I still look, don't listen to dude ranch every now and then, but I'm not like, um I'm not putting it on every week, you know? Right.
02:00:04
Speaker
Yeah. Totally. Speaking of dude ranch, and maybe this is a flying question. asked this on Twitter and I got a million questions. So now I'm asking everybody. and What do you think of when you think of pop punk? Like what comes to mind?
02:00:15
Speaker
Blink-182. Yeah. Okay. Yeah, that's a good one. Yeah. so Yeah, and somebody said that they think that it has to do with like the generation you came in and what you thought was the poppiest.
02:00:28
Speaker
Because a bunch of people were saying like bad religion is pop punk. That's crazy to me. That's not true. That makes no sense. That's crazy to me. I said MXPX. MXPX is good. It seems just like pop punk. Just pop punk. Okay, quick aside. My thought process. Yeah, let's hear it.
02:00:48
Speaker
ah Go for it. Sorry, sorry, Joey. I just got to say, every time i think of MXPX, I'm reminded that their name is short for Magnified Plaid, and always makes me giggle. And you you know why? budy And we found this out on the podcast. you know what Magnified Plaid means? I like don't remember this.
02:01:05
Speaker
If you zoom in on plaid, it makes the shape of a cross. Oh God. No. Yeah. chris Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God. That is.
02:01:17
Speaker
they're gone. Yeah. Oh, they're. Oh, they're God. um there Yeah. Not. Oh my God. Oh, they're God. I hear it's an awesome God, but I'm not there yet. What was your thought process?
02:01:29
Speaker
Yeah. sorry My thought process on pop punk is um that the, the the it's got to be punk rock, but it has to be specifically geared to sell.
02:01:43
Speaker
That's kind of the way I look at it. Like the descendants, I feel like fall into that umbrella, not because they're trying to make money, but they were like, the poppiest, they had the most pop sensibilities of that era by a long shot.
02:01:56
Speaker
And even in the era before that, I would say the Ramones probably fell into that category too. So the Buzzcocks is the band that gets brought up a lot in the 77s. Yeah, and I would say they fall into there too. But a lot of people when you get a little bit later into like, because in the 90s it's obvious all like the Simple Plans and the Not By Choices and the Blink-182s and all those bands, that's Phoenix TX.
02:02:17
Speaker
The stuff that's like pop specifically pop rock that just kind of add a punk flavor to it is very obviously pop punk but then in the two thousand s splits and i feel like a lot of people lump the stuff that in my opinion is emo in with pop punk because i think there's a pretty clear delineation between like the mall emo stuff which was pop derived but But also pop punk was a different thing. Right, like your Fallout Boys of the World.
02:02:44
Speaker
Yeah, or totally. But then nowadays you got your, like, Machine Gun Kelly. Or but that's that's just part your Avril Lavigne. Yeah, but but I feel like that's like not even pop punk, that's just pop music that's influenced by pop punk.
02:03:00
Speaker
Like, pop music derived from Blink-182 sound. But to me, that's good Charlotte. I don't think Good Charlotte is enough for sure it's just like pop Good Charlotte's just like straight up Simple Plan and Good Charlotte seem to like check every box yeah and Simple Plan actually ah the two or three of the guys from Simple Plan were in a band called Reset and they were like a political like skate punk band and it wasn't going anywhere they weren't making any money they put out two albums and then they lost a couple of members and they put out a third album that wasn't very good
02:03:31
Speaker
And then they were like, okay, well now like pop punk started taking off. So they started simple plan and, they're still making videos with Avril Lavigne today. So yeah, it's clearly was a good decision. That's the dream.
02:03:44
Speaker
That's the dream. day I can get there. Not my dream. yeah We can make that dream. We might be able to hook you up. We know Pierre and Avril cause we're both Canadian. Yeah. Oh yeah. That's how it works. They live around the block. That's how works in Canada. We know all of them. Yeah. Around the block in Montreal. We'll take our Eskido over to one of their igloos and Ski-Doo. Yeah, what are they called? Snowmobile. Ski-Doo is the brand. What about a Skidoo? Yeah, Skidoo is a brand. 23 Skidoo is like a thing like I'm going to leave, but in like flapper terms. Well, I'm going to 23 Skidoo over to Avril's house and break the news to her that Ike's not interested.
02:04:23
Speaker
ah He doesn't care, Avril. That's not his goal. Stop DMing him. It's all about you all the time. Actually, we should just get our friend Chad to go over and talk to her.
02:04:40
Speaker
um I think we brought up Nickelback on the last episode, too. Yeah, probably. So today we're talking about Sublime. That's the band that is on the topic.
02:04:51
Speaker
So Eichlers, let's hear about your history and your general feelings of Sublime. um I just came up with ice came up with a really bad joke.
02:05:04
Speaker
Sublime is what I say to the bartender when I don't want the lemon.
02:05:11
Speaker
Sublime. That's fine. That's very good. Sublime. Yeah. but no um Yeah. i I grew up in California. I love sublime.
02:05:24
Speaker
Every tattoo have is a sublime tattoo, whether or not that's true. um It is real i don't I don't remember how I got into Sublime, but like there was a point in high school where I got like really into all the bro reggae stuff.
02:05:39
Speaker
One of my cousins was into all that stuff, and he like made me a mix CD that had... like hella slightly stupid and pepper and fucking soja all those like bro reggae bands on there and i just remember like wearing flip-flops to school like for like three months straight and just listening to bro reggae and be like you hack have i asked you if you had no i'm far enough you're not enough to hacky sack no okay no but i just feel like that goes with the bands
02:06:13
Speaker
There's a crossover of hacky sack culture The dude who doesn't wear his shirt in community That's how I picture into sublime right i guess let's just Sorry, carry on Bro reggae I've never heard it referred to as that cause like yeah Think about like the expendable Or are slightly stupid ah Pepper, yeah, all those guys Super villains Yeah, that's right up at it Yeah Oh yeah, that's all that's all bro reggae. Is that still like a thing?
02:06:45
Speaker
like Is it still big? Yeah, those bigs masses. It's definitely not in the frozen tundra of Canada. Is it like a college age kind of thing? No, I think it's like a just like off normie,
02:07:02
Speaker
not mainstream reggae type thing. the The people who like grew up loving Bob Marley, dug little deeper. yeah Or on the wrong side of cool reggae stuff. You know what mean?
02:07:16
Speaker
Okay. yeah that's fair. Yeah. Okay. Like, there's enough people in California for a bunch of scenes, I guess. A lot of dudes just, like, sea turtle tattoos.
02:07:28
Speaker
Puka shells? Puka shells. Are puka shell necklaces involved? Yeah. Yeah. it's i don't know Honestly, where where where I grew up, it was like like straight up like frat bros love yeah yeah Oh, so backwards baseball cap.
02:07:46
Speaker
Oh, yeah, dude. Yeah. yeah Yeah. I'm picturing it. Red Solo Cup. Yeah. Oh, yeah. Red Solo Cup. In hand. yeah The very same.
02:07:57
Speaker
Like when i when I was listening to it in preparation for today's episode, my wife walked by and just said, this reminds me of a house party and I don't know why. Yeah.
02:08:08
Speaker
I do know why. ah That's the feeling. I know why. That's fine. Why? Or do we want to save it? You want to save your take? Yeah, I want to save my take. Okay, save your take. Joey's got... I got it. got it. Did Joey write notes?
02:08:21
Speaker
I don't know. Joey wrote notes. A running take list? yeah i'vet i haven't written a note for this podcast in like six months. so now I have. I I didn't. I I didn't write
Sublime's Journey and Struggles
02:08:36
Speaker
notes for this. i was This was a rough one for me. Not to give me many takes, but I think I listened to most of it. but i think we're going to have a good rap of feelings.
02:08:47
Speaker
It's all pretty hazy for me. We're going to have a good rap about Bradley Knowles' questionable raps. Yes, absolutely. We're to have to find out. A lot of it made me feel weird and some of it made me feel bad.
02:09:02
Speaker
and some of it was like catchy and I was like, okay. I feel it's a real rollercoaster ride when you listen to a Sublime album. And then some of it I was like, what is this?
02:09:13
Speaker
Yep. I had some of those moments too. But I get it. At the end of the day, guess what? I get it. I get it. again I get it. get it. I get it. I get why it had...
02:09:27
Speaker
appeal appeal mask also i i feel like especially listening to it now because i was saying off pod um like i i was very heavily into sublime as well around the same time in high school i moved out on my own and i was 17 and i got a big ass son tattooed on my back that's how into sublime i was um so but i haven't actively listened to them in About 15 years ago, my band played a Halloween Bands as Bands as Sublime.
02:09:56
Speaker
So we learned a whole like set worth of Sublime and ah played it. And then I haven't actively listened to them since then. we need those picks. You're going to to get those picks. I got figure out by the time this where it is on the internet somewhere.
02:10:10
Speaker
um Yeah, it was a thing. Did everyone love it? Were people stoked? Yeah, it was cra was one of the craziest shows I've ever played in my life. And we played all like deep guts. we we had we We didn't play like Know What I Got or Santorias or anything back. greatest hits.
02:10:25
Speaker
Yeah, man. Yeah, and totally. Yeah, it was Step and Razor. was good. We played like a bunch of like weird ones. It was awesome. I think the world's ready for... i think Edmund could get down with Sublime cover.
02:10:36
Speaker
yeah It would give me an excuse to play without a shirt on. i Which is all you've ever wanted. Sublime is the reason to play without a shirt. Absolutely. 100%. that is your main inspiration.
02:10:49
Speaker
You can't keep a shirt on. And his cover band he's in, they were like, you have to wear a shirt. He begrudgingly wears a tank top with big arm holes in it. ah But I also wear a denim vest.
02:11:02
Speaker
They're like, you can't just be the only shirtless guy. in our hair metal band. When you're the bass player?
02:11:12
Speaker
It's random. It's random. would be random. All right, what are we doing? What is this, roasting Joey time? Yeah, you're the one with the sublime tramps. Yeah, you insisted to be me. I kept being like, Joey, it's your episode. And he's like, it's not my episode. And then I was singing along. That's all I heard.
02:11:33
Speaker
I don't know any words, but that's all I hear. Didn't that sound like sublime? that was pretty good. and ah That song is on every record.
02:11:44
Speaker
They pre-recorded It i was so frustrating. like There's just so many fucking re-releases and bullshit. like I kept like listening to one and I'm like listening to demos. Most of the songs don't were demos. you do that? I said just listen to these three records.
02:11:59
Speaker
I was like, don't do that. It confusing. but It was confusing. i went on spotify maybe hit play I'm on music. Anyways. yeah It's fine. it just added. it just Because you're listening to some live demos? Yeah. Yeah, it added to my opinion, for sure. Robin the Hood's not much bigger than that. Robin the Hood, eh? Yeah.
02:12:20
Speaker
Let's take the time, Skasheen, back to 1988 to explore the checkered past of Sublime.
02:12:42
Speaker
So for this episode, I got information from Sublime's old website. I'm pulling stuff from old websites is fun. Rolling Stone. Heard of it. LA Times.
02:12:53
Speaker
Heard of it. Wikipedia and all music. and quite a bit And actually, we're going to go even a little bit further back to 1968 to the birth of a certain someone named Bradley Noel in the LBC, Long Beach, California.
02:13:11
Speaker
Woo! eat Bradley Noel was born to an artistic family where he enjoyed water sports, music, and of course, being an absolute terror. His parents did not get along very well either and eventually separated when Brad was 10.
02:13:26
Speaker
And at this time, he was fostered with his mother. In sole custody, but he quickly became too much to handle. It was when he eventually moved to his father where his love of music really took off.
02:13:37
Speaker
While both parents taught him guitar, Jim, his dad, exposed him to Jim Croce and took him on a trip to Jamaica where Brad's love of reggae and dance hall began. Cool. Despite not having many friends in high school, he still was able to form his first band, Hogan's Heroes. That sounds like a high school band.
02:13:55
Speaker
But his attempts to play a reggae fell on deaf ears and frankly incompetent ears. The people in his band could not play the songs. He graduated and went to university in 1988 where he formed Sublime with Eric Wilson and ju drummer Bud.
02:14:12
Speaker
Bud was trained at drums by his jazz cat drumming father and Eric settled on the bass after failing to play the trumpet and the guitar. They became notorious for noisy house parties and rowdy behavior, but their reggae punk sound fell on also deaf ears, and they decided to form their own label, Skunk Records.
02:14:33
Speaker
Do we know what skunk is a pun on? Ska punk. That's correct. Yeah. They thought long and hard about that one. They're ska band. They got puns, bro.
02:14:45
Speaker
They do have more puns than I remember. Yeah. they They came ready with the puns. Scanned by your van? Punning. That's classic ska pun work right there. Yeah. And they remember that. In 1990, their friend Miguel offered to record for them at the school he was studying at.
02:15:04
Speaker
That's nice of Miguel. The catch was the school could not know he was doing it. but we sneak So they snuck in, recorded from 12 to 7, and recorded everything in one shot.
02:15:14
Speaker
This session resulted in the cassette Ja Won't Pay the Bills. Uh-oh. Released in 1991. it begins. so again That gave their first taste of regional success.
02:15:29
Speaker
This also gave the band their first taste of heroin. It proved to be too much for Bud, who checked himself into rehab, but it was at this time that Brad became connected with his best friend in the whole wide world, Lewdog the Dalmatian. Oh, I thought you were going to heroin.
02:15:44
Speaker
I also thought you were going to say heroin. Foreshadowing. yeah Foreshadowing. I thought Lou Dog was a pun on Lou Dobbs, but it it apparently isn't.
02:15:55
Speaker
I always thought that too. Yeah, I thought it too good. yeah Like, the fucking part in what I got, i always thought it Louie Dobbs. Like, before I knew anything about the name. Yeah, he named it after his, like, uncle or something. i don't even know who Lou Dobbs is.
02:16:11
Speaker
Yeah, it's like, I know the name. Are you baseball player? Yeah. Or a newscaster. That's Lou Gehrig, my guy. Lou Gehrig, yeah. Or like a concert a Republican politician.
02:16:25
Speaker
Lou Dobbs? Yeah, That does sound like it. Like they'd be on BNN. Yeah. Yeah, that sounds about right. Are you looking it right now? Are you looking it up? Okay, look it up, Joey. An American political commentator, author, former television host who presented Lou Dobbs tonight from yada yada.
02:16:42
Speaker
He's the American TV guy and radio guy. Did I? You got it. he left-leaning? There's no way with a name like that. Yeah, okay. yeah yeah but i'm saying Oh, there we go.
02:16:52
Speaker
Okay, well, though I'm a genius. And so the Dalmatian was not named after him. That's what we've put also learned. It's a history part. We're learning history. It's true.
02:17:07
Speaker
Who's a better famous dog? this Lou Dog or Snot's dog? Clifford the Big Red Dog. Oh, okay. Snot's dog? Topo. Snot, the band? Topo. What's there? I don't know. He also had a dog that came around with him. Butterbean.
02:17:23
Speaker
Butterbean, yeah. All right. Former podcast guest, Butterbean. Yeah, that's true. Now I'm just naming Scott dogs. Who's the other ones? Nacho. Nacho.
02:17:35
Speaker
Nacho is a famous Scott dog. Definitely. Penny the cat. Oh, yeah. Penny the cat. Still. Scott animal. They count. Scott. Anyways. It's Scott Jason.
02:17:46
Speaker
Scott Jason. Because it's a cat. Yeah. Cats are Scott Jason. Yeah. Oops. Lou Dog was the eminent mascot of the band, frequently shown in pictures on album artwork, mentioned many times in the band's lyrics, and would even wander on stage during the band's sets.
02:18:04
Speaker
It's on 40 ounces of freedom is the first thing you hear, I think. It sure is. And since the cassette recording worked so well, they decided to do it all again, and this time did it more deliberately from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. m at California State University.
02:18:19
Speaker
They brought along Marshall Goodman and Kelly Vargas to cover drums while they waited for Bud to get out of rehab. The result was 40 ounces freedom. forty ounce to freedom a 22 track one hour behemoth of reggae, punk, ska, dub, dance hall, and hip hop. a heus It sold 60,000 copies out of the trunk of Brad's car.
02:18:43
Speaker
It featured a bevy of covers by the toys, bad religion, toots, grateful dead, the melodians and the descendants of, And that's what we're going to talk about first. 40 Ounce to Freedom.
02:18:56
Speaker
I'm to start with Eichlers before we play our first track. How do you feel about this album? It's so good. Oh my God. It's so good. Jesus. i even Even to this day, like the the idea of having like five covers, like five cover songs on your debut album is such... article Yeah, six. It's crazy. um yeah Yeah, that's just that's just like such a fucking power move.
02:19:27
Speaker
its like this is This is our first taste to the world. Here's a bunch of covers. It's just like, damn, I could go south. But it rules. It's so good. There's there's so many like
02:19:40
Speaker
great songs that I forget about every time I listen to the record and go back. Like, DJs and Right Back are just like, my goodness, I forgot how much I love those songs.
02:19:52
Speaker
DJs, okay, we love song. Yeah, that song kicks ass. Hey, you know who else had a debut with with six covers? The Specials.
02:20:03
Speaker
Hey, yeah. yeah Wild. Yeah. lyn you feel My initial reaction was, which it was proven correct, was it just sounds like a bunch of white dudes who just got really into Jamaican music. and there's Only one of them.
02:20:21
Speaker
The other two, not so much. Famously, not big fans. Not big fans of Jamaican music. Not at first. Really? Took some time. Okay, famously. i But yeah, that's the vibe. Like a white college dude who's like, I love Jamaican music.
02:20:38
Speaker
I'm gonna do it. My style. And let's hear one of those songs. Thank you, Joey. I was just about to say that. Let's listen to, actually, let's listen to 40 ounce. That's, that's the way this thing kicks off. That's a good one. Yeah. Let's listen to it.
02:20:53
Speaker
Just DJ specifically is. Do you have feelings for DJ? That one? I just. There's so many damn songs on it. So I got to look it up.
02:21:06
Speaker
The song always pops into my head. I don't know why. This is a catchy song.
02:21:26
Speaker
I shouldn't start that talk. it's just so good. I'm just listening to it. We're not even talking over it. Did you cut this? Oh, yeah. Cut Man.
02:21:37
Speaker
Cut Man's on the job. And then it gets all 90s.
02:21:45
Speaker
That would be terrible. So...
02:22:07
Speaker
yesa a terrible yeah imagine jim actually that would be terrible so So here's my take on 40 ounces of freedom and why i think you think that it sounds like i like house party you were saying.
02:22:22
Speaker
didn't say that Arianne said that. That's what Arianne said. And it's because i think it's specifically sequenced to sound like a house party. the album they have the The album opens with the dog barking.
02:22:37
Speaker
And it's like, oh, he kind of like talks and bumbles around and people have drinks and stuff. Yeah, I'm going for you guys. I've got notes. And then they go into like a bunch of covers and originals back and forth through but covers and originals all the way through the record.
02:22:52
Speaker
And it's like a mishmash of all the different genres they play. And then the last two songs... are like acoustic slowing down for the end of the night. Everybody's getting ready to go home and having the last couple drinks, cover songs.
02:23:06
Speaker
And then at the end, the that like last dub is he's saying thanks to everybody as he kicks everybody out at the end of the night. It's, it is conceptually a house party. And there's also like literally the house you party scene in Bad Fish.
02:23:21
Speaker
Like the beginning of Bad Fish. Totally right. It's not a bad theory. I buy it. you've I noticed it as I was listening to it. I was like, man, this sounds like exactly like just how a house party would sound. That's wild. So they like weed, right? That's the thing?
02:23:40
Speaker
I think so. They mention it once or twice. couple of times. so So this one's like, so this album's a little bit, this is definitely the one that the punks like.
02:23:50
Speaker
I know that because like all the punks I know own a copy of 40 ounce to freedom. and so I mean, I like the other 40 ounce to freedom better. Which is? I don't know. What's the? Oh, no, I'm thinking Rock the 40 Ounce.
02:24:03
Speaker
Oh, okay. Rock the 40 Ounce to Freedom. Ooh, there's a song title. Hey, there you go. Write it down. That's going to the notes app, baby. um This one feels a little bit more like whiplashy in the versus later albums, I'd say.
02:24:22
Speaker
Like the the genre stuff is a little bit more segmented. Like, it's like, okay, this is definitely the reggae part. This is definitely the dub part. Yeah. This is definitely the punk part. Like, it's more like, kind of, i don't know how to put it.
02:24:35
Speaker
Yeah, like they're they're not they're not mashing the genres as as fluidly as they do a little bit later. And, um but I, you know what? One of the things that I'll say with Sublime is I like their punk rock songs.
02:24:50
Speaker
I think that they can be punk as fuck. Like, I know that most of their stuff was like covers, but ah like, I like new thrash and I like the bad religion cover. i think they're dope. This album was really fun to listen to, um but it is long as hell.
02:25:04
Speaker
that's So long. Very long. The Thank You song is nonsense. It's Justin Long. You know what? I would really like that Thank You song without the talking over it. Like, I don't mind it with the talking, and I listen to it every time I listen to the album.
02:25:18
Speaker
But I would like it as just an instrumental, to be honest. It's a fucking cool, like, live dub. I really but knowing like Miguel's voice. he's got He's got such a nice timbre of voice. It's just but it's just so California. It just, like, warms my heart like the California sunshine. Yeah.
02:25:36
Speaker
Yeah, they sound like dudes you would surf with. Yeah. like They just sound like some dudes you would meet on a beach, for sure. ah heard ah heard they're really mean. oh Like sublime?
02:25:48
Speaker
yeah oh Yeah. Back in the day, they were like mean, or they are now mean guys? I heard they were really mean. it Okay. Yeah. I think I heard that from Mike when Skank and Pickle took them out. He just said they were like,
02:26:04
Speaker
just Just mean. i mean, they're all junkies. Well, coming they're down off of a lot of drugs probably would put you in a bad mood. I'd probably be kind of a dick, too. They had a reputation of fucking shit up. That was, like, their reputation. And I feel like they like they're from Long Beach, which is, like, around the same time as, like, Snoop Dogg was growing up. Like, it's a pretty classic rough area to grow up in. So it kind of makes sense. Hardened folk. Hardened, yeah.
02:26:31
Speaker
Hardened by life on the streets, as it were. These streets. Just like your little dog, Rob. My little dog? Hardened my life on the streets. Frida. Little Frida. She was rescued from the streets. Streets of California. Of California.
02:26:45
Speaker
Let's throw another track on. i I got Ball and Chain, I think, was the other one I had in 54, 46. I can't remember which part of it I put on. Here we go. Give it to me three times.
02:26:57
Speaker
Great place to start. Good samples. Yeah. I can't say I like the samples. I can't.
02:27:06
Speaker
I mean, I would say...
02:27:10
Speaker
It's definitely just like...
02:27:14
Speaker
shock shock rock like those same like easy and they were like i like easy stupid samples let's throw some of that shit in there like what if we put a clip from a porn in there yeah yeah but then i'm just like okay this isn't for me i guess but like they're crushing this song though You know what mean?
02:27:38
Speaker
Yeah. It's good. I like it. It's really good. It is a really good song. And like, I don't know it is about this rhythm section in this band, but they have such a weird slink to like their groove and it's only Sublime does it.
02:28:00
Speaker
And it did I don't even notice it as much on like... long beach dub all stars and later stuff that they do but it's just got like a slinky kind of like is it because only one of them actually liked jamaican music maybe it might be i can't i honestly don't know what it is about that combo of that bass player and drummer but like they have such like a weird groove that no other band has especially on these earlier albums bud and eric Eric and Bud, what did they What kind of bands did they want to be? Punk band.
02:28:30
Speaker
No, they wanted to be punk bands. Bud didn't play on this record though, right? He didn't play songs. No, he did not. He was, i don't think any, or maybe one or two, because he was in rehab. So yeah had some fill in they had some fill-in drummers on this one. yeah And then in the next one, it's like all drum machines.
02:28:47
Speaker
Yeah. which we'll get to yeah later. But 5446, that's a cover. Toots and the Maytals. Yeah, it's great. I love that one. Yeah. Are you going to play it?
02:29:00
Speaker
What? No, that was the... It's like a double... It's already happened. yeah already um That was my introduction to Toots and the Maytals. That was the first same I ever heard of them. And then I totally went down the rabbit hole.
02:29:13
Speaker
Shortly after that in high school at some point. I think I i bought i bought the 40 Ounce to Freedom CD and was listening that. And ah I think my mom walked into my room she's like, oh shit, this is the Toots and the Maytals song. And I was like, who?
02:29:27
Speaker
And then she like bought me the Toots and the Maytals. was going to say took you to school. Yeah, so it took me to reggae school. Bought me one of their records and it was awesome.
02:29:38
Speaker
It's so good. Toots is great. Yeah, I love it. Big fan. big Well, let's get the yeah let get the elephant out of the room. oh yeah No, we have to. and Yeah, we're going to play what eventually would have been the single. You sublime apologist have to look it right directly with the eye that's the full picture. yeah I'm just going to turn up my game and grumble into the mic hard as can. If band you didn't like and they have this song, what would you say? Yeah. It's honestly probably one one of the reasons I haven't actively listened to Sublime in a long time. and the fact that it's one of the two songs that's on the radio the most often is the worst. the Yeah, the fact that this is the song that blew up. and like I was watching the Pick It Up Scott in the 90s documentary again last weekend. didn't watch it in a while. And based the the like kind of assertion that that documentary is putting forward is that this song specifically kicked off the third wave Scott boom.
02:30:36
Speaker
oh yeah i remember yeah i'd argue time bomb over this one but yeah but it got such a regional hype like it got on the radio got everywhere yeah yeah i think time bomb like kicked the door down like this song like put the door there Yeah.
02:30:54
Speaker
That's what they're asserting. The fact that they like, or not even asserting, they didn't like say it outright, but like, that like made me very upset because this song is fucking gone. I hate it.
02:31:05
Speaker
So what was their intention? So I'll get into that in a second. But so, because we haven't even said it yet. This song is Daybreak, which is going to be done.
02:31:16
Speaker
And...
02:31:18
Speaker
This is Sublime's what would be their first big hit, ah which wouldn't come for later. So at this time, this song isn't even on the radio because they're still just selling cassettes at this point.
02:31:29
Speaker
um So here's what Brad said about this song. And this is this is Brad's direct quote. I've never raped anyone as far as I can remember. ah We were at a party a long time ago and we were all talking about how bad date rape was.
02:31:44
Speaker
This guy was like, date rape isn't so bad. If it wasn't for date rape, I'd never get laid this lyric in the song. Everyone at the party was bummed out about it, but I was cracking up and I wrote a funny song about it.
02:31:56
Speaker
Yeah, so that makes it worse. I have say, unfortunately, I'd say most people who identify as women have had experience like this. Unfortunately, I've had few shitty experiences, and it's not fun to listen to, so I have to speak to that. Because it's not cool at all. It's big, big, big thing.
02:32:17
Speaker
and when you come it's a big big big yeah And when you compare it to the song The Boiler, the special a AKA song that Rhoda sang on, which is from the other perspective, right from 10 years before, right ah which is a much more poignant and more realistic ah and not a joke.
02:32:37
Speaker
I think the fact that he just thinks that this is... shouldn't be a joke. He's coming at it not from from the angle that he doesn't like it, but it's not delivered in a very... In a way that it sounds like he... That kind of is that point is kind of moot with his actions and thinking it's funny.
02:32:54
Speaker
Him liking it doesn't really mean anything. it's Yeah, absolutely. And it's like ninety s you know shock shock rock whatever opinions about things trying to be as edgelord as possible about yeah touchy subjects of the time of the time and i'm just yeah well and even i feel like even if you're like even if you're trying to like justify it like oh it's it's supposed to like shed light on like date rape being bad right and like consent being important it still ends like in a sexual assault joke
02:33:26
Speaker
yeah yeah and it's like not it's not worth it and it doesn't work it's not redeemed in any sort of roundabout way it's still just awful and it shocked me when fishbone covered it a few years i don't know while ago i thought that was a little out of taste great yeah i forgot about that but yeah that was very weird and but i mean if anyone could do It sounds, just so if you take the lyrics out of the song, the sound sounds great.
02:33:55
Speaker
Like it's a good ska song. catchy. Totally. But the fact that it's just like, doesn't make any sense at all. Like it's not for nowadays, but it's on the record forever. It's not going anywhere. It's not for nowadays. It probably wasn't for then either. And it shouldn't have been for any days.
02:34:14
Speaker
But it's on the record forever. days. no change So we're all in agreeance. nice well Not fans. You chose to do Sublime, so we had to do the elephant in the room. Yep, we did and it. And I'm not making it better. but That's why I feel like I didn't fully listen to it, because I pretty bummed out after that. but The misogyny in Sublime is yeah pretty bad. Yeah, gets a lot. Yeah, and it it'll come up again. It's the worst part, I would say, about most of their music is the misogyny.
02:34:47
Speaker
yeah yeah yeah it makes it hard to like yeah it makes it hard for me it's i have no nostalgia with it so it's like very hard for me to look fast to enjoy the music totally fair yeah um like some of it kind of has nostalgia but the old stuff that has nostalgia is kind of overplayed you know like yeah it all again sounds like kind of elevator music at some point I'm starting to wonder about what elevators you're in. My elevators have real big fish.
02:35:17
Speaker
and sub time Your elevators sound great. How come I'm not riding these cool sky elevators? Even if the Muse Act versions would be awesome. She's just talking about the elevator on the 311 cruise. Yeah!
