The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Save Ferris, "The World Is New" from It Means Everything (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song of the Ascension of the Lord

The Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
Duvall, "Jesus Never Leaves Me" from Volume & Density (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: The Lord ascended to the right hand of the Father not so that He could be away from us, but so that He could be with us always & everywhere.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Reel Big Fish, "Scott's a Dork" from Why Do They Rock So Hard? (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Here we have a perfect example of why SKApril has the rules it has. Why Do They Rock So Hard? is a great album full of great songs, & according to the Reel Big Fish themselves, it is their best album. Why Do They Rock So Hard? has thus far furnished four song to this year SKAfter Party. Four out of twenty-one. Every one of them has ben a worthy R.B.D.S.O.T.D., but without the strict rules of SKApril in place, this is what happens, a laser focus on one band or even one album.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Reel Big Fish, "Down in Flames" from Why Do They Rock So Hard? (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: The Reel Big Fish hide their hearts & their brains behind fathomless snark & a wink, but "Down in Flames" is a serious meditation on the toxicity of celebrity culture & sanctimonious subcultures.

"You don't know me,
But here I am in your living room,
You don't own me,
But you paid and that means a lot to you.

"Well, you never listened,
But I know that's what you think that you do,
(That you do).
And everybody wants a change,
But this time it will be the same,
Watch us go down in flames!

"It's alright, it's O.K.,
It was gonna happen anyway,
We had our chance, we made our point,
And you're not gonna take that!

"Radio commercials,
T.V. shows and front-page ads,
Photos and interviews,
Well, they'll make sure it's the latest fad.

"Well, pay attention,
Cause you know you'll have to pay either way,
(Either way).
They'll tell you that it's the new thing,
But we know that it hasn't changed,
Watch us go down in flames!

"It's alright, it's O.K.,
It was gonna happen anyway,
We had our chance, we made our point,
And you're not gonna take that—
Away!
Away!
Away!
Away!

"When this blows over
And the mainstream coughs up another shell,
Will you let us back in your underground?
Well, I guess that's a no and it's just as well!

"'Cause you never supported us,
All you wanted was to see us fail!
(See us fail!)
They tell me that it's the new thing,
So I better get out of the way,
Watch us go down in flames!

"It's alright, it's O.K.,
It was gonna happen anyway,
We had our chance, we made our point,
But you're not gonna take that—
'Cause it's alright, it's O.K.,
It was gonna happen anyway,
We had our chance, we made our point,
But you're not gonna take that—
Away!
(You're not gonna take that) Away!
(You're not gonna take that) Away!
(You're not gonna take that) Away!"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Hans Gruber and the Die Hards, "We're All Gonna Die" from Hans Gruber and the Die Hards (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: "We're All Gonna Die" enjoyed the SKApril limelight not so long ago, in SKApril 2022.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Eric Christian Olsen, "Some Worries" from Community: Music from the Original Television Series (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: I've belatedly commenced by Easter project, a re-watch of Community, including a first watch of the Yahoo! seasons.

"This cool island breeze blows a little too cool,
This righteous, tasty bud makes me act like a fool,
Sand on my bottom at the end of the day.
The words to pretty girl that I just didn't say—

"I got some worries,
Some worries,
I got some worries,
Some worries…"

Bonus! Song o' the Day

Everclear, "Santa Monica" from Sparkle and Fade (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:

"We can live beside the ocean,
Leave the fire behind,
Swim out past the breakers
And watch the world die…"

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Easter Feaster Edition

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 337.0 lbs (Wednesday, 29 March)

Bonus! Lied von ÖSTERREICH
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Jackson Park Express" from Mandatory Fun (Mike Papa Waiter)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Your Horoscope for Today" from Running with Scissors (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Showing the breadth of SKApril & the widespread though fleeting popularity of ska in the 1990s, "Your Horoscope for Today" enjoyed the SKApril limelight in 2019.

Pick it up! Pick it up! Pick it up!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Reel Big Fish, "Brand New Song" from Why Do They Rock So Hard? (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"I've got a brand new girlfriend,
She is so lovely, lovely!
I've got a new ex-girlfriend,
She is so fat and ugly!

"Oh, not you again!
It gets worse every time…

"I'm not sorry about the things I do…"

The Explorers' Club Special: Mercury-Atlas 9

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 60th Anniversary of Mercury-Atlas 9
15-16 May 1963: Mercury 9 lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, with Gordon Cooper aboard the Mercury capsule Faith 7 atop an Atlas rocket; the twenty-two-orbit flight exceeded all previous American spaceflights, combined, & was the first to send back T.V.; the Faith 7 splashed down in the Pacific, Mercury's most accurate splashdown, & was recovered by the U.S.S. Kearsarge.

