The good news is that Ska is still big enough to piss it’s nay-sayers off. The bad news is that everyone’s laughing at us. Ska Geeks have never been discouraged by our scene’s unpopularity, but rarely are we subjected to such acute scrutiny.
Over at Your Scene Sucks, recent American Ska fashion is being picked apart with sharp accuracy. The accompanying text goes on to declare that Ska is dead, but we know better. This is more a condemnation of the 3rd Wave fashion and music. As a Trad loving, non-uniformed Ska Kid, I neither resemble nor resent this characterization.
“…the rude boy was never good at any sports, so instead he opted to join the marching band which, incidentally, led to the formation of his own group. the band enjoyed their biggest success at a recent high school battle of the bands, where they showcased their originality by covering the reel big fish cover of a-ha’s “take on me”.
How about you? Is this your look? Does this burn your britches a little? Check out some of the other scenes covered at Your Scene Sucks to cheer you up a little. Everyone looks silly when they play dress up. Click the image to visit the Rude Boy page at Your Scene Sucks:
Thanks to Lawless over at Dancin Mood for hipping me to this.
Check out more Ska Deprecation from Ska Blah Blah:
July 3rd, 2008 at 11:15 pm
So sad, but true…this is how ska has come to be characterized thanks to the nerdy silly-ska bands and their followers.
As someone who was in high school during the mid-80’s, this is especially saddening. Back then, “rude boys” actually dressed sharp and rode slick vespas (back in the last days that you could actually buy a 2-stroke vespa in Los Angeles before they stopped importing them).
The style back then was more mod-influenced, and much tougher. There was a lot of crossover between the scenes.
But there was definitely not a silly nerd element associated with ska or its followers.
I only wish that someday, somehow, ska will shed this ugly 1990’s image and either return to, or evolve to something more respectable.
July 7th, 2008 at 4:21 pm
I saw this a few years ago.
you can thank stores like Hot Topic and general commercialization of Ska Punk over the years for this.
the end. : D
July 17th, 2008 at 3:55 am
what would happen to this image if the prominent ska bands started dressing in their sunday best?
August 2nd, 2009 at 10:23 pm
I love ska music. Yes i wear the suit and tie at gigs. People are willing to talk smack how nerdy ska is killing the “scene” but when your a nerdy kid and all those other genres of music dont feel right here you have a type of music that doesn’t judge that doesn’t tell you to have the best shoes or biggest rims its a type of music that encourages you to look beyond what you know to break racist barriers, a type of music that makes u just wanna sit back listen and then makes you jump off your seat and dance no matter how nerdy or geeky you are. Music evolves “unity as one stand together, unity evolutions gonna come” -Operation Ivy
August 3rd, 2009 at 4:25 am
@Rude BoyTenchi- I hope you know that I only intended this as a way for us to laugh at ourselves. I (of course) have respect for any subculture that give the kids a place to go and a sense of belonging.
I should have said it when I originally posted this link, but I’ll say it now- I accept this scene for all of it’s greatness and all of it’s flaws. So keep on rockin’ the wing tips and horned rims- I’ll sleep better knowing that the scene is in good hands.
October 7th, 2009 at 4:37 pm
YourSceneSucks.com is comedy gold!
Hub City Stompers addressed 3rd wave in my ska scene with one pOi!gnant song – “Ska Train to Dorkville”.
Hard mods, skins, suedes and rude boy culture is steeped in hooliganism, violence and other things of provacative nature. Don’t confuse apathy with acceptance, gentelmen. The proverbial ska-dork has not found a haven in which to be accepted, but rather there will be a skin/hard mod/”proper” rudeboy more than willing to fill in the vacuum the a jock/bully once occupied. There is no blanket acceptance anywhere. Every (sub)culture has unspoken rules, social graces or general guidlines which make it said subculture. Refusal to acknowledge or address them is a liberty obviously left to the individual. But, it’s these rules that created the genre we love. The very roots of this “movement” revolved around proper fashion: the RIGHT shoes/boots, the RIGHT style of suit, the RIGHT brand of shirt…and, obviously, the RIGHT music.
spirit of ‘69,
Chris
January 2nd, 2010 at 4:47 pm
a. hot topic was never about ska
b. ska was never about pissing people off
c. quit being so biased.
thank you.
January 26th, 2010 at 6:42 pm
an Rude Boy is black. not white……..