02:35:31
Speaker
ah So the thing with those music cruises, and I think I mentioned it there, is that you're not allowed that you're not allowed to rent the whole room to yourself to stay in unless you can fill it. You have to share it with people.
02:35:43
Speaker
That's disgusting. Isn't that the worst? So 311 cruise, you're like, I just want one ticket. They're like, great, here's a room with three other dudes. I never ever want to smell the 311 cruise. That's like a smell you can't.
02:35:55
Speaker
but I don't even know what that would smell like. I think metal cruises would be worse. ah and personally like a deicide had a cruise like there'd be someone like axe body spray like combining with the weed at least like a metal cruise would just be like like natural sense i assume there would be weed but would there that like an international water situation i think you sound like someone who hasn't been on a 311 i haven't i was in vegas for 311 day one time though they call me a cruisy no i've never been on they call you they call you siri because you're on so many cruises is there is there i didn't get it c cruz who siri who's siri oh the baby of tom cruise and um the other one the sweet celebrity baby joke yeah i don't know thought you said mean i thought you said terry cruz
02:36:47
Speaker
That would have been funnier. That would have been better. way better. You know, it you can fill in the first part with whatever you want to make the joke funny. And with that, let's take a break. And when we get back, more Sublime!
02:37:11
Speaker
Welcome back to Checkered Past. We're here with Eichlers, and we're talking Sublime. And we just finished talking about the debut album, 40 Ounce to Freedom. And here's where the time Scot Sheen picks up. The extra money and attention helped fuel the band's drugs, but wasn't enough to get major label attention.
02:37:28
Speaker
Similar to their friends in No Doubt. Much to Brad's chagrin, he began... oop Who? Who? At this time, Who? He began experimenting more with heroin and justified it that it would help his creative process like his heroes.
02:37:45
Speaker
Classic. Kurt Cobain and Perry Farrell. And it worked for them. Thus making better songs and, well, Perry Farrell's still around. No consequences. not Zero consequences.
02:37:55
Speaker
ah So he thought it would make better songs and then because he'd have better songs, he'd get a major label to back him. Clearly. So he got a four-track recorder to make the follow-up, which was and ninety ninety four Robin the Hood, the concept album about me wearing a sweater that I'm wearing right now. Okay.
02:38:15
Speaker
Yay! It finally paid As soon as Robert said One hour, seven minutes. Sometime in the seven know you said Robin And you got it. And was like, oh!
02:38:28
Speaker
And I was like, that's so stupid! And I was like, oh, Rob in the hood. That is so fucking funny. Can you even believe how sweaty I am right now wearing a hood? You just have to do it so early. You could have done it after the break. You could just cut the hood off.
02:38:47
Speaker
Just worn the hood. Oh, but this is a nice sweater. and Do it for the pod, Rob. in the hood. for That's right. The show must go on. rob Anyway. and but That's right. took an hour for this to pay off, but I got there. ah The album was essentially the Paul's boutique of Sublime using found recordings, loop samples and rough, poorly produced music.
02:39:11
Speaker
Brad also welcomed his son, Jacob, with his long term girlfriend, Troy, and vowed to kick heroin to be continued on that matter. We're talking about Robin the Hood.
02:39:23
Speaker
dead I'm going to pronounce it that way. It's stupid. It has been a minute since I listened to this. What are we all feeling? Can you take it up now? Yes, I can. While Eichler regales us with his opinion about Robin the Hood. It's weird, man.
02:39:41
Speaker
it's like And just the the fact of you you putting it in like the historical perspective of just being like, you know what's going to get me a record deal? Robin the Hood.
02:39:53
Speaker
And then it's just so experimental. So counterintuitive with like how the record sounds. Like this is how we're going to get noticed. Get those ska books. um it's got some It's got some really cool songs. And honestly, like the production, even to this day, like just the electronic stuff on here is very sick.
02:40:11
Speaker
Like I listened to this record a lot when I was writing My Checkered Future. I'm kind of realizing now. And it didn't take like a ton of like direct, direct influence from it.
02:40:23
Speaker
But just like, oh, like them using drum machines and 808s and stuff like with ska music, like isn't completely far removed from what I'm doing.
02:40:35
Speaker
totally so yeah I was actually, as I was listening to this one, I was thinking that you would say something to that effect. I was like, this has got so much like DIY, like genre mash and clue you can hear their clear love of hip hop, but also like adding reggae stuff to it. It's a fucking mixtape though.
02:40:58
Speaker
but Totally. Yeah. It's a mixtape. Yeah. yeah like How many actual songs are on there? 12? None. It has like 8, I think counted. 8 real songs. Damn. yeah and like a couple of them are you know like punk like actual band punk songs, but only half an or so of that 8 are even songs that are full band. like Half of those are still 4-tracky songs. They're just yeah more fleshed out. Or even even just like the two different versions of Pool Shark.
02:41:31
Speaker
It's just like... They're vastly different, which is which is cool. And I actually think that's a really interesting like move for an album, too, is just like having the same song on there twice, but like very different versions of it. but like Especially because they're both kind of live-y.
02:41:46
Speaker
Yeah. Because the acoustic one's really like intimate kind of like bedroom record you, but clearly like one take. And then the punk version's like live take. Do you want to that song? I have it queued up. Yeah. The shark's ready to go. Yeah, here we go. Yeah, do it. Join me in eternal life.
02:42:02
Speaker
I think this is punk you. top. A little scratching on record too. Yeah. I'm about touch the other.
02:42:12
Speaker
This is... This person is very yee-haw. I feel like this is the Pumpkrat version of going, yee-haw! Now that you've said that... Yee-haw. That's all I'm thinking.
02:42:24
Speaker
It's just like a heroin rodeo in your ears. Giddy up.
02:42:31
Speaker
Well, considering that this song is about his heroin addiction, I also feel like the... The... The, uh... Totally. Right? Yeah.
02:42:49
Speaker
right yeah Weird song. I love that song. I i think with Rob in the Hood, it's like the execution of it is not nearly as good as the...
02:43:04
Speaker
but like it now yeah Every time you say it, dude. just like Rob in the Hood. The execution is not as... I've ruined it for everybody. forever It's a punchline now. Is ah is that the, is that going to be the, nevermind. I don't know what I'm saying. ah Yes. that's go no urge i've I've got like a, you need to take a picture of you like in the hood and put it like on the Robin the hood cover instead of the dude who's already on there. Right. I already have to.
02:43:38
Speaker
yeah like cool yeah but i was like, I'm sure you'll have already thought of that in case. I'm like, I'm like a little sad that I know it has to be done. two someizes yeah This is like as your fake brother, Rob. but When you do the Photoshop, you'll just have to delete one of the bees.
02:43:56
Speaker
So it's up me yeah just just leave that space.
02:44:03
Speaker
That's so good. I think I had a thought about this album and I lost it. Oh, i was just going to say like, it's not great, but it's like the technical elements of it are astounding. It's like technically interesting and there's so much cool stuff happening, but it is.
02:44:21
Speaker
um I think what I thought when I listened to it is Mr. Noel's good time. Fuck around jamboree. Yeah. yeah hi party time yeah uh it's a lot of it's just a lot of like whatever the fuck they're feeling like doing but then like greatest hits comes on grace says is great right individual songs yeah right like there are such and like uh i i have in my notes here cue ball goes hard that little cue ball interlude yeah i was fucking hard i was listening the record while i was walking topo yesterday in preparation for this and
02:44:58
Speaker
That came on and I was like, yo, this is way sicker than I remember it being. Yeah, it's really good. um And the other thing that I have to have to point out, I wrote it in all caps and put OMFG afterwards.
02:45:11
Speaker
Cisco Kid is walking on the sun. Oh, what? but yeah Are you sure that's not just the organ sound? Cisco kid is walking on the sun. And then later in the song, there's another part that's like very similar. And I was like, what years did they come out? And yeah, the... the The Smash Mouth one was later, so I think they ripped him off.
02:45:36
Speaker
You think Fushu Mang was ripping Sublime? Yeah. Probably. There definitely do to listen to Sublime. For sure. I that's a pretty good There's no doubt.
02:45:47
Speaker
There's like, yeah, I'd put on it. There's what, Rob? No doubt. There's no doubt. He's back. Speaking of no doubt, let's play that song. Hey!
02:46:00
Speaker
Oh yeah. Is there one called no doubt? No, there's one with Gwen though. Oh yeah. It's a little song called saw red. Honestly, this song fucking rips. Jesus Christ.
02:46:13
Speaker
The vocal trade-offs are so cool, man.
02:46:19
Speaker
The production so...
02:46:24
Speaker
This is possibly one of their most ska songs. Yeah, they don't slam the ska down as hard. Yeah. But when they do, they do it so good. And the punk part is so fast.
02:46:35
Speaker
So fast. So fast. Oh my god.
02:46:46
Speaker
Yeah, their vocal harmonies are fantastic. They sound pretty good together. They sound really well. Yeah. Good together. So better or worse than total hate. Oh, this is... I don't know. well my god. for me I want to say i like Total Hate more, but I think this is a more like poppy kind of listenable song.
02:47:04
Speaker
yeah this guys i illegal i would listen You guys are so wrong. so so It's like so funny how wrong you guys are. I mean, it's tough when No Doubt only has two good songs. And that's the best song. True! True!
02:47:20
Speaker
but and
02:47:23
Speaker
uh yeah the only other song i had on here was boss dj because we talked about on previous episode because real big fish did a cover of it and i thought hey why not let's play it this one's kind of fun plus i haven't played a lot of acoustic-y songs so far which is kind of their legacy i was gonna say i don't know why the acoustic stuff gets a pass for me but like it totally does it's probably the nostalgia value
02:47:51
Speaker
Now that we're listening to it and talking about it, Sublime has like incredible white guy with acoustic guitar energy. Oh yeah, it's the pinnacle. The original. Yeah, the original.
02:48:05
Speaker
Jack Johnson is wishing. Exactly, Jack Johnson covered this song. He could only... Oh, that's what it is. Yeah, I listened to those kind of bigger sublime tribute albums.
02:48:18
Speaker
many of them. There's so many. And the newest one that just came out last year is all acoustic songs. It was wild. And it was long. It was like 30 songs. Holy moly. It was called The House That Bradley Built. <unk> cheese Oh, jeez. Do y'all ever hear that Avail cover of Santeria? Yeah.
02:48:40
Speaker
I don't believe I have. I have not heard of Avail. That punk band from Richmond, Virginia, Avail, did a cover of Santeria on one of those compilations, and it rules. It's so fast. Aren't they all techie? Yeah, was going say they're like a techie punk band, kind of, aren't they? Not really. They're like more like mid-tempo. No, not mid-tempo. They're like an orgcore kind of band.
02:48:58
Speaker
Oh, okay. Yeah. But it's sick.
02:49:02
Speaker
So did ah ah Miss Amy Interrupter did a cover of Santeria. no That's a fun fact. She don't got no crystal ball. Back when she was just Amy Allen.
02:49:13
Speaker
She don't got no crystal ball. No, it's true. and um I also found out that Lana Del Rey did a cover of Doing Time. yeah oh yeah yeah i like that one i actually like that cover i've been listening to it like yeah i'll put on lana del rey and i'm like oh i like this better it comes on like it's more like dreamy yeah kind of it comes on like the alternative rock station every now and then here and if the guys are listening to it at work i'll catch it it's good it's very similar to the original sometimes it takes me like 10 or 20 seconds to like be like oh yeah this is like not the original
02:49:49
Speaker
So, okay, there's an elephant in the room on this album, too. oh geez. um or So he three times they recorded a man who's... Once, twice, three times. An unhoused gentleman with schizophrenia. Oh, yeah, that whole deal. That they recorded, like, three minutes each time. Like, those are a long recordings. So long.
02:50:10
Speaker
Of a guy who clearly has some mental disorders and needs some help. It's not funny to make a joke of him and his situation. Well, and that's kind of why it's on there. Is to be like, hey, listen to this funny guy say a bunch of random stuff that don't make sense. It feels exploitive. Yeah, totally.
02:50:30
Speaker
And is that like the truth behind it? They recorded it? I've heard a couple different things that... They were like some recordings that their friends were passing around that they thought were funny and put on the album.
02:50:42
Speaker
Like, Oh, could have been too. Yeah. I don't know. Maybe it could have been just like something they got off the street. Like, just like, Hey, this is a thing. Like in the, tap this is tape trading days. Yeah. yeah sure that would have gotten That's what I had heard, but I don't, I, I heard that on a different podcast. There's that band explained podcast.
02:51:01
Speaker
um And they they did like a four hour episode on Sublime or something. And the the host of that ah asserted that, but she also made it seem like they don't know one. i don't think they really know because they don't credit it to anything.
02:51:14
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. It is a person that they know, like this Raleigh person is somebody that they've met, like, or to like, cause he's from the area. Oh, okay. So ah how they've ah obtained it, who knows, but um it's somebody that they're familiar with and.
02:51:30
Speaker
Yeah, it's a little on the exploitive side. don't love it. I'm not comfortable listening to it. doesn't feel good. I don't ever want to listen to that ever again. Feels bad.
02:51:40
Speaker
So, two albums in, two unfortunate pieces of controversy. That's what I'm saying, you guys. And then you're like, I don't understand why you don't like this. That didn't sound like me. I never said that. don't understand. I absolutely understand. like, Joe, you're like,
02:51:53
Speaker
Yeah, I do. but I think we all understand why you wouldn't like Sublime. So by the end of 1994, things all of a sudden went into hyper drive, hyper Scott drive. Tazy Phillips of K rock convinced the station to add date rape to the rotation, which became a massive success.
02:52:11
Speaker
Due to the rising tides of Ska in this year, I guess to some degree, MCA Records picked up their back catalog. So the two records that were out at this point gave it national nationwide distribution, thinking they had another superstar.
02:52:24
Speaker
So when they did this, they didn't think they were getting, oh, Ska is going to be big. What they thought is they got signed another punk band like Green Day or The Offspring. What the hell? Yeah. Weird.
02:52:35
Speaker
Because 94, right? That's what's big. yeah They're like, oh Dookie and Smash. And like we obviously want to get on the train here. so Oh, Sublime's from California. They play punk music.
02:52:47
Speaker
Weird. Yeah. So Daly city train. Yeah, exactly. And then with a major label at their back, Sublime went into the studio with Paul Leary of the butthole surfers to record their biggest album yet.
02:52:59
Speaker
Killing it. The heroin use, however, had come back in a big way and Bradley spent a reported $4,000 on heroin in the month he spent recording. Wow. Here's what Paul Leary had to say about the situation. a lot.
02:53:11
Speaker
They're the sweetest bunch of guys, but it was chaos in the studio. On good days, they'd show up at 9 a.m. with margaritas in one hand and instruments in the other and go to work. On bad days, they nearly burnt the place down.
02:53:22
Speaker
There were times when someone had to go into the bathroom to see if Brad was still alive. Noel's drug use became so intense that Leary sent him home to Long Beach before the record was completed, and it took him three days to get back on his feet.
02:53:34
Speaker
Damn. In 1996, during the recording process, Bradley finally married Troy, his longtime girlfriend in Las Vegas, and got ready to hit in Northern California for a quick tour.
02:53:45
Speaker
The band got viciously wasted the night before, and Brad woke up at the crack of dawn with a hankering to go surfing. He attempted to shake awake the other band members, but they were too hung over to get out of bed.
02:53:56
Speaker
Bud was the first to rouse finally and saw Brad lying next to his bed in an apparent drunken stupor. Bud went to go wake him up, but noticed Lou Dog whimpering on the bed. When he finally looked at Brad, he noticed a yellow foam around his mouth and knew right away Brad had succumbed finally to his vice.
02:54:10
Speaker
Damn. gez Two months later, the album, now titled simply Sublime, obviously they had to change the name. It came out right after he passed. Two months after. He like recorded the album and then died? Yeah. yeah That's wild.
02:54:22
Speaker
I feel like that must have like added to the prolificness of the band. a bit like they would definitely like adds to the lore for sure yeah it adds to it for sure so i actually read that shockingly enough story and that bradley's death even though it was like like put upon it was overshadowed by the uh keyboard player dying from um uh smashing pumpkins and who died at around the same time. But apparently, on the in the media, that was the most reported on at the time. It wasn't until fast few months, two years even later, that Bradley all of a sudden got all this, like, um whatever, lore about him. or post yeah It took even longer. It wasn't, like, immediately after. People liked Sublime, but they didn't know he was dead for, like, a year. This was the that blew them up.
Sublime's Legacy and Influence
02:55:17
Speaker
this was the album that blew them up right ah yeah by like a massive amount like they sold six million copies wild like it went platinum and because of it it went back it was one of those situations where then they went back and then all their other albums went gold yeah for sure yeah okay um so he never got to know how successful the band was nope no no it's a tragic tale And the album worked for the time it came out. It was like pretty stripped down, very sun and summer. ah like if No Doubt is blowing up at this time. They they fit along right alongside Tragic Kingdom.
02:55:54
Speaker
This album sounds great. like It's produced it's super well. Yeah, this is the best sounding. I listened to this one today and I was like, yeah. like After listening to the other two and then...
02:56:06
Speaker
go getting to this one being like this is so like clean sounding like it's it's very good sounds very good yeah it really is 40 ounces like you take all the genres they had mixed them a little bit more but then took all the like kind of sample-y stuff that they were doing on the second one and then boosted the production value and that's kind of what you ended up getting yeah was Sublime self-titled and so I'll just cap the story before we talk about the album so ah Troy says this Brad had accomplished everything he wanted.
02:56:38
Speaker
He always wanted to have a baby. We got to have a kid, he said. He wanted to get his family back because he had hurt them so bad with his drug use. And he did. He wanted to get his album written and wanted it to be the best one he ever wrote.
02:56:50
Speaker
And he did. He wanted his band to have glory. And they did. The band would end up winning an MTV video award in 1997, posthumously. posthumously ah And they pre-celebrated the two remaining members by downing an entire bottle of Mexican tequila.
02:57:07
Speaker
And by the time they were called up, Bud was passed out in his seat and Wilson was still at the bar drinking. So this is a story from Rolling Stone. I thought I'd end on a high note. No lessons learned. I thought I'd end on a funny story rather than on a sad story.
02:57:20
Speaker
MCA reps corral them just before they win, and they're shoved on stage, followed by Troy and Marshall Goodman, the group's DJ. Dazed in the spotlight, ah Bud performs a little jig and mumbles a few thank yous to friends and family.
02:57:32
Speaker
Then the hulking Eric Wilson holds up the band's shiny statue, raises a fist, and incongruously boards out, Leonard Skinner. Yes. Bud realizing that his been comment might need clarification adds for writing the tune working for MCA in the midst of the stone spectacle. Goodman comes to the rescue pointing out very soberly.
02:57:53
Speaker
This is for Bradley Noel. Peace. yeah And in the aftermath, many of the band members would go on to do other things. Lou Dog went to live with Miguel, where he lived the rest of his days, ah died of old age.
02:58:04
Speaker
Bud and Eric formed the spiritual successor. Long Beach Dub All-Stars enjoyed their own success. While Bud and Eric vowed to not play under the Sublime name again, they did eventually reform the band with Rome Ramirez, a person who was born the same year the band was formed, as Sublime with Rome, two mixed reactions.
02:58:21
Speaker
We are not going to talk about them. I don't want to. don't want Excellent. Perfect. So let's talk about Sublime, S slash T. Eichlers, let's hear about you first. what How do you feel about this record?
02:58:39
Speaker
It's okay. I feel like ah feel like compared to the other two, its it's less it's less of a spectacle, for better for worse. I feel like from from like a Sonic in production standpoint, it's It's weird that like 40 ounce sounds good for what it is.
02:58:59
Speaker
And then Robin the hood sounds fucking weird and terrible. And then this record sounds good. So it's weird that they like bookended their discography with just like two good sounding, like good albums and then have this weird, like uncrafted turd in the middle.
02:59:17
Speaker
And what a turd it is. The record's okay. never it the same way that put on 40 Robin Hood. yeah just the records the record's okay i never the same way that i put on forty hours and robin me like i never want to listen to this record front back Oh, no.
02:59:37
Speaker
Definitely not. i agree yeah no one I agree. Yeah, Noah. I remember, like, just when I was growing up in Ska, this record I really didn't like, like, a lot. Like, I just found it irritating.
02:59:49
Speaker
And, like... um At the time, nothing sounded like it, but now everything sounds like it. like I think I said to Arianne, Sublime shows showed that three, maybe even just one dude could pick up a couple instruments and make reggae rock.
03:00:05
Speaker
right like It made it seem very... They not deny their influence. influence Very influential sound. Super influential. like So much stuff sounds like that. We say Jack Johnson, G-Love, anything that's like... For better or for worse. Yeah.
03:00:22
Speaker
horse Yeah. It's not my kind of jam. Like for sure. what The bands that are mostly influenced by Sublime are not bands I necessarily really like. Down the hatch.
03:00:33
Speaker
For sure. So the thing with this record that I found interesting that is that there's more songs on here that I really like than I thought I remembered there being. There's some really good songs.
03:00:44
Speaker
Yes. um But there are some real turds on here. There's some yeah there some real bad songs. um I don't know know. Let's just get it out of the way. Let's play the the single. this The big hit single. The big hit single.
03:00:57
Speaker
This is what people know, right? This is like um Uncle Cracker listened to this and realized you could make a career out of it. Yes. Hands down. Unreal. Everyone I knew who played guitar could play this when I was in high school. Like a motherfucking Ryan.
03:01:14
Speaker
yeah Yeah, like a motherfucking Ryan. And that is that that is just like, that's actually my favorite part of the song. is that like I think I saw a meme or a tweet about it years and years ago, and it's just what I think of every time this song or the title of this song pops into my head. It just like proceeds to say this line...
03:01:35
Speaker
and then play like the most simple mid-guitar solo you can't play. It makes me laugh every time. It's so goofy. So where are we at on the Fakin' Jamaican scale?
03:01:52
Speaker
know what? I think this album This is the way he speaks, because I think that's what you said to me earlier. No, I said in the earlier albums, it was actually surprisingly not as much as I thought there was.
03:02:06
Speaker
And then this one, other than saying, like, bow and stuff, it's like not... It's not really fake in Jimmy Carter. So he does a thing on this record that he didn't do on the other ones.
03:02:18
Speaker
I don't know how to impersonate him. don't know what is. Like in this song where he does... Let the loving come to me.
03:02:29
Speaker
What is that? And he didn't do it ever before. that's All of a sudden he's doing it like every other song. it's like but in night i don't know if that's fake in Jimmy Carter or not. It's it's the 90s bro equivalent of the fucking...
03:02:42
Speaker
like indie singing and cursive type thing from the 2000s, right? Right. Yeah, totally. And also it was the first chance he had to get up on some like real expensive mic. So he was probably like, getting all in there, you know? That is that is how you make the best of an expensive mic, I've heard.
03:02:59
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah, you gotta get up in there.
03:03:05
Speaker
Do you want to do undo the crystal ball song? I don't practice it. here Yeah, this is. like So we're going through the singles. I don't hate this one.
03:03:15
Speaker
No, thank you. I just hear it on the radios. I know. So this song, getting rid of the songs I don't like. don't like this one. Under My Voodoo, Bleh, Press Me Down.
03:03:26
Speaker
like Under My Voodoo. That's like a weird cover them to do for their album. Bleh. It's good. All black. Press Me Down's got like the slang thing right in the and that's pretty sick.
03:03:36
Speaker
caress me down has the sickest that that like synth bass line is so rad i love it yeah i do not love the lyrics that's the that's the slang time rhythm yeah that's the rhythm yeah yeah so fucking good so always good
03:03:52
Speaker
So it is fun that they don't do a lot of like covers necessarily. It's a lot of samples like and or references. Interpolations.
03:04:03
Speaker
Interpolations. Ooh. Yeah. Ooh, That is foreshadowing, and I won't explain why later. um oh also, just before we get away from Santeria, if you were listening earlier, that's the Lincoln Highway dub from...
03:04:23
Speaker
the Robin the Hood is just Santeria without lyrics basically and then they rewrote it for this album which is which is just another thing that makes Robin the Hood so strange Everything about it. Right? It's just yeah demos. It's just a mixtape.
03:04:38
Speaker
why did you Why did you put it out and think it was going... I guess that... Never mind. I was going to say, why did you put out and think it was going to get you a major label deal and then an idea from that record turned into their biggest hit on the major label records? The fuck do I know?
03:04:52
Speaker
Yeah, yes. Yeah, they they did it, right? I'm just looking at some of the other tracks on here that I like. Like, honestly... I don't know. that Same in the End is great. Seed's great.
03:05:03
Speaker
Pawn Shop's great. Pawn Shop is fantastic. Pawn Shop's awesome. really enjoyed Is it? I like it. like it a lot. I like Paddle Out a lot. Paddle Out might be my favorite, like, punk sublime song.
03:05:15
Speaker
Also because about surfing, I like that. I forgot about that song. There are, like, so many songs on this record that, like, made zero impression on me every year. one's also two damn long. 17, 58 minutes. I'll just of blend it in together for sure. I tried, but...
03:05:27
Speaker
the whatever The song about the riot. This is a pretty good one. on oh April 29th, 1992. That's rancid. Yeah, I want a riot. woman over Yeah, April 29th. That's a great song. I like that one a lot.
03:05:42
Speaker
it's Yeah, it's got good songs. It's really overplayed. But it's all overplayed. and so overplayed so much That's not on them. Yeah, that's not on them. well Let's cap it off with an actual ska song. we really don't even like it and I'm like, that's not on them. Here we go.
03:05:56
Speaker
It's not their fault. Yeah, this one also doesn't feel great. Yeah, I was gonna say. We gotta keep ending with controversial thugs.
03:06:11
Speaker
It's what I did.
03:06:16
Speaker
The snare sound is so good. was just going to say that. The sound is so fucking tight on this album. It sounds really good. It's overplayed and it doesn't have my favorite Sublime songs on it, but God, it sounds good.
03:06:31
Speaker
Yeah, and the skank on the guitar sounds great. Like, his guitar sounds good. He clearly had access to expensive gear that he never had access before and Like, he was a, I think he was notable gearhead, but he only had so much money, so he bought, like, yeah, cheap shit.
03:06:48
Speaker
And then when they did this album, I think he had access to, like, sweet studio gear. He, like, used it on this album. You hear it. Yeah. Yeah.
03:06:58
Speaker
It is catchy. And then there's a cool ass trombone solo. Oh yeah. Eric's bass lines are so good. That's something that I feel like people don't talk enough about like with Discussing Sublime, like, everyone talks about Brad, and, like, the lyrics questionable in other ways, but, like, Eric's bass lines are very sick.
03:07:23
Speaker
And that, like... I would... So sick. I would say my walk away from this, actually, is that Brad's lyrics are not as good as I remember them being. Totally. I don't find them that impressive. And that's what he's remembered for. I feel like it's more of the band as a whole that works. Yeah. I'd say the music is actually more fantastic. I feel like he's put on ah and Which, like, fair, like...
03:07:44
Speaker
He went... It's a very sad story, but like he's almost put on a pedestal a bit. Yeah, and i mean been because of the lore, it makes sense, right? yeah um Yeah. very Any last-minute thoughts on Sublime as we wrap it up?
03:08:00
Speaker
As Thumper said, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all. Scott Daddy Meter? They're pretty average dudes. I think i gave them a quick look. Yeah, they just look like white guys.
03:08:13
Speaker
And then Eric is like a giant. I think he's still a giant. I'm looking at a fives. Bud and Brad look exactly the same. They're the same person. like yeah and they're all singing And they're always like shaved goatees, sunglasses.
03:08:29
Speaker
Like shaved heads, goatees, sunglasses, no shirts. what is the What does Rome look like? young dude who's like half their age. So better. But with the same dress code.
03:08:40
Speaker
Oh, yeah. I don't know. Josh Freese is now playing drums with them. Is he really? Why is why he drumming? You're showing me them currently. Well, they look stupid. Like they're wearing stupid clothes.
03:08:54
Speaker
The guy's wearing a bowler hat and a bow tie and not in a fun like Drew Gway. He's the only guy from Sublime that's still in the band. Yeah. I don't know. Give us a number, Celine.
03:09:06
Speaker
Give us a number. I don't guess. Eric Wilson of Sublime. He's just a guy. I guess six. He's pretty kind, actually. Whoa, that's shady. I didn't think you were going to go that. No, I thought you made it sound like you're going lower. Well, look at him.
03:09:23
Speaker
i It is a button up and a bow tie. And a vest. And it's like a colorful button up with a gray vest with a different colored bow tie with a bull around. You're supposed take one accessory off. Yeah, that's not Coco Chanel is turning in her grave.
03:09:37
Speaker
Over Eric Wilson from Sublime. Yeah. She's a bad person anyways. It's fine. Anyway, it's time for time for a game. Oh boy, it's game time. A legal game. um sampling time it makes living easy but to use them in a song will not be free and to cover it will make our agent get greedy so we gotta do it cheap and a little greasy see me and Louis gonna go interpolate and it makes getting suited a little bit harder o yeah did it all wrong that was very good all right you never cease to impress me i so and you talked to this but that was amazing
03:10:18
Speaker
Talents, skills. You talked about interpolation earlier. This game, Celine and Joey and Ike will be given a song that interpolates neither samples nor covers, but heavily uses a part of an existing song.
03:10:33
Speaker
but Your job will be to ascertain what that pre-existing song that got interpolated was. For example, Sublime's Due in Time interpolates Summertime by Louis Armstrong and Aretha Franklin.