Wayback Machine: № DCCCLXXXIII, "The Space Race—The 59th Anniversary of Mercury-Atlas 9"

Commentary: Mercury-Atlas 9 was the sixth & final manned flight of Project Mercury. There was a push for Alan Shepard to fly a second time, an orbital mission to exceed M.A.-9 in duration, but the Faith 7's flight pushed the Mercury hardware to its limits, demonstrating the necessity to move on to the more advanced Gemini & Apollo spacecraft. Mercury-Atlas 9 was the final Mercury flight, but we're not yet ready for the Wayback Tour of Project Mercury as we are still circling back to cover the unmanned test flights we have previously missed due to confusion over the Mercury-Redstone 4 to Mercury-Atlas 5 sequence.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Today: SKAfter Party

Montag, 15. Mai
The Suicide Machines, "New Girl" from Destruction by Definition (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: "New Girl" is less about the protagonist's success new romance than his wanting to use that romance for revenge, to humuilate his previous paramour. In third-wave ska-punk, romance gone wrong is the only romance on offer.

Bonus! Song o' Yesterday: SKAfter Party

Sonntag, 14. Mai
Bombskare, "Raise the Black Flag" from the Monsters E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Monsters is Bomskare's, Scotland's ska juggernaut, latest release, from 2022.

"Sooner or later we'll have to
Raise the black flag,
Turn the tables and we'll
Take the world back,
Sooner or later we'll have to
Raise the black flag
And start slitting throats…"

The Explorers' Club, № CML

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 50th Anniversary of Skylab 1, Part I
14 May 1973: The Skylab space station lifted off from Florida's Kennedy Space Center atop a Saturn V rocket; aerodynamic forces during ascent sheared off Skylab's exterior micrometeoroid shield/sun shade & one of two solar arrays; debris ensnared the other solar "wing," crippling Skylab; the crewed launch of Skylab 2 scheduled for 15 May was postponed while N.A.S.A. devised how to save Skylab.

Commentary: Skylab 1 was the thirteenth & final flight of the mighty Saturn V rocket. The crewed Skylab expeditions would fly aboard Saturn IB rockets, last seen during Apollo 7 (October 1968).

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: Skylab 1
They Might Be Giants, "Severe Tire Damage Theme" from Severe Tire Damage (Space Cadet Mike Papa DSKY)

Semper exploro.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the VI Sunday o' Easter

Sixth Sunday of Easter
Audrey Assad, "Spirit of the Living God" from Fortunate Fall (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: 'Tis the Sunday on which Easter takes a noticable turn, from the Resurrection of Christ to anticipation of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. Veni Sancte Spiritus!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Mustard Plug, "Something New" from In Black and White (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: I'm heartbroken yet again. The damnable thing about false hope is that it always proves false.

"From what I remember,
The first time I saw you,
You gave me hope for something new,
Do me a favor,
So I can do one, too,
You gave me hope for something new.

"Now it's all I see
That what I really need
Is just you to hold on,
The one that belongs,
For you to hold to me.

"You give me a reason,
A photograph or two,
You gave me hope for something new…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

The Intercepteurs, "On the Upside" from You Are Hear (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Stars My Destination: Space Shuttle '76-'82

The Space Age: The 45th-40th Anniversaries of the Space Shuttle Program
I wanted to post this reflection before the fortieth anniversary of S.T.S.-6 in April, but I was overtaken by events. Alas! The Space Shuttle was declared "operational" after S.T.S.-4, but the changing of the calendar from 1982 to 1983 strikes me as marking more of an epoch in the thirty-year program than the redesignation from experimental to operational. There were two Space Shuttle flights in 1981, three in 1982, & four in 1983. 1983's flights saw no pressure suits, no ejection seats, the first Orbiter other than the Columbia, crews increasing from four to six astronauts, the first female American astronaut, the first European astronaut on an American spacecraft, & the first Payload Specialist astronauts. 1983 was the first recognizable year of the Space Shuttle program most of us grew up knowing.

