Checkered Past is crossing the pond once again to get in touch with our Wildstyle! Rob, Celine and Joey welcome Barney Boom of the one and only Sonic Boom Six to dissect King Prawn! First, Barney discusses his checkered past, the origin of the band and the uniqueness of the London Ska scene. Then, the foursome dig in on King Prawn from their anarch…

The ungrateful citizens of Smallville take to kicking Superboy when he's down, and that's just the start of his troubles! What if Lana discovers his closet full of toothless robots? It's Superboy #135!Door Bobb Robinson

It's going to get VERY Boston on this week's CPSC! The crew heads back to the dark ages to shallow dive the ska-influenced tracks of street punkers, The Have Nots! First, Joey picks it up with his recent spat of Faux Doubt shows, then him and Rob dig in on The Have Nots from their not-quite-rancid ska debut to their minor scene hit to their angry-S…

Back for his annual appearance on Checkered Past is the Hyperska Superstar, Eichlers! To kick the episode off he catches Rob and Joey up on his new album Ike World, his various other projects and his new, shocking, musical obsession. Then, the trio dig in on the Ska discography of Mest from their Ska-punk indie days to their pogo punk breakout to t…

Checkered Rob's Birthday comes but once a year, and always a round the spookiest season. Engineer Joey has decided HE will make the games and is ready to surprise Rob and Celine for a special games-only episode... but both are missing! Enter Jigska and his nemesis The Skabadook who have their own torturous plans but were thwarted by another new Ska…

Think you know the real story of Plastic Man? Well, you don't! (Not to worry, no one else does either.) It's Plastic Man #2!Door Bobb Robinson

It's another Ska Pod crossover! CP/SC welcomes on In Defense of Ska book author and podcast host, Aaron Carnes to discuss Mike Park's The Chinkees. First, Rob and Joey did a brief pick it up before talking to Aaron about his Checkered Past, the new edition of his novel and the early days of his podcast. Then the trio dig in on The Chinkees from the…

Look out, Sea Devils! It's a wolf in...err, well in wolf's clothing. Literally. It's the Sea Devils vs. the Sea Wolf in Sea Devils #33!Door Bobb Robinson

Time for a companion piece to CP/SCs Blue Meanies episode... a primer on the Ska scene in the American Midwest from 1990-2010! First, Celine regales Rob and Joey with her trip to Italy before the trio run through 15 tracks of the weird, the trad and the punk. Rob builds the playlist focusing on the scenes in Chicago, Detroit and Chuck Wren's Jump U…

Robby dials H for "hoo-boy" when he goes up against Dr. Cyclops! PLUS Martian Manhunter takes a hand in his own doom! It's House of Mystery #164!Door Bobb Robinson

Checkered Past heads to Illinois to talk about the TV Smashers themselves: Blue Meanies! For the discussion they bring along return guests Aaron, Eric and Justin of Western Mass genre band: PWRUP! They talk about local shows in Edmonton, Eric's Checkered Past and the angular Chicago music scene before diving into the meanies from their stoner, jam …

Renfrew’s got a rock band! Jerry’s got a girlfriend! And me and Dr. Husband have more tangents than a 1997 DC Comics publishing event! PLUS the triumphant return of Public Service Announcement Theatre! It's The Adventures of Jerry Lewis #98!Door Bobb Robinson

It's time to take a breather from the Heptember bracket to dig in on another dark ages Ska cult classic, Zox! Rob and Engineer Joey do a quick pick it up before digging in on Zox's 00's discography from their ska heavy first album to their Side One Dummy sleeper hit to their indie rock inspired final album. Oh and they have a violin! Hosts: Rob and…

Come with us to swingin' London-town for a mixed-up melee with the Mad Mod! It's Teen Titans #7!Door Bobb Robinson

The quest to determine the greatest Reel Big Fish cover song finishes with return guest and podcaster extraordinaire, Jordan Morris! The CP/SC crew kicks off with a quick pick it up before chatting with Jordan on his new graphic novel Youth Group, Christian Ska and 90s YA Horror Comedies. Then, Rob, Celine, Joey and Jordan all dig in on both the Se…

Not just ANY 80-Page Giant, this is the GOAT 80-Page Giant. A perfect silver age comic! It's Superman #193!Door Bobb Robinson

The quest to determine the greatest Reel Big Fish cover song continues with first timers, Bad Mary! The CP/SC crew kicks off with a quick pick it up before chatting with Bad Mary on the formation of their band and their new EP Better(er) Days. Then, Rob, Celine, Joey, Amanda and Mike all dig in on the next 4 matchups of songs whittling down to the …

The quest to determine the greatest Reel Big Fish cover song continues with fan favorite guest, Devon Kay! The CP/SC crew kicks off with a quick pick it up before finding out what's new in the world of Devon Kay and is Ska-djacent project The Solutions. Then, Rob, Celine, Joey and Devon all dig in on the next 8 matchups of songs whittling down to t…