03:10:46
Speaker
Fun story about that. Apparently... They were going to say that the, in the lyrics, they were going to say, do in time and the living's easy, but they weren't allowed because of the rights to the song.
03:10:57
Speaker
Weird. o so But to make it easy, this won't be too difficult because either it'll be a really popular song or you could figure out what the existing song is just by the name of the title of the track I give you. So you'll see as you go, it starts easy and gets a little bit tougher.
03:11:12
Speaker
But whoever gets the most points wins. Do you want to keep score? Yep. ah Your one job, Joey. He's smoking weed. busy hand He's doing the Sublime episode. He's doing this. He had to. had to. He's honoring.
03:11:27
Speaker
I'll be ah a bit of a stickler for exact answers. But anyway, you buzz in with, ah you know, your name, ska, buzz, whatever. Same as always. Okay. Ready? Sure. Ready? Joey, you got the grid? Got the grid. All right.
03:11:42
Speaker
Right round by Flo Rida. Celine. Yes. um You spin me right round by dead or alive. That's correct. crushing it all already that specifically i love both of those songs okay oh question two oh fun fun aside real quick have you y'all seen that video of uh louis armstrong doing apple bottom jeans No, that sounds good. Sounds incredible. She's somebody doing like a fucking Louis Armstrong and impression. She goes, I have a of jeans.
03:12:16
Speaker
But like to the tune of What a Wonderful World, it's hilarious. Oh my God. That's the greatest thing I've ever seen. so fuckinging I've ever heard. That's funny. We'll have to watch it after we get our big calls. No, great aside.
03:12:28
Speaker
Very good. Second one. Physical by Dua Lipa. Selene. Yes. ah Physical Olivia Newton-John. Yes. Selene's getting in fast. This is Selene's game.
03:12:42
Speaker
We have to account for I will have a delay. Okay, so count a second. Yeah, you're the one who's answering. just saying. Yo, can we switch to guess that horn real quick? Sure. ah know Guess that horn. here there um I like it by Cardi B.
03:13:03
Speaker
I don't know the full name. I know Celine. Yes. It samples like the original song goes, yeah, baby, I like it like that. like that.
03:13:18
Speaker
I like it that. I'll give it to you because i got that's the song. but's like That's pretty cool. She puts it in the work. She deserves it. It's, you know, it was by a Burger King. I mean, Pete Rodriguez.
03:13:29
Speaker
such What? but anyway we Yeah, do you want to explain? yeah It was in like a million Burger King commercials in the ninety s so i thought you were saying Pete Rodriguez was all Burger King.
03:13:40
Speaker
I was like, damn. And I believe the song had Bad Bunny on it. It did have Bad Bunny on it. Bad Bunny? Bad Bunny? No, it doesn't do it for me.
03:13:51
Speaker
Sorry. I like Bad Bunny. I don't i think you don't feel like it's... Yeah, I like it very much. he looks Bad Bunny, more like good artist. And on the scog daddy. ah Terrible bunny. Let's turn the turn the podcast off. and That beats Robin the Hood by a mile.
03:14:11
Speaker
Alright, question four. fun the The time. Who got that last one? Nobody. What? Celine got it. I sang it and I sang it. The whole damn song. She deserves it. Okay, the time. Dirty Bit by Black Eyed Peas.
03:14:28
Speaker
Yes. i'm Having the Time of My Life by...
03:14:35
Speaker
Dirty bit. Can you name the movie that that song is from at the very least? and The one that Whitney Houston bought the bodyguard? Damn it. I don't have it.
03:14:46
Speaker
ah No, I don't have it. don't have it. I'll give you a half point. Okay. It's from Dirty Dancing. ah And I never felt this way before. Okay. So now they're going to get a little bit trickier, but...
03:14:59
Speaker
Still ah little bit easier. Okay. But these are just familiar songs that we all know kind of how they work. Okay. That Way by Lil Uzi Vert. Russ, Ike. Yes. ah I Want It That Way by Backstreet Boys.
03:15:13
Speaker
Correct. Oh. I thought think for some reason my brain went to like my way. Yeah. Lil Uzi Vert. I can dig deep.
03:15:25
Speaker
I get chopped and screwed. DITC, little Uzi Vert. Didn't know you had it in you. Not Your Barbie Girl by Ava Max. Celine. Yes.
03:15:35
Speaker
Barbie Girl by Ava. Correct. does Ava Max loves loves to, what do you you call it? and Interpolate. interpol That's all Ava Max's career is built on interpolating.
03:15:47
Speaker
Okay. Don't Want to Go Home by Jason Derulo.
03:15:54
Speaker
I don't want to go home. Ike. I don't. Yes. Who says you can't go home by fucking Bon Jovi? Oh, that would be great though. okay I've never heard the song. That was a guess.
03:16:04
Speaker
would be really funny. I have heard the song. All I know is Jason Derulo. He always does that. Yeah. That's kind of his thing. don't even know the Jason. Do you know how the Jason Derulo song goes? Can you sing it?
03:16:15
Speaker
ah Yeah. He heavily interpolates Deo the Banana Boat song by Harry Belafonte.
03:16:24
Speaker
Whatever you got to deliver that. That was good for but everybody. Everyone gets a point. Everyone won. Rich Girl by Gwen and Eve.
03:16:34
Speaker
Céline. Fiddler on the Roof if I was a rich man. Fuck, you're killing it, Céline. Jesus. If I was a rich man. Na-na-na. I had a secret feeling that you would miss that one. like what are I love Fiddler on the Root and love that song. know, but I felt like there would be like a misconnection like a like a misconnection on that, but you nailed it. no That was great.
03:16:56
Speaker
It's a Lynn's day. okay was it We just have to not talk about ska music and I'll know a lot. okay so These last four get a little tricky, so here's here's where we They're all tricky.
03:17:08
Speaker
These are easy. Ghetto Superstar by Praz Michael. Classic. Ghetto Superstar. Like a classic funk something. Like a Diana Ross or something.
03:17:20
Speaker
I don't... Ghetto Superstar. i don't I don't know the original.
03:17:27
Speaker
Joey? God, your classic rock your classic rock classic country bones should be shaking. Islands in the Stream. It is Islands in the Stream. Yes.
03:17:40
Speaker
Yeah. know what? I've never connected that. Okay. In my brain. Those two songs. Cupid's Chokehold by a Gym Class Heroes. Damn. I forget how this goes, but I know. it I used to know. my God. This would be Joey's. This would be you. This is so up Joey's alley. Don't know the song? like can Can you sing it a little? Can you just sing it a little? No.
03:17:59
Speaker
I can't. Sing it a little. No. Because it'll give it away? Yeah, because it's an interpolation, so it gives the song away completely. Give it away, give it away, give it away Red Hot Choke. Yeah, it's Red Hot Choke. Red Hot Choke. It Breakfast in America by Supertramp. Supertramp. Yes.
03:18:15
Speaker
Take a look at my girlfriend. Yeah. Oh, that song. The only one I got. Da-da-da-da-da-da-da. That look at my girlfriend. Yeah. Never seems to get a lot. I love that song. I just, like, I forgot how Keep It's Chokehold went because it has, like, the song title doesn't have anything to with the But it is that song. It is Breakfast in America. I know, but it's just Breakfast in America. Yeah.
03:18:38
Speaker
Anyways, sorry. Because I like Super Tramp. Call me when it's breakfast at McDonald's. Sure, that's like, what? Six hours from now? um Rapper's Delight by the Sugar Hill Gang.
03:18:50
Speaker
Huh? it's How does it go? Is it a hip ah hop? A hip to the hippie to the hip hip hop. I don't stop rocking to the bang bang boogie. Like a super, super original MC? don't.
03:19:08
Speaker
Yeah, so oh you're you're on the right track. thinking of the bass line. What is that bass? Under pressure. Good times is by Sheik. Yes, it is. That doesn't count because that's the sample.
03:19:22
Speaker
It is not a sample. It's a live band. It's potentially covering the whole song. I know, that's why we went a little tricky on this one. that is um actually Think of how long... Because that song goes on forever. He played it in one take. That person playing that bass line had to play that riff for like an eternity in one take. And he is not Nils Rogers.
03:19:46
Speaker
He is a different person. Wow. it's wild yeah I think that's fun history about that song. Okay, and and another person person I brought up earlier. song is called All I Know by MGK. Machine Gun Kelly. Knowledge by Operation Ivy.
03:20:04
Speaker
It is. Oh, that's cool. No. well it's the coolest thing someone could do. It's not cool that he did it. They cleared it with Jesse Michaels. He said well i said, yeah, because he wanted to try something new Why not? And he didn't immediately balk it because that's something... Teach the kids about Op Ivy. That's a good thing. More exposure. That's cool.
03:20:26
Speaker
don't know. Don't let just that it's through the creep that is Yes. It sucks that it's him, but there's some pros. Anyways, keep going. I want more points. No, that's it. We're done. Who won? Did I win? Because I got a couple at the end. Yes. Five and a half to Yep. Five and a half to four, and I got zero.
03:20:44
Speaker
Joey got brutalized. I thought you would do better. for some i thought you would do better. I had had high expectations for you, Joey. When I had Super Tramp in here. Yeah. Your parents would be upset. Your mom would be sad. Nah, she didn't like Super Tramp. My dad was a Super Tramp guy.
03:21:01
Speaker
Your dad. all right we' be Well, that was a fun game. I enjoyed the hell out of that, actually. trip We got a few more minutes.
03:21:12
Speaker
Why don't we question the answers? We got some questions from the Discord, Ike. but Just for toi. Special questions. just special Yeah, Portois.
03:21:25
Speaker
ah Mr. Kenny Malloy asks... um Accent on the moi. ah Yeah. what he I mean, he calls you a rat bastard in the first two sentences, which is funny.
03:21:36
Speaker
Do you find the quality of pizza to vary from state to state, or does an Arizona pizza do just as well as a New Jersey one? a um I don't even know if you like pizza, yeah ay he says ah He says he doesn't know if I like pizza?
03:21:51
Speaker
Yeah. ah Okay, cool. Okay. um i don't i don't I don't eat a ton of pizza. I like and also so but was just texting Chris um earlier this evening because he just he was in New York for the mega wedding.
03:22:06
Speaker
And I asked him what he thought of New York pizza. Because i maybe maybe I just didn't eat at the right spots. But like I didn't think New York pizza lived up to the hype.
Food and Fun: Taco Bell and Wizard Spells
03:22:16
Speaker
It was really good, but I'm not a gigantic pizza person.
03:22:22
Speaker
You're not a big pizza guy. I am not a man made of pizza, unfortunately. You're not boycott dream. Yeah. Pizza, you're delicious. Sorry. I'm out.
03:22:33
Speaker
at himself to death yeah i ah pizza you're delicious so um um' um ah yeah That's a classic scene. ah Yeah, I feel like i don't I don't have enough experience to say whether pizza quality varies from state to state. Because if I'm eating pizza in a new state, it just tastes like regular pizza to me unless there's some sort of special circumstance. feel like every city's got a spot.
03:23:03
Speaker
Yeah, every city's got a good pizza. And they all taste the same. so So, but you dropped Taco Bell. So what's your Taco Bell? Yeah, was going to say, what about if it was a burrito? Burritos are very different.
03:23:15
Speaker
Yeah. I feel... I have something to say. don't. Let him talk about burritos first before anything. don't like burritos, that's all. That's the only thing. just want to... Yeah, that's it. It's an intention in our relationship. Next thing you're going to be like, burritos are the fishbone of food. And I'm going to be like, Celine.
03:23:35
Speaker
My God. The reason why she doesn't like Sublime is because they have a song about burritos. i knew it It's the mushiness and the no texture. Too mushy. Mushy and delicious.
03:23:47
Speaker
Yeah, but I just wanted to know your take on the mush factor when going into your love for burritos. I feel like my Taco Bell question got stomped on. What the Taco Bell order was? yeah yeah I get two Fiesta Veggie Burritos and a Cheesy Bean and Rice Burrito sub black beans.
03:24:07
Speaker
It's about $5 and it's amazing. I'm mad that they they they screwed up. They changed the the the burritos up here, like the cheese and bean burritos up here, and they taste much more disgusting than they used to, and I'm mad.
03:24:20
Speaker
that thing That's what makes me sad. What i think what else we got? Mike Gutslack, the enzyme. We're not Skakobush. That was a sponsored Skakobel moment.
03:24:31
Speaker
Give us money, Skakobel. ah Power up. first Well, first was asking when you're playing with them, but then asks, what is the material component of your favorite wizard spell? I love that question.
03:24:43
Speaker
What? If you were to cast a wizard spell, what would your the component your favorite component of it be? Is that different from witch's spell? Okay, yeah. That's about the same.
03:24:55
Speaker
The only thing that pops into my head. I'm sure there's like a... Oh God, was listening to this like paranormal podcast the other day and they were talking about... They're telling this story of this shaman from somewhere who used all kinds of animal semen in their spells.
03:25:14
Speaker
And... sure All of animals? Like different animals and all kinds of wild shit. But I'm going to go with I have Newt. that's That's a classic. I like it.
03:25:24
Speaker
Time test to tried and true. ah Cool. Chris asks, Rome wasn't built in a day. How many days did it take to build Sublime with Rome? 420. four hundred and twenty a Perfect.
03:25:39
Speaker
And the last ah question that I like here is. That I like. Some of these I don't like. Each of asks, what was your hidden gem local scene band that should have gotten bigger?
03:25:50
Speaker
Hard Girls.
03:25:53
Speaker
Ooh. Who are they? San Jose. ah They were like the the scene band ah when I was in high school and growing up that like, I remember my friend Jason and I, like anytime we'd talk about a new band that we found who we thought were really sick, we'd be like, oh, so-and-so is very sick, but there are no hard girls.
03:26:13
Speaker
And it's just like, i go back and listen to those hard girls records and it's, they're awesome. The guitarist and singer Mike Huguenot now plays in Jeff Rosenstock's band. he's like the lead guitarist in Jeff Rosenstock's band holy shit that's amazing yeah that's super rad that band's incredible they're like my off the cuff answer oh wow that's awesome I don't have one King Muscoff who are back apparently I think that's that's it I think we're good so I'll throw it over to you Ike to finish off what have you got to plug
03:26:51
Speaker
Yeah, i have I have a new single out. It's called TMZ. wo Two new songs, TMZ and Hell, came out today. Go stream those. I'm playing Fest in three days.
03:27:04
Speaker
um It'll be my first time ever at Fest. First time going, first time playing. I'm playing with like all the Bad Time family bands. so That's very exciting. Bad Time bands.
03:27:16
Speaker
band yeah yeah Barrel racing and clowns for the kids. Yeah. yeah And if you live in the Bay Area, ah my next local show is November 6th at 924 Gilman Street with Omnigon and Abraskadabra.
03:27:35
Speaker
Oh, shit. Sick. I want to reach out and grab you.
03:27:39
Speaker
abra Abracadabra. i like it. i like it. Thanks for listening to Checkered Pass, and thanks for being on the pod, Ike. This was so fun. um Hit us up on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok at CheckeredPassPod, or send us an email at CheckeredPassPod at gmail.com.
03:27:56
Speaker
To support the pod and get bonus content, including a full-length and unedited video of this episode, sign up for the Checkerhead Patreon at patreon.com slash checkeredpassed. We also have a merch available at checkeredpass.ca.
03:28:09
Speaker
Checkered Pass is edited by Arianne and engineered by Joey. And until next time, I'm Rob. I'm Salim. I'm Joey. In the immortal words of Sublime, 5000G, we here.
03:28:22
Speaker
On this episode, we're one second off our 15 minutes of fame as we proudly make podcasts for cougars. I know you are floored, but tuck in with a plate of brownies and a tall glass of lemonade. Because yes, little yachty, this episode is a pursuit of leisure.
03:28:36
Speaker
It's Sugar Fucking Ray on Checkered Pass, the Scottcast.
03:29:01
Speaker
Hello
03:29:04
Speaker
ah show where i hate celebrity big brother can you spare some scar and i don't forget the sky lyrics i never had to block on glue explore the history and impact of a different band each episode and hope to bring in new fans along the way i'm robin this is my sister and co-host so when hello hey hello hello hello hello yeah how are you uh fine what did you say
03:29:32
Speaker
ah like the whole intro yeah what was that what is sugar ray oh yeah correct reality tv shows featuring mark okay that's fun can you give me them again celebrity hey celebrity big brother can you spare some ska oh that's fun yeah what's the next one ah Don't forget the ska lyrics and then I fucked up impression that I get on purpose because I forgot the ska lyrics.
03:29:53
Speaker
What's that reality show? There's a reality show called Don't Forget the Lyrics. Oh. That Mark McGrath was on. Oh. Okay. He did a lot of stuff. Yeah. i thought what I thought you might have used the Clone High reference.
03:30:06
Speaker
Explain. I thought, wasn't Mark McGrath on Clone High? Was it Mark McGrath? That was the joke bit? Ashley Angel of O-Town? Oh, it Ashley Angel of O-Town. Yeah, Canada. I know, i should know better. Yeah, you should know better.
03:30:18
Speaker
The cartoon Ashley Angel from O-Town does look like Mark McGrath. I'm going to stand by that. I don't know if Mark McGrath has floating eyebrows, though. That's true. I think Mark... ah I think... I think they're equally hairless.
03:30:31
Speaker
Alopecia. Is that what that's... what That's when you have no hair. Yeah, that yeah I know. It's like Matt Lucas. Like Matt Lucas, exactly. matt Thanks, Engineer Joey. Is Matt Lucas, does he have a thing?
03:30:44
Speaker
assume so. He has no hair. i thought that was just white people, like, you know, like white British guy. He was that white? he Yeah. And eliminated there. I thought he was just, i thought he just like jarringly British.
03:30:57
Speaker
No, he's got alopecia. It's a lot of, it is a lot of pale. We were watching him on the Great British Bake Off recently. Oh, yeah. He's not good at bits. No. He's not a funny guy. No, I watched that Little Britain show.
03:31:09
Speaker
and Did you I'm sorry. there's some There's some stuff that does not hold up. I would assume so. It's a little cringe. Yeah, i see. A little cringe. Seems like a guy who made jokes that I would not agree with now. got some Ricky Gervais energy.
03:31:23
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Real Ricky Gervais energy. like have No fielding, though. it was that Mighty Boosh though. oh he's on Great British Bake Off. My friend described his face to me as like each feature on his face is fighting each other. With no fielding? Yeah.
03:31:40
Speaker
Just each feature is so aggressive and fighting one another at all times when you're looking at it. She is is attracted to him. I was going to She has lots of poor shoes.
03:31:50
Speaker
It's getting dark a little bit, but then it just comes around. Yeah, no, she meant it as a positive. She likes the conflict. Yeah, she likes the conflict. you have a salinite? Yeah, but I don't have it. I'm very hungover, i will say, for Joey's birthday. I don't know why. i didn't let myself drink yesterday.
03:32:08
Speaker
Like we just had the night before. really well the night before thank you. God. Oh, my god The night before. Okay, whatever. so oh you got to talk about wrestling. That's what you want to talk about. Do-do-do-do. It's a minute. Wait, wait, wait, wait.
03:32:20
Speaker
We have to pretend like we're drinking a beer. ah Oh, yeah. We're fueled by sea change. It's too early in the morning to be drinking this beer. bite right But we are fueled by sea change. We fueled by change. And we do love the beer. And I had one of those beers before I left for wrestling.
03:32:34
Speaker
I also had a Prairie Fairy last night in honor of... Of this episode, would say. A single sea change beer. Knowing it going to be early in the morning. This is delicious blackberry wheat ale. And it's one of my faves.
03:32:45
Speaker
um But yeah, I'm new to going to wrestling. It's been a blast, though. So I went to a, like, mid kind of wrestling. and i only That's not an insult. You don't mean to say it's mid, right? No, i don't know what it's called. Like mid-tier? Semi-pro. Semi-pro. Semi-pro wrestling. The last wrestling I went to was just like in a dirty hall. Amateur, amateur. Yeah, it was super amateur. But I almost preferred that, I will say. This was very impressive and shiny, but ah it was sweet.
03:33:15
Speaker
There's a fun little um gay cowboy wrestler from Calgary that I love named Stephen Crow. And they were very fun. ah They did very well. and ah yeah, it was fucking sick. I think one of my friends might do the wrestling camp.
03:33:31
Speaker
There's this dude named Michael Richard Blaze whose bit was like saving people. And he's like, let me save you. And he like the best wrestling monologues. And it was like classic, like 90s WWF level wrestling monologues. And was incredible.
03:33:45
Speaker
And you said that the thing you like best about is that you get to yell. Yeah. Yes. And I like to see if we can start a chant. Yeah. That's why i liked Michael Richard Blaze is because there's a lot of things to yell.
03:33:56
Speaker
Like, because you can just, there's lots of playing off religion and God and, and you know, do it for the father, son, and the Holy Ghost. You know? And you learned about new, new, yeah. Saying, holy shit.
03:34:09
Speaker
Yeah. Holy shit. Yeah. what That was awesome. du they didn't That was awesome. some People were doing it I don't know if it's something. And then when the riff goes two, I really like being like two, two, two. And i ended he looked at me in the rafters and I had my little two up. He was yep, two. That was a two count.
03:34:29
Speaker
Wrestling has a lot of like um lingo that's really weird, right? Yeah. Kayfabe, right? Which is like the face and the heel. It's important not to break, right? Don't break Kayfabe. I don't know that. Yeah. Face and heel. The baby face and the heel, right?
03:34:43
Speaker
The good guy and the bad guy. The baby face and the heel. I do know about the heel. Yeah. And the baby face is the opposite. The good guy. I want to be a ref. I want to be the ref. Slim's a big fan of the heels because it means she gets the yell more.
03:34:56
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. You yell at the heel lot. Yeah. yeah There were the rads and they their thing was to just touch their fingertips and whatever. I'm touching the tips. So now I have a little tip finger.
03:35:08
Speaker
You mean a big foam finger. A big foam finger. That was where you drag it was very difficult to understand. Very hungover. You guys are going to have to translate. No, I am. I had so much tea. have so much tea. I'm just spilling so much. I actually did spill literal tea this morning.
03:35:22
Speaker
Usually I'm busy. Spilling metaphorical tea. But I actually spilled an entire mug of tea on the floor. You know when you're just like your hand just stops like there's just like a pathway that gives up from your brain to your hand and you just like stop holding the thing you're holding and there's like no other excuse.
03:35:41
Speaker
It's called nerve damage. Get it looked at. You know how we all have nerve damage in our arms?
Eichlers' Musical Journey and Tokyo Experience
03:35:49
Speaker
Hey, I cut hair a lot. I probably do have some fucked up hair. Too much barbicide. Too much barbicide. Okay. ah So yeah, that was fun. that That's a good slitting. Wrestling sweet. Also, there's a the villain Tara Zep is from Vancouver and she's this like super hot tattooed indigenous chick and her thing is like being like an evil clown.
03:36:10
Speaker
they're they're athletes they're not only actors also what i will say is wrestling is filling my drag i used to go to a lot of drag shows but just got oversaturated i still love drag but Got a little oversaturated for me. So this is filling my like drag. And the venue to watch drag Edmonton And I think it's more inclusive.
03:36:27
Speaker
Oh yeah. Like ah nowadays i feel like it was like there was these two like Latinx dudes like Paralira and there was like a Caribbean dude from Toronto. And then yeah there was a fun little gay. There was lots of chicks. Fun little gay. Yeah. and He was really sweet. We met him. He was a little cutie. We shopped at the same places.
03:36:47
Speaker
you We shared fashion brands. True religion. Yeah, I'll wait. Mostly just the inflation shirts. All right. We're absolutely thrilled to introduce our guest.
03:37:00
Speaker
Three Pete. They're the one and only HyperSka superstar who released a flurry of singles this year, the newest of which I'm screaming. It's streaming everywhere right now. Eichlers is back.
03:37:11
Speaker
Back again, three years in a row. Ike, how are you doing? Hi. Back again, edition. Back again, edition. Thanks for having me back on my favorite podcast. This is awesome. Yay. Thanks for being here.
03:37:22
Speaker
I told one of my friends that I was going to be here and told him about the band we were talking about. And he's like, I love that podcast. And I love that they only have you on for like the very ska tangentially like associated artists. And I was like, well, you know.
03:37:35
Speaker
this time i like ah even asked but ah usually the guest brings the the the artist and but with ike i usually just you give you the ah what you're doing you're like uh tweet uh no doubt sucks and i'm like okay you should come on and talk about this time i even asked you're like i don't know what we should do and i was like what about sugar ray and you're like yeah so that's why ah Do you have thoughts about what we talked about?
03:38:06
Speaker
Wrestling? Yeah, are you a wrestling boo? i have I have no opinions on wrestling. I think it's cool. um and I'm not a fan of violence, staged or otherwise. Fair. don't know. not not Not a ton for me, but i I think it's cool. I like that people are into it. It makes me happy that other people like it so much.
03:38:27
Speaker
yeah I'm screaming. That's what I was doing at the wrestling show a couple days ago. Exactly. Wrestling started, fun fact, it was a circus sideshow, right? They would have a wrestler go there and he would like, you know, try to wrestle people in the audience. It was just like Spider-Man, the first Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie. Yeah. And so you're supposed to like, you would be like, try to flip me.
03:38:50
Speaker
And then someone in the crowd would try to flip him. And then if you won, you got tickets for the circus or whatever. And then but they're like nobody wanted to do it. So they would have like um bits where they'd have people in the crowd and say you there like, you know, like snake oil salesman, you were there try to flip me and then the person would be like, you know, oh, I'm still weak. But then they would do it because you know, they would like lift themselves up and do the whole thing. Yeah. And so from there, they kind of were like, well, why don't we just do that part?
03:39:15
Speaker
We stage that. That's what people want to see. And then it just kind of cycled there. They were figuring it out. Yeah. Took them little bit to figure it out somewhere. The one that I saw yesterday, what I will say, I mean, they definitely do, like, get hurt. But you can, like, very, very much see them, especially from the Raptors, like, not actually making contact or, like, making the sound with their own fist. Or, like, hitting the ground when they do the punch.
03:39:37
Speaker
Like, yeah, yes. There was, like, but in ah in a good way, though. I don't want people to actually get punched in the face. Totally. So I actually just remembered I have been to WWE w e once.
03:39:49
Speaker
Oh, whoa. I've never been big time. Yeah. mike Mike Park got free tickets and he took me and the rest of my band, Kill the Bats, back in 2013. And my then girlfriend, now wife.
03:40:00
Speaker
um And he he took us. we We all went out to sushi and then we drove up to Daly City and went and said WWE. w And he put $20 in Hope's gas tank. After promising to fill it up all the way, he put $20. It was awesome. du Can you recall any of the – like were there any big name wrestlers there?
03:40:23
Speaker
Dude, that's that's the thing. I only remember the drive there and back. I don't remember shit about wrestling. i don't i don't remember a single thing about the wrestling we saw. And it's long. It's kind of fucked Three and a half hours, too. Like, like wwe WWE is, like, of value.
03:40:37
Speaker
So that's what this one was. Yeah. The the one that I, the last, the super amateur i went one I went to was, like, an hour and a half two hours. And that's what i was kind of planning for. But this one was, like, three, three and a half. Yeah. It's long, it's long. It's a commitment.
03:40:50
Speaker
It That's a whole ass evening. Yeah. Yeah. uh what's up joey i was gonna say that's like a party that's like that's like a party that that's party time like how how much time is there in between the matches none there was a little intermission just roll on through guess they don't have to switch over any gear or anything well and they don't pipe it well depending on where it is but like on ww they don't pipe in the announcers Oh, okay. Because that would be super distracting. Yeah, like yeah, totally. And so you would just, you just watch it. And so only when they get up and are on the mic, do you actually hear from people.
03:41:25
Speaker
But the commentators are, that's just for the TV. Interesting. It's wild. The more you know. Yeah. The more I know about wrestling now. Full of facts. Speaking of facts. Full of facts.
03:41:37
Speaker
Hey, Ike. Catch the listener up. 12 months since you were last on the potty-ish. What has been 2023 about for you? Yeah. Ooh. yeah Yeah, it's been been a cool year.
03:41:49
Speaker
um I played a show in Tokyo, Japan, in Shibuya back in April. cold That was pretty crazy. and um My wife and I went there just like as a belated honeymoon, you know, three years after we got married.
03:42:00
Speaker
um And then i I figured like, oh, it'd be cool to like try and play a show while I'm out here because, you know, my life's set up. I don't i don't have any gear. It's not like I take a guitar and amp with me whatever. whatever i just like brought my little bag and my auto-tune pedal and my mic and luckily through like friends of friends and on through like the bad time community i got linked up with uh nobuyuki from punk mart and he was able to patch me in with these cool like hyper pop adjacent rappers and we ended up playing a show together at this place called jump in shibuya like a less than five minute walk from like the world famous like shibuya scramble that big like
03:42:35
Speaker
crazy crosswalk that you see in all the videos. Yeah. Yeah. yeah um So it was like in, in the heart of the, like one of the most popular Tokyo. in tokyo Yeah. It was, it was crazy. And the show was really fun. I was really nervous, really like self-conscious. Cause I don't, I don't speak Japanese and you know, I'm trying to be friendly, but I can't like communicate with anyone. So I'm just like sitting there waiting to go on. And it was, it was a really cool experience and people were hype as fuck and really liked my shit.
