Skaboom!: An American Ska & Reggae Oral History

by Marc Wasserman, Steven DiLodovico (Editor)

Musician, podcaster and author Marc Wasserman's debut book is an exhaustive, extensive tale of the pioneers of the American Ska and Reggae movement as told by the people who lived it. Three and a half years in the making, the story is lovingly told through hundreds of hours of intense interviews with musicians, artists, managers, club promoters, writers, promoters, and the fans who were there at the dawn of the 80s through the early 90s to witness the birth and spread of a uniquely American version of ska and reggae. From a chance sighting of The Specials on Saturday Night Live in 1980 to the mighty Skavoovee Tour of 1993, Marc collects stories, anecdotes, history, gossip, and (most importantly) the feeling of what it was like to be there as groups of young, ska-crazed acolytes spread their passion and ignited a fiercely loyal dedication to a burgeoning culture. Interviews include members of seminal bands The Untouchables, Bim Skala Bim, The Toasters, The Uptones, The Scofflaws, Let's Go Bowling, Mephiskapheles, and many more! The book also features photos, an essay from Stephen Shafer, and a forward penned by Horace Panter of The Specials.

Genres: Music

404 pages, Paperback

Published September 3, 2021

Reviews

[Kenny Plont · Rating 5 out of 5]

2021 was a big year for books about ska music, and this is by far my favorite read so far. Marc does a fantastic job compiling hundreds of compelling interviews from people all over the original American ska scene, focusing a good portion of this book on New York's progressive and flourishing scene in the 1980s (The Toasters, Second Step, N.Y. Citizens, etc.). As an avid 2 tone fan myself, it's refreshing to read this book through the eyes of so many 2 tone fans that were inspired to start bands (including Marc himself, who's obsessed with The Beat!) and the evolution of each band as members come and go and sounds evolve over time. I especially enjoyed the chapters on Gangster Fun (as a Michigan resident myself), The Scofflaws (an amazing neo-trad ska band from NY with three saxophones), and the story of Second Step (another fascinating story about an interracial NY ska/funk act with very few recordings that exist) really stuck out to me as well. The chapter on Let's Go Bowling was also really fun (and hilarious) to read. Choosing the format of an oral history makes for an exciting read, my only wish is that the font was bigger throughout and that more bands were covered, even though I know Marc's publisher certainly gave him a limit, haha. Marc's genuine love for the Beat reminds me of my love for Fishbone. Although Fishbone didn't have their own chapter in their book (Marc explains why on his Ska Boom podcast), it was great to see who they were influenced by (Second Step, The Untouchables) and the many bands that Fishbone inspired throughout the book. Perhaps Fishbone deserves their own book. Anyways, can't recommend enough! Thank you for this, Marc!

[Jay Gabler · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's fair to say that Ska Boom! achieves instant status as the Bible of American ska from the late '70s through the early '90s. It's a Bible-sized book as well, and probably best read like you'd read the Bible: dipping into selected passages for information and inspiration, rather than trying to read it cover to cover. It's organized chronologically with a chapter devoted to each of 18 bands (plus a sort of bonus 19th chapter for the Skavoovie Tour of 1993); recollections of band members and scenesters fill each page in small print, stretching to narrow margins as though the author couldn't bear to leave a single word out.

I reviewed Ska Boom! for The Current.

[Charlie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great info and clearly well-researched, but the best oral history projects include a narrative from the author throughout that ties the story together, which this had none of. It almost serves as a reference book more than an oral history.