The Justice League teams up to help the Blackhawks, distinguished war veterans and members of the greatest generation, transition their skills and fighting techniques into the swingin' sixties! Oh, no, wait.....sorry, I had that wrong. They actually gang up to bully the old fellas out of the game entirely! It's the start of the fabled NEW Blackhawk…

It's the continuation of the annual Heptember bracket! This year, CP/SC is on the hunt to determine the greatest Reel Big Fish cover of all time, pitting 32 songs in mortal combat. In Part 2 of Round 1, it's just the Checkered Past Crew as they run through the final 2/3 of the bracket, eliminating tracks as they go. They go on Vibrato Watch, discus…

Capt. Hunter finds his brother at last! Oh wait, no, that's Lu Lin's brothjer, and he's a dirty traitor to all that's decent! PLUS Capt. Storm dabbles in necromancy! It's Capt. Storm #17 and Our Fighting Forces #105!Door Bobb Robinson

It's the debut of the annual Heptember bracket! This year, CP/SC is on the hunt to determine the greatest Reel Big Fish cover of all time, pitting 32 songs in mortal combat. In Part 1 of Round 1, it's just the Checkered Past Crew as they run through 1/3 of the bracket, eliminating tracks as they go. They also discuss the Heptember Miracle, lay the …

Wonder Woman's Magic Lasso get's a whole issue to itself! What happens when Wonder Woman gets bound by her own magic rope? NOTHING GOOD, FRIEND. And speaking of nothing good, STEVE TREVOR is involved. PLUS the return of Irene Vartanoff and Time Machine Mailbag! It's Wonder Woman #167!Door Bobb Robinson

If you're still walking on sunshine then this episode is for you! Rob and Engineer Joey sit down to do a full blind listen of the first two albums by modern metallers Ice Nine Kills! Both have only heard the Reel Big Fish song and are going in completely unaware as they listen to the entire Pop-Punk-Ska years compilation and INK's official debut, L…

Tomahawk’s out! The Rangers get a new commanding officer just in time to make a daring raid on a British POW camp. Oh and they fight a sea monster! It's Tomahawk #108!Door Bobb Robinson

Hot off their Top 10 episode of 2023, Joystick returns to continue chatting about the one and only Voodoo Glow Skulls! From the airport on their way to a tour of the UK, Bex and Duck share their thoughts on the crowdstrike crash, mall shopping and bad tattoos before diving into VGS for a second time. They discuss the bands next era from their funk …

In what turns out to be a REALLY bad stroke of luck, Superman loses his powers and then forgets that he was ever Superman! Luckily plain old Clark Kent is up to the task of wearing down a mournful Lois until she consents to marry him. And that's just the tip of the iceberg! It's Superman 192 and 194, and don't panic, it's an imaginary story (BUT AR…

Heptember is BACK for 2024! Rob, Celine and Joey sit down to prepare for another month long bracket to determine the best song by a band! In the pre-show they go through this year's band's side projects, other bands and the songs that didn't make the cut to mentally prepare themselves for the upcoming challenge. Which band will it be? Which guests …

Aquaman aka Agent Double-0 7 Seas (get it?) battles O.G.R.E. for the collective lives of the United Nations, while Sugar and Spike battle capitalism to save Christmas! (Not sure which is more important tbh). It's Aquaman #31 and Sugar & Spike #68!Door Bobb Robinson

Don't be scared by the title! In light of the controversies surrounding Bosstones singer Dicky, Rob makes an impassioned plea to reconsider the scene contributions of the bands legacy. First, Rob and Engineer Joey pick it up with a conversation about he carnival and IMAX movies before doing a shallow dive on the Coles Notes history of MMB from thei…

It's a very special episode of Checkered Past! On this episode we invite in the man who was the first ever to wear the famed Banana Suit and dance at Ska shows: The Real Banana Man H! He walks through the early days of the scene, his business making banana juice cleanses for celebrities and his tragic relationship with Jackfruit. Then, he brings wi…

Sgt Rock - jilted! If only he could've gotten some love advice from Scooter and his juvenile delinquent friends! PLUS love advice for the mod girl! It's Swing with Scooter #4 and Our Army at War #175!Door Bobb Robinson

What is Post-Third Wave you ask? Why it's a subgenre coined by Checkered Rob of course! It's a regional Ska-Punk boom that existed between 1999 and 2005 after the death of mainstream Ska and before the advent of the true Dark Ages. It consisted of bands that were in high school or college, made rough studio recordings and were highly influenced by …

Hey remember that three weeks in the 1990s when Magic Eye Pictures were all the rage? Well Spellbinder is here to remind you, and hypnotize Batman in the process! And if THAT wasn't enough art to satisfy you, Sue Dibny's got a big exhibition that's right up your alley! It's Detective Comics #358!Door Bobb Robinson

