Billy Spunke's guest appearances

Billy Spunke

This Was The Scene Podcast

In Defense of Ska

Jordan Morris

Stefan Babcock

Margaret Cho

Peter Gabriel

Brandie Posey

Ted Leo

Kyle Kinane

Jeff Rosenstock

Ian Fidance

Carly Simon

Patrick Stump

Joyce Manor

Laura Jane Grace

Jon Daly

John Darnielle

OwlTail

Sean Dolan

In the late '90s, someone asked Blink-182's Tom DeLonge if he wanted to go see The Blue Meanies perform. Both bands happened to be in Australia at the same time. His response: "Are they still scaring kids?" The answer was obviously yes, so Tom passed. The Blue Meanies formed in 1989 in Carbondale, Illinois by Jay Vance, who would later start the avant-garde project Captured By Robots. The Blue Meanies started as a Fishbone-style party band, but when they relocated to Chicago a few years later, the group evolved into one of the most menacing bands in the 90s ska scene. And many kids were scared, especially when the Meanies opened for bands like Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake and Goldfinger. On this episode, we dig deep into Blue Meanies' history and talk about their early years playing the famous Lost Cross House in Carbondale. We talk about a very special show at The Outhouse in Lawrence, Kansas, where they met MU330 and Skankin' Pickle. We also talk about Billy's couple year period after Kiss Your Ass Goodbye that he lived in New Orleans, the Full Throttle years, where they rehearsed in an abandoned grocery store in Chicago, the Ska Against Racism and Plea For Peace tours, their Post-Wave MCA album signing, and a song the band wrote for the Troma film Sucker. Bill also talks about two big influences on him: Tom Waits and Nick Cave.  Support the show

In the late '90s, someone asked Blink-182's Tom DeLonge if he wanted to go see The Blue Meanies perform. Both bands happened to be in Australia at the same time. His response: "Are they still scaring kids?" The answer was obviously yes, so Tom passed. The Blue Meanies formed in 1989 in Carbondale, Illinois by Jay Vance, who would later start the avant-garde project Captured By Robots. The Blue Meanies started as a Fishbone-style party band, but when they relocated to Chicago a few years later, the group evolved into one of the most menacing bands in the 90s ska scene. And many kids were scared, especially when the Meanies opened for bands like Reel Big Fish, Less Than Jake and Goldfinger. On this episode, we dig deep into Blue Meanies' history and talk about their early years playing the famous Lost Cross House in Carbondale. We talk about a very special show at The Outhouse in Lawrence, Kansas, where they met MU330 and Skankin' Pickle. We also talk about Billy's couple year period after Kiss Your Ass Goodbye that he lived in New Orleans, the Full Throttle years, where they rehearsed in an abandoned grocery store in Chicago, the Ska Against Racism and Plea For Peace tours, their Post-Wave MCA album signing, and a song the band wrote for the Troma film Sucker.  Bill also talks about two big influences on him: Tom Waits and Nick Cave.  <a href="https://www.patreon.com/indefenseofska" rel="payment nofollow" target="_blank">Support the show</a>

In Defense of Ska Ep 70: Blue Meanies (Billy Spunke, Sean Dolan)

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my Patreon for $1 and I will love you forever.  The Blue Meanies made their recording debut in 1991 with the release of their first single, "Grandma Shampoo". Although their personnel was continuously changing, The Blue Meanies' sound would remain consistent throughout their first four albums. The band signed with MCA Records towards the end of the commercially successful third wave of ska. By this time, a total of twenty-two musicians had passed through the band since their formation, including Jay Vance, as a bass player, who went on to form the one-man metal band Captured! By Robots. Their sixth full-length album, The Post Wave, released in late 2000 on MCA Records, was the most musically different from their other five albums. In 2001, the band regained the rights to The Post Wave and reissued it on Thick Records, their original record label. The band ceased touring, though they never issued an official break-up statement. Thank you Sean Dolan for giving me Billy’s info. I got Billy on the Skype and this is what we chat about:  Trying to play some reunion shows The Post Wave The show where I saw them in NJ Jay Vance Rick Bonde The Plea for Peace tour The megaphone Getting on MCA Snagging the last pressing of CDs And a ton more  This week’s sponsor is Mint 400 Records. Mint 400 Records is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock &amp; Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases.  You can find Mint 400 Records releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit www.mint400records.com for links and more info. Here’s a clip from their band  Reese Van Riper’s song “Well Runs Dry" from the album The Swamps Are Burning Check out my new book The Couples' Checklist for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have an Instagram for it. If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then go here to get custom stickers or just email mike@drive80.com and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors. Feel free to support the podcast for as little as $1 a month through Patreon Or go to thiswasthescene.com to possibly buy some merch.

