Under
different circumstances, our own Al
Daniel would be filling this space and time of week with the latest Wallaby
Wednesday Rocko’s Modern Life column.
But given the reality, we shall instead channel Filburt in his eulogy for his
beloved bird.
Along
the Boards/Pucks and Recreation franchise, bless you. Like the turtle said
about Turdy, “even though you were with us for a brief time, you still had
plenty of time to spread happiness.”
Yes,
it is time to suspend operations on this hockey-turned-hockey-and-culture
publication. And granted, Pucks and Rec is not entering its deep freeze in the
sexiest of shapes. With that said, we still have the people, the prose and the
memories they generated under both of this franchise’s banners since Jesse Connolly assembled the first ATB
staff in the spring of 2014.
While
we cannot sustain our original WordPress platform, this site will continue to
function as an ATB/P&R vault. We will archive the text and images from
selected articles from our first full season of hockey reportage to our most
recent projects. With an emphasis on human-interest features centering on
hockey players and coaches, we remember what worked best for the brand in both
eras.
Whether
any of their work is currently on display here (more could still be to come),
and regardless of whether they have stuck in the business, our storytelling highlights
came from a solid gathering of more-than-recreational hobbyists and
up-and-coming aspirants. More than a handful have represented this franchise’s
alumni with established sports media outlets or in other communications
sectors.
Maple
Leafs and IIHF guru TylerWoudstraoverlapped his ATB tenure with
a transition to TSN. (And shortly after our relaunch, we connected with Canada’s
oldest national sports network again, with the inimitable Bob McKenzie as one of our Meet the Press subjects.)
MaryClarke, an ATB Metro Division editor
and Flyers correspondent, went on to SB Nation and The Athletic Philadelphia. AlexanderAppleyard joined Clarke in that revolutionary publication’s Flyers pages