NO RESPECT, OR "IN DEFENSE OF SKA."

Ska (at least the American third wave version) is the Rodney Dangerfield of music genres, according to Aaron Carnes book "In Defense of Ska." And he might have a point. While you can't mess with first wave Jamaican and second wave British ska, Americans overcaffeinated the genre, increased the wackiness by about 60 percent, then turned into background music for kids shows and Food TV bumpers. 

See what I mean? It's hard even for me, a seasoned professional, to overcome biases and write about third wave ska without immediately resorting to hacky jokes. So let's see how well Carnes makes his point and I'll promise to stay on the straight and narrow.

They need more bowling shirts.

Honestly this thing is kind of a mess, feeling like three different books jammed all together. It seems like Carnes originally wanted to write his story of touring in a '90s ska band, didn't have enough material or interest, so he added the history of ska, along with a defense of a much-mocked genre, including digging up artists' secret ska pasts. 

Which is too bad, because there is some good stuff in here (along with a lot of typos). There's a pretty good history of Operation Ivy and their mixture of punk and ska, some mention of the more traditional Moon Records scene, and even some interesting forgotten history, like the late '70s Kansas band that ended up travelling to Jamaica to better understand the music. There's even a spirited defense of wackiness - pointing out that acting the fool was a rebellious act in the era of tough guy Nu Metal and self-serious hardcore. 

There's also short histories of the skinhead and mod movements, as well an illustration of a comic/'zine, "I Was a Teenage Filipino Skinhead," which I really, really need to find, and MTV's effect on the more DIY punk-influenced scene.

All of this is interesting, it just needed someone to shape it a bit more. I really love the idea that the ska scene gave nerds, band geeks, theater kids, and oddballs a place to fit in, and was hoping to get a rousing defense of that. Maybe a second edition will streamline things. 

Sex/Drugs/Bad Behavior
2/10 And that's stretching it. There's booze in there, but more of the 20 year olds letting off steam variety rather than the lifestyle choice of your favorite rockers.

You Might Remember Me From, or, My Totally Biased View of the Author's Best Stuff:
Again, can't mess with the original Jamaican stuff or the 2-Tone British stuff. I dusted off the Operation Ivy last year and it still hits. All that stuff was fun live - Bim Skala Bim, the Toasters, Dance Hall Crashers, Hepcat, Less than Jake (Hey, he didn't interview Less than Jake!), Pietasters. All great for dancing like a fool for an hour or so. Oh man, you know what I haven't heard in years? That first NY Citizens album. I wonder if that still holds up. Oh yeah - Fishbone, can't forget them. Gainesville's Usuals were great. I remember really liking that first Mighty Mighty Bosstones album at the time. Hey, maybe I like more ska than I thought. 

Buy, Borrow from the Library, or Pass
Borrow from the library? Apparently there's two more books being published soon about third wave ska, including an oral history. Maybe check those out first.