# Ska makes me want to be out having fun **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 1, 2014, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126 "2014-10-01T20:55:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/1 "2014-10-01T20:55:08Z")
_Saba_ by Mephiskapheles played on the iPod a bit ago, and when I think of Mephiskapheles I can’t help but think about _The Bumble Bee Tuna Song_. Save Ferris’s version of _Come On Eilene_ played today, too. And there were other songs from my Ska playlist. (I’m playing the general library on shuffle, so it’s getting a bit of this and a bit of that.) Ska reminds me of hanging out with friends, partying, and generally having a good time. I’d rather be doing that than looking at this data and being all old an’ shite. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/2 "2014-10-01T20:57:19Z")
Yeah my “ska era” was when I used to go to shows, dance, seek out particular fashion, read 'zines, collect cool sticker and dig through record bins. I was even in a ska band for a short while! Fun times. It’s still pretty useful for house cleanin’ music. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 9:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/3 "2014-10-01T21:00:18Z")
[Jamaica](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_MlC94YjFw) [Ska](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RQ-iT_pLoo) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/4 "2014-10-01T21:12:26Z")
And… Another one by Reel Big Fish playing right now. 🙂 > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Yeah my “ska era” was when I used to go to shows, dance, seek out particular fashion, read 'zines, collect cool sticker and dig through record bins. I was even in a ska band for a short while! Fun times. > > It’s still pretty useful for house cleanin’ music. It’s definitely ‘happy music’. Nowadays nobody invites me to parties, there are no cool shows where I live, no time for reading much… At least the SO likes my black ‘stingy’ pork pie. I should start wearing it again. You were in a ska band? You know how to tell when ska ended? It’s when the bands got bigger than the audiences. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/5 "2014-10-01T21:16:39Z")
Heh. I was just trying to explain Ska music to my 15 year old with this [standard](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-uyWAe0NhQ). ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/6 "2014-10-01T21:18:50Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Heh. I was just trying to explain Ska music to my 15 year old with this [standard](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N-uyWAe0NhQ). That’s the first music video I ever saw. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ponch8](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponch8/32/9883_2.png) [@Ponch8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponch8)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/7 "2014-10-01T21:52:43Z")
The other day I was in a thrift shop and found a Less Than Jake CD for $2. They studied at the University of Florida right around the time I was in school there, but I had never heard their songs before, and I thought it was cool that I found their album. It turns out that I’m just not much of a ska fan–the songs were OK, but I don’t know if I need to listen to them again. It may end up being a single-use record, if you will. It wasn’t quite the thrift shop come-up that Macklemore rapped about. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2014, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/8 "2014-10-01T23:02:45Z")
Ska-punk hits me in the nostalgia glad heavier than any buzzfeed article can ever hope to. Funny enough, it also gets me all pumped up and ready to jump around for hours on end. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/9 "2014-10-02T00:07:08Z")
[Ska](http://www.jumpuprecords.com/) lives! (I just noticed that sounds like a good name for a Ska band. The Skalives. Or how about Skalive Oil? I always admired the creative names for Ska bands. Chicago’s own Skapone is one of my favorites. And, of course, the original Ska group The Skatallites. Anyway, check out the link. Some great stuff there.) ---
**Author:** ![Quercus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/7ab992/32.png) [@Quercus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quercus)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 2:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/10 "2014-10-02T14:28:18Z")
Now I’m going to have Bim Skala Bim going through my head all day. Not that it’s a bad thing. [wanders/skanks off whistling trombone riffs] ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/11 "2014-10-02T18:02:58Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > _Saba_ by Mephiskapheles played on the iPod a bit ago… > > Ska reminds me of hanging out with friends, partying, and generally having a good time. I’d rather be doing that than looking at this data and being all old an’ shite. I still have a soft spot for Ska. Also I used to have a Metaskapheles CD with a cover of Morrissey’s Alsatian Cousin on it. I wish I still had that. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/12 "2014-10-02T18:05:24Z")
Also - on Yo Gabba Gabba Hepcat made a Ska themed song about cleaning your room called… Pick It Up: [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/2SCiuzP3jRI/hqdefault.jpg "Yo gabba gabba - Pick it up") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SCiuzP3jRI) ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/13 "2014-10-02T18:16:17Z")
Heh. I’ll have to watch the video later (as well as the other links), but the PickitupPickitupPickitupPickitup device always amused me. ---
**Author:** ![Peanuthead](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peanuthead/32/360_2.png) [@Peanuthead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peanuthead)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/14 "2014-10-02T18:30:17Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > Heh. I’ll have to watch the video later (as well as the other links), but the PickitupPickitupPickitupPickitup device always amused me. PickitupCheckitoutPickitupCheckitoutPickitupCheckitoutPickitupCheckitout 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/15 "2014-10-02T18:35:56Z")
Ska was a scene, which had relatively old-school dress and required horns to play. In that sense it competed with swing dance, in that neither could really thrive outside a strongly urban subculture. That, I think, killed both off as national crazes. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/16 "2014-10-02T21:44:32Z")
Also, the thread title sounds like it could be a Less Than Jake song title, or at least a refrain. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/17 "2014-10-02T23:48:35Z")
I love how ska keeps rising from the dead, infecting each generation anew, and each generation leaving its own imprint. There was the 60s Jamaica scene, then the 1979-1984 British scene, then the 90s American scene – plus the Latin American scene, which had some great ska in the 90s and 2000s (Fabulosos Cadillacs in Argentina, and others). Is it ripe for another revival? I’d say so. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2014, 11:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/18 "2014-10-02T23:53:31Z")
> [@JKellyMap](#): > > I love how ska keeps rising from the dead, infecting each generation anew, and each generation leaving its own imprint. There was the 60s Jamaica scene, then the 1979-1984 British scene, then the 90s American scene – plus the Latin American scene… I see Sublime as being described as a ska band. I can hear the influence, but it’s not what I think of as ska. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/19 "2014-10-03T02:10:18Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I see Sublime as being described as a ska band. I can hear the influence, but it’s not what I think of as ska. Yeah, I wouldn’t call Sublime “ska” but rather influenced by ska and Jamaican music. (Although songs like “Date Rape” are pretty much ska.) ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2014, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126/20 "2014-10-03T18:10:35Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I see Sublime as being described as a ska band. I can hear the influence, but it’s not what I think of as ska. When I listen to Sublime’s catalog, I hear punk, ska, rap, and reggae. Great band. [Date Rape](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeMeDihwyrg) is definitely a good Ska example, as is [All You Need](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9f7HHS35YLs). [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ska-makes-me-want-to-be-out-having-fun/700126.md?page=2)