Amidst the ongoing crush of anti-Asian violence in America, Producer James turns to a personal source of restoration: ska music (yes, that ska music).

When he was a teenager, the do-it-yourself ska scene — and an indie record label called Asian Man — taught him to take racism seriously, embrace the road less traveled, and never wait for anyone else’s approval to be himself. But as James starts connecting with all of the Asian American ska fans he’s met over the past few years, he also starts to question how much his own memories are wrapped in a black-and-white-checkered blanket of nostalgia.

Eventually, these connections all lead to Mike Park, Korean American founder and still-only-employee of Asian Man Records — and Jer Hunter, a younger Black and queer musician who’s carrying the torch for ska music as a home for anti-racist activism.

And the more these conversations peel away the layers of nostalgia surrounding ska, the more James believes that this oft-misunderstood subculture has something real to offer in a world that can feel like it’s crumbling beneath our feet.

Resources

• WATCH: “Racism in East London,” an episode of the 1970s docuseries Our People by ThamesTV
• WATCH: The entirety of Dance Craze, the documentary about 2-Tone that hooked Mike Park (and countless others) on ska music
• WATCH: Skatune Network’s life-giving cover of the Koopa Troopa Beach theme from Mario Kart 64
• LISTEN: Ska Against Racism 2020, the benefit compilation by Bad Time Records, Ska Punk Daily, and Asian Man Records
• LISTEN: SKA DREAM by Jeff Rosenstock
• LISTEN: “Five Miles to Newark,” the full-length debut album by Chris Erway’s high school ska-punk band, Taxicab Samurais
• LISTEN: Mike Park chats with Charlene Kaye on The Golden Hour podcast
• READ: “Tracing Ska Music’s Great Migration” by Evan Nicole Brown for Atlas Obscura
• READ: “The Chinese Jamaicans: Unlikely Pioneers of Reggae Music” by Tranquilheart for Spinditty
• READ: “It Came From the Garage: Celebrating 25 Years of Asian Man Records,” a comic by JB Roe
• READ: In Defense of Ska by Aaron Carnes
• READ: “Skatune Networks’ Jer on Pushing Ska Forward” by Eve Sicks for Reverb.com
• READ: “Ska’s New Generation is Here to Pick It Up Pick It Up” by Arielle Gordon for Stereogum 
• READ: “Ska is Thriving Right Now: Here’s a Look at the DIY Scene That’s Keeping It Alive” by Andrew Sacher for Brooklyn Vegan 

Credits

• Produced, written, and sound designed by James Boo
• Edited by Julia Shu, with help from Cathy Erway
• Sound mix by Timothy Lou Ly
• Fact checked by Tiffany Bui and Harsha Nahata
• “No Guarantee” written and performed by James Boo, feat. Dorian Love on bass and Chris Erway on trombone, trumpet, and alto saxophone
• Ska Dream by Jeff Rosenstock; original compositions for “No Time to Skank” and pickitup” licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 3.0
• Music provided courtesy of Asian Man Records:
  • “Still Down for Tomorrow” by the Bruce Lee Band
  • “Signature” and “You Don’t Know” by The Chinkees
  • “Riptide 28” and “Sultan’s Cross” by Let’s Go Bowling
  • “David Duke Is Running For President,” “Pabu Boy,” “Onyonghasayo,” and “Thick Ass Stout” by Skankin’ Pickle
  • “Mutually Parasitic,” “Achilles’ Dub,” and “Stash” by Slow Gherkin
• Photos of Mike Park courtesy of Mike Park
• Photo of Jer Hunter courtesy of Rae Mystic
• Photo of band huddle at Ska Dream Nights by listener Frank Chan
• Self Evident theme music by Dorian Love
• Our Executive Producer is Ken Ikeda

About

Self Evident is a Studio To Be production. Our show is made with support from PRX and the Google Podcasts creator program — and our listener community.