1983, 1984, & 1985 were exuberant, almost giddy years for the Space Shuttle. There were four Space Shuttle flights in 1983 (a flight cadence not seen since 1969), five in 1984 (a flight cadence not seen since 1966), & an astonishing nine in 1985 (a cadence that has yet to be matched). The future was bright & the possibilities were endless. No one was trying to be unsafe, even if so many of the decisions made are incomprehensible in the cold light of hindsight. I want to honor & celebrate these missions on their own merits, not overlook them as paving stones on the road to the tragedy of 1986. Yet the fact remains that warning signs of the trouble ahead were already appearing, warning signs that would be dismissed with an attitude so cavalier it would later be rightly regarded as reckless.

The golden age of the Space Shuttle awaits us. I thank you for joining me & I hope you will enjoy & be edified.

The Wayback Machine Tour of the Space Shuttle '76-'82
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXLI: The 45th Anniversary of the Space Shuttle Enterprise
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCVIII: The 44th Anniversary of the Approach & Landing Tests
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCLXX: The 43rd Anniversary of the Space Shuttle Columbia
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXI: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-1
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXLIX: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-2
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCLXXIII: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-3, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCLXXIV: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-3, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCLXXXIX: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-4, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXC: The 40th Anniversary of the Space Shuttle Challenger
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXCI: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-4, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXV: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-5, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXVI: The 40th Anniversary of S.T.S.-5, Part II

Commentary: Settle in, dear readers. Should the good Lord permit, we could be covering the fortieth anniversaries of Space Shuttle missions until 2051, if your humble narrator has not yet shuffled off this mortal coil, if the internet as we know it still exists, & if Blogspot or a successor still functions.

Ad astra per aspera.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Alpheus, "Our Time Will Come" from the Rudies single (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"We're here under pressure,
But our time will come,
It's rough and it's tough,
But our time will come,
Good rules over evil,
So our time will come,
Soon come…"

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Easter Feaster Edition

Please Stand By | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 337.0 lbs. (Wednesday, 29 March)

Bonus! Lied von ÖSTERREICH
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Genius in France" from Poodle Hat (Mike Papa Wastrel)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

The Ska Flames, "Tokyo Shot" from Ska Fever (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey-san)

Skammentary: "Tokyo Shot" is a purely instrumental song, without even a little toasting.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Rude City Riot, "Victoria" from the Rude City Riot E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: "Victoria" enjoyed the SKApril limelight ten years ago, way back in 2013.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Kalles Kaviar, "I'll Be an Anchor for You" from Probably the Next Big Thing (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Explorers' Club, № CMXLIX

The Space Race—Astronaut Group 2 (the "New Nine"), Part VII
James Arthur Lovell Junior (born 25 March 1928), Captain, U.S. Navy—He flew Gemini VII (1965), Gemini XII (1966), Apollo 8 (1968), & Apollo 13 (Odyssey & Aquarius, 1970), making him one of three astronauts to fly to & from the Moon twice & the only one not to be a Moonwalker; his memoir, Lost Moon: The Perilous Voyage of Apollo 13, served as a primary source for the motion picture Apollo 13.

Commentary: As of this publication, Captain Lovell is still alive, aged ninety-five.

In the feature film Apollo 13 (1995), Lovell was played by Tom Hanks.

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: The New Nine—Jim Lovell
Frank Sinatra, "Fly Me to the Moon" from It Might As Well Be Swing (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Jim Lovell
The Explorers' Club, № DCCLXXXVII: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini VII, Part I
The Explorers' Club, № DCCXC: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini VII, Part II
The Explorers' Club, № DCCCL: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini XII, Part I
The Explorers' Club, № DCCCLI: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini XII, Part II
The Explorers' Club, № DCCXXIV: The 51st Anniversary of Apollo 8, Part I
The Explorers' Club, № DCCXXV: The 51st Anniversary of Apollo 8, Part II
The Explorers' Club, № DCCXXVI: The 51st Anniversary of Apollo 8, Part III
The Explorers' Club, № DCCXLII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 13, Part I
The Explorers' Club, №DCCXLIII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 13, Part II
The Explorers' Club, № DCCXLIV: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 13, Part III

Semper exploro.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the V Sunday o' Easter

Fifth Sunday of Easter
The O.C. Supertones, "All the Way Alive" from For the Glory (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Reel Big Fish, "She's Famous Now" from Why Do They Rock So Hard? (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"I'm saying goodbye tonight,
I just can't stand the noise,
She's signin' autographs,
Don't wanna say I know her
But I've go no choice…

"She used to be my girl,
But now she's famous (She's famous now!),
She used to be my girl but now she's—
She was just so sweet,
She was just so sweet,
She was just so sweet
And now they're fallin' at her feet,
She used to be my girl but now she's—
Famous now."