03:43:03
Speaker
That's awesome. it was It was a really, really sick experience. Yeah, that's so cool. Good for you for doing it. That is high pressure. I feel like saying high in a really positive manner, like, transcends language. High? Yeah, and that is i if I remember correctly, that is how I opened the set and everyone's like...
03:43:23
Speaker
there's this There's this one dude, shout out Zach, who's like a fan of mine. He's from Illinois or something, but he's been living in Tokyo for like 10 years. um And he he showed us around and he came to the show, knew all the words, front row, singing all the lyrics back at me.
03:43:38
Speaker
So it was it was like super reaffirming to have someone there who I knew and can communicate with who was very hyped to see me and sort of bring in everyone else up who'd never heard me before like around him. So it was it was a really positive experience overall, though like one of the most probably the most nerve-wracking thing I've ever done as an artist. yeah that's all how is ah Have you been to Japan before or is that was your first time? Yeah, that was our second time going.
03:44:04
Speaker
oh wow. Yeah. So like we're familiar with like how shit works and like Hope speaks a little Japanese and understands a lot. And I speak almost none and understand even less. Yeah.
03:44:16
Speaker
It was I kind of felt like a ding dong for not like learning anything beforehand. And just like going in like, oh, I'll be the dumb white guy. It'll be fine. Everyone will be nice to me. I'm going to prepare better next time.
03:44:29
Speaker
But yeah, it was it was really cool. People rely on Google Translate a lot from what I've read on like Travels, Subreddit, Japan. Yeah, and that is and that is like a lot of what we did, a lot of phone communication, like Google Translate typing shit out.
03:44:43
Speaker
And it was cool. Like it it worked out. everyone Everyone there was super sweet and super nice. like Best meal. Best meal in Japan. Oh, my goodness. Best meal. ah This place called Katsuo Shokuro.
03:44:54
Speaker
ah It's this ah Michelin star restaurant nice in Tokyo. but not like not like Michelin star in the way that like you usually think of. um It was like very low key in this little apartment building.
03:45:05
Speaker
think there were probably 10 or so seats in there. And it's like the shredded bonito flakes over rice. And that's that's it. She like oh dries the fish herself and like hand grates it. And it's just like the most perfectly balanced flavor of any meal I've ever had. That was the best meal I've had my entire fucking life. That sounds yummy.
03:45:25
Speaker
And it was like $10. That's sick. Yeah. And it was like chill and kind of casual. and It was super chill. She was – the like chef was so sweet and she like followed me back on Instagram afterwards and I was ah!
03:45:39
Speaker
I was like freaking out. Yeah. and every every now and then I see her post in my feed and I just drool and Hope and I talk about that meal all the time. out watering. And I love rice. Oh, my God.
03:45:50
Speaker
Yeah, so I – let's see. Yeah, so it was just like the shredded bonito over rice and then like a raw egg. You could like – the egg was extra. It would be like ah topping you could add and I got the raw egg and did the eggs in Japan are different. Eggs – Was it umami?
03:46:06
Speaker
Yeah. mommy Absolutely. That's what I like about Japanese food. is like it's so yeah They're like big on that umami flavor. Even Japanese like mayo is way better. Oh, totally. again yeah yeah It's crazy. Yum.
03:46:20
Speaker
I'm hungry. little babies Did you have like a japanese traditional Japanese breakfast? I'm assuming... We did. Yeah. We had one last time and then- I'd be curious. and And then, yeah, this past time we did too. yeah And that's really cool because I i i love like that that sort of low-key Japanese breakfast. I'm not like a big hearty stack of pancakes ta yeah breakfast person. So I like i like a low-key breakfast anyway. But yeah, I had like natto, which is fermented soybeans and rice.
03:46:49
Speaker
And then a piece of fish. And it was some tea. was amazing. So good. They really figured it out, you know? That's what I'm saying, dude. Yeah. They really figured a lot of things out there. Yeah, it's from... Much better than here. It's from having an isolationist policy for a thousand years. I know, I know. It's complicated.
03:47:05
Speaker
also they're like... ah you know very the fish fresh fish is readily available yeah yeah unlike where we are yeah i barely know what that's like i know what a fresh fish tastes even just tea though like even tea yeah even tea culture is just so much better totally do you do pachinko No, too scared, too loud.
03:47:26
Speaker
yeah every Every pachinko place we walk past, I like told Hope, I was like, I want to go in and like, I got to know what it's like. And she's like, no, it's it's too overwhelming. I can't go in there. If you're going to go you're going in by yourself. And I was like, I can't go in by myself.
03:47:41
Speaker
It's just like such a racket because like you're like you have to buy chips to do it. But then you the rules are you can't use the chips to cash out. Yeah. So you have to go like around the corner to different shop.
03:47:53
Speaker
Right. Yeah. What? You have to like go outside. That's how they get around the rules. And it's like every pachinko place is the same. You go around to like some guy outside. who will just, like, catch your chips in. Yeah. Otherwise, if you stay in the pachinko place and, like, exchange it for prizes, that also marks you as a tourist. like Because it's, like, yeah.
03:48:15
Speaker
Like, no local ever does I just wish our 7-Elevens had, like, delicious rice balls and not taquitos. Hey, I like a taquito every day. Yeah, that's the... Don't... Like, they're...
03:48:26
Speaker
The 7-Eleven taquitos are for the people. They're there when you need them. No one needs them. I will stand by. i don't think anyone I don't think that's good for anyone's body. No one can break that Sounds like haven't been driving to Calgary a lot lately.
03:48:39
Speaker
Road taquitos. They are easy to eat while driving. I will give you that. and what do you What do you got it against American hot roller cylindrical culture? i do i don't like i don't like my food to sweat.
03:48:52
Speaker
For like all day.
03:48:57
Speaker
A sweaty, sweaty, steamy little hot dog. I just have to lie back and think of England when I have one of those legs. Lie back and think of England. Yeah, I mean, doing it for the country. It's a cultural event. Yeah, it's for queen country.
03:49:14
Speaker
ah like
03:49:17
Speaker
I'm like not opposed to like a futon on the floor, like a Japanese futon. Oh yeah? Because like laying you'd like on the ground is nice on your back. what do you think about those um triangle pillows?
03:49:29
Speaker
I don't know about the triangle pillows. They're like old timey pillows that are kind of shaped like a triangle and you're just lay your head directly back on it. Yeah. It's supposed to be good. yeah That sounds nice.
03:49:41
Speaker
But apparently sleeping on your, like the, I think there's something with like head goo. Like and okay if you're laying on your back, I think it's like bad for your brain.
03:49:53
Speaker
for you to do it like yeah it's better for like aging and better for your but yeah you don't yeah there's like a reason but it's something about the head goo the laying on the floor thing though how often do you all lay on the floor never um you never lay on the floor every single day Yeah, man. You gotta lay on the floor. Just about every day I think I lay on the floor. you not have a sore back, bro Okay. have terrible posture. Get back problems.
03:50:19
Speaker
Get back problems. have enough problems. And then get back to me. Get back to me. Laying on the floor for few minutes after work and letting the dogs crawl all over me is like a classic, classic D. It's a good way to decompress.
03:50:35
Speaker
Yeah, totally. Totally.
Eichlers' Future Projects and Inspirations
03:50:37
Speaker
It's great. I was actually doing that earlier this morning. right i' try it I got home from my run and I was like laying on the ground about to like do my sit-ups and all my stretches and stuff. And Topo comes over and he just like stands on my hair so I can't lift my head and just starts licking like my eyeball. Just licking all the sweat off my face. exciting when the humans...
03:50:54
Speaker
It's exciting when the human is on the floor. It's a good time. He's on my level. Get him. yeah Yeah, get him now. They get so excited when you're on their levels. licking time. Time for licking. It's licking time.
03:51:08
Speaker
Let's talk about the music. So what's been going into the the music that we've been putting out this year and what should people expect coming into 2024? Yeah. So the let's see. The music music this year, I put out the My Checker Future B-Sides record earlier this year. Which fucks.
03:51:26
Speaker
Yeah. That was on Joey every time his car turned on. his Bluetooth that connected to my car. Yeah. For like a lot three months. Good good good portion of the beginning of the summer.
03:51:38
Speaker
Which is good. That's awesome. I'm happy to hear that. Yeah. i'm I'm really proud of those songs. And i'm I'm glad that I like after sitting on them for so long could finally release them. It was good summertime driving music. Yeah.
03:51:49
Speaker
and And I mean, like starting with the Kenny thing, which is great. And then just finishing it off with Chicken Chain, which is also great. What a silly fun listen. Oh my goodness.
03:52:01
Speaker
It's so true. Yeah. Adam adam from OmniGon is like, when are you dropping Chicken Chain? When you dropping it? Fine, It's going on this fucking record. Okay. ah and then like yeah someone thought it's awesome thanks someone at um i was playing gilman earlier this year and someone's like bro i'm coming to your show and seeing you for the first time can you please play chicken chain and i was like yeah guess sure That's for you. If you promise to sing and then I did it and just like the crowd was completely dead.
03:52:31
Speaker
No! Hope was there with a couple of her friends and afterwards she's like, you shouldn't have played Chick and Shane. I like, ah, this person asked me to. was trying to be nice. I knew this going happen. That wasn't why it was on the set list.
03:52:43
Speaker
I would have done the same thing. and ah Yeah, it's one of those things. Chick and Shane. It's one of those things where like, yeah, like there's, there's songs like that from artists I like too. You're like, oh, if they played the song live, it would go off. Like I would be yeah going crazy. And then like, you're actually there in that moment and you're the only one and you're like, kind of feel a little weird about going crazy. I'm so excited. Like.
03:53:06
Speaker
It all depends on the crowd. depends on the energy. Totally. yeah um and then This year, it's been been mostly remixes. I've been really really fortunate to have a lot of, like especially Punk International artists, shout out, Hambonk International, hitting me up to remix their songs.
03:53:23
Speaker
ah Let's see. We did the Sad Snack remix, Indica and Decay remix, and a couple other ones. forgetting off the top of my head, but Yeah, that's been a lot of fun. it's been That's like one of my favorite things to do is just reimagine an artist's song, especially an artist that like I like and look up to and I'm friends with. like That's always a treat for me.
03:53:43
Speaker
Yeah. When you do remixes like that, do you usually like get stems and then kind of... like reconceptualize right from the stems or do you kind of like do it kind of like more traditional remix style? It's definitely like reconceptualizing from the stems, like the flying raccoon remix. I had listened to the song. Like, I think I listened to the first 15 seconds of Swan song when Andrew sent it to me and I was like, Oh, I want to do this one.
03:54:08
Speaker
And then like, didn't listen to the song. like Cool. That's rad. Yeah, I just like took the horns and Jessica's vocal and I was like, I'm just going to write ah song underneath this because I think that's more ah that's more fun for me and more like in enjoyable as a music listener than like trying to stay true to like the structure, like some parts of the original song because it's just like, how would this sound if I wrote it?
03:54:33
Speaker
and oh yeah and that's And that's like how i how I like to do cover songs too. like Doing like a verbatim cover is like fun and it's cool, but like the artist is already doing that. like where's it's It's sort of more fun to like ah reimagine it as a different song. And that's sort of how I approach like remixing too. I think people come to you for that as well. I was just going to say. For sure. yeah yeah like they want They want that when they reach out to you to like do something like that.
03:54:59
Speaker
yeah Yeah, totally. it's It's cool that people fuck with it too and want want that treatment for their own songs. Yeah. It's so fun. They want to give you something to reimagine and be like, well, what would it sound like if you did this?
03:55:12
Speaker
Plus, Hyperscotch is such a unique sound. i feel like all of like anyone in the community who appreciates what you do, but doesn't do hyper ska is for them to be like, Hey, it's me doing hyper ska. And Ike himself is doing it, you know, yeah like that's extra cool.
03:55:28
Speaker
And so what's, uh, what's coming out in 2024? What can people expect over the next 12 months? ah Let's see. I'm hoping the next record will be done pretty soon. um I'm like 99% of the way done writing it.
03:55:43
Speaker
just need to finish up a verse here and there. um So hopefully next summer, Eichler's LP, a special something or other at the beginning of this year. I'm working on, I guess, might might as well say it. Who cares?
03:56:00
Speaker
um It's going to be an acoustic record. Oh, wow. so like So your favorite Hyperska songs from the past couple years done acoustically. No auto tune.
03:56:10
Speaker
Didn't you do a show like that kind of recently? Yeah. Yeah. Cool. I think sometime last year. Yeah. i played a I played at Silver Sprocket in San Francisco with Elan from Indica and Decay and couple other people.
03:56:27
Speaker
And yeah, that that went really well. And, you know, Eichler started as an acoustic project. So it's it's cool to like how how far it's like gone removed from just me playing with an acoustic guitar and sort of bringing it back to that and really putting, I don't know, it's more like self reassuring that like, oh yeah, these are like good songs that can, I think, stand on their own without all the bells and whistles that, you know, people come to know my songs for, like the auto tune and all the goofy arrangements and whatnot.
03:56:58
Speaker
Well, then there's something like, Celine and I have talked about this quite a bit where like, when you talk about like covering a song or whatever, like and making it more punk rock or something like that, a lot of pop songs, there just isn't really enough to them to simplify them into like a pop punk song or something to that effect, right?
03:57:17
Speaker
So then to take songs that like, don't know, I guess like hyper ska kind of like to an un... an educated ear, it might sound pretty simple or whatever, but to be able to pull your songs back and be like, oh, they're just good songs to begin with.
03:57:33
Speaker
Like, yeah just the guitar and then the vocals and stuff. like Like you said, you don't need all those extra bells and whistles. They're just good songs. And it's really cool to be able to be like, hey, check this out, you know?
03:57:44
Speaker
Proving it to yourself, you know? For sure, yeah And i I think it's that way, but I'm i'm really curious to see if you know if other people feel similarly and sort of have have everyone hear the songs in a different light, especially like, you know, the people who've fucked with me like really heavy for the past few years, like like you guys and people who know know the songs really well, like hearing them ah reimagined and stripped down, like I think is going to be a really cool fan experience. And it's, again, really exciting for me to...
03:58:11
Speaker
hear them that way after hearing them the same way for so long. ah The only other question I have is I'm always interested to hear what new things you're listening to like in the field because you always every year it seems like you have like found something cool and interesting that's happening in the in the universe. So what's what are you listening to? What are you spending these days? Oh my God, I have been obsessed with this. ah They're this mysterious duo from the UK.
03:58:35
Speaker
ah They make music under the moniker DJ Sabrina, the teenage DJ. ha' um it's It's like nostalgic 90s outsider house.
03:58:48
Speaker
People have sure labeled it. They put out a record this year called Destiny that's four hours long. hold okay yes in And incredible. yeah I've been... Not a minute wasted. I mean, there's there's there's like, you know, lulls and dips. it's It's four hours of music. Like, no one and no one can write a four-hour, like, straight top-to-bottom banger. I feel like that's an impossible feat. but Sounds like a challenge. no Yeah. I mean, I'm not i'm not saying no one.
03:59:18
Speaker
It could happen. It's not likely to be me. Yeah, but like this this record like more more often than not is is hitting. It's really, really cool. um Yeah, if if anything, if y'all are trying to check that out, I would recommend like the first probably 35 minutes of it.
03:59:36
Speaker
Or is she actually like... I say she just because that's they use like the like the sort of pixelated version of Melissa Joan Hart from like ha s Sabrina the Teenage Witch on all the album covers. I put time into watching that show. Yeah.
03:59:51
Speaker
Right? yeah So even then, that's like the immediate nostalgia hook. um Yeah. Yeah. she put out like an abridged version of the record. That's only an hour and a half. That's just sort of like all the songs distilled to like their parts.
04:00:04
Speaker
um But yeah, just the, the first track on that record, honey has just been like, it's eight minutes long, which again, hella long, but just incredible. And I can't get enough of it Every time I listen to it's like, I'm hearing it for the first time and I'm just like, DJ Sabrina, the teenage DJ. Yeah. Also the name is 10 out of 10 banger ass name. So funny. Yeah.
04:00:26
Speaker
I love that you're like, I love this eight minute song, which but that's like four Eichler songs. Oh, for sure. Yeah. and And dude, it's like my my like music listening has like just come full circle and taken all sorts of weird turns over the years. If you told me in high school that my favorite current song is eight minutes long, I would have been like, that's stupid. I do you appreciate i do appreciate that they put out a record that's half of a workday though.
04:00:50
Speaker
I'm saying, yeah. You just come back from lunch or whatever and put that shit on and you're good until you go home. That's exactly what I do. i put it on like the top of my day. By the time the record's over, I'm just like, i I'm halfway through.
04:01:02
Speaker
Yeah. I'm going home soon. but Kind of. Kind of. Ish. I get lunch. Then I go home. So are we ready to enter the time? oh european Let's do it again. How European. How European. Eat lunch and then go home. I wake up.
04:01:18
Speaker
I listen to my four hour record. I eat lunch and then go home. ah it's like are What country were you from All of them. yeah All of Europe. europe you're European.
04:01:31
Speaker
was your Eurovision accent. Yeah. Time's got you. He was in Europe. Song bangs.
04:01:49
Speaker
Shout to keelen yeah shut to keen shut out shout out to Keelan. Shout out. We did. Yeah. He was there. He was hanging out. he was i won bouncy balls and he was juggling them Yeah. It just seems like a person with very talent.
04:02:02
Speaker
He has many talents, yeah. Like, very impressive that it's just like, yeah you're like, oh yeah, Keelan juggles. I'm like, yeah, of course he does. like Like, of course he can do a thing I can't play drums. He can write ska songs. He can juggle. if He can draw.
04:02:17
Speaker
can draw. Yeah. ah The Times Gashin takes us back to 1968 to explore the checkered past of the one and only Sugar Ray. yeah Big ska band.
04:02:28
Speaker
Big ska band. The biggest. The biggest ska that anyone's ever known. And everyone knows them as a ska mean, it's the one that people have been asking for. It is. right I would say like, it's like Mighty Mighty Boston. So many people have requested it and Rob's like, no, not yet. It's not the right time.
04:02:44
Speaker
be the right It wasn't the right time. Fly dropped. commenced the summer of ska the amount of time had to disappoint fans by not talking about sugar ray yeah that's usually their first thing and they're like i guess i'll talk about real big fish yeah it's usually it's usually real big fish everyone wants to fucking talk about well they can't anymore it's done no you guys have had there's rumblings there's rumblings chris of ska punk international Mark McGrath was born in 1968 in beautiful but friendly Hartford, Connecticut.
04:03:20
Speaker
At a young age, his family picked up their roots to move across the country to the slumbering town of Newport Beach. He got his love of the arts, however, from his mother who designed, crafted, and sold bespoke tall houses.
04:03:31
Speaker
She always aimed for perfection and wanted to build the absolute best for her son who at a young age was obsessed with cowboys. She meticulously created her masterpiece for her child, a multi-unit set of an old west village featuring a blacksmith, a jail, and a three-story saloon, complete with a miniature horse watering in front.
04:03:48
Speaker
Mark, by then, a boy of 13, said to his mother, I think I'm too big. boy 13? I think I'm too big for this one horse town. I think I'm too big for this one horse town. One mini horse town? Yeah.
04:04:00
Speaker
Yeah, one mini horse town. One mini horse town. But the creativity bug was bit and Mark knew that more than anything else, what he wanted to be was a musician. Playing on the biggest stages in the world, playing on his favorite radio shows and collaborating with his favorite rock stars.
04:04:13
Speaker
So he went to the pawn shop and gazed in the window. His eyes went past the Les Paul, past the Stratocaster and they fell on a beautiful black and white number with a sultry silhouette. Ah, this is the one he said to no one in particular.
04:04:24
Speaker
And a legend was born. Wow. Weirder Mark did not take to the accordion immediately. But damned if he didn't try, and perseverance paid off. In the vein of his hero, whom we can't name due to legal reasons, he crafted hit after hit, including Take On Beans, Total Eclipse of the Tart, and Hungry Like the Wolf.
04:04:43
Speaker
While his work was prominently featured on gargantuan regional station 101.5 KOCILP classic tracks, and earning the nickname The Mighty Hercules of the Newport Beach comedy and or rock parody scene, he wanted more.
04:04:56
Speaker
And so when he told his parents he was going to move on from his highly lucrative $50 a month career, his parents asked if he was serious, to which he replied, I'm as serious as three heart attacks and I would know I've had five.
04:05:07
Speaker
um Did Weird Al upset? So that's the time. Yeah, I would say yes very Yeah. Yeah. He's really coming. He was treading on it. If there's anything I've learned from that documentary that came out is that he's highly litigious.
04:05:20
Speaker
How um and that documentary is as real as this bio. That's right. um So, OK, how old is he at this point? Fifteen. Fifteen. And he's had five heart attacks.
04:05:32
Speaker
Yes. That's crazy. Yeah, i know. Right. People don't talk about it enough. Yeah, I know. But that's like, you know, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, like that Simpsons bit. He's so strong. He's so strong. A 15. 15. Wow. A powerhouse.
04:05:46
Speaker
ah He paced back and forth in his kitchen, trying to come up with his next big project, but was hitting a brick wall. It really hurt, and it also didn't help him come up with ideas. and Rob looks happy with himself.
04:05:59
Speaker
For listener. He then looked at the oven and a light bulb went off. After opening the oven and changing the light bulb, he saw what was actually inside and he got an idea. Shrinky Dinks was formed in 1986 by Mark and his chums, Rodney Shepard, Murphy Cargis, and Stan Frazier. don't know that Shrinky Dinks is attributed to Mark McGrath.
04:06:20
Speaker
There were Shrinky Dinks in the oven and he's like, ah, that's the name of my band. Yeah. Right? Yeah. You know, you look around the room and you see things and you come up with ideas and that's like, yeah. Shrinky Dinks.
04:06:30
Speaker
It's a classic um a Kaiser Soze situation. Was it his mom doing the dinking? One can only assume. Because he he didn't know the dinks were in the oven. No, he didn't know they were in there. I mean, I'm sure she was pissed. She's like, no, they're not done yet.
04:06:44
Speaker
They're not as small enough yet. as They haven't shrunk. these These aren't even dinks yet. Yeah. but They're shrinking dinks. Not shrinking dinks.
04:06:55
Speaker
ah While Mark wanted to be the band leader, his bandmates were concerned about a few factors in the band, so they sequestered in Joshua Tree with as much ayahuasca as they could procure. Eight years later, they reemerged, and Mark agreed to their terms, not to play the accordion.
04:07:10
Speaker
While playing at a small club in the OC, the band was simultaneously discovered by DJ Lethal of Limp Bizkit, Charlie's Angel director Mick G, and Baywatch actress Nicole Eggert. They were all there as a part of the We Will Always Be Relevant crew and found a kindred spirit with the performance.
04:07:26
Speaker
DJ Lethal was quoted as saying, We may be the We Will Always Be Relevant crew, but they're that on stage will be remembered for decades. Mick G immediately wanted to produce their debut album, but was concerned that the fact that they dressed up as John Wayne Gacy, Ted Bundy, the Unabomber, and Charles Manson was too niche for the mainstream.
04:07:44
Speaker
Nicole Eggert also came along. Before they could record, though, the name was a sticking point. There were already 68 groups named Trinky Dinks active in Southern California alone, and it was considered crude to add one more.
04:07:55
Speaker
Fair. So they went to their backup to name themselves after a pugilist of the utmost rapport, a boxer with renown and prestige, someone to aspire to be and whose neon name they wanted to emulate.
04:08:07
Speaker
The Marky of Queen Sugar Ray. The debut album was the soulful, smooth jazz sounds of the class act Lemonade and Brownies that had no double entendre whatsoever.
04:08:19
Speaker
Just about their favorite foods, to stop so stop asking. It matched the band's penchant for classical motifs with the burgeoning soft jazz and adult contemporary movement of the early It was only improved by Mick G's subtle production techniques. Subtle.
04:08:32
Speaker
Mick G's known for being subtle. It was a smash hit, eclipsing Michael Bolton's time, love, and tenderness, thanks to its seductive lead-in single, Mean Machine. Let's listen to Lemonade and Brownies by Sugar Ray.
04:08:55
Speaker
Fucking hard as fuck. Man, for jazz cats, these guys can riff. But all jokes aside. Honestly? This is a time, man.
04:09:05
Speaker
Not that bad. Yeah, not bad at all. Not that bad. They were playing hockey in the music video, from what I recall. Is that true? Yeah. Yeah.
04:09:18
Speaker
And they did that thing in the music video where like the drummer does like a snare roll, but like the snare drum is filled with milk. Yeah. Yeah. Surprised they fill with lemonade.
04:09:30
Speaker
Right? Yeah. I'm 100%. Yeah. The video was like them in a hockey rink. This is good.
04:09:43
Speaker
Mark McGrath could rip a sweet punk band. Yeah. It's called Sugar Ray. That's true. <unk>s definitely There's definitely moments on this record that I was like, all right, you know,
04:09:58
Speaker
maybe Maybe early Sugar Ray gets too much flack. this is actually i've I've been like listening to a lot of new metal this year. Like, non-ironically, just like, actually, Limp Bizkit, bang. I like to. Yeah. No, metal's good. are you Are you getting into, like, Spirit Box and all those cats, like those new new metal bands? No.
04:10:15
Speaker
Ooh. Oh, yeah. Yeah, kind of. um Yeah. there's There's actually this band from Canada called Flashback. Who I've been really talking with. We have a huge, like in Vancouver or like BC, there's like a huge new, new metal band, whatever you it. Second wave, new metal. Yeah. They got a whole, they got a whole like a bunch of people there who are like eight string guitars, amp, like computer amp sims.
04:10:41
Speaker
Let's just make the heaviest shit we can possibly make. That's like Vancouver's metal scene right now. Yeah. It's wild. Drop C tuning. Drop C. Like, drop A. Nine strings, bitch. You know?
04:10:57
Speaker
Eichler's was doing the Dio thing with the yeah metal sign. yeah metal so Nine strings, bitch. Let's talk about lemonade and brownies. ah Yeah, you know what? For a...
04:11:08
Speaker
um i like It is a nice balance. like it It is kind of sweet on sweet, but I think the like tartness of lemon the lemonade like really balances out sweetness of brownies. Cuts the chocolate. yeah yeah yeah yeah Yeah. It's a good combo. Yeah, let's talk about it. It's a good dessert.
04:11:22
Speaker
you know what I mean? Yeah. Like, tea time. It's tea time. I thought it was really tasty how they named their debut album Piss and Shit. I think that rules. Yeah, I guess. And it was put out on Atlantic.
04:11:39
Speaker
And it was produced by a but video of music video director. Okay, this record. ah It's not bad. I don't hate it. No, no. I don't hate it. Honestly, liked it way more than I than i thought I was going to. um The that song Danzig Needs a Hug?
04:11:56
Speaker
So funny. So like i went in and I was like, this is this is going to be the hit on the record. Look at this name. And then, you know, it's just they don't touch on it at all. Spoiler alert. ha But no i was I was listening to it again this morning and I realized the only reason I like it is because it reminds me of a song from Homestar Runner.
04:12:18
Speaker
there's there's There's a strong bad email bit where he's doing strong bad bottom 10. And one of one of the things in his bottom 10 is songs that use na-na, shoo-shoes, and doop-doos instead of actual lyrics. And he talks about this limousine song, feed the children.
04:12:35
Speaker
And the chorus is na-na, na-na-na, hey-hey, doo-doo. And it's almost exactly like the chorus of Dancing Needs a Hug. And I was like, holy shit, this is just the Homestar Runner song. This is crazy.
04:12:46
Speaker
Do you remember Poot Slap? It's also a Homestar Runner song. And I'm like, I try to talk about it all often. But like no and I'm like, it goes like, Poot Slap, Poot Slap, dong with that dong.
04:12:59
Speaker
Round two, what's that? so Dong, dong, dong. And all together with that dong, dong with that dong. Poot Slap, Poot Slap. It's really good. That sounds awesome. then it goes And then it goes like, poot, doggie, doggie, doggie.
04:13:15
Speaker
I don't really appreciate how we're just skipping over Ike's absolutely pitch perfect strong bad impression. Is that good? Yeah, it was amazing. I was absolutely impressed. Excellent.
04:13:29
Speaker
I mean, Ike is Homestar though, so Homestar hangs around strong bad. Strong bad. A he-mail. Homestar? Yeah. I'm more of Homestar.
04:13:41
Speaker
the wit is i'm more of a homear who Actually, a more Teen Girl Squad. Teen Girl Squad! but have a crush on every boy. Whatever, babies. We're just doing Homestar. Yeah, we're just Homestar. Homestar, the Scott cats.
04:13:55
Speaker
All right. ah What else is on here? There's a there's a bit. They do a bit on this album. That's fun. So they like bits. two-minute comedy skit. Oh, the drive-by, right? Yeah.
04:14:07
Speaker
Oh, yes, right. I did not. That did not come on. They're in a drive-by. Oh, that's fun. Here's fun fact. That did come on the playlist. I don't remember. This is definitely not on whatever was on Spotify, but they do a cover of White Minority, the Black Flag song. Oh, really? That was on the Japanese bonus track.
04:14:27
Speaker
Wow. That's bananas. No, I'm just looking at it right now, and it's zecka wild. Is that good? I would love to know. like Sounds good. Listen and tell us. Tell us. Did Sugar Ray nail it?
04:14:39
Speaker
But yeah, speaking of Limp Bizkit, DJ Lethal does all the scratches on this one. He's the guy. Wait, really? This is before they got their own DJ? Well, so DJ Lethal was also in House of Pain.
