Patrick Stump is used to playing for huge crowds. His band Fall Out Boy plays massive venues. But when he was younger, he was quite shy. So in order to go see Reel Big Fish, a band he loved dearly, he had to work through his social anxiety. Once there, he found an unassuming spot in the back of the venue and danced to his favorite genre of music: ska. 

During the 90s, Patrick loved ska quite a bit. As a drummer, it was his go-to style to play. And though he didn’t go to a lot of shows, when he did, it was usually to see a ska band play. It was his introduction to the wide world of music. Years later, his own music would get associated with mid-2000s emo, but he got there through ska. Some of the bands that took him there were of the more obscure variety. Animal Chin, for instance, was formative for him to not only expand his musical tastes but also teach him how to be a singer. When Fall Out Boy tours, he will occasionally soundcheck with Animal Chin songs. 

In this episode, we hear Patrick’s untold story about his love for ska. Surprisingly, it’s not been talked about before. Ska was such a significant part of his formative years, both related to his development as a person, and his development as a musician, it’s actually a very important part of his story. We talk about which ska bands got him into the genre, how often he listened to Chuck Wren’s radio show, and what he thinks about Misfits of Ska 2. We also find out that Patrick has a folder of ska tunes he recorded on his computer. But will he ever release them? 

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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