Friday, April 26, 2024

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Saturday, 26 April 2014
Less Than Jake, "Pete Jackson Is Getting Married" from Borders & Boundaries (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:
"I can smell his cousin's Polo
Mixed with his grandpa's Old Spice,
The Swedish meatballs looks so tempting
That his two fat aunts might even fight…"
Wayback Machine.

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

Episode o' the Day
"The Wire" (season two, episode twenty-two; 9 May 1994): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: "The Wire" is quite simply one of the finest episodes of Star Trek ever. I have neither the time nor the inclination at this juncture to number it (top ten, top five), but "The Wire" is stellar. I would stack it, especially Andrew Robinson's performance as Garak, against any other episode of television ever made.

Saints + Scripture: Pascha

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!
'Tis the Friday of the Fourth Week of Easter (Latin: Pascha, meaning "Passover"): Pascha-link & Wikipedia-link Paschaltide.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XIV

Mustard Plug, "Hit Me! Hit Me!" from In Black and White (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Life is worth living. The Lord wants us to enjoy the good things of this world.
"Life's a journey not another losing fight,
And it's over before you're gonna get it right,
So you gotta drink up all the joy that you can,
Now sit back listen to these words:

"Hit me, hit me, hit me with sensation,
I'll hit it back with excitation,
Hear my, hear my, hear my revelation,
Hit the floor, feel the liberation!…"

Thursday, April 25, 2024

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Tuesday, 25 April 2017
The Hippos, "Celebrate" from Forget the World (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: I stand behind "Do Right" by The Soulutions, yesterday's paean to romantic love. Today, "Celebrate" by The Hippos serves as a counterpoint, as a paean to romantic love gone awry.
"You think that you could walk out on me,
Every day I grow farther from you,
You think that I'll be there when you're in need,
Don't you think that I found something new?
I'm finished with you.

"I celebrate, I celebrate,
My days of hate, my days of hate,
'Cause now I see
That you're nothing to me…"
Wayback Machine.

Section 31: Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993-2024)

Episodes o' the Day
"The Maquis, Parts I & II" (season two, episodes twenty & twenty-one; 25 April 1994 & 2 May 1994): Wikipedia-link.

Commentary: Truly Providential to watch "The Maquis, Part I" on 25 April, without being aware that the episode first aired on 25 April! The Maquis organization was created as set-up for the then forthcoming Star Trek: Voyager, but like most everything else on Voyager, the storytelling potential of the Maquis elements was wasted. Deep Space Nine made much better use of the Maquis, especially the complexity of Ben Sisko's conflicts with Cal Hudson, Kasidy Yates, & Michael Eddington.

Saints + Scripture: Pascha

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!
'Tis the Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter (Latin: Pascha, meaning "Passover"): Pascha-link & Wikipedia-link Paschaltide.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XIV

Roka Hueka, "Skank It!" from ¡Volar! (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: I find it impossible to listen to "Skank It!," even as I compose this post, without bopping my head & shimmying my shoulders, if not getting up & low-intensity skanking right here in my room. Ska! Ska! Ska!

Google Translate doesn't quite know what to make of
"Roka Hueka," but they are a Denver-based ska band who bill themselves as "Latin Ska," tapping into the deep popularity of ska throughout Latin America, which remains largely unknown to many "Anglo" Norteamericanos. ¡Bienvenidos a SKApril, Roka Hueka!

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Saturday, 24 April 2021
The Soulutions, "Do Right" from the The Aquabats! and Horchata Records Present… Rice Capades Music Sampler, Vol. 1 compilation (Rude Boy Captain Thumbs Up!)

Skammentary: "Do Right" is a paean to romanic love &, despite the R.B.D.S.O.T.D.'s annual festival of "Anti-Valentine's" songs & delight in the cynicism toward romance in third-wave ska-punk, we are here for it.
"Be good,
Do right,
Be kind to that beautiful girl.
Hold her close,
Tell her why
You want to be a part of her world.
Don't be scared
To be fair,
Try to laugh about your worries and cares.
Give a laugh,
Give a smile,
Don't be cruel to that beautiful girl…

"And if things aren't right,
Don't hold on to her.
And if she loves some other guy,
Watch what you say to her,
Remember that you love her and—

"Be good,
Do right,
Be kind to that beautiful girl…

"Be good,
Do right,
Be kind to the most beautiful girl in the world."
As beautiful as the multi-instrumentalist Elise Trouw is (above), she's not the beautiful girl I'm thinking of as I listen to "Do Right."