04:14:51
Speaker
Yes. That's a fun fact. yeah Right. So he, yeah, this is before ah Sugar Ray got their DJ. ah go That will come up in the future. I appreciated And I think the first two records are kind of like this anyways.
04:15:05
Speaker
It's mixture of like... There'll be like two rock songs. yeah And then there'll be like... ah like ah Like a P-Funk interlude for like two minutes. yeah yeah And those are the two styles of songs that they do. They do like weird new medley punk songs on these records.
04:15:24
Speaker
And then every now and then just like a P-Funk. Like something you might hear in an interlude on like a Dr. Dre record or something. It's really weird. They, ah I do think that Mark's like metal voice is not grating.
04:15:39
Speaker
Like, you know, when he's being all metal. Yeah. Like I find it not annoying in the way that like Hoobastank when they do like a metal song is like annoying. Yes. Hoobastank. Hoobastank. Yeah.
04:15:52
Speaker
um yeah i don't know it's it is worth a listen let's be honest like yeah at its at its worst it feels a little bit like the limp biscuit we have at home but yeah um But I feel like there's more redeeming redeeming qualities. like like I will say, lyrically, just like singing songs about cars and basically that's it. That's stupid. That's really fucking stupid. But it sounds not bad at all, really. Yeah, they just love cars.
04:16:20
Speaker
like I hate that. I'm sorry. if if people like Everyone's allowed to like what they like. um But it's like Fu Manchu. Cars are boring. Fu Manchu loves songs about cars. I was going to say there's definitely a couple of songs on this album that veer into Fu Manchu territory. If they're talking about like okay.
04:16:37
Speaker
I'll listen. No, I think and he's talking about his car. Yeah, I don't care about your... You're like, you know what? Songs about hot rods? Broke. Songs about F1?
04:16:49
Speaker
Woke.
04:16:51
Speaker
Or of like about... It'd be funny if it was about like a Toyota Yaris. Okay. our system yeah we need we need more yaris ross hilton yeah yeah r no that's crazy it's not original that was the mighty car mods name yeah man i was gonna say drb changing my stage name but listen to this one and i had a honda fit honda fitney steers jane honda but also honda fitney steers it's not fitney spears it's a hat on a hat bitney steers yeah anyways honda fitney steers that is original
04:17:24
Speaker
Well, actually, my mom misheard me because it was Fitney Spears. And she was like, Fitney Steers? And was like, yes. Oh, I
04:17:40
Speaker
It's way better than a mom punch down. Way better. If there's anything about my mom, I know she punches up. Yeah. She's like George Carlin. Yeah. um The massive success of the album woke up Mark's superstar persona. He cleaned up his clown makeup and decided that he needed to lean in on the thing. Did he have silly makeup?
04:17:58
Speaker
I did say he was dressed as John Wayne Gacy. Okay. ah yeah Decided that he needed to lean in on the one thing that was going to make him famous. Academia. Academia. Sorry, one second.
04:18:11
Speaker
I forgot that I did this. Okay. Mark spent much of 1996 attending the University of Gautengen and getting his PhD in theoretical physics. He then began sort teaching at the University of California, Berkeley, where he began flirting with the Communist Party.
04:18:25
Speaker
It was there that he was approached by the US military to do experiments and develop a weapon to counter its enemies. He gathered a team of super scientists and succeeded in developing a massive nuclear weapon. While grappling with the cost of what he had done, he is then thrust into an ugly court battle that sees his name dragged through the mud, but ultimately is victorious thanks to the help of his friends and colleagues.
04:18:46
Speaker
In 1997, Sugar Ray recruited a new full-time turntablist, Craig Bullock. On the day of record, Craig showed up with a shirt covered in blood, a tattered copy of Catcher in the Rye, and took on the name DJ Homicide.
04:18:58
Speaker
Years later, Craig would be hauled off to prison for premeditating a hit and run ah with Mark quoted as saying. Bad dude. Bad dude. Mark was quoted as saying, the signs just weren't there.
04:19:09
Speaker
my god. Okay. The album recorded was Floored, produced by underground producer David Cain, who had produced their future albums, who's known for producing such cult classic groups such as Tony Bennett, Kelly Clarkson, and Paul McCartney.
04:19:24
Speaker
It features the band at their most collegiate owing to Mark's time in university, but the world was just not ready for progressive elements. It does feature out deep album cuts that fans call criminally underplayed like this one. Number three.
04:19:38
Speaker
Light it up. Toasting. So much toasting. this mr cat sugar ray ride and a
04:19:51
Speaker
Alright, let's talk about it. Floored. This is the one, right? This is the one. I... I don't know, I got this album when it came out. I don't know, dude. No, when I say it's the one, I mean it's the one people know. I got this album when it came out, and when I was listening to it this week, I was like...
04:20:10
Speaker
Why is the human brain wired in such a way that I remember 90% of the lyrics from an album that I last listened to in 1998? No way. But I think still know so many of them. It's giving sublime.
04:20:24
Speaker
The rest of the album. So i was I was listening to... the beginning of this is this discography at my desk at work and my boss was like, boy, what I got really just came out and ruined an entire generation of bands. And I was like, yeah.
04:20:41
Speaker
Hacky sacks aplenty. So i I love that this song is on the record twice. In case like the Super Cat bit was too much for people, they put like the non-Super Cat version last on the record. At the end. If you tell Google to play Sugar Ray, which is what I did all week at work, apologies to my co-workers and clients, but ah this came on just like over and over honest. It gets better the more you listen to it.
04:21:09
Speaker
uh well it got more like it definitely it became background music at some point it is how it is so um in a grocery store yeah what do we got what we got for numbers on that song oh that's a good one spotify streams how many how many times it's in the top five ah one one 39 139 million yeah that's too much hundred thirty nine ah it seems low people want to fly yeah too bad You know what, though? we Here in Canada, in the late 90s, we were served up from the powers that be a compilation record every year called Big Shiny Tunes. This was huge on it. And everyone had this compilation CD. Yeah, we all had Big Shiny Tunes. Everyone had it and it was basically just like a comp of like all of the fucking hits of the hits of like alt rock basically. There's some poppy Because there Much Dance and there was Big Shiny Tunes. Much Dance had all the dance songs. Big Shiny Tunes had all the rock songs. Yeah and Big Shiny Tunes 2 had this song.
04:22:11
Speaker
It had song 2 by Blur. It had a whole bunch of other songs. Woo-hoo! Yeah. But that because of that, I think in Canada, Fly has probably more spins than most places. Everyone knows this song here. yeah Period. Yeah, it might as well be Steal My Sunshine. I am like... I know! Which I feel like I always get. It wants to be.
04:22:34
Speaker
It does want to be. a one You know who's a big big fan of Len? And she'll be editing this podcast. My lovely wife, Arianne. Yeah, big Len fan. This is really creepy, but I did Google Mark McGrath Young. <unk>ve I've been staring at the Google image page of Mark McGrath images the entire time we've been recording.
04:22:53
Speaker
ha I just started. He looks better with dark hair. He didn't ask. Yeah, I don't know why he frosted so hard. Yeah, I don't... Like, the dark hair looks great.
04:23:04
Speaker
Whoa, he's dated some hotties. He did well. Yeah. Like, I don't know if we're worried about Mark and Brad. Okay, I found one bad picture of him, which I feel bad about,
04:23:16
Speaker
Yeah, something's going on there. and There's a little flea energy going on in that picture. ah Joey. There's a little bit like, he kind of looks like the guy from Enseedoman. mean, this is pretty body shamey. wait are you talking about the one where he's in the water wearing the checkered shorts?
04:23:32
Speaker
No, but I wanted to do that one. Yeah, SoSka. SoSka. SoSka confirmed. I didn't realize he was SoSka. Yeah. SoSka confirmed. So, I mean, I guess we'll learn more about him. Oh, no. Here's a picture of with Vanilla Ice.
04:23:44
Speaker
He's got a lot of work done now. This is ah a fun tangent, but I just purchased a a bass guitar this week because real cheap. And I went into the thing and I don't know about other people, but each guitar that I own needs to have its own strap. So i was looking at a strap and they also had straps for sale.
04:24:00
Speaker
you mean it needs a new and one of the straps that were for sale was a checkered strap right and i was like oh i could get the on sale like ska strap i said this to the guy and the guy was like oh you don't like ska and i was like no i do a podcast about ska and he was like uh okay my brother in christ i live ska you don't understand Yeah. You asked the wrong person that question. Yeah, exactly.
04:24:30
Speaker
i don't hate his tattoos. he's got hidden He's got the swallows on his shoulders. It's cute. Those are classic. Those totally cute. That's what I was... And little praying hands. Like, pretty classic... Nautical star. He's got a nautical star for sure, right?
04:24:43
Speaker
He did get the filler and Botox got away from him. For sure Which is always a good reminder. Okay, it's God, Daddy, neither. You gotta do it. Well, mean... Like, objectively... Okay, young, like, 12. Young, dark hair, like, that with the the dark...
04:25:00
Speaker
Well, get out of here. That's out of control. That's some bone strung. That's objectively a very good looking person. He's hitting with the blue steel there. For sure. The idea that he'd be born looking that way and he wouldn't be a millionaire ridiculous. Yeah, that's just someone who would be famous regardless. Like Pam Anderson style. Where it's just like you look at them and you're like, you will have a job.
04:25:20
Speaker
Just looking nice. Yeah, looking nice. Yeah. That's what my boss said, too. When was just berating him with Sugar Ray for an entire workday. He's like, this this dude is too handsome not to be famous. And i was like, yeah. but Yeah, just straight up. the facial Despite what he chose to do to himself.
04:25:38
Speaker
Yeah, that's real. The sexy list. Mark McGrath, Aaliyah Asher, Nelly Furtado, Alicia Keys, and Paul Walker. Well, was that like yesterday? Yeah. um Can you you play RPM? Because we need to keep playing songs about cars.
04:25:51
Speaker
So now we're about at a six or five for Mark. this is yeah This is literally one of two songs on the record I liked. This song started playing and it got past the first couple of words and I was like, oh yeah, i do know all the words to the song. I was singing along to it in my car. This bit where it's like the accelerator. Yeah, the slide on the guitar. That's a wild choice. Yeah.
04:26:14
Speaker
Man, they I'm sure they just thought they were so smart. This does go pretty yeah i love you I love that the record starts with like the 311 ass chill, but it's I am that rules.
04:26:32
Speaker
I'm not into the way he's singing. I'm not not into the way he's singing. is he yeah's just doing so He will let you down. Yeah, he will. He says so.
04:26:42
Speaker
This is leaning a little too much. This is like Monster Magnity. No. So good. Sorry, what was that? Monster Magnity. Monster Magnity was acoustic guitars, though. Just a good point.
04:26:57
Speaker
This part. This part's so sick. This isn't so sick. This is not honestly sick. So good. That's dumb. Look, in the 90s, rock music with cool little tricks on turntables were the thing.
04:27:17
Speaker
All right? I would argue that it's a classic sound. totally bob believeep beep boop Yeah.
Sugar Ray: Music and Evolution
04:27:24
Speaker
like You don't even need real noises. You just scratch them.
04:27:28
Speaker
and They become fun noises. That's it. um The first time I heard this record, I'm sorry, I just remembered this. I was actually on a boat, which I feel like is the most appropriate thing. Oh, absolutely. yeah i was Were you on a dolphin too? No. winter I was on a lonely island.
04:27:44
Speaker
ah um I was on like my friend's dad's boat and we were like going boating. I was a teenager and he's like, dude, you got to check out this record. Sugar Ray used to be a rock band.
04:27:58
Speaker
And I just remember, like, even back then, was, like, holding on to the inner tube. He's blasting Sugar Ray, and was like, this isn't great. But that is the right context. If you can't enjoy it in that context, then you can't enjoy it at all. For sure. Yeah.
04:28:10
Speaker
I was fucking wakeboarding. I had my Oakleys on. Sugar Ray was blasting. was just wishing that All-Star. Wishing it was Smash Mouth. This is blasting Sugar Ray. Wishing it was Smash Mouth.
04:28:26
Speaker
What other thoughts do you have on Floored, Ike? What songs do you like and what songs don't you like? I liked i liked RPM. I guess I like Fly. And I liked American Pig. i like I like the songs that sound like ah Limp Bizkit Reject songs.
04:28:40
Speaker
though yeah I feel like, i feel like like i can't believe I'm saying this. Lemonade and Brownies was like started out on high. And then I feel like they lost the plot for this record.
04:28:52
Speaker
yeah I feel like this record sucks compared to Lemonade and Brownies. Like the record's so much better. yeah Yeah, it's like, it's it's kind of tougher. It's faster. It's like a little bit more like, don't give a fuck. yeah i think they gave too many fucks on this one. I think so. That's the problem. They were trying. That cover on this album is bonkers. It's so and like stand like deliver it's like so weird, but it's so great. Oh, thought you meant like the album artwork. which i I thought you meant the album artwork too. Which was going to say is like pen and pixel, like but for Southern California. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Totally. And why is he being like a karate guy?
04:29:27
Speaker
Yeah, exactly. That's what I'm saying. You might as well have bears bears with money. like it might as well be the same thing. But no, that that weird Stand and Deliver song is a cover on this album. Adam and the Ants, right?
04:29:38
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. And it's a very weird... And and the Ants is legit-ass punk rock 77. Yeah, right? Yeah. Again, and they did a... so they've they've cut they've like they get like they seem to listen to good they have they have the right taste yeah yeah there's no problem with their taste but then but delivery there are i was pleasantly surprised that there was some edgy edgy tunes some new metal creeping in but at work it says here in the same two-week period insane clown posse limbiscuit and smash mouth all released their biggest records
04:30:12
Speaker
Wow. What a time to be alive. What year is that? 97 is the golden age of music. all music ah The summer of ska was also the summer of nu metal.
04:30:23
Speaker
I'm holding on to the ICP. Which ICP album? Just ICP in general? It came out to the world? oh Because if it's like Great Malenko, then we're fucking talking. You know what i'm saying? If we're talking Great Malenko came out that year.
04:30:38
Speaker
it was. Yeah, Great Malenko. Where my chuggalos at? right. On to the next thing. Yeah. 97. Great Malenko. fucking Oh, fucking yeah. Holy smokes. and You know I can pull that. bottom My friend had a blacklight poster of that. and That cover's sick, too. like I can't wait until we get to the ICP episode.
04:30:57
Speaker
I know. It's coming next year. 1998 saw the band at their lowest. They couldn't get their song airtime. Mark McGrath was being turned down for media appearances and they're being threatened be dropped by their parents. He wasn't on at all. No.
04:31:10
Speaker
Which was really weird. It was very weird. I've never saw on TV ever after that. Just ghosted in the That's why he got all that work done. Yeah. So they could get back on TV. Right. Yeah. Mark, in a fit of depression, got super into numerology.
04:31:22
Speaker
The man often couldn't find him for days at a time, and he would return disheveled with a long beard unbathed in his hair its natural color. Finally, he uncovered what he dubbed the ultimate secret.
04:31:33
Speaker
Quote, quote, there are ten fingers but two or thumbs 10 minus 2 is 8, which is pronounced the same as 8 or 2. 2 sounds like 2. There are two ears and two eyes. 2 plus 2 is 4. There are four members in our band. Quiet, DJ Homicide. I'm on a roll here. 4-4. 4 is French for oven.
04:31:50
Speaker
A microwave is also an oven. Microwaves have popcorn settings, which is 2 minutes 30 seconds. Wow. That's 150 seconds. 1 tenth is the first tithe in the 1 tenth 150 is 15. 15. 15 is everything, man. It's biblical. Wow.
04:32:02
Speaker
fifteen fifteen is everything man it's biblical The album they recorded after this revelation was 1459 1999 due to a one second margin of error in Mark's calculations.
04:32:13
Speaker
It features choral arrangements, significant pipe organ, and sung entirely in Latin. While it was seen as unwise to go all the way to worship music, it was a monster smash hit made the band $21 million, dollars which is the GDP of the Vatican. Yeah, it was like that's a specific number. And Mark said this about the album.
04:32:30
Speaker
See? Yeah. see here we go every morning let's listen to okay let's talk about this one another classic so this is they were just like you know what hanging with my friend i will say if i was sugar way and fly was this like unexpected gigantic hit that just took over the life i also would just say double down on that shit oh yeah like oh for sure not the wrong yeah keep doing that yeah
04:33:03
Speaker
be boopies i do I do like the the intentional misdirection with the intro track before going into this one though. Yeah, it's fun. It's opening up with a thrash metal instrumental. It's like, oh, that's cute. And then they go into just fun beachy shit.
04:33:16
Speaker
Yeah, they're just like full on twangy Beach Boys music. Like just right in there. He can sing. Yeah. Like he can.
04:33:27
Speaker
Yeah.
04:33:32
Speaker
He's a good singer! Do you think the DJ Homicide and the drummer just like rock, paper, scissors for who are gonna play drums on songs like this?
04:33:47
Speaker
This is nice. Crazy.
04:33:51
Speaker
Shut the door, baby. It's so good. It's so good. This song, I feel like, hold up. push Like, I was surprised how good this song was. Because I've never just put it on listened to More than fly. Yeah. It's way better than fly. Yeah. I thought I was going to like fly the most, but this is the, this kind of hit.
04:34:15
Speaker
And it's like, we used to get these samplers at Sunshine Video Music Station where I worked when I was a child. And I remember these songs. In mines? Yeah.
04:34:25
Speaker
And ah they would have like these song like these particular Sugar Ray songs we're listening to next. and And so they're just like locked in my memory now. Almost like, i don't even know if I have an opinion on it. Just like, oh, these are just songs that are always living in my head rent free just constantly.
04:34:43
Speaker
ah Truly a grocery store banger. Yeah. Yeah. like Talk to me about 1459 because it's one second off of 15 minutes of fame. Just that's what the joke is. I get it. Oh, um I like the album cover. There's a dog on a diving board. That's adorable.
04:34:57
Speaker
Big fan. um They're good. They're good at album art.
04:35:03
Speaker
yeah
04:35:06
Speaker
They're making choices. They're definitely making choices. Huge decisions. they definitely Yeah. yeah first First and last decisions. Honestly, i like yeah I like all the beachy songs.
04:35:19
Speaker
I feel like live and direct with KRS-One is miss. I think they just heard Sublime do that song about KRS-One where they sampled KRS-One and they were like, let's get KRS-One to do some ad libs and not even like do a verse.
04:35:33
Speaker
I will say the professor needs to fucking not do features. KRS-One rules, but man, he just like features on a song and you're like, yeah yeah step back, just need some more BDP.
04:35:47
Speaker
So true. Anyway, sorry. I like old hip hop. Oh, um So yeah, what else what else do you think about it? I think you probably put some time on this one. i This is actually the record that I didn't play more than once.
04:36:01
Speaker
Really? Yeah. It was one and done. Yeah. Every morning, got it. Someday got it. Yeah. And then what's what's the other one? ah Even Though. Yeah. those Those three songs are like the Sugar Ray sound.
04:36:13
Speaker
Everything else, I thought I liked Falls Apart just because like, oh, it's kind of like an indie rock song. Nah. yeah like ah That was a single too, right? Wasn't it? They had four singles on this. I can't remember which ones. four singles? Yeah, Sugar Ray and 99. You don't think they're getting four singles? No, not with the history that we just learned. There was probably, what, dozen tracks on the album? So like a third of the album came out as singles? song Glory was used in American Pie.
04:36:39
Speaker
Of course it was. We should let you listen to Someday. I remember this song. Here we go. Falls Apart was a single. Yes.
04:36:49
Speaker
I didn't yet realize they had as much music as I do. like a break. Yeah. This is a banger to you, though. I mean, yeah. As much as Joey and I have our opinions about slow and grandpa guitars. Grandpa guitar. I feel like... if you put a record backbeat behind it, though, it's fine.
04:37:09
Speaker
Yeah.
04:37:14
Speaker
I do like that little move. Again, Sublime really made a move for her. Totally. Yeah. I don't know if I drew the line between Sugar Ray and Sublime as strongly as I'm seeing it now.
04:37:30
Speaker
You know what I mean? There really is a lot of parallel things happening. I like this song. Yeah. This song's a jam, man. Yeah. Another grocery store band.
04:37:42
Speaker
This part coming up. Yeah. Where he's like, steps away from the mic. So good. So good. Sing in the other room, know what I mean? Don't sing in this room. Sing in the other room. Sing in the other room.
04:38:00
Speaker
Just the subtlest little scratches. Just a...
04:38:04
Speaker
there's no I wouldn't even call it a turntablism. I just say that's like a studio turntablism. It's like the equivalent to like ghost notes on drums or something like that. Just like just in there a little bit serve for some flavor. Yeah.
04:38:18
Speaker
DJ Homicide. Showing up for work. Dude, easiest job. Good job. All right. Let's take a break. i think we're i think we're ready for a break. We're really getting in it.
04:38:30
Speaker
Yeah. And then we'll get back and we'll talk some more Sugar Ray.
04:38:43
Speaker
Welcome back to Checkered Past. We're here with Ike talking Sugar Ray. Oh, yeah. And after the album 1459, Mark sought serious help and got much needed conversational therapy.
04:38:54
Speaker
He cut his hair, refrosted his tips, and decided to get into the lucrative world of international hospitality. He always loved the Philippines and decided to start an open air cruise. He needed a hook, so the entire staff was dressed in ape costumes and they served nothing but tacos, burritos, enchiladas, and nachos.
04:39:11
Speaker
The time away also allowed Mark to get into more difficult music. Wanting to shy away from the clean choral effects of the previous album, he began listening to Death, Pig Destroyer, Napalm Death, and Cannibal Corpse and wanted his next album to reflect his new interests.
04:39:25
Speaker
um my god That album was two thousand one Sugar Ray, a brutal, nihilistic, and devastating wall of sound of C-tuned guitar's bone-rattling bass and faster-than-light drumming. to the Mark's vocals and lyrics were equally brutal and shocked the world as they saw him as a clean-cut scientist up to this point and were blown away by his new persona, especially on stage where he spat blood, wrapped himself in barbed wire, and slung curses at the crowd.
04:39:50
Speaker
Let's talk about the self-titled Sugar Ray with this classic death metal song.
04:40:00
Speaker
you can hear it. this one Yeah. anyway i fuck I really, really like how they, like where they put the eighth string in the mix on this one. yeah Where they put it. You really get those gent overtones.
04:40:13
Speaker
Yeah. It's cool that they use the double kick. <unk> Blast beats. Blast beats. Anyway. Not bad. Not bad. Okay.
04:40:25
Speaker
This, might be like, this might, this might be my number one. You know?
04:40:32
Speaker
I know. Yeah. Rob, what you were saying about like the singles from the last record, living in your head, this is that song for me. Oh, this one. This song has been in my head since I was like nine years old.
04:40:49
Speaker
This is a pretty perfect pop song. Yeah, I agree. Totally.
04:40:57
Speaker
yeah that also fucking missing you yeah oh my god harmonies his harmonies are he's a good singer yeah he's also singing right down the middle yeah hey that's where i like to be listen man he just loves like the key of c yeah like yeah that's what four people's key man like just who's saying you got a pre you gotta break stuff there was a third in there He brought it to a third in some of those harmonies. he brought it to a third? Yeah, I just learned these terms ago. Yeah, and a fifth maybe? Yeah, and a fifth. Those are the only ones know. But then they did tell me those are the two most important ones.
04:41:34
Speaker
That's real. That's real. yeah That's why that band's called Fifth Army. It's the second most important one. So let's talk about this this record a little bit more. Hexum shows up. I keep wanting you to put that song back on. like i keep being like, where'd it go? I want to like listen to it again. Is is the song with Nick Hexum the first Sugar Ray ska song in the discography?
04:41:54
Speaker
Or like pretty much most ska they've gotten so far? Pretty much, the or maybe even the only, right? Stay on. Well, no no actually no, no, no, no. no no no know cause it go It goes in a different direction. Oh, no, no, no, no. no But stay stay on, Nick Hexum.
04:42:09
Speaker
Because Nick Hexum brings the skull where he goes, right? That's what he's known for. shocked. That's what always say. I was thinking like, bro, Hexum. Ha, ha, ha, Hexum. Just know Pete.
04:42:23
Speaker
No peanut though. That's the only unfortunate thing. yeah That is ah an unfortunate thing. love um This record has Answer the Phone. That's a fun song. Oh, i love that song. Oh my God. yeah I like that song too. I almost put that one on, but I was like, but when it's over, man, when it's last when it's over is the hit.
04:42:41
Speaker
um Answer the Phone is the people's song from that record. yeah It's real street level. yeah yeah a lot of a lot of people didn't realize it was written about the Scream franchise.
04:42:53
Speaker
Nice. That would have been sex out have been contemporary of this time. know, it's a good joke when you have to like lightly apologize. Well, I do it all the time as well. yeah But when you have to lightly apologize. up It is a good one. I'm sorry that you guys didn't find it as funny. Yeah, you hard sorry. Yeah, that was a real sorry. I apologize.
04:43:10
Speaker
You keep being Canadian. ah i don't know. 1459. Sugar Ray self-titled. Pretty good. Really good. I think it's better than 1459. Not a bad one.
04:43:23
Speaker
i like oh yeah I like more songs than not on this record. Yeah. I would say. I honestly do as well. I would say 1459 was not the last second of their 15 minutes of fame.
04:43:35
Speaker
Yeah. Oh, the irony. What's going on? Yeah. He's got all this birthday. Something's happening. Birthday juju happening. Yeah, I'm still on Island Time. Yeah, you're on Island Time. But I think 2001, the big song that Sugar Ray is most known for is the hidden track on the album. We should listen to that.
04:43:59
Speaker
I hate Robert. I hate him.
04:44:04
Speaker
God, they were so real for releasing this one. You could have put an actual star on it.
04:44:11
Speaker
I could have. But it was 2001. So if I have to talk about this year... It's been a while since we've been caked. It's been a while since we've been caked. Do you think it'll catch on with Rickrolling? This is the Rickroll of Raw. Yeah. It's just Raw Roll. Gotta get it on TikTok.
04:44:37
Speaker
Get on TikTok where I just... You just cake people. Okay. I think we've heard enough of this. Why? Honestly, mark Mark McGrath would body those vocals.
04:44:51
Speaker
Yeah! i will Yeah! like i i The vocals are the only thing that are keeping me from liking Cake. If Mark McGrath was singing instead of Mr. Cake, I'm in. up Mr. Cake.
04:45:03
Speaker
I think that's his name. Yeah, me too. Yeah. He's charismatic. Yeah. yeah ah Yeah, Mark McGrath, like, Sugar Ray should cover cake. It would go hard. They should just do an album. Yeah.
04:45:14
Speaker
Let's look it up and see if they've done it. Sugar, no. They should definitely cover a cake, like, if they're, um you know, at a, at a, The baking competition. Because you don't want to get flies in it, you know? yeah ah to Important. Can you, like, speed up that those gaps area yeah but you' edling about your thought you were going to say, like, cover it in, like, buttercream or something. Shorten the pauses, please.
04:45:42
Speaker
right. The album was another massive success showing that their brief slump in the nineties was only a minor setback for their ever evolving. Brilliant ever evolving. Mark had moved past his business as a restaurant tour to pursue, pursue his next favorite pastime acting.
04:45:56
Speaker
He earned a Tony Award for his book lyrics for his one-man show, Mark My Words, that the New York Times called dramatic, poignant, and maybe just a little bit horny. For some reason, this time I was like, oh, du I didn't know he had a one-man show.
04:46:11
Speaker
He did. so Did he? yeah Mark My Words. I don't know anymore. That seems so real. real. Because it is. Because it is.
04:46:22
Speaker
Mark, comma, my words. Yeah. My words, Mark. My words. ah The New York Times called it dramatic, poignant, and maybe just a little bit horny. It's everything you want from someone who just recently closed down his floating restaurant.
04:46:38
Speaker
The next album was 2003's In Pursuit of Leisure that harkened back to the Old West and the outlaw country of a bygone era, where people were not afraid to call it as they saw it and take shots at those in power on behalf of the farmers, the laborers, and the workers of the world.
04:46:51
Speaker
was deeply political and is often cited as a Bush-era call to arms in one of the most fiercely topical albums of its time. Let's listen to ah Mr. Bartender. the no.
04:47:04
Speaker
This is the one you picked? It's a single. Really? Oh, no. my My man. It's a single. Yeah. What a crazy song, right? It's usually me saying that to Rob.
04:47:16
Speaker
Always upset with the pic. It's so easy to rock it all night, guys. So easy. It's all right. This is just so good. It's all right, If you want to talk about tasteful covers, they have a Joe Jackson cover on this as well.
04:47:29
Speaker
I actually remember hearing that on the radio like back then, and that's how I heard about the Joe Jackson song. Despite my mom being like a huge Joe Jackson fan, i think they were playing more. Joe Jackson can rule.
04:47:41
Speaker
It's really going out with him. Really? And Look Sharp, that album, is awesome. That's an awesome Joe Jackson album. Yeah. Their cover that song is really good. i like it lot. Their covers are good. Yeah. And they're like legit, like good choices.
04:47:57
Speaker
I have to say this song is some background music. come on Yeah. this it Well, it's just so fucking boy bandy. so this album is really leaning in on Just we're a boy band. 2003. Yeah.
04:48:15
Speaker
And Sugar Ray is at this point doing reality TV Probably the record. The record execs were probably like, hey, this is what's selling. I don't know if by this time he had done his stint on, was it, I'm trying to remember what reality show he was on.