Hey elitists from the internet! Checkered Past is finally tackling one of the most requested subject bands: Big D and the Kids Table! To help with the discussion, Rob, Celine and Joey welcome Saxton of Prog Ska Midwesterners, Runaway Ricochet! They dig into Saxtons history with Ska, the evolution leading to their new record Diminishing Returns and …

This week's HOA drama pales in comparison to Superman's troubled nightmares, all tying in to a mystery which we, the reader, are expected to solve despite being given none of the clues. That won't stop the author from gaslighting us, though! PLUS: Dr. Bobb dives into his origin story! And...President SUPERGIRL?!? It's all right here in Action Comic…

Take a deep breath, cause we are heading to the Mile High City to drink, fight and play the bagpipes! That's right CP/SC is talking about Dark Ages Ska-Punksters, The Potato Pirates! Rob and Engineer Joey kick off the episode with a rare sports talk and the hockey atmosphere of Edmonton. Then, they dig in on the Potato Pirates' ska discography from…

It's our 250th Episode! That means a new theme song, more boring stories of our week, dog interruptions - oh yes and the death of a Legionnaire! Join us for Adventure Comics #s 352 and 353 and the death of [name redacted] !Door Bobb Robinson

It's the third part of a three part series detailing Checkered Past's trip to SPI Fest 2024! On the third episode, it's a return of the fan favorite back alley interviews from SPI Fest 2023. This year the featured interviews include The Marijuana Brass, Bad Mary, The Ska Mailman, PWRUP and The Best of the Worst plus some very special drop in guests…

Superman and Batman are kidnapped to another dimension and forced to battle to the death for the entertaiment of the masses! And poor Lois stuck on earth trying despertely to cover up for Superman's sins. It's World's Finest and Lois Lane, right here and right now!Door Bobb Robinson

It's the second part of a three part series detailing Checkered Past's trip to SPI Fest 2024! On the second episode we play our Day 2 Live performance featuring The Ska Mailman and Mega Infinity along with a Getting Witchy with Michi, games and some audience questions! Then we move to the studio where Rob and Engineer Joey discuss the second day of…

We're back from vacation and ready to go-go! But first we have to deal with this Lord of Time nonsense. First order of business, find him a sensible yet attractive helmet! It's Jutice League of America #50, right here, right now!Door Bobb Robinson

It's the first part of a three part series detailing Checkered Past's trip to SPI Fest 2024! On the first episode we play our Day 1 Live performance featuring The Skabadook and Common Sense Kid along with banter, games and some audience questions! Then we move to the studio where Rob and Engineer Joey discuss the lead up to the festival, the trip f…

Things are about to get irie as CP/SC tackles the low energy vibes of Reggae Rock! Rob and Joey do a quick pick it up on bicycles before going through the mainstream rock meets reggae scene from its creation in the early 80s to the wide spanning influence of Sublime to its surprisingly vast fanbase in the modern era. All the way they play a game to…

It's the leather year of Checkered Past: The Ska'd Cast! For this very special episode, Celine, Rob and Joey welcomes long time guest Kayleigh of KMoy and first timer Javi of The Marijuana Brass for a long form interview. They cover a range of topics such as the state of New Tone, their individual journeys in a DIY scene and the culmination of hard…

We're on vacation, what a perfect opportunity to check out the premiere episode of our sister podcast Nerd Orchestra! Uncle Chuck reviews the very best soundtracks from the very best nerd genre movies with a little help from us! Like, subscribe and review on your favorite platform! In our debut episode, we have a listen to the magnificent John Will…

Things are about to get hyper as CP/SC tackles the high energy mania of Japanese Ska Punk! Rob and Engineer Joey do a pick it up about pinball before diving into the world of J-Ska from the mid-90's to the modern day. They go through its Third Wave influenced beginnings to its proliferation on MySpace to its penetration into the Japanese mainstream…

Whirly-Bats! Medieval torture devices! Scientific gobbledegook! Gay Batman and hipster Green Lantern! What more could you ask for? It's The Brave and the Bold #69!!!Door Bobb Robinson

CP/SC concludes its thrilling Ska-ified Dungeons and Dragons real play with this the final episode! Large-oh Hotstepper, Xena Stefani and Whydthey Clocksard face their final challenges to save their idol from the clutches of a devious fiend. A Battle of the Bands! A Final Boss! Bathrooms! It's truly a finale to remember! Go back and listen to episo…

Flash has an uncontrollable urge to do something he should have done WAY before he walked down the aisle...and a bum ankle to boot! Plus Dr. Bobb's wilderness nightmare, the Silurian hypothesis, and more! It's Flash #166!Door Bobb Robinson