Wayback Machine.

The Stars My Destination: The Soyuz 1 Disaster

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 57th Anniversary of Soyuz 1
Fifty-seven years ago to the day, 24 April 1967, Pilot Vladimir Komarov perished when his Soyuz 1 capsule crashed into the Earth's surface after its parachutes failed to deploy during atmospheric re-entry, the first man to die during a spaceflight.
Three cosmonauts were meant to launch aboard Soyuz 2, equipped with the same flawed parachute-deployment system, & rendezvous in orbit with Komarov aboard Soyuz 1. The Soyuz 2 launch was called off due to thunderstorms near the launch site; otherwise, they would have perished, too. After the tragedy, the Soyuz program was delayed for eighteen months while the parachute system was redesigned, amidst other refinements.

The Wayback Machine Tour of Soyuz 1
The Explorers' Club, № DCCCLXXVII

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: In Memoriam
The Phenomenauts, "Heroes" from For All Mankind (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Requiescat in pace.

Saints + Scripture: Pascha

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

The Popish Plot
"Books Not in the Bible: Protoevangelium of James"
'Tis the Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter (Latin: Pascha, meaning "Passover"): Pascha-link & Wikipedia-link Paschaltide.

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Easter Feaster Edition

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 330.2 lbs.
Bonus! Lied von ÖSTERREICH
The Bruce Lee Band, "Running Out of Time" from the Beautiful World E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XIV

Brad Pittance & the Pirates, "Always the Last One to Know" from the Love, Lust, & Skadust E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Arr, mateys, it warms me heart to know that fourth-wave ska retains the third-wave's cynicism toward romantic love.
"I met you on Sunday,
I called you on Monday,
It thrilled me to bits
When you cooked us fish and chips
On Tuesday, I called you on Wednesday,
You said, 'Let's just be friends.'
I called you on Thursday,
You didn't answer the phone.

"I don't know where this is going,
But I love you so!
I don't know where this is going,
I'm always the last one to know.

"Friday you answered my call,
I said, 'You're not much of a talker.'
It upset me a bit,
You asked if I was a stalker.
So then I asked if I could see you
Over the weekend,
You said you're far too busy
Going out with your friends…"

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XIV

Less Than Jake, "History of a Boring Town" from Hello Rockview (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: I was at first surprised that "History of a Boring Town," an achingly perfect exemplar of Less Than Jake's theme of songs about growing up & leaving town, had never before basked in the SKApril limelight, but with so many great songs off so many great albums, & only one open spotper SKApril, I ought not have been surprised. That's what makes Less Than Jake SKApril All-Stars.
"A boring life in a boring town,
With the same old crowd (woah-oh-oh),
And I used to say that I'd never stay,
But I'm rotting here today (woah-oh-oh),
With that same old crowd
That's always been around,
And I always thought I'd be the first to go…"
For the record, I never thought I'd be the first to go.

Bonus! Song o' Today: From the SKArchives

Tuesday, 23 April 2013
Mustard Plug, "Throw a Bomb" from Pray for Mojo (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: The bombs "Throw a Bomb" advocates throwing are rhetorical bombs. I don't know if Mustard Plug are still the zealous defenders of the freedom of speech they were a quarter century ago in 1999 (!) or if they have succumbed to the authoritarian temptation that has seduced so many in these latter days, on both the political left & the political right, but regardless, "Throw a Bomb" stands as a monument.
"Right-to-lifers, have your say!…"
Wayback Machine.

Bonus! Song o' Yesterday: From the SKArchives

Wednesday, 22 April 2020
The Interrupters, "Haven't Seen the Last of Me" from The Interrupters (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Wayback Machine.

Saints + Scripture: Pascha

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!
'Tis the Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter (Latin: Pascha, meaning "Passover"): Pascha-link & Wikipedia-link Paschaltide.