04:48:31
Speaker
um It was right at the top. Well, yeah, he was on Celebrity Big Brother, but i like he was um American Idol. I believe he was like a guest judge on for like a season. Oh, yeah. Really? was Yeah, I do remember. Yeah.
04:48:44
Speaker
Like he was in the mid aughts. He was a celebrity. He was like every reality show guy. Yeah, for sure. Like to the point where he was more po like kind of like um Randy Jackson or whoever, like almost more popular as like ah like a talking head on those shows than he was as a musician. Right. Yeah. Which is wild to think about.
04:49:04
Speaker
What do you think about this record in pursuit of leisure? Honestly, love love the name. Genius hits the nail right on the head. yeah Relatable, relatable content. They're on a beach.
04:49:16
Speaker
They're dressed as mariachi musicians. Yeah. For some reason. Yeah, why? Because they're pursuing leisure. Leisure, I guess. Everyone knows that mariachi is the the height of leisure.
04:49:29
Speaker
Yeah, I guess. it seems Their music seems hard to do. Hey, when I hear mariachi music, I'm chilling. Yeah, that's true. Straight up. They got shaggy on a song? That's crazy. Really?
04:49:40
Speaker
That's fun. Was he s slipping to curl? um What? While he says that, I don't know. It's one of the many things he says. like somewhere like In 2003, what was Shaggy's career looking like? like No offense him.
04:49:55
Speaker
I feel like good. my angel That wasn't long after yeah It Wasn't Me came out, right? Three years. But it was still a hit at that time. Like three years the radio in the 2000s. Yeah, the culture didn't move that fast. That fast, totally. Sexy Lady was his big single at that point.
04:50:15
Speaker
I like your flow. body's banging. um Oh, shit. there's There's a song like the second to last song on this record, In Through the Doggy Door. What a song name. I i spent like dead ass spent a half an hour after hearing it on the computer trying to figure out if Rivers Cuomo co-wrote it just because it sounds like a fucking Weezer song.
04:50:36
Speaker
Oh, yeah. When that wee and you no and no, no, no, no Cuomo. ah No Cuomo. and No Cuomo. No Cuomo. No Cuomo. No Cuomo. No Cuomo. No Cuomo.
04:50:50
Speaker
but Yeah, no Cuomo. Many rivers to cross, but no Cuomo. Yeah. No Cuomo. i I have respiratory illness and it's making me wheeze or no Cuomo. Oh my God. ah That's fun. i got that's a good one. Yeah, yeah that's really good. quick Yeah. and Did I? I felt like i was just like piecing it together. But like not that long. Beautiful masterpiece.
04:51:12
Speaker
It's all hits with you today, Rob. but Yeah, he's ah you're on a roll. you're the you're You're the Mark McGrath of podcast bits. You're the Ashley O of podcasts.
04:51:26
Speaker
Because Ashley O sang on a mirror. and that's from ah on A Roll. And it's black mirror. Miley Cyrus. I was going to say, with Sugar Ray, the band, like you know we don't talk about the other bands. that They play instruments. um They're kind of like Weird Al's band.
04:51:41
Speaker
where you know like Weird Al's band can play anything. Yes. I think Sugar Ray's band can just play anything. They're just like, what's popular? Let's just play that. And then they can just do it really well. And just like, maybe it's the same band.
04:51:55
Speaker
Maybe like like, maybe like John Bermuda Schwartz or whatever. is their guitar you Schwartz gets around. Yeah, right? Yeah. Weird Al's not touring all the time. I mean... Bermuda Schwartz has got to play for the band. Weird kind of is touring all the time. Yeah, he does tour lot. does like 200 dates at once. God, he's so busy.
04:52:13
Speaker
Plus, like, there's nothing more sugar-y than having a member named Bermuda Schwartz, if we're being real. I love that so much. Puka shell necklace. Yeah, we're talking.
04:52:23
Speaker
Listeners, if you got it in on Weird Al, we've got to get him on here. Help us out. Help us out? Oh, God, imagine. Next level. All right. That's the dream. Then Mark crafted a TV show for Nickelodeon in the spirit of Bill Nye to bring his love of science to children. He earned a daytime Emmy for his program, The Van McGrath Generator, that Vulture said...
04:52:43
Speaker
well you know what this show has? Heart. I hope it stays afloat longer than his restaurant. After six seasons and a movie, their next album was 2009's Music for Cougars that featured found sound recordings of rabbits, geese, and prairie dogs layered over minimalist beats in order to answer the question, what if we made music for cougars?
04:53:02
Speaker
It was audacious, experimental, and yeah, so sugar-ray.
04:53:08
Speaker
So let's play Boardwalk. walk
04:53:14
Speaker
Yeah, music for cougars. I bet predatory cats love this shit. Yeah. Big cats, big fans. Sugarman. Rivers Cuomo is on this one. Wait, really? For realsies?
04:53:31
Speaker
yeah yes cuo Yes, Cuomo? Yes, Cuomo? Yes, Cuomo. wrote... Love is the answer, co-wrote by Rivers Cuomo. Are you fucking serious? I am.
04:53:43
Speaker
Wow. This is like, Rob, I have to pull the the the bit aside, but yes. Yes, Cuomo. Yes, Cuomo. Yes, Cuomo. That is bananas. Yes, Cuomo. Love is the answer.
04:53:54
Speaker
Oh my God. Maybe he heard that other song and he like, I gotta get on that next album. He's like, they get it. They get it. They get it. I always knew Sugar Ray got it. That's what I was thinking. I was like, well, he must have heard the song and been like, right, what's up? Why didn't you guys call me? will say. Let's to the next one. Let's do it. Rivers Cuomo.
04:54:14
Speaker
like makes makes choices and decisions, to quote Eichlers, that boggle the mind. And I think co-writing and featuring on a Sugar Ray, why not?
04:54:27
Speaker
i would Not just any Sugar Ray record. music for cougars dear marky want you to write a song with me do you know that's the letter he wrote him right uh dear marky dear marky dear marky i write you dear marky i write let's talk about music for cougars uh they really understand their audience in 2009 um what do you uh what do you think about this record um it's like it's it's giving her to sean kingston song once um energy on a lot of the tracks um canada canada's own no way really yeah i am kings i am learning so much rono or no somewhere else in ontario yeah maybe janet think yeah okay well yeah okay joey it finally happened yeah
04:55:18
Speaker
You got a good one. Thank you. Anyway, continue. Let's see. There's ska. There's autotune. this This record. Am I cougars? Is this music for me? i i Am I cougars? I was cougars.
04:55:38
Speaker
I was shocked at the high level of auto-tune on this race It's so sick. It's wild. Yeah, I think i think Mark McGrath. In 2009, right? yeah Yeah, well, in 2009, that was like T-Pain was.
04:55:50
Speaker
I was going to say T-Pain was the guy. Yeah. yeah told What do you mean was? but i mean. He won the Masked Singer. Big, big fan of T-Screen. He also won My Heart and Eternal Admiration, but that's different.
04:56:03
Speaker
I saw him live in San Francisco. you Have you heard his new song about ah turboed cars that samples turboed cars for like a bunch of the beat? No, that sounds sick though. I'm sure it rocks.
04:56:16
Speaker
Yeah, it's good. It's this rad video too. it has a bunch of cars just drifting in circles and stuff. Hell yeah. he He has a giant gold Moonanite from Aqua Teen Hunger Force. That's fun. It's one of his bling that he has. You and your third dimension. He's also a huge racing sim nerd.
04:56:32
Speaker
Like built his own like racing sim like like haptic feedback seat fucking like racing simulator thing in his house. You could like build houses and get sims to like live together, but you can race them too?
04:56:46
Speaker
You can. That's crazy. put a hot dog on a table and then you like delete a wall and you just let them go.
04:56:58
Speaker
That's how the Sims work. Sorry. Sorry. You're so apologetic today. I'm very apologetic today. don't know why. You know what I love about The Sims? That i'm ah that I really enjoy the economy of The Sims because the highest paid job you can have is a rock musician.
04:57:18
Speaker
I just used to so stressed out when they would get stressed out in the morning. It always bummed me out so much. Yeah, but real feels. I know, too real. Too real. Too real. Yeah. yeah Too real.
04:57:32
Speaker
What other thoughts you got on music for Cougars as a Cougar? i you know as As music for me, I am Cougars. um I i actually actually really like it. I like it more than I care to admit, but I will admit it, and I like it a lot. i think yeah I think She's Got the Woohoo is a really good song title. and it just I love that.
04:57:54
Speaker
As a feminist, I like She's Got I gotta say, these are song titles. and Girls Were Made to Love. untrue Honestly, i ah woohoo really like that song. i was same that That came up while I was running this morning and I was like, okay.
04:58:09
Speaker
Love 101. Where are the cars? That's what I'm asking. They moved to Vespa's, dude. Look at the record. Yeah, there's a Vespa. No, it's the album cover. but I'm looking at her. as but Which I don't like get.
04:58:23
Speaker
but I guess they were just popular. I didn't really want a Vespa. Yeah. True. I did really want a Vespa in this era. Yeah. Why just in that era? I still... Well, actually, I was a passenger one on recently. It was very scary.
04:58:37
Speaker
but did not feel stable. ah ah Finally, Mark earned a coveted Oscar for Best Production for his hyper-realistic bed design in James Cameron's Avatar 5, The Blue People Fuckin' This One.
04:58:49
Speaker
Oh, my God. The Guardian said...
04:58:57
Speaker
I broke ice. ah Got him. Got him. Got him. Got him. In a middling review, the Guardian said, i wish I could sleep on Mark McGrath's meticulously designed 3D bed as this three and a half hour movie put me to sleep.
04:59:10
Speaker
Kind of like how McGrath is sleeping on his restaurant. At McGrath's acceptance speech, he was quoted as saying, I'm sick of people saying I don't have an eight base Mexican food themed restaurant on pontoons in the Philippines.
04:59:21
Speaker
There's still a gorilla tortilla flotilla in Manila. It was a short 10 year turnaround to record their next album, 2019's Little Yachty. ah cover A cover album to all rappers that are Little, from Little Wayne to Little Uzeel Vertical to Little Nazarati Xylophone to Little Dog Noises.
04:59:40
Speaker
It was an homage as much as an ode and the tracks were practically note for note copies. It again was met with critical acclaim. Little John, when he heard this cover, was quoted as saying, yes, indeed.
04:59:53
Speaker
Let's listen to the song Good Good Lovin'.
04:59:58
Speaker
Little Dog Noises made a cameo earlier this episode. Little Dog Noises, yeah. That's real. That's real. So just full-on ska reggae album. If you put this at five speeds, this could almost be a nightly jam.
05:00:14
Speaker
just a full on scar rege albummo just study just full you put this five piece this could almost be an eish jam good good I've had thoughts. The Eichler version of it. Yeah, okay. I was like, this there's something. It's giving Eichler's energy. Yeah. i As a compliment. Okay, first of all, when I was looking through through the discography and we were talking about doing this band, I was like, I have to listen to like Current Sugar Ray. Oh, no. And then I saw that their most recent record is called Little Yachty and i was like, okay, let's fucking go. That's hilarious.
05:00:47
Speaker
It's incredible. kate What a move. Hear this with your vocals. That'd be fun. How fun with that. And so fast. And just like hard beat. It'd be super fun. aside.
05:01:02
Speaker
can i say little yachdi all jokes aside It's really good. It's a really good It's really good. It's fucking awesome. It should not as it is. Little Yachty. I feel like because it was like a decade between the previous one, and they didn't have to give a shit about like being the most current. Being Sugar Ray.
05:01:21
Speaker
Yeah, they're like Sugar Ray doesn't have to sound like a boy band. What year was this again? two thousand and nineteen 2019. Huh. Wow. That's wild. It's really good. yeah Yeah. It's like yeah super solid. That's fun. yeah Joey, did you listen to do it? This has Joey energy. This is coming from a post-filler and Botox Mark McGrath yeah singing this.
05:01:43
Speaker
so I'm impressed. His face was tighter, therefore his vocals are tighter. That's all you need. Snatched face. Better music. It has a no that's the cover of the Pina Colada song. That's fine.
05:01:56
Speaker
What? So just leaning into full Yacht Rock fantasy. Lil Yacht. Big Yachty. ah yeah um But yeah, it that is literally what the album's name is. It's obviously a joke on Lil Yachty. But it's like we're like we're doing Yacht Rock. Yes.
05:02:14
Speaker
Yeah. But like more than Yacht Rock, it's like reggae. It's just like reggae. It's crazy. It's just reggae. Has Cool Chris heard this record? i was just thinking that. I'm worried because doing this thing right now.
05:02:26
Speaker
yeah do it This also has late 311 energy, which he very much does not like. right also so i might put him off he might like but the rest maybe after the rest maybe be after this rep yeah or up like the whole he'll come around he'll come around or maybe he's already pumped yeah maybe he'll know maybe to hear the history of the band to really buy it i actually think that yeah getting the whole band history is really what um people are going to be like okay i'll listen to the picture just really really makes you root for our friend mark
05:02:57
Speaker
yeah yeah he is my friend the people's friend of this episode he's been through a lot i really want him to get that restaurant like happening it's happening he's yeah but but he's but like how much energy people just don't believe it's happening well that's the problem they keep saying it's closed but he's saying no it's still open okay you seem skeptical honestly um okay okay rank the albums okay let's see if i can do it okay little i think little yachty number one whoa whoa fuck i just I just love hearing but they that they have a record called Little Yachty. That will never not be fun anymore.
05:03:31
Speaker
And it's number one And it's good. Yeah. Two, self-titled. Interesting. Three, lemonade and brownies. Four, 1459. Five,
05:03:42
Speaker
five floored, I guess. Wow. And then the last two kind of like mixed up. I don't necessarily. Music for Cougars. Fly doesn't just wait out there. Music for Cougars six. And then ah Pursuit of Leisure is just trash. Seven. I don't like that one at all. We're going to get canceled. Yeah. Based on that ranking. That's my ranking. Ikes, do you have ranking? you right Yeah. ah Let's see. um Self-titled.
05:04:07
Speaker
Music for Cougars. All right. Little Yachty. um Lemonade and brownies. Yeah. In the pursuit of leisure.
05:04:19
Speaker
Floored 1459. Oh, wow. Okay. Wow. Yeah. Different. Different. Different. i My brain isn't going to be smart enough to do that. So yeah I feel like Eichler, you did like such like important research for this episode. Yeah, you crushed him What is their Sky's song? fuck i shit I feel like it might be closer from Music for Cougars.
05:04:49
Speaker
I feel like okay it has it has a one drop in it and it's pretty up tempo. It's sort of like rock steady more than it is like reggae like a lot of Little Yachty is.
05:05:01
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. that That might be it. I also might just be biased because I really, really like that song. It was for iKooglers. Yeah. i and then And then the Nick Hexum song.
05:05:15
Speaker
Oh, yeah. i got more stuff. wait You got more stuff. yeah i got another thing. I got an ending thing. Yeah. Okay. That brings us to the modern day. We all know Sugar Ray as this group that suffered a major blow in the mid-90s that eventually rose to multi-platinum success throughout the two thousand With a constantly experimental sound that borders on outrageous.
05:05:30
Speaker
They never seem to sit still and are thirsty for the spotlight. Led by the larger-than-life scientist, come restaurateur, come thespian Mark McGrath, who did... who to this day has not earned the G to finish his EGOT, which I think is absolutely criminal.
05:05:45
Speaker
Maybe not as much as DJ Homicide's conviction, but a close second. And we leave you with this new track from the band, unreleased and waiting for their next experimental album that will clash genres once again. Shine a light on one of the singular talents of our generation.
05:05:59
Speaker
Will this be the one that finally gets him the G? Only time will tell.
05:06:11
Speaker
Damn, Sugar Ray rocks. Yeah. What I like about Sugar Ray is that they're always pushing the boundaries, right? Truly the, like, King Gizzard and the Wizard Lizard. Man, you fucked that up so fast. I fucked it up. Just roll with it. Oh, good.
05:06:24
Speaker
Yeah. And nobody can keep track of all those Zs. That's their Deal
05:06:34
Speaker
I feel like more people need their own producer callouts in their own songs. see i Like, that's, it's the best. I love it when people do it. It's like, I view it as like the the modern equivalent of like rappers saying their names, like the minute before they start their verses on like features. Hell yeah. Yeah. us it's it's like It's a hype thing. I think it's fun.
05:06:58
Speaker
I love it. Yeah, i I sing along to every E-I-C-H-L-E-R-S. All of them, whatever I'm listening to. It's fun. This song's great. This is a jam. Thank you.
05:07:10
Speaker
thank you You nailed it again. I'm really, really proud of this one. You're not a 10. Yeah. You should be. And snuck it in. I like to think you wove it into the tapestry that is Mark McGrath's career in life. Yes. Yeah, that's right.
05:07:27
Speaker
Also, this could be ah your Yes Cuomo situation, where on the next album, he gets a hold of you to do a song. My God. Dear Eichlers, I write you.
05:07:40
Speaker
If Rivers Cuomo hit me up to be on to write a song together, I would say no thanks. Whoa. Hard at here first. What if Rivers Cuomo called you up and was like, yo, I need you to do a song with my buddy Mark McGrath. I'd be like, oh yeah.
05:07:53
Speaker
On behalf of Big Yachty. Big Yachty. Anyway, enough about Weezer. Ike, thanks for joining us. What have you got to plug?
05:08:03
Speaker
Of course. Thanks for having me. Um... Sorry, I just got to start. Cool Chris just texted me back. and Sorry, this is important. Yeah. Breaking truth. Pugs can wait. Cool Chris is eternal.
05:08:14
Speaker
um I said, have you heard this lol and sent him a little yadi? He said, only the pina colada cover. Haha. Which means that Joey's lagging, dude.
05:08:24
Speaker
Damn it. You fucked up. It's like a wagon. Just lagging. Yeah. Lagging wagon. Yeah, lagging wagon. Lagging in the – much like our dear friend Joey Cape. Plugs. What do you got for a plug, Ike? Let's see. I just put out a song called I'm Screaming and a cover of 100 Gex Hollywood Baby.
05:08:39
Speaker
You probably just heard it um Yeah, i don't I don't have anything super pertinent. Like I said, Acoustic Record coming out early next year.
05:08:50
Speaker
Check that out. ah You'll see me posting about it, talking about it a lot um Yeah, I've been i've been keeping my New Tone Ska playlist up to date with all the cool stuff I'm finding. i spent like probably more time than I should on Reddit.
05:09:05
Speaker
and just like Especially our ska, which is like mostly like a toxic place, has yielded some like pretty cool discoveries. I found this band called Goofy at Night. They posted their EP. Yeah, I saw you posted that the other day. its It's sick!
05:09:17
Speaker
for like for like a band's first release like it's half of it is covers but like the original stuff is really cool and the i like i like the production a lot i feel like it's it's really like creative and well thought out um like a shout out to rj for like who curates the art for sure yeah rj is yeah like rj's still like the the work doing the lord's work we've said it before we'll say it again rj does the lord's work out there that's real yeah shout out um Yeah, i I'm going to keep putting up music, planning some shows, some tours next year. So be a lookout. You can follow me everywhere at E-I-C-H-L-E-R-S underscore underscore.
05:09:56
Speaker
um Come say hi. Perfect. Well, thank you for listening to Checkered Past. Hit us up on Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and TikTok at Checkered Past Pod or send us an email at checkeredpastpod at gmail.com. Just support the pod and get bonus content, including a full length and unedited video of this episode I recommend doing.
05:10:11
Speaker
Eichler's is fun to look at. Yeah. Oh, boy. You are, but that's just some fun that's a weird thing to say to someone. It's not. like i It's a nice thing. ah Sign up for our Checkerhead Patreon at patreon.com slash checkeredpast.
05:10:25
Speaker
We also have merch available at checkeredpast.ca. Checkered Past is edited by Ariane and engineered by Joey. Until next time, I'm Rob. Céline. Engineer Joey. In the immortal words of Sugar Ray, the caboose is juiced.
05:10:48
Speaker
On this episode, as always, we are a waste of time. We have no clue what our destination is, but we'll be spending all our money on malt liquor with the band that's a four-letter word, Missed, on Checkered Pass, the SCODcast.
05:11:23
Speaker
What up Checkerheads, welcome to Checkered Past, this podcast with Celine and Rob. The show where, uh, what the did did did Dil Records and, uh, Mo Money Mo 40 Ounce to Freedom explore the history and impact of a different band each episode and hope to bring in new fans along the way.
05:11:37
Speaker
I'm Rob and this is my co-host with the most toast, Engineer Joey. Hola. Hey. Those are good. They're easy. Yeah, I don't think I need to explain those. Those are easy peasy. Easy peasy. Mac and cheesy.
05:11:49
Speaker
I do like the ah amalgamation of the Mest and Sublime. Yeah. That was for you, Joey. feel like they would have appreciated it. Or they will. They will appreciate it when they listen. ah Should we pick it up where we left off? Heck yeah.
05:12:03
Speaker
Joey, tell them about your lurk.
05:12:08
Speaker
joey tell him about your lurk Uh, so I am bleachy, bleachy blonde, bleachy blonde engineer, Joey, and a very smooth face, which is like, it's throwing me off. Yeah. It's a little weird.
05:12:20
Speaker
Yeah. Uh, but yeah, I am, I'm fully committed to the bit. Uh, we're the weekend we were recording or we're as we were recording, we were a week away from Halloween weekend. And I am playing two sets of No Doubt songs.
05:12:36
Speaker
on Like two had two different venues on the Friday and the Sunday. So we're doing a Band is Band thing. And I'm playing as Tony Canale. And playing the bass. The name of your No Doubt cover band is? Foe Doubt. You cannot forget to mention that part. It's very good. But yeah, it's very cool. we um but It's with Maz, who plays in Rat Poison. And also Martin, the guitarist from Rat Poison.
05:13:01
Speaker
And Maz's brother used to play in like a like ah very, like the style of pop punk, they called it soda pop punk, if that is ah any indication. Very three chords, pogoing, ah synchronized headbanging band. So he played drums in that band like...
05:13:21
Speaker
10, 15 years ago and hasn't played a whole lot since. And that band is called? The Blamits. I love the Blamits. They're a great, fantastic band. There's a Ramones core I can get behind. Yeah, they definitely are in that in that family. don't know their stuff's online or whatever, but if you can find the Blamits, it's very fun.
05:13:37
Speaker
Marco played in it, and so Maz invited him to play drums in this, and we've been practicing for a few months. It's pretty sick. We have backing tracks for all the crazy synths and horns and stuff.
05:13:49
Speaker
ah But then we had a friend of ours, Eric Budd, who played in the Mad Bomber Society of this podcast's theme fame. Yeah. And he came and jammed with us on organ.
05:14:02
Speaker
So he's going to play organ with us at the show and it's going to be super sick. And he played in the Operators as well. Operator 780, yes. What a band. What is yeah but a freaking, like for a Edmonton, that's like an Edmonton A-list. It's crazy. It's kind of blowing my mind that I'm getting to play a show with him, to be honest. It's very cool.
05:14:20
Speaker
And he's like a chill dude. Like he's like a Kung Fu instructor. Really? Yeah. That's cool. He's like a Kung Fu instructor who's covered in tattoos and drives like an Evo. I love finding out people's day jobs.
05:14:32
Speaker
It's great. yeah Especially like people who've been doing stuff for like 20 years, like finding out what else they do. It's cool. They always do something cool. Oh, yeah, totally. And it's like, it's like, oh, he does Kung Fu. What you mean he does Kung Fu? he like teaches Kung Fu. He like teaches Kung Fu. Yeah, it's pretty cool. ah But he's a really killer keyboardist. the the last He said the last time he played Keys Live ah was when Vic Ruggiero was here and he pulled him up on stage to play with him.
05:14:57
Speaker
Oh, man. I can see why he retired. but Yeah, and then he he hadn't touched his keyboard until like a day before our jam. And he's like, oh, shit, I got to learn these songs. He probably was like, I'll never touch this keyboard again. Yeah. right they Didn't wash his hands either. Nope.
05:15:13
Speaker
That's why he's so good at playing keys for this band. He's got Vicaragero scuzz on his hands still. All right. Terry, no further. We're so excited to welcome back our guest.
05:15:25
Speaker
ah He's a one-stop shop for Judaica yarmulkes and kosher cookbooks in Brooklyn, New York. No, that's wrong. He's a musician, singer-songwriter whose new album, Ike World, is streaming everywhere right now. Eichlers is back.
05:15:38
Speaker
Hi, Hank. Hi. happy Happy to be back. Very, very excited to finally announce my brand deal with Eichler's Judaica in New York.
05:15:51
Speaker
it's It's been a long time coming and I'm really honored that y'all wanted to bring me on to announce the brand deal. that's That's a fun SEO, eh? Like, just people are like, hmm, what's Eichlers up to? Oh, look at this shop. Ooh, interesting merch choices, Eichlers.
05:16:05
Speaker
Dude, like, just these yarmulkes are going like crazy, man. thats Yarmulkes did go pretty hard. they may sometimes Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Sick look, for sure. It's good.
05:16:16
Speaker
So since you were last on, new album has come out, Eichworld. Tell the listeners about it. What could they expect from ah popping on the new Eich? um it is It is much more hyper.
05:16:27
Speaker
i in in In my head when I was writing it, was like, this record is going to be 50% more hyper, 50% more ska, and it's like definitely definitely like the hyper, but maybe not the more ska.
05:16:38
Speaker
I feel like like it's pretty ska, but like not in the Not in the same way that my checkered future was. And there's there's been like people going in expecting the same stuff. And it's not that. But that's also just like my MO. I don't want to make the same thing twice as any of my Ike Beast fans can probably tell you.
05:16:56
Speaker
Yeah, yeah, for sure. Like, um that's what we all love about you is because you have such a diverse ah musical palette, if you will. um So when you say things are 50% more hyper, what does that mean?
05:17:08
Speaker
don't know. Tagline that came into my head. i was like this is gonna be good marketing, baby. I'm gonna sell so many CDs. And yarmulkes. And yarmulkes.
05:17:18
Speaker
It's crazy. Everything's round in Ike world. It all comes around. Including the CD, which I bought one of. Shut up. Also, i'm I'm just going to put it out there. i don't think I need to wait until we do a year-end episode. like This is my favorite album of the year.
05:17:36
Speaker
no shit. Are you serious? Oh, yeah. 100%. I listen to Ike World. I don't know how many streams on Spotify. you just saying that because you're blonde now and we're we're both blonde together?
05:17:48
Speaker
No, this is the for realsies. Okay. Do you say so? ah But no, i seriously, all summer, ah it was like my going home from work music, pretty much.
05:18:02
Speaker
Like just about the perfect length to drive home. And this album is more like you pulled from right in the sweet spot of like my pop punk past like i remember at one point you put out a tweet and you were like i was just about to bring that up yeah go ahead like what's your favorite or what was what was your favorite like skateboarding like hot summer like pop punk yeah sunny sunny pop punk Yeah, Sonny Paul Punk. And I had like a few suggestions and we kind of got talking about it. And then like when the album came out, I listened to it and I was like, this is what that tweet was for. like This is yeah so like exactly
05:18:43
Speaker
exactly what All the stuff that I suggested was all of the exact influences that went into this album, basically. i love Yeah, dude. And like the I i made this like big ass playlist on Spotify of just like all the suggestions and just like artists that I was already privy to. And I think you you sent me that like can con band not by choice.
05:19:04
Speaker
Yes. I think, was that what they were called? Okay. Yep. To take my breath away with all the... Yeah. and It's great. And honestly, like, A-plus tie-in to the band of this episode.
05:19:16
Speaker
because like Right? but Yeah. Listening to these records, I was like, this is... this is my shit. And like, uh, destination unknown was like in that playlist too. And let's listen back for this episode. i was like, Ooh, there's some like definite, like messed influence that if you, if you had asked me, would have been like no, but now it's just like, maybe,
05:19:39
Speaker
but it's a maybe, it's a maybe in there. I think we're going to deal with plenty of in the next. Oh yeah. Yeah.
05:19:49
Speaker
Oh man. Uh, so, uh, what else has been new since you were last on anything else that you have to report? Um, yeah, not, not a whole lot. Went on tour with half past two this summer. was pretty cool. We did just, just under two weeks.
05:20:03
Speaker
Um, hit a lot of ground. ah Mostly a Southwest tour, but we hit like some of Mountain West. I ended up, the last show of tour was in Salt Lake, and I got to see a bunch of my friends who I haven't seen since 2020. So it's been four years since I've seen some of them. let's just like pretty much i remember just giving my my friend Chaz, who um has had had a pretty hard time over the past few years, just like seeing him like walking up to the show while I was standing outside, I just like Teared up and just giving him a big hug. It was, it was a really, really beautiful thing to be able to like, see, see these people um in the scene and like people who've meant so much to me over the years and influenced me so much as a person and an artist, like all together in one place again, like, like, like the good old days. It was, it was beautiful.
05:20:49
Speaker
And just getting to, getting to see all these places with my, you know, my, my old friends in half past two, but also my new friends. There's been new folks in the lineup who I got to know better on that tour. um it was It was a lot of fun.
05:21:01
Speaker
Jeez, that's so sweet. That's like the and unspoken kind of like positive thing about all this touring. Like as much as it's harder to tour, it's like it gets us out there, you know, like that's so cool.
