Comedian Felipe Esparza may have won Last Comic Standing in 2010 and is currently touring theaters. But probably the most important thing to know about him is that he loves ska. We’re talking Madness, The Skatalites, Los Skarnales, Toots and the Maytals and Los Fabulosos Cadillacs.

We talk about all these bands with Felipe. But the group we spend the longest time on is Voodoo Glow Skulls. Felipe is friends with the group; he uses a recording of their song “Fat Randy” for his podcast theme, and he has some lore with the band. We’re talking an unaired episode of his podcast with the group, a TV show with Voodoo as the house band that never got picked up. And, Felipe’s opener, Rodrigo Torres, grew up with the Voodoo guys—he even worked at their record shop, Cheap Guy Records, for five years!

So yes, this is a funny episode with a hilarious comedian. But you may actually learn a few things about Voodoo Glow Skulls after you listen to this one.

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon!

If you like our theme song, go download the EP Lives by Slow Gherkin. They wrote the opening and closing songs for our podcast. You can get both tunes from their Lives EP. Also, check out Dan P and the Bricks two LPs. They provided the mid-roll ad transition music.

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024.

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

There were a lot of ska-punk bands in the ’90s. Perhaps, none were more out there than Northern CA’s Janitors Against Apartheid: A wild group that played hyper-fast ska and had a singer who sang about Punky Brewster and Little Caesar’s in a demented Kermit the Frog voice. And the stage show was completely unhinged. Usually, stuffed animals were getting destroyed.

This week, we talk to the sax player (And later lead vocalist) Lodge Worster. We get insight into the band’s history, their transformation to The Adjustments, and we also discuss the punk TV script that Lodge is working on with our own Aaron Carnes. Hey!

Plus, we find out that Lodge works as a music editor on TV and film projects. So, we learn which ska songs he had a hand in editing into your favorite shows.

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon!

If you like our theme song, go download the EP Lives by Slow Gherkin. They wrote the opening and closing songs for our podcast. You can get both tunes from their Lives EP. Also, check out Dan P and the Bricks two LPs. They provided the mid-roll ad transition music.

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024.

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.

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They said it couldn’t be done, but In Defense of Ska laughs in the face of such faithlessness. It's with great pride and honor that the crew unveils this week's episode -- a lengthy discussion and breakdown of the infamous mozzarella stick ska meme that has come to define the genre's culture across the internet. Listen now.

Join the In Defense of Ska investigation team as they dive into the meme's history, its impact on ska, and its incredibly polarizing nature. Ultimately, they try to answer the grand, existential question of if the gag has been a net positive or net negative for the genre.

Along the way, this journalistic masterpiece features interviews with folks like comedians Dave Thomason, Matt Lieb, and Jaime Loftus, as well as 'Ska Defender Numero Uno' Brent Friedman. Plus, the gang gets a little insight into the meme courtesy of its original creator.

If you’d like to support us and listen to early access, ad-free episodes with bonus content, check out our Patreon!

If you like our theme song, go download the EP Lives by Slow Gherkin. They wrote the opening and closing songs for our podcast. You can get both tunes from their Lives EP. Also, check out Dan P and the Bricks two LPs. They provided the mid-roll ad transition music.

Support the In Defense host Aaron Carnes by purchasing a copy of his book, In Defense of Ska. The 2nd, expanded edition of In Defense of Ska will release in Oct 2024.

Co-host Adam Davis has a band called Omnigone. Their latest record, Against The Rest released on March 31, 2023.

The In Defense of Ska editor Chris Reeves runs a record label called Ska Punk International. They have new releases coming out all the time.