Monday, April 22, 2024

The Explorers' Club, № MXXIV

Operation AXIOM
20 April 1974: The last inhabitants were evacuated from Hashima Island in Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan, A.K.A. Gunkanjima ("Battleship Island"), leaving the typhoon-resistant reinforced concerete architecture as a time capsule; Hashima was first inhabited in the 1880s as a coal mine & built up through land reclamation—tripling the island's size—until petroleum replaced coal, closing the mine.
Semper exploro.

Saints + Scripture: Pascha

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!
'Tis the Monday of the Fourth Week of Easter (Latin: Pascha, meaning "Passover"): Pascha-link & Wikipedia-link Paschaltide.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XIV

The Allstonians, "Allston, Mass." from the Mash It Up, Vol. 3 compilation (Rude Boy Bravo Charlie)

Skammentary:
"We're living, we're living in Allston, Mass.,
Broken dreams strewn amongst the broken glass…"

Sunday, April 21, 2024

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Tuesday, 21 April 2020
Starpool, "Try Living in This World" from the Strpl E.P.0001 E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Wayback Machine.

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

The Fourth Sunday of Easter
Marty Haugen, "Shepherd Me, O God (Psalm 23)" from Shepherd Me, O God (Saint Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the Day: SKApril XIV

Los Kurados, "Rabia Ska" from Rabia Ska (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Spanish-language ska leaves me in much the same boat as Japanese-language ska, not knowing what a given song's lyrics are/mean, but digging the beat. "Rabia Ska" means "Rage Ska." Google translate doesn't know what to make of Los Kurados (the letter K is quite uncommon in Spanish), but los curados means "the cured."

¡Bienvenido a SKApril, Los Kurados!

Saturday, April 20, 2024

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Wednesday, 20 April 2016
The A-OKs, "Jessiska" from Words Are Not for Eating (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Wayback Machine.

Saints + Scripture: Pascha

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!
'Tis the Saturday of the Third Week of Easter (Latin: Pascha, meaning "Passover"): Pascha-link & Wikipedia-link Paschaltide.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XIV

MU330, "Dropping the Ball" from the Mailorder for the Masses compilation (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Unless I've dropped the ball, I have all of MU330's studio albums &, again, unless I've dropped the ball, "Dropping the Ball" isn't on any of them. I dislike the idea of compilation-only songs, unless the compilation is themed, like the Short Music for Short People comp, comprised of thirty-second songs.
"Dropping the ball is the one thing I do best…"

Friday, April 19, 2024

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XIV

The Rocksteady Conspiracy featuring Boss Capone, "Trouble and Danger" from the Trouble and Danger single (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: I was acquainted with an elderly lady who would only identify herself as, "Trouble." I have no idea what her given name was. I only ever knew her as Trouble.
"I met a girl down the railway station,
She 'ad blonde 'air and blue eyes,
She was a real sensation,
And when I asked her name, it was:

"Trouble and danger,
Trouble and danger.

"So wherever you're bound
She will drag you down,
She comes around
When the lights go down:

"Trouble and danger,
Trouble and danger…"
Today's R.S.D.S.O.T.D.: SKApril is a two-fer: Both The Rocksteady Conspiracy & Boss Capone are making their SKApril debuts.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Friday, 19 April 2013
Rude City Riot, "Victoria" from the Rude City Riot E.P. (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:
"Nicky's date was shit,
So he decided to sit
And drink beer at the pub all night,
In the corner of his eye
A cougar stopped and said, 'Hi!'
She said, 'Hey, baby, do you have a light?'

"Well, Nicky was so drunk
His words just came out all a funk,
So she took him home with her for the night.
When he came to
There was a pistol, twenty-two*,
Cocked and pointed right between his eyes,
She said, 'Your money or your demise'…"
*.22 caliber. "Victoria" is a cautionary tale about the perils of our depraived culture, the ruins of the sexual revolution & irresponsible imbibing of alcohol.

Wayback Machine.

Saints + Scripture: Pascha

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!
'Tis the Friday of the Third Week of Easter (Latin: Pascha, meaning "Passover"): Pascha-link & Wikipedia-link Paschaltide.