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Reel Big Fish, "Trendy" from Turn the Radio Off (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"It's not so bad being trendy,
Everyone who looks like me is my friend,
Please don't hate me because I'm trendy,
They're not going to lauch at me again!…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Reel Big Fish, "The Bad Guy" from We're Not Happy 'til You're Not Happy (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"This is not a song about the one that got away,
This is not a song about the girl who didn't love me,
Once again I have made somebody cry,
Once again, once again, I am the bad guy,
I am the bad guy.

"It's me, but I'm not sorry I let you down,
It's me, but I'm not sorry I let you down,
It's me, but I'm not sorry I let you down,
Bet you wish I never came around, dont you?…"

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Cinco de Mayo

Less Than Jake, "Richard Allen George… No, It's Just Cheez" from Hello Rockview (Miguel Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico's independance day, that's celebrated on 16 September. Cinco de Mayo is more of an American holiday than a Mexican holiday. ¡Happy Cinco de Mayo!

"Ay, ay, ay ay, Cinco de moustache!
The kids that are hip, they grow hair on their lip,
They throw down their razors and don't give a shit,
Then grow and grow and grow,
So let your moustache go!
Oh yeah!"

The Explorers' Club, № CMXLVIII

The Space Race—Astronaut Group 2 (the "New Nine"), Part VI
Frank Frederick Borman II (born 14 March 1928), Colonel, U.S. Air Force—He flew Gemini VII (1965) & Apollo 8 (1968), commanding both flights; he served on the review board after the Apollo 1 fire & as N.A.S.A.'s liaison to the White House during Apollo 11, being in the Oval Office with Nixon; Borman described his role as an astronaut as neither an adventurer nor a scientist, but a "Cold War warrior."

Commentary: As of this publication, Colonel Borman is still alive, aged ninety-five.

Borman's (played by David Andrews) verbal duel with Senator Walter Mondale (played by John Slattery) during the Apollo 1 episode of From the Earth to the Moon is possibly my favorite moment of the entire brilliant miniseries.

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: The New Nine—Frank Borman
Robert Preston, "Gary, Indiana" from The Music Man: Original Soundtrack (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Frank Borman
The Explorers' Club, № DCCLXXXVII: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini VII, Part I
The Explorers' Club, № DCCXC: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini VII, Part II
The Explorers' Club, № DCCXXIV: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 8, Part I
The Explorers' Club, № DCCXXV: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 8, Part II
The Explorers' Club, № DCCXXVI: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 8, Part III

Semper exploro.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: May the Fourth Be with You

John Williams, "Star Wars" from Star Wars: Episode IV—A New Hope (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: This is an appreciation post for Star Wars, George Lucas's Star Wars (1977-2012), not Disney's Star Wars (2012-present).

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

MU330, "Curse" from Chumps on Parade (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:

"Well, you thought you had it bad,
Well, I'm the worst you'll ever have,
This curse would only get worse,
And I'm your curse!…"

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Easter Feaster Edition

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 337.0 lbs (Wednesday, 29 March)

Bonus! Lied von ÖSTERREICH
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Trapped in the Drive-Thru" from Straight Outta Lynnwood (Mike Papa Waiter)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Rude City Riot, "Don't Go Away" from the Rude City Riot E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: "Don't Go Away" basked in the SKApril limelight in 2018. One of the myriad joys of the SKAfter Party is revisting the songs that have made SKApril such a delight, but which are no longer eligible for SKApril.

"Don't go away,
Don't you go away,
Don't you go away from me!
You're everything,
You're everything,
Everything a girl should be!…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "They Will Need Music" from The Magic of Youth (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Why the SKAfter Party, after a whole month of SKApril? Because they will need music.

"They will need music to uplift,
It'll be a Godsend, it'll be a gift,
And hope and glory to coincide,
They'll need the strength and warmth and comfort that the music will provide!…"

One of my Popish Plot co-plotters recently groused that the SKAfter Party is too long. That's just ludicrous on its face.

Ska! Ska! Ska!

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKAfter Party

Mustard Plug, "Brain on Ska" from Skapocalypse Now! (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: "Brain on Ska" enjoyed the SKApril limelight in 2018.

"Pork pie hats and Fred Perry shirts,
Drinking cheap beer and chasing skirts,
But what it's all about is plain to see,
Simply having fun and unity!

"This is your brain,
This is your brain on ska!…"