05:21:12
Speaker
Yeah, totally. And um to to be honest, like I've been thinking about this a lot lately and just touring. Touring has been like a really lonely experience for me. Right. And, um, just having, having that, that experience with my friends in Salt Lake at the end of the end of that tour was just like, sort of, sort of made it, made it all worthwhile.
05:21:32
Speaker
Cause like, I would, I would love to do every tour and every show with old phone, but like, it just, it's unfortunately that where I'm at, it's, it's not cost effective. I can't like, I have to ask them to take time off work.
05:21:42
Speaker
And I feel like that's a big ask. And I don't like being in that position. And I can't, I can't like pay them what I think they deserve because then I don't make enough to like justify me taking time off work.
05:21:54
Speaker
So that's why I've been like rocking all the shit solo. And i I think the shows are still fun, but like, man, the before and after is just kind of a fucking bummer. yeah but yeah think that's fair yeah it's just like you solo on the road for two weeks like even if you're bands and stuff like that's that that's got to take a toll well and totally and like with half past two like all those people are so friendly and so wonderful but like there's there's an intimacy that you have with your bandmates and people you create with where especially like before and after a show like you have this shared experience and you can talk about the set and be like oh you know like i kind of fucked this up or this part went really well and did you see how the crowd reacted to that like
05:22:30
Speaker
i had I had no one to share that with because I could like talk about that with like Max and Tara and Luis, but like they don't know the like intricacies of my songs and like how I'm planning the set out in my head the same way that like if Old Phone was on stage with me or like I was in a band with someone else.
05:22:48
Speaker
So like that that in itself is like, you know, no fault of their own, but like an, an isolating experience. And it was like really, really eyeopening to me on this tour. was just like, I'm, I'm with these people who are, who are my friends and I'm like happy to be here, but this is still just like, I don't, don't know how much I can like tour like this.
05:23:06
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. That's crazy. So does that. Sorry to get like down. No, no. It's just like. No, but does that change your outlook on how you will tour again later if you, if you hit the road again?
05:23:17
Speaker
Yeah. To be honest, i don't, I don't really have any plans to, to tour anytime soon. am. I feel like i've I've checked that box for myself and yeah just looking looking at the trajectory of like some of my friends' music careers and you know people people the next couple levels up for where where I'm at. like you know Bad Op, Kill Lincoln, like even the folks in the new tone scene and the label and like even the um you know like other labels, all the SPI bands like touring in that capacity and just playing that game. I just i don't have as much interest in it anymore as I used to.
05:23:50
Speaker
i just yeah I realized that you know, the, the like touring experience aside and all the negative aspects of that, I just like, I find the most joy in creating music and just like being able to share it with people. And I feel really fortunate to be,
05:24:06
Speaker
you know, in the era we're in where I can share it with my friends online, people who like genuinely give a fuck about my music and don't just, you know, aren't doing, aren't listening as a favor because we're friends. Like I like that, yeah you know, they found me and now we're friends because of that. And we have like shared interests, but Yeah, so i'm not I'm not sure what any touring is going to look like unless some like crazy opportunity comes up. Even then, like i got I got a pretty sweet home life. I can and make all the music I want here. i got i have friends. I got my dog. I got my wife. I love my neighborhood. like
05:24:38
Speaker
i' getting I'm getting older, man. i confident i like yeah i'm kidding On top of that, you've you've been playing guitar with Omnigon, correct? yeah Yeah, that's been really cool too. So that's cool too because it gives you like a live outlet because that's one thing that I really realized. Yeah, definitely. like ah My band that I was in pre-COVID where the life cycle the band was just sort of getting close to the end and with COVID and everything a show like our kind of comeback show after about a year off just got cancelled right at the beginning covid oh we kind of we were like ah well what do we even do and then we were just sort of like ah we just kind decided to pack it in and so I wasn't playing music for a few years and then I got back into playing music with the cover band it was like
05:25:28
Speaker
Like, oh man, it's it's nice to be in a situation where I don't have to be like the person writing the songs or anything. I can just like learn this shit and go and like play a show.
05:25:39
Speaker
Yeah, dude. Like that and that's super fun. And and so now and yeah now that's kind of where where I'm at, like in the Edmonton scene, like I have characters few iron irons in the fire as it were with bands. And it's like, I'm not writing any of it, but it's really fun to play with other people and like learn their stuff. Right. It's making me a better musician. I feel like.
05:26:01
Speaker
Yeah, totally. And then like, ah honestly, I just have so much love and respect for Adam and Barry and Nick and Brent and who, and, and Justin, like in Omnigun who've let me like play with them and, you know, re rekindle that, um,
05:26:16
Speaker
Or yeah, just like get the live experience. And same thing. Like Adam's just like, here's a set list. Learn these songs. We're going to play this show. We have like all practice maybe. And it always kicks ass. It's so cool.
05:26:28
Speaker
Yeah, right? Like, that's fun. It kind of gets that energy out where and you can, you know, do the other kind of stuff you're passionate about over here. You know, like, it works out. and it's local for you, too, right? So that helps.
05:26:40
Speaker
Yeah, that's, I mean, that's that's how it started. So Adam, you know, like, the, the like, quote, unquote, real Omnigon lineup, or at least know historically, was Adam and Barry, who both live up here in Northern California, and then Nick and Brent, who live in Southern California.
05:26:54
Speaker
So like for big shows and big tours, the four of them would get together and they'd go tour. And then Adam wanted to, you know, and Adam's always been tapped into the underground and what's happening, especially locally.
05:27:07
Speaker
And he was like seeing all the cool stuff that's been happening in the Bay and was just like, I want to I want to be able to like play local shows if people offer them to us. Cause he was like going to shows and, you know, getting the band's name out there. And he's like, would you want to be on the home team?
05:27:21
Speaker
And i was like, yeah, sure. Like I was obviously already a fan of the band and Adam and I had been friends for a long time. And so that, it just started out as me being like the guitar player for the home shows. Me and ah Justin, Justin Amans, the drummer were like the home team. And then that sort of evolved into Adam being like, I want to actually do two guitars all the time.
05:27:43
Speaker
And then we wrote and then we we ended up writing Feral and being able to like create and play guitar on that was really cool. I think that my guitar playing brought something into those songs that wasn't already there. And maybe that's just me blowing smoke up my own ass. But I think we created like a really cool Scottcore record together.
05:28:03
Speaker
Oh yeah, it's a thick record for sure. Thank you. Yeah. So it's, it's cool. Like, like to, to your point, Joey, about showing up and playing someone else's songs being like, yeah, this rocks, but also like being able to have that option to have creative input is really cool. And just, I can't be, I can't thank Adam and Barry enough for allowing me to just sort of take, take what I want from the band and, you know, give, give, give what I want to it. I guess I should say.
05:28:29
Speaker
Hell yeah. yeah Oh, that's awesome. And so um i guess this is a question it could just to kind of pivot a little bit, a question I ask you every time you're on because it's always a cool answer. What are you listening to right now? Because it seems like you're always listening to crazy shit. God damn it. No, dude, this is, this isn't for I mean, yes.
05:28:48
Speaker
yeah This is probably so the like objectively worst time to be asked this question. Dude, I have been i have been like struggling struggling with a crippling Steely Dan addiction over the last month.
05:29:03
Speaker
Straight up listen to very, very little else except for except for Steely Dan. Dude, I am like low-key, high-key. I am obsessed. I spent like 45 minutes yesterday watching this two-part iceberg video.
05:29:19
Speaker
I watched this fucking Donald Fagan hour-long jazz piano seminar. I don't play piano, man. don't know anything about piano. This shit blew my fucking mind. Dude, it's it's so fucked.
05:29:35
Speaker
Amazing. My 100 artists I thought you were going to say just now. the Steely Dan was not even close. That's insane, dude. That's why it's so fucked up that you asked me. How could you say that? How could ask that?
05:29:47
Speaker
Just put me on the spot like that, dog. Were we supposed to talk about this before we started rolling? Usually, yeah. What can't we talk about? Don't talk about my crippling, stealing Dan. addict No, dude, like like for real. like yes Yesterday, Hope, my wife was... i would We were cleaning the apartment and I i hooked little Bluetooth speaker and I started playing Reeling in the ears. She's like, we have to listen to something else.
05:30:15
Speaker
And then i was texting my friend Jake from Grey Matter, who's also a big Dan head. Shout out, Jake. I love you. We've just been texting back and forth like, dude, have you seen that like the bonus DVD, Steely Dan Confessions that came with Everything Must Go? And he's like, no. I was like, you gotta watch it.
05:30:31
Speaker
So I put him onto that. and He's like, have you read Donald Fagan's autobiography? And was like, no. So put on Hold It, the library. Dude. What are you like, number 30? They only have five copies.
05:30:43
Speaker
I'm number one. No one else wants
05:30:46
Speaker
going to pick that shit up tomorrow. ah Sick. Loving stuff other people hate is the best. Dude, it's it's so fucked.
05:30:57
Speaker
It's like the Sopranos. Every time I think I'm out, they pull me back in. so like my I actually blame Jeremy, my boss, shout out, ah for sort of like spawning this obsession. because we like I've liked the band for a long time.
05:31:13
Speaker
um like My parents played a lot Steely Dan when I was growing up. so like I've never had like an aversion to them, ah the with the way that like a lot of people in the punk scene have. But... a couple weeks ago, Jeremy was like, dude, have you seen the making of Asia? Like documentary? It's crazy.
05:31:28
Speaker
And I was like, oh, okay. isn isn it How crazy can it be? And I watched it was like, that was crazy. okay And then like, and then so I'll just, I'll just spend like all day listening to Steely Dan and thinking about Steely Dan and reading about Steely Dan and then I'll get to work and I'm just like trying to put on other music, like listen listening to, you know, friends bands or whatever. And Jeremy comes in and he's like, dude, I learned the solo to Peg. And I'm like, no, here we go. And then I have to listen to Steely Dan for the rest of the day.
05:31:54
Speaker
It's so fucked, dude. and
05:31:58
Speaker
um So, man, what's your, like, ah ah but like rank it? Like, i don't I know so little about Steely Dan. Like, what what like what where should people start? Like, now that you're such an expert. Should we talk about Mest? I feel like I'm going embarrass myself going in about the Dan, dude.
05:32:16
Speaker
The Dan? The Dan. That's what Real Heads call it. real Any major dude will tell you it's called the Dan. I know that it's a vibrator, right?
05:32:26
Speaker
Or like a sex toy. That's the only thing I know about Steely Dan. I found that out and i I told Hope and she can't get enough of that. She thinks it's the funniest thing. So then every time I read Steely Dan, she's like, did you tell them about the dildo?
05:32:37
Speaker
And i was like, yeah, dude. Yeah, of course I did. Of course I did. It's great story. Yeah. that' what needs to stop making him ah I'm a Dan head. Of course I told them about the dildo thing.
05:32:48
Speaker
oh Oh my God, that clip so bad. I'm so sorry.
05:32:54
Speaker
All right, we'll talk about mess. Okay.
Future Episode Ideas: Steely Dan
05:32:57
Speaker
okay Yo, when you invite me back for the Steely Dan episode, it's fucking on. Actually, okay, new patron exclusive right here. New idea just dropped.
05:33:07
Speaker
they have They have that song, Cousin Dupree, where he mentions being in a ska band. Babylon Sisters has a reggae groove. umma It's there. it's I'm just saying.
05:33:19
Speaker
It's no less crazy than any of the other episodes you're on. That's what I'm saying, dude. We threw the rule book out. All of this is a fucking episode. Y'all can come guest. Don't threaten me with a good time. I'm just kidding. Honestly. I would fuck that up so bad. You're so good at this, Rob.
05:33:35
Speaker
but i That would be like, it could be like that that podcast Analyze Fish where ah oh no they were trying, where um Harris Whittles was trying to convince Scott Aukerman that Fish is a good band and would just play playlists for him the whole episode and try to get it to get into it. And then even took him to a Fish concert and gave him like a whole bunch of like roadside drugs to try to get it. The ah yeah authentic Fish experience.
05:34:04
Speaker
I just could not do it It was like the whole concept was is like 10 episodes. Could not get him into fish no matter how hard he tried. it was really genius. So anyway, I'm into it. i'm I'm willing to be convinced and become a Dan head.
05:34:19
Speaker
i don't I don't know if I want to give you this burden. That's fair. it Heavy is the the shoulders that carry the steely. Heavy is the Dan that holds the steel. I don't fucking know.
05:34:34
Speaker
Yeah, we we were dancing around it and then just lost it. Steely dancing around it. Ooh, there we go. There we go. Ladies and gentlemen, we got it. Thank you. All right. So what is your history with Myst?
05:34:47
Speaker
All right. I... i surprisingly do have a history. ah so um my My cousins, Zach and Brett, shout out. ah When I was in middle school, probably, I was visiting them. They lived in Utah. i We were just talking about music and I was like very into punk at the time, of course, and like getting into Sublime and like honestly like getting into ska and stuff.
05:35:11
Speaker
And they were like very like heads over heels into bro reggae. And they made me this like mixtape thumb drive that just had like a bunch of pepper and slightly stupid and just like bro ass reggae bands.
05:35:23
Speaker
And then it had hotel room by messed. yeah Okay. Yeah. Just like drenched, drenched in like flip flops and then just messed. And I just, I never, I never went further than that. i was like, this song bangs, but never, never listened to any of their other songs until like, honestly, until we, I was putting together that sunny pop punk playlist.
05:35:45
Speaker
And I was like, maybe, maybe that's the bit on it. Right. Yeah. Cadillac had to be on there. Yeah. I mean, you, you have to have to. Yeah. Yeah. So that's, that, that's my history with nest. Not, not a ton, but not nothing.
05:35:59
Speaker
Yeah. Shout out, shout out slightly stupid. Yeah. You know what? Shout out Slightly Stupid. Yeah, fuck it. Yeah, true, why not? Yeah, as long as Barrel Ride. yeah can't stop talking about how much I love that record. The Sublime we have at home.
05:36:13
Speaker
All right, let's let's do it. Let's get into the time, Skoshin. I guess it's time. Yep.
Mest: From Local Scene to Pop-Punk Success
05:36:30
Speaker
The Times Goshin takes us back to the year 1995 with a band formed by the Lovato clan of Matt, Matt's cousin Tony, Tony's brother Steve, and friend Nick in the Blue Island neighborhood of Chicago.
05:36:43
Speaker
That's right. They're not from California. Blew my mind. Whoa. Maybe the first fact of this whole thing that I could not wrap my head around. Yeah, that doesn't that doesn't make any sense. Can you even have Long Dickies in Chicago?
05:36:57
Speaker
not Not in the winter. Not in the winter, yeah. That's what I'm saying, dude. Maybe they migrate like ducks. like They just pick up and go. We've got to make the pilgrimage to Los Angeles. They just follow, like they just get through Iowa or whatever and pick up 311 on the way and then just head on down. like z i like Actually, they're from Nebraska.
05:37:18
Speaker
That's what it is. Somewhere around there. it's all oh no It's all corn to me, man. They lived close to each other and learned to play at the age of seven using borrowed instruments from their parents.
05:37:29
Speaker
After getting their name from a can of Milwaukee's Best, Milwaukee's Best, M-E-S-T, they slapped together a demo cassette titled Dat Dat Uh-Oh, And they hit the Chicago club circuit where they gained a cult following.
05:37:44
Speaker
Steve eventually called it quits, bringing in Jeremiah Wrangell to create the most well-known lineup of the band. um Let, i I have one track from Dat Dat Uh-Oh. Okay, so like... Oh, yeah, go ahead. So like, but behind the scenes, like you DM me and you're like, gonna do this episode.
05:38:00
Speaker
Listen to these three records. I had already listened to this terrible rip of Dat Dat Uh-Oh. Oh no. like only Only to realize that like I should have just checked the fucking track list for like the the first real album knowing that like the the way like things were in that era, all of these songs would eventually make it onto the shitty debut album.
05:38:20
Speaker
I suffered through this. like like Side B, is or at least in this person's upload, is just like super warbly, like really weird stereo separation. like like The right channel's perfect, but the left channel's like swerving in and out.
05:38:34
Speaker
it was i was like I was like working out and trying to listen to this and I was like, oh, this is even worse than I thought it would be. You think cassette ripping technology has peaked, but nope. Still where it was before. yeah apparently. Jeez.
05:38:47
Speaker
all right Let's listen to this song Prisoner so we can get an idea. is track one from Dap, Dat, Uh-Oh by Mess. Dap, Dat, Uh-Oh. I have to say, their taste in hip-hop is so white. Oh, dude. Yeah, yeah. It's unreal.
05:39:06
Speaker
This sounds like a garage or basement recording from that time, yeah? 95. Or something.
05:39:19
Speaker
I mean, it sounds multi-tracked, maybe.
05:39:24
Speaker
I don't know. It's
05:39:35
Speaker
not very good. This is way more punk punk the first album yeah is for sure. Yeah, this is like this is like we've we've heard the at addicts and maybe Green day a couple times.
05:39:52
Speaker
Yeah, it almost has like kind of a misfits kind of thing going on. who The chord structures are and stuff. yeah At least Minor Threat. I know that from that one song. Oh, no.
05:40:04
Speaker
Where he talked about Minor Threat. Yes, he did. oh I assume, maybe, because in that song he talks about, I don't remember which one it is, I think it comes up later, talks about not being able to buy it. So maybe he never actually got it.
05:40:16
Speaker
Maybe. i believe it. So after not being able to get noticed of their demo, they decided to form their own label, Dead End Records, and self-release their first proper album, Mo Money Mo 40 Ounce, in 1997. Doug, come on.
05:40:36
Speaker
Produced by Bernie Mac. Yes, that Bernie Mac. i hope so. The original king of Star Trek's recording in Chicago, known for producing the Tossers.
05:40:47
Speaker
Who did you think I was talking about? The other one The guy that invented the Big Mac. The Ben. Bernie. Bernie. Bernard Mac. bernard Yeah, Bernard Mac. He was tall guy.
05:41:01
Speaker
ah Yeah, let's get into it I had another little... but We should actually start listening to it. Let's play the first track I have queued up. Same old, same old. Messed.
05:41:12
Speaker
Mo' money, mo' 40 cents. Okay, so... The more I say it, the more I hate saying it. Yeah, i to I had to tell my coworker what I was listening to when he walked in today, and I was just, i was like, this is bad. You know, i will say some nice things first, that the drums and bass sound on all of this sounds pretty good for how cruddy everything else is, to be honest.
05:41:40
Speaker
For sure, it it definitely, like, checks, checks, like... Oh god, that's right. This is like a bunch of believers in ska chords. Yeah, it's good. Yeah, all the ska on this record is very much just like, I've heard a couple ska songs, I'm gonna give it a go!
05:42:01
Speaker
Yeah, yeah it it's definitely... This album, I hated listening to it, but it also, like, gave me, like, a view back into what it was like to be in a band at 17.
05:42:20
Speaker
Like, I really feel like like the way the songs are written are, like, objectively bad. but they're also, like, the same kind of bad that millions of other kids who are writing songs at this time. Right.
05:42:36
Speaker
You know what I mean? They couldn't all be Operation Ivy. No. and yeah still it It was endearing to listen to for me because it really reminded me of like my first band. like Yeah, dude. band high school. you know i felt I felt some of that too. like my My first band, same thing. like if i had If I had been them writing these songs, you know but misogyny aside, would have been like, this is this shit is so cool.
05:43:00
Speaker
We're this thing. Yeah. like total and like hundred yeah listen Like you said, listening to it, I like that felt often an affinity for it. for sure Yeah, let's let's ah let's let's get into our feelings. I have many.
05:43:12
Speaker
um But let's start with our guest. like um How do feel about Mo Money, Mo Foding Outs? Honestly, just like I feel like every song on that record just sounds like the song we just heard.
05:43:23
Speaker
and yeah yeah i feel like it's really long. It's really samey. um They didn't think so long. It just, they they they needed a producer. They need to learn how to write songs.
05:43:35
Speaker
And it's it's definitely like a means. It's a means to an end. Like I i tend to like look at all bands and artists first few records like that, like in the grand scope of things, like, you know, so jokes aside, like you got you got to start somewhere. And I appreciate, i always appreciate artists and folks like putting stuff out, like yeah regardless of whether or not it's objectively good or whatnot because that's that's the only way you learn.
05:44:02
Speaker
and that's he yeah You can't like toil on something and edit something forever. You have to put it out and be done with it and move on in order to improve. right They were prolific too. like When you think about like the time stamp between a lot of their records is real short.
05:44:18
Speaker
Like the next two come out a year apart from each other. The other thing that I, that that I will say about that first record too, is I think that it might be, don't know, you might have more info on it, but I feel like that,
05:44:31
Speaker
Maybe is kind of chronological because I felt like the first handful of songs, every time there was a tempo change or a shift like that, like it was super noticeable and the tempo was all wacky. and dude like There but there's like questionable D beats on there.
05:44:48
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. like It was rough. This is not the right tempo for this, man. no and it And it was clear they weren't playing to a click or anything like that. yeah But the last two or three tracks on the record sound a lot more like their two next albums.
05:45:03
Speaker
right So I'm wondering if the first batch was like an EP they recorded or if they recorded it in batches, you know what I mean Could have been, yeah. Because because that would make a lot of sense for the sound of the record. I think i think the songs that they had on the Dat Dat whatever it's called Dat Uh Oh Yeah Thank you Rob You're welcome Where they ended up like Towards the end of that record But like they weren't the Because like the closing song I like I think I legitimately like on Spotify Went and saved that song Because I i did actually like it Yeah the last two or three songs i I did the same I was like is this the same record? Did Spotify like Did it switch over to the next record? And I was like yeah this oh no This is still at the end of this one
05:45:47
Speaker
It's ah so I will say the the length of it is something I definitely noticed right away. And not just the length of the record, an hour long, which is ridiculous. An hour and seven minutes. An hour and seven minutes, which is insane for a Scott Punk record. Come on, man. And the songs are pushing like four minutes each. Yeah. Like they do not get edited down for time. Like they're not.
05:46:10
Speaker
It's not a punchy record. This songs could be punchy like in two and a half minutes. I'm like, I got it. Let's move on. And it just keeps going. But that's so that work that's what you do when you're when you're that age.
05:46:24
Speaker
And when you're when you're learning, you're like, this song feels good. We're going to run it for four minutes. Why not? yeah I'm having fun. And we got all these songs. Let's put them all out. Yeah, they we're in seven minutes. Let's go.
05:46:36
Speaker
why not yeah i and this came out in the summer of ska it's important to note that oh this is a 97 release yeah okay this is contemporaneous they were paying attention yeah yeah no they were um let's face it uh they weren't paying attention until 2000 word that was good that was really good thank you that's why you're the pro um But I think that that also, like, there is a lot of ska on here.
05:47:06
Speaker
It's a lot. Yeah. like more than I was expecting. Like, I knew they had some ska, is, like, what I knew about Mest. I didn't know that that they had a full-blown ska punk record is is what they delivered 97.
05:47:18
Speaker
yeah to be honest and until i listened to that well like so i listened to that uh-oh first right and then there was like our ska song and i was like oh i'll i'll like i in my head i was like i just just skip ahead to the ska song don't don't suffer through like the the bland punk rock but i i didn't i i toughed it out and i got to the ska song and i was like Oh, so they were a ska band, but it's probably just on this record.
05:47:44
Speaker
And they just asked me to come on because it's a band that has one ska song and we're just going banter for banter through the rest of them. And then same thing, listening to record, like, oh, most of it is ska. Yeah.
05:47:55
Speaker
And then like I got to Hotel Room like on the next record and i was like, this has ska grooves too. I literally never noticed. Yeah. Yeah. It's like there's more ska in Mest than there is in Mill and Colin, a band that has been labeled as a ska. For sure, sure.
05:48:11
Speaker
Yeah. Absolutely. yeah Yeah, yeah. People love to claim them as a ska band. Yeah, they do. And we did an episode on it where that we determined, not a ska band. No. Those are probably the worst songs on those records. Oh, dude, that guitar tone on those records.
05:48:25
Speaker
well so Oh, yeah yeah. We're listening to it. Let's play our ska song. It's there. We got to get it. This is the messed ska song, I guess, because it's got a horn. It's got a horn.
05:48:38
Speaker
And the I did my research. The horn section is... Some random horn line in Chicago. oh Nobody's special. I mean, I'm sure they're special. This drum pattern.
05:48:51
Speaker
Poke. Poke. Yeah, poke. Yeah. po out yeah ok
05:49:07
Speaker
It's such a 17-year-old written album. Like, yeah all of the content is written on a 17-year-old boy. There's something charming about that.
05:49:19
Speaker
I guess to to those of us who have been 17-year-olds. Yeah. But yeah, they're not precocious. you know like They're not above their age. No, they yeah They're not No, no,
05:49:34
Speaker
no They were playing their N64 in the basement when they wrote this. you know For sure. ah ah man joey Joey, what about you? I got i got Ike's opinion.
05:49:46
Speaker
but what ah the scale of 10. Oh, this was rough. It was real bad. um ah Like I said, it was I didn't enjoy listening to it. I kept looking at the how many songs there were left.
05:49:58
Speaker
Because they were all so samey. But after I listened to it, like I said, the last two or three songs sounded like they were written later and recorded later. And they were much better. um And I think if they had edited... If the album was half the length... Yeah. um Either by...
05:50:17
Speaker
cutting like two thirds of the songs and then shrinking a bunch of them or by just cutting half of the songs and retooling a few of them a little bit. I think it could have worked and been more listenable, but it's, it's, it's, it's rough.
05:50:30
Speaker
But like I said, it did have that nostalgic value and really brought me back to like high school band, playing in a garage, playing like a show in a garage and having like six of your friends come over. You know what i mean? Like it was very much that.
05:50:46
Speaker
Yeah, absolutely. And ah just just it's 20 songs. i had to look at how many were on 20. Yeah, a lot of slots. Yeah. There is a song called. Is this the end at the age of 17? So, yeah, we're we're there.
05:50:59
Speaker
I have one more song queued up. It's rebel without a reason with a reason rebel with a reason. The opposite of a rebel without without a cause. Right. Obviously. Right.
05:51:17
Speaker
So it's no surprise who their primary ska influences are. Like, Sublime. Probably Operation Ivy. Yeah. Definitely Goldfinger.
05:51:28
Speaker
yeah Yeah. Yeah. I i feel like i can't I can't separate it from Sublime just because of the 40s, 40s thing. and like i went I'm um um'm looking at the info for 40 Ounces of Freedom, and that record is 22 songs long. Yes. and and yeah An hour and nine minutes or something? Yeah.
05:51:47
Speaker
That's crazy long, too. Doesn't feel like it, though. Doesn't feel like how long this one felt like. Yeah, this is something.
05:52:00
Speaker
His vocal delivery, Tony, that's the singer, is a little bit punkier on this. Yeah, and it's a little snotty-er. Yeah, and when he where he is trying to sing, he's not quite there yet. Yeah. Like, he's a much better singer by the next album, I feel like. Yeah.
05:52:16
Speaker
Maybe they did a bunch touring. Maybe they put out this album and toured real hard and then did the next album or something. Like, who knows?
05:52:28
Speaker
there's a good song here, you know I mean? Yeah. Yeah.
05:52:35
Speaker
Oh, man. I wrote a so many songs exactly like this when I was 17. Totally. Holy moly. Just T-shaped power chords. Yeah, dude. Power chords in a T-shaped.
05:52:46
Speaker
I, uh... i ah it's ah we I guess we haven't really talked about their lyrics. ah I guess that's... there They're right there. That song is about his guitar.
05:52:58
Speaker
um There's songs about you know being a kid. There's songs about girls not liking him. beer beer about Beer. There's songs about... There was a song about beer. The Things That Matter. Yeah, The Things That Matter.
05:53:11
Speaker
Yeah. I don't really think it changes much throughout the career. Yeah, that's what I was going to say. I didn't want to get super negative, but like, man, listening through these three records, lyrically, they're pretty fucking rough.
05:53:24
Speaker
that's I will say, like, there's a lot to, maybe I'm tipping my hat a little. There's a lot to like on the future records. Yeah, absolutely. For The lyrics are not the thing you come for. No.
05:53:35
Speaker
um Especially considering how there's sometimes, like, melodic geniuses where you're like, I can't believe this earworm is still stuck in my head. But you're like, the words that are coming out your mouth. I can't sing it out loud because it's fucking embarrassing.
05:53:50
Speaker
We'll get to it. We'll get to it. yeah we'll get to it. So ah we'll close off more Money Mo Foding Ounce and let's take a break. And when we get back, next two records.
05:54:04
Speaker
Welcome back to Checkered Pass. We're here with Eichlers once again. And we're talking messed. All right, let's get into back into their story. Yeah. The band leveraged the fact that they had a far better and far better produced offering, so they sent it to numerous agencies and places in the world, hoping that someone, anyone, would take a chance on them.
05:54:24
Speaker
The demo made its rounds and got snuffed by everyone from MCA to Universal to Sony BMG for making its way to a large metropolitan newspaper agency. There, the demo ended up in the hands of a very mild-mannered, bespectacled reporter who was just off the phone giving a 20-cent goodbye to one of his leads.
05:54:40
Speaker
Intrigued by the mysterious CD in his hands, he put it into his Sony Sports Discman and hit play. He saw through his mind's eye that he had the answers to his prayers, a hit. Soon, his boss walked in and asked the question he knew was coming, who the hell are you and why are you in my office?
05:54:55
Speaker
And John Feldman knew it was time to leave. He ended up at his real job at Maverick, where he used his connections to secure Mest a record deal and a beautiful friendship was formed. Here's what Tony had to say.
