By FLANNERY CASHILL
Punk rock has a few recurring characters. Nearly every ‘80s band riffed on Reagan, nearly every band now rips on Bush. The Misfits made motifs of JFK and Jackie O, Millions of Dead Cops roasted John Wayne, and I wouldn’t know who Sacco and Vanzetti were if it weren’t for Against All Authority. But I’m tired of political name drops, and partial to more creative tributes, like this track from local late '90s punks the Basement Disasters. Somehow their homage to Gilligan of TV’s Gilligan’s Island transcends kitsch, and the blistering chorus “I! Am! Gilligan!” is sung with such fury that you can almost taste the spittle. I take dumb punk very seriously, which is why I'm awed by lyrics like I wear a white hat/I wear a red shirt/ They think I'm stupid/ One day I'll kill them. Members of the now defunct Basement Disasters went on to other bands including the Black Tarantulas and Ad Astra Per Aspera. Enjoy this now, before the last remaining cassette tape melts on someone's dashboard.
MP3: The Basement Disasters, ""
Have old and esoteric MP3s from Kansas City past? Send them my way.
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