Thursday, April 18, 2024

The Explorers' Club, № MXXIII

The Space Race—The Fourteen, Part III
Eugene Andrew Cernan (14 March 1934-16 January 2017), Captain, U.S. Navy–He flew Gemini IX-A (1966) & Apollo 10 (Charlie Brown & Snoopy, 1969) & commanded Apollo 17 (America & Challenger, 1972); during Gemini IX-A, he conducted only the third-ever E.V.A., & the first to attempt useful work; he was the eleventh of the twelve Moonwalkers; his memoir was titled, The Last Man on the Moon.
Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: The Fourteen—Gene Cernan
Public Service Broadcasting, "Tomorrow" from The Race for Space (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Gene Cernan
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXXI: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini IX-A, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXXII: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini IX-A, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCL: The 51st Anniversary of Apollo 10, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCLI: The 51st Anniversary of Apollo 10, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCLII: The 51st Anniversary of Apollo 10, Part III
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXXI: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 17, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXXII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 17, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № CMXXIII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 17, Part III
Requiescat in pace.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Friday, 18 April 2014
Johnny Socko, "Next Big Thing" from Full Trucker Effect (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:
"And when they film the video,
Look in the lens and act sincere,
Disspell your fears
And dry your tears!
We're bound to win…"
Wayback Machine.

Saints + Scripture: Pascha

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!
'Tis the Thursday of the Third Week of Easter (Latin: Pascha, meaning "Passover"): Pascha-link & Wikipedia-link Paschaltide.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XIV

The Hacklers, "Out on the Streets" from Between the Lines (Rude Boy Bravo Charlie)

Skammentary: "Out on the Streets" is a good old-fashioned ska song warning against the dangers of street gangs & crime. The Hacklers are an Irish fourth-wave band with a classic skinhead* aesthetic, though wearing Trojan Records T-shirts is a modern twist. Thanks for making the introduction, Bravo Charlie!

*The original skinheads were a working-class counterculture that rejected the bougie hippie movement. Skins were promoting racial harmony & unity long before the "boneheads" (white-power skinheads) broke off & went their own evil way.

Wednesday, April 17, 2024

Operation ÖSTERREICH: Easter Feaster Edition

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 337.1 lbs. (27 March 2024)
This weigh-in: 330.2 lbs.
Difference: -6.9 lbs.

I moved the scale to the downstairs water closet after the device would not lock on to a reportable weight in the upstairs water closet (W.C.). Unsure if I was getting a reliable result, I used a fifteen-pound (15 lbs.) dumbbell to test the scale on different parts of the downstairs W.C. floor. For our purposes, I'm taking it on faith that the fifteen-pound dumbbell does in fact weigh fifteen pounds. The scale reported the dumbbell's weight as fifteen & one-fifth pounds (15.2 lbs.). Make of that what you will.
Bonus! Lied von ÖSTERREICH
THe Aquabats!, "Doing Science!" from The Aquabats! Super Show! Television Soundtrack: Volume One (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Saints + Scripture: Pascha

Simplex Edition | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!
'Tis the Wednesday of the Third Week of Easter (Latin: Pascha, meaning "Passover"): Pascha-link & Wikipedia-link Paschaltide.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Sunday, 17 April 2022
Cherry Poppin' Daddies, "Skaboy J.F.K." from the Skaboy J.F.K.: The Skanin' Hits of the Cherry Poppin' Daddies compilation (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Wayback Machine.

Bonus! Song o' the Day: From the SKArchives

Thursday, 10 April 2014
The Forces of Evil, "Independent" from Friend or Foe? (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Wayback Machine.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day: SKApril XIV

The Hippos, "Diane" from Forget the World (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: "Diane" is the tenth song from Forget the World to be in the SKApril limelight, the tenth of ten songs from that album. This is the first time an album has experienced the limelight in its entirety, reminding us why The Hippos are SKApril All-Stars. Congratulations, The Hippos!

Yet again in ska-punk, romantic love only leads to heartbreak & bitterness.
"…Diane, come back to me,
I can be anything that he can be,
Popularity,
Popularity."