05:55:06
Speaker
We got the call from Feldy and it was really a dream come true. He got us this crazy record deal with hotel accommodations, a full studio and some serious walking around money. He told us to just keep counting the days till we were in the studio miles away from our stomping grounds of Chicago.
05:55:20
Speaker
But then right as he was about to hang up the phone, said something about us not blowing his secret identity, whatever that meant. Oh, well, we were going be rock stars, even if only for a day. In 1999, Mest was in the studio, and it was everything that he ever dreamed of and more.
05:55:34
Speaker
There waiting for them was a tricked out tour bus brand spanking new gear and John Feldman himself waiting to produce the record. Tony said this. He saw us and his eyes lit up. He leapt over this huge Lego skyscraper he was building in a single bound, no less, just to shake our hand.
05:55:49
Speaker
my god The band knew that he had to get the songs out and with Feldy's help, they turned through their rough ska punk tunes into bonafide hits. They knew they would stay with this man forever and he made them feel like kings for a day.
05:56:01
Speaker
Every day. no A Maverick spokesman said this. The band and Feldy clicked right away. It was just like heaven. Even when Feldy shouted one more time, the band gritted through the calluses and played even better.
05:56:13
Speaker
The resulting album was Mets' first major label record, Wasting Time, issued on Maverick in 2000. It featured the band's trademark pop-punk meets ska sound with a bigger influence on radio-friendly pop-punk of the time, such as Green Day, Good Charlotte, Blink-182.
05:56:27
Speaker
Let's talk about it. Wasting Time. Let's play that song that you brought up earlier. hotel room
05:56:38
Speaker
now we're talking yeah not now we're in business i will i will never not like this this like that halftime pop punk drum groove it will always always sound good that hits it hits hard i had to look these lyrics up today because over the years i just had no fucking clue what he was saying Yeah, I don't know if it was because I like took 20-some odd years off of listening this band or whatever, but I remembered a lot of lyrics as I was listening back to it. But there was a lot where I was like, have no idea what the fuck he was just talking about for like two and half minutes. The way he says, way I do, goes, wah do?
05:57:20
Speaker
Crazy. He's from No, he's not. Stop it. Stop it. he got absolutely coached to fuck by Feldy on this.
05:57:32
Speaker
Yeah. yeah Yeah. just I just... You know that song? web found It's fucking good. that's something yeah Holy shit.
05:57:43
Speaker
so So good. So good that song is. um Yeah, I hadn't listened to this record at all. Like, ever. Yeah, like, this missed me completely.
05:57:54
Speaker
um And it would have been one of those, like... quote unquote, guilty pleasures I would have had at the time. Cause it wouldn't have been cool, like bad religion or whatever else i was listening to. sure But, but it would have been one of those ones where I'd be like, this is sick. I love it.
05:58:11
Speaker
And when I listened back to this, I'm like, fuck, this is really good. I wasting time. was a a hit for me when we listened back to it those lyrics though man not better no did not get better no no yeah who yeah huge wolf uh ike how about you how'd you feel about wasting time a lot better i feel like i think just in in general my feeling about messed or like this era of mess that we're talking about is just like b-tier pop punk like love it you had You had your A tier, which is like the bands the bands that you just mentioned.
05:58:45
Speaker
And then this was yeah this was like the kids the kids who like maybe couldn't couldn't find Enema the State. But they like found this and they were like, these dudes got the same shorts.
05:58:57
Speaker
And then they picked this. Or like the tour came through town at like the venue that was like a 1500 cap. And this was just like the band that could fill that cap and you bought the CD at the show or whatever. for Sure. Like, yeah, you know, like totally.
05:59:12
Speaker
Yeah. And i mean, like ah I say this like without without like undue shade. Like that's just that's just the way it is. Yeah, 100%. And they got to tour the country off this. like i they They got to tour the Europe and Japan.
05:59:28
Speaker
like this These records, these next two that we're talking about, made bank for them because it came out at the exact right time. Yeah. Like, pop-punk bands could do no wrong on the international stage. Yeah, this was the boom, right?
05:59:40
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. Right place, right time. This is the boom? Yeah. That was a good one. Here comes the boom. uh joey wasting time missed oh i mean it's great like i i loved it like i mean that the as we said the lyric content is a little rough but this was um one of the two cds that i remember being in like the cd book that me and my friends used and like listen to stuff for skateboarding music like
06:00:12
Speaker
We'd drive a car someplace where we wanted to skate. And one of these CDs would go in the CD player in the car and you'd open the doors and crank up the music and skate until you got bored of whatever was there and move on. And this was in very, very heavy rotation. What's the dealio is like.
06:00:31
Speaker
ah certified jam we gotta we gotta to listen to it god it's insane dude all eat so good all you have to do is just like hear that phrase and then the the entirety of the song is stuck in your head it's fucking it's crazy how catchy the song is And yes, it's a ska song.
06:00:52
Speaker
Yeah. And it's a much better constructed ska song, even if it's added barest bones. Yes. Yeah. it still It still does feel like a bunch of white guys who've never heard a real ska playing ska.
06:01:06
Speaker
but Yeah. But it's like newfound gloried enough that it like works. Yeah. Oh, yeah. No, I'm not i'm not mad at it. I'm just calling it like I sees it. Yeah. That's like... That's the Dillio. Yeah.
06:01:20
Speaker
then And then they do this part. The fucking harmony, dude. yep And the harmony? Yeah, the harmony is so good. Slash and harmony on the second run of the chorus.
06:01:31
Speaker
So good. They knew how to get the crowd jumping. I want to play a game, though. um Because there's a line in that song all right let's see that is repeated several times, and it just doesn't need to be in there.
06:01:48
Speaker
the The lyrical content of that song is actually totally fine, except for she's not just another whore. Right. Oh, terrible.
06:01:58
Speaker
Dude, I didn't even notice that. It's it's the only bad line in the song. I know, right? So let's play i off the top of your dome. Yeah.
06:02:10
Speaker
Do you have a line you could replace anything better than that? um I like cheese sandwiches. yeah but i mean, you can say anything. Literally.
06:02:21
Speaker
I was like, I thought of that earlier when I was listening to it. Because you want it to rhyme with more? Is that? Yeah. Okay. And it could be anything. She's the girl that I adore. Yeah.
06:02:33
Speaker
I'm waiting at her door. There's a thousand. love her to my core. There are if they had taken 22 seconds in the studio to rewrite that one line. And like all of the, all of those other lines you just suggested are like Tony Lovato approved. Like those would not be out of place.
06:02:52
Speaker
Right? And it makes sense for the song. like it just it like it There are like these kind of edgelord lines yeah throughout this entire album that just don't even need to be there.
06:03:04
Speaker
He is 20 at this time, too, which is bananas. Totally. Again, too much too much money, too much time at too young an age. You know what I mean? I guess. And Feldy is right there.
06:03:15
Speaker
You know, this is the, this is the, I think this is the beginning, like Goldfinger, obviously, because this would have been stomping grounds era, Goldfinger that he produced this. And this is when we see the evolution of John Feldman, the producer begin.
06:03:29
Speaker
I think right now he hasn't quite gotten. oh boy into Oh boy. Yeah. The auto tunes, not like cranked on this That's right. But it's getting there.
06:03:40
Speaker
Yeah. But we're, this is, this is where it begins. I think like in the chronology of his production. Yeah. This would be, is really early on. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. That makes sense. Like what the use was probably his biggest record after this. Like that hadn't happened yet. Right. Right.
06:03:56
Speaker
Right. Oh, it's just about that fucking song. What's the dealio, man? oh my God. It's so good. Just say, sing your own, make up a line, just make up a line to make up a line and replace that. He's saying something else.
06:04:09
Speaker
They put out an album like recently. think it shows he changed it. Like I know that I've seen the descendants in the last like handful of years and they've like, edited a few of their unsavory lines from the eighties to make them like good for them. That's awesome.
06:04:22
Speaker
Yeah. Hell yeah. And I was like, thank you, Milo. You like are a respectable older punk rocker. That's great. Um, so I wonder if they're, they've messed us done anything of the sort.
06:04:33
Speaker
Um, my understanding is that the new version of messed is just Tony and guns for hire. I think they like i that's what I noticed on, on the Wikipedia page earlier. Yeah. Interesting. I think this was a fire the band, get my own guys kind of situation. okay.
06:04:51
Speaker
yeah, we're, yeah. It is what it is. Yep. you got If you got all the rights. um I have another song queued up from this one. It's called, i don't even know, Change. Oh, yes, I remember this one.
06:05:03
Speaker
This is the Sublime song. No, that's on the next one. This is just another earworm. it's They're all pretty earwormy. This album's pretty catchy.
06:05:18
Speaker
14 songs, 46 minutes. I did feel like it was a little long. A bit, but way. An improvement. Yeah, an improvement. A vast improvement. yeah Yeah. And for me, like, kind of 30 to 40 minutes is usually, yeah, maybe high 20s, but like 30 to 40 minutes is usually kind of a sweet spot, so 47 is not. I think for like a mainstream pop punk record, you're getting exactly what you need.
06:05:41
Speaker
Yep. Yep.
06:05:47
Speaker
The bass playing in this song is really, really good. Yes. I think that's the other Lovato. Okay. And the guitarist the other singer. Oh, okay. Yeah.
06:05:59
Speaker
guitarist is other singer well okay yeah yeah Those harmonies are great. The harmonies are great. yeah Yeah. And they sound really good on this one in particular. Yeah. There wasn't a whole lot of that in that first record. No, they didn't really. there were They did some like, ah like, show like shouting that wasn't harmonized a little bit. Right. But yeah. Part of, but part of me wants to remark on the vocal production on that first record. But like, even that is just giving it too much credit. It's just like to Tony singing.
06:06:30
Speaker
Cause like, that's what you, that's what you do. There's no, there's no thought of, vocal production. You're just like, I'm the singer. I'm the same song. Sorry. And you could, you could hear the singing in the mix. It's good. There it is. It's right there. There it is.
06:06:43
Speaker
ah Yeah, what are our last thoughts on this particular album, Wasting Time? What's Adilio's fucking jam? This album has definitely a had like Hotel Room is a killer song. There's yeah probably three or four super killer songs.
06:06:58
Speaker
But I think the next album is my messed Holy Grail. Yeah, I feel like. I think so. I feel like this album definitely like showed, showed them the way into like that, the 90 to 100 BPM, like jumpy pop punk, like yeah vibe. That's like, that's like where, where they found it.
06:07:19
Speaker
And then they're just like, gonna, gonna rock with that from here on out. So I feel like it serves its purpose in that. And honestly, like ah fun listen, to be honest, like listening, i listened to like all day at work today, just to like make sure I was acquainted enough to, to chop with y'all on this and,
06:07:35
Speaker
I was just like, you know, like like I mentioned earlier with with my Dan kick, like I've been jamming that nonstop, like blasting it from my desk at work. And I was like embarrassed when people would walk into the room and I was listening to M.E.S.T.
06:07:47
Speaker
like i would I would turn it down. and i I feel bad about that because I like don't really believe in guilty pleasures in music, but I was like, dog. yeah But sometimes. but sometimes yeah yeah're listening to it Especially when it's like assignment listening. then you're just like I'm listening to this because I have that's that's like like Straight up when I was listening to Mo Money Mo 40 ounces and my co-worker Kyle walks in for the day, I'm just like...
06:08:15
Speaker
um It's pretty much like, it's not what it looks like. It's not like. I'm not actually enjoying this. this This is for worth. Please, bro. You got to believe me, bro.
06:08:31
Speaker
Alright, let's continue on. How did you feel about that album? I yeah loved it. So sick. it total, that message. really enjoyed it. When it was over, I was like, wow, that was fun. like I like had a good time. hell yeah and i was like,
06:08:47
Speaker
like i don't know if i necessarily go back and listen to it ah again but like it was it was almost like it brought me back to that era to discover something i had never heard before from that era which was a fun well that was fun you know what i mean like yeah it's almost i call it a blast from a but the past but in like a reverse way it's almost like vibe music Like you put it, I don't want to say background music because it because it like demands a little more attention than background music. But like it definitely like gets you to that that era and that like it checks enough of those pop punk boxes.
06:09:26
Speaker
But it's at the same time unremarkable enough to just be there and not need your full attention. I don't know. That's just like a thought I had listening to them earlier today.
06:09:38
Speaker
If you were like at the beach or like skateboarding or are doing something, it's definitely like great. Just backgroundy pop punk. Like, and not in a diminishing way. Oh, for sure. just yeah like ah Like that's a sweet jam to have on while you're doing whatever. Well, like, like when you were telling your anecdote about blasting it from the car and skating, I was like, that sounds fucking perfect.
06:09:59
Speaker
Exactly. And like, you wouldn't, you wouldn't really put on like, I couldn't think of like a tier pop punk records that I would like. I wouldn't put on dude ranch and do that because I'm too engrossed in listening to dude ranch or enema of the state, but like this, you put on and you're like, what's the dealio comes on and you start singing that. And then just the next tracks roll and you're just like smiling and doing your thing. Like it's cool.
06:10:25
Speaker
For sure. There's, there's space in the world for it. You know what mean? Yeah. Shut up. I love it. Shut up. Tony and co.
06:10:34
Speaker
Feldy took the band on their first national tour Goldfinger and were ready to once again hit their tricked-out studio to get lightning to strike twice. But things began to take a turn and Mess were not amused.
06:10:46
Speaker
Feldy's idiosyncratic attitude began to take its toll on the recording process, sometimes star staring at the control panel, willing it to move and attempting to lift the tour bus over his head, ah and in one strange moment blowing air from his mouth at a small studio fire to put it out before studio tech could run in with a front fire extinguisher.
06:11:05
Speaker
Tony said this. Eventually, he wanted to pick a fight. I told him to put the knife away, but he took a swing at my head and I ran for it. I felt hopeless. The album eventually did see the light of day. 2001's Destination Unknown issued once again on Maverick and seeing the band distance themselves even more from Ska and embracing a bit of reggae rock, 311, Sugar Ray, all that fun stuff. Our boys. right.
06:11:28
Speaker
Let's listen to the single. This is the big one. oh yeah. This is Cadillac. This is, this song made me really wish I was old enough to get a nautical star tattoo somewhere.
06:11:44
Speaker
and Unfortunately, it's a hit. Oh yeah. 8 million streams on Spotify. Quadruple the next closest mess song. Dude, run them up. Check your head. Honestly, this fucking Limp Bizkit-ass opening riff, just like, sick.
06:11:59
Speaker
So sick. so sir I also love that this that pop punk group. This song is like a fucking 1010 song.
06:12:13
Speaker
So good.
06:12:17
Speaker
Now we're gonna roll.
06:12:23
Speaker
I like that this is... Dude, it's just... It's so of the era, but it's so good. So good. like girls know It's Spirit Halloween, Good Charlotte.
06:12:37
Speaker
That's what i'm saying, dude. It's so beat here, but like it's it's a fucking hit. i it It was a hit. It was a monster hit. know. but I watched a video but a lot.
06:12:49
Speaker
Oh, dude. it It's another track three. They decided that the hit the hits were track three on the record. because That's where Dilio is on the last record. so this Yeah, that's where he put the hit. This was Dilio 2, back to the Dilio.
06:13:05
Speaker
Back to the Dilio. Amazing. ah That's Young MC on the scratches. No. du part of this record yes He produced part of this record.
06:13:16
Speaker
Wild. Which is wild too. but I mean it makes sense for all the like. Hip hop-y stuff. well And also like this is We're into the era now. Where.
06:13:28
Speaker
If there's a part where it goes half tempo, there's going to be a bass bomb in there. Yeah. And so they needed people who knew what they were doing in the studio and make that sound good. 2001. One year. That's the only difference between those two records. They hit the studio. They Dillioed the studio.
06:13:44
Speaker
Went on tour with Goldfinger. Fucking Cadillac'd it again. They just like were like, we're on one right now. We know it. Oh, shit. Crazy. Crazy. And that is an autobiographical song, apparently, the Cadillac song. Like, it is literally about him breaking up with his girlfriend, buying a Cadillac with his Maverick money, and then singing a song about how cool his Cadillac is.
06:14:11
Speaker
If it's the one in the video, yeah I mean, he made his choice and it was an okay one. I remember the car in the video being pretty sick. Apparently loved that car. Tony loved the Cadillac.
06:14:23
Speaker
It's a real car. I bet you him and Travis. I bet Travis showed him Cadillacs and he was like, i need to buy all of the famous stars and scraps stuff and I need to buy a Cadillac. New personality just dropped.
06:14:37
Speaker
100 he stopped wearing shirts at that point yeah this is he got more tattooed and stopped saying dude he definitely he met travis barker was like copying your whole thing thanks bro yeah it's it's crazy what a year of different makes because he like really dialed into that lurk like for sure 365 days he's like this is my this is me now That had to be like, they had to be warping, right? Oh, yeah, they were warping. Yeah, they were warped.
06:15:06
Speaker
Okay. Yeah, big warped band. Yeah. So they were meeting everybody. They were doing all the they they were they were at punk rock summer camp getting getting all the tips from everybody.
06:15:18
Speaker
So, Ike, how do you feel about Destination Unknown? The follow-up, the sophomore ah major label album. i I liked it more. I wasn't surprised that there was less ska. I feel like i I was surprised that there was so much ska on um the the one of wasting time.
06:15:36
Speaker
I was surprised that that that still had more ska. I figured that we didn't talk about that. It had like four or five ska songs. Yeah, like almost a bunch of ska. Yeah, it was like 40, 40, almost 50 percent. I just for sure. i just feel like the the general like theme of like a lot of these bands that like popped off like post summer of ska, they were like, Ska's in, let's do Ska. And then everyone dropped it by the time that they fell into their own and got big.
06:16:00
Speaker
So listening through the last record, i was i was surprised how much there was. And then we got to this one. I just remember listening through the first time and I was like, not a Ska song, not a Ska song, not a Ska song.
06:16:12
Speaker
Where's the Ska? Is it all gone? And then I got to the Ska song. I liked it though. You know, like cringy, cringy lyrics aside, like my my favorite one out of the three for sure.
06:16:24
Speaker
Yeah, I agree. What's different about it that you liked more? is it Is it all the, you know, kind of more modern kind of trappings about it? Like that it had metal in it? i I think so. Just I love that. Just the fucking jump riff in Cadillac. It's just, it colors the whole record for me.
06:16:43
Speaker
You put that in i'm just like and it's like... I have to agree. There's something good Charlotte-y and like a little bit of like a Limp Bizkit Um, not musically, but just like stylistically almost. Boneheadedness?
06:16:58
Speaker
Yeah, like a, like a inherent boneheadedness. Yeah, that I just, this album, this is the one for me for sure. Uh, but it's still like, i still will say, cause this one came out 2001, you said? Yeah.
06:17:13
Speaker
They were still holding the torch for ska longer than a lot of people. For sure. a lot of other bands. That's what I'm saying, dude. yeah Like, like it pretty respectable. Because this was this one, you know, one and half songs. But like, by this point, all of the other contemporary bands had zero songs look for a couple of years. Looking at you, no doubt.
06:17:32
Speaker
Right? Yeah, I'm looking at that. They were still returning to Saturn. You specifically, Joey. Yeah. Joey Canale.
06:17:41
Speaker
ah play ah ah play Drawing Board. Let's play that one. because that's Yeah. buts so This is a remixed ah version of this song. The song's so nice they put it on an album twice. okay so i yeah i won I wanted to talk about that. like Rob, did you come across that in your research? like Any reason? that like it's like yeah they got The reason why this song is on both albums is because they got a banger mixer because they never can pronounce this dude's name. Oh, Chris Lodalge.
06:18:09
Speaker
Yes, that guy. They got him to come in and remix the song. And so they were like, well, he's a hit maker. So we to make it in it it is literally the same recording, just remix. Yeah, remix. Oh, oh wow. it It does sound a lot better. Yeah.
06:18:25
Speaker
Like a lot better. But it's identical. yeah That's crazy. easy The vocals are bananas in comparison to the other version. and And honestly, like i'm not I was like a little mad at the circumstance of them putting essentially the exact same copy of the exact same song on both records.
06:18:41
Speaker
But then I got to it after listening through the rest of the record. And the fact that I already knew it just like filled me with joy. right i was just like very happy to hear that guitar riff. i was like, yeah, let's go.
06:18:53
Speaker
And it honestly fits better on this record than it does on the first one. Straight up. Way more. That Blink-182 just like that guitar riff sound. yeah Way more in line. Super Blink.
06:19:05
Speaker
Yeah. And I think because also like the tone of this record is not as goofy as the last one too. like Yeah, it's definitely more like ah yeah this album is definitely more like uh like heartache and lovesick type of yeah song it's more introspective for sure yeah because of it's a breakup record basically apparently i mean again still a little cringy yeah top top down seat back baby yeah yeah Still singing about cars.
06:19:37
Speaker
but through that but That didn't go away. but yeah this is ah This is a wild ride of ah of of an album. Still still got Feldy. Still there. ah Still sounds like it.
06:19:48
Speaker
ye um yeah I got one more. I did pick the one ah Scott-ish, reggae-ish like reggae song. it was It's pretty good. oh really This is this is like a ah low of the record for me.
06:20:01
Speaker
that's fair it doesn't fit yeah no it's real out of place so like on my like these these are all saved because i added them to that playlist and then reason is not on there because it doesn't fit the sunny the sunny pop i think chel chelsea's not on there i can't remember why though think I saved two six songs.
06:20:23
Speaker
sucker for this style of like like that kind of dubby drums and a synthy bass line. What does this remind you of like I don't even know. so familiar.
06:20:35
Speaker
kind
06:20:40
Speaker
I don't even know. It's not sublime-y. I mean, it is in, like, origin, but not sonically. Maybe, like, maybe kind of 311-y, sort of? Maybe, yeah. A little bit? Oh, yes. So, not the main singer guy from 311. I feel bad for blanking on his name. Nick Hexham. Yeah, Nick Hexham. The not Nick Hexham guy that sings on 311 songs. That's what this sounds like.
06:21:03
Speaker
yeah Yeah, kind of. But yeah, something kind of in in that vein, which is weird because I don't love 311. That's not like my favorite style. But when a band does, especially band from this era, yeah does that style of track, I'm kind of a sucker for it for whatever reason. i could I could see that.
06:21:21
Speaker
The other song, the other ska song is Moving On, which was the bonus track, the hidden track. And wasn't that also, they're guilty of reusing a lot of songs. Right. I believe that was off of that first record. I think so too, if I remember. And i think it was revamped and much better.
06:21:39
Speaker
I believe so. Maybe not. now um Now I don't remember. It's fine. Oh, speaking of which. Yeah, totally. It is, it is, right. Yeah, yeah. the The bonus track on the on the Wasting Time was Fuck the Greyhound Bucks. Yeah. I was trying to remember this record or that one.
06:21:57
Speaker
Right. And that song ripped. I forgot all about that. That song was so good. But again, that that partially does feel like a little Goldfinger-y because it's a lot like that Fuck LA song yeah off the first Goldfinger record. It reminded me of that Alistair song, None of My Friends Are Punks.
06:22:15
Speaker
Maybe because it has like the exact same vocal melody. Almost. Or it's like a lot of the bands are doing it because AFI on Art of Drowning had that battled song that was the bonus track that was like three times as fast as the rest of the record.
06:22:32
Speaker
ah Like a lot of those like pop punk bands would play at like mid tempos and then just write one real fast song for the end. I mean, lot of them were influenced by like hardcore bands to begin with and then kind of like played a more pop punk yeah sound. Like I definitely know that I've,
06:22:49
Speaker
I don't always play the style of music I listen to, but sometimes i want my band to play that style. You know what i mean? Yeah, yeah. So instead of doing a wacky, weird secret song, you could just do like a hardcore secret song. Right. Because those were the two choices, apparently.
06:23:04
Speaker
get you a band that can do both.
06:23:09
Speaker
Any last minute thoughts on Destination Unknown by Mest? really sick. for it. The album. Yeah. I mean, they they're just, I, can we talk album covers? They are, they're not in the band. their albums I feel like the album covers match the lyrics in like a spiritual way.
06:23:24
Speaker
A hundred percent. one, I think this one, this one has charm because it's just so like, it's so California. And the fact that like they're from Chicago just makes it even better.
06:23:36
Speaker
because do Tony, Tony with his shirt off and his like fucking nautical star tattoos, dude, let's go. Yeah, or like the big NorCal. There's three NorCal stars on this thing.
06:23:49
Speaker
Dude. there' No, there's five. It's fucked up, man. And that's that's fucked with a T. Shout out. That's fucked with a T. Because they are a fucked up kid. Yeah.
06:24:00
Speaker
when i When I saw that, I was like, that's that's the most messed song title. And then I heard the song. pretty good. We didn't talk about the the album cover on Wasting Time, which is also very much of its time. it's it's All of them were. Even the Mo 40s, Mo 40s, whatever. That album cover is atrocious.
06:24:21
Speaker
But I agree, though. this This Destination Unknown fucking rips. It a fun album. Yeah, it's fun. love it. if If that era of pop punk is your jam and you somehow missed it, go back and listen to it. Honestly, I think that what you just said hits hard, where it's like, look at the album cover.
06:24:40
Speaker
And if you vibe with that album cover in some way, you're going to have a great time. 100%. Yeah. You're just like, oh shit, look at this. You can but judge this book by its cover.
06:24:52
Speaker
100%. Yeah. Yeah. yeah And you will not regret it. No. If you look at all three of the records we just talked about and you're like, pass. Good. You're probably going to have a good time. You're a stronger person than we are.
06:25:06
Speaker
But in spite of their success, Mest had had enough of Feldy's antics, and it was too late for him. So it was time to say goodbye. They packed his stuff up in a duffel bag and showed him the door. He turned around in the doorway and proclaimed, Here I am, gesturing to the studio, doing everything I can, with tears streaming down his face, holding on to what I have, holding his duffel bag aloft, pretending I must... And they slammed the door in his face.
06:25:30
Speaker
To be continued. Wow. Yeah. It's cliffhanger. Yeah. this I pulled this from robsfakefacts.ca. ah yeah reputable website from canada from canada canadian domain name they know a lot about mist close to i take close to chicago yeah close to chicago right across the border it's all in the family in spite of it we don't have a game today but what i did dude is ask our discord if they had any questions for you i think that's fun and feel like they have a few a few here oh tight okay how are you so chill
06:26:06
Speaker
I, that's funny. I feel like, I feel like people, people tend to view me as chill and I feel like I am one of the least chill people I i know.
06:26:16
Speaker
um i think people, people who know me really well would probably agree. My wife's like, you are just like a crazy person. I'm going to out on a limb here.
06:26:27
Speaker
I think that was Javi who asked that question. For sure. maybe Maybe it's how are you so chill in a literal way. How are you so affable? How are you such a great guy? It's like being nice to people.
06:26:44
Speaker
I think it's fun. yeah that That's it. Easy peasy. Shout out the the marijuana brass, all caps. yeah yeah Joey, you know about that. I do. I had a hand in calling it that.
06:26:56
Speaker
gene ah Thank you. Thank you for your service, Joey. You're welcome. It's truly one of my greatest accomplishments. What is the, your favorite sample you've snuck into a song?
06:27:08
Speaker
Oh, that's good. There's ah just most most recently the the fucking SpongeBob sample that I put in No Good Dudes where it's the the fish going, you what?
06:27:20
Speaker
Just every, you know, I like, I mixed and mastered that record myself. And it's like, dude, same. And i've I've heard that song and that mixed so many times. every Every time that part comes, I i giggle. It's so funny.
06:27:32
Speaker
And like very few people have remarked on it. There's also the Homestar Runner sample in So True Bestie. I got a couple good ones in on this record. I'm saying if you have oh if you didn't pick up on those, go back go back and listen to it. There's some there's some gems. and I'm always just like dropping Easter eggs in the lyrics too and just like referencing stuff.
06:27:49
Speaker
For the Screamo heads, there's there's a couple of Merchant Ships references throughout the discography. like Yeah, that's always that's always fun. It's just like putting stuff from like bands that I don't think my fan base listens to in there that maybe some people do and they'll catch that and like, wait, so-and-so mentioned?
06:28:06
Speaker
Because I always i always enjoy like hearing that as a fan. I love digging for the Easter eggs. For sure. One of my favorite parts of an Ike release. Indeed. Wink! Yeah.
06:28:18
Speaker
ah What is a genre of music you hope to explore more in the coming years? on Hardcore, actually. yeah yeah i've been I've been writing a lot of songs. I'm currently in the process of like writing a record to start a band.
06:28:34
Speaker
um And I've been like listening to like a lot of a lot of hardcore, a lot of new metal. ah For a while, I was talking to my friend Ian, I wanted to do like an all kinds of hardcore, hardcore band, because you know, there's like hardcore punk, and then there's like hardcore the EDM genre.
06:28:51
Speaker
And I was like, why not both? so i like I made a demo of a song that I can i can send you all if you want to hear it. It doesn't have lyrics yet, but I can, I'll send you like the instrumental. And showed my friend Ian this and i was like, I did it. I made a song. And then he, he reminded me of this band. This wasn't, wasn't in response to that, but there's this like amazing Japanese band called Die Die Color who were around in like the late two thousands that like pretty much did exactly that. It was like Atari teenage riot. If they wrote songs instead of just like chance.
06:29:24
Speaker
um That's sick. and yeah Shout out Die Die Color. shoutout Shout out Ian. Shout out Hardcore. That's next up. that's next up