Before we start, feel free to support the podcast if you’ve been listening for a while by signing up for my <a href="https://www.patreon.com/thiswasthescene" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Patreon</a> for $1 and I will love you forever. <a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/4tju6hNZmAw0jtLCaHPvm2?si=SEs2WPH4TI-LFx_ajVJe_w" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> The Blue Meanies</a> made their recording debut in 1991 with the release of their first single, "Grandma Shampoo". Although their personnel was continuously changing, The Blue Meanies' sound would remain consistent throughout their first four albums. The band signed with MCA Records towards the end of the commercially successful third wave of ska. By this time, a total of twenty-two musicians had passed through the band since their formation, including Jay Vance, as a bass player, who went on to form the one-man metal band Captured! By Robots. Their sixth full-length album, The Post Wave, released in late 2000 on MCA Records, was the most musically different from their other five albums. In 2001, the band regained the rights to The Post Wave and reissued it on Thick Records, their original record label. The band ceased touring, though they never issued an official break-up statement. Thank you Sean Dolan for giving me Billy’s info. I got Billy on the Skype and this is what we chat about: <ul> <li>Trying to play some reunion shows</li> <li>The Post Wave</li> <li>The show where I saw them in NJ</li> <li>Jay Vance</li> <li>Rick Bonde</li> <li>The Plea for Peace tour</li> <li>The megaphone</li> <li>Getting on MCA</li> <li>Snagging the last pressing of CDs</li> <li>And a ton more</li> </ul> This week’s sponsor is Mint 400 Records. <a href="http://www.mint400records.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Mint 400 Records</a> is an indie record label from NJ with bands across the United States, Canada, and Europe. The label features everything from Indie Rock &amp; Folk to Post-Punk and Soul. Over 400 exciting releases.  You can find Mint 400 Records releases streaming at Spotify, Pandora, Tidal, Apple Music, Amazon Music, Deezer, and more or at all mp3 outlets worldwide. Visit <a href="http://www.mint400records.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.mint400records.com</a> for links and more info. Here’s a clip from their band <a href="https://open.spotify.com/track/1RHdI1aPwX2ngvnGqpQQHW?si=75be2bb2a2b74942" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> Reese Van Riper’s song “Well Runs Dry"</a> from the album The Swamps Are Burning Check out my new book <a href="https://yourdailybred.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Couples' Checklist</a> for my webcomic dailyBred. It's a great gift for Valentine's Day. I also have <a href="https://www.instagram.com/thecoupleschecklist" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">an Instagram for it</a>. If you market aggressively on Instagram Stories and want custom stickers then <a href="https://www.drive80.com/custom-instagram-stickers/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">go here to get custom stickers</a> or just email <a href="mailto:mike@drive80.com">mike@drive80.com</a> and I can send you samples. These are great for B2C companies and Realtors. Feel free to support<a href="https://www.paypal.com/donate/?token=GjC01KEDCEUTzslsLD2bHeAOEuneVHaYUwEFDSG4UxRvFX1Zl6g_XScSTNXee7kP8JKfAW&amp;country.x=US&amp;locale.x=US" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"> the podcast</a> for as little as <a href="https://www.patreon.com/thiswasthescene" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">$1 a month through Patreon</a> Or go to <a href="http://thiswasthescene.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">thiswasthescene.com</a> to possibly buy some merch.

Ep. 158: The Blue Meanies w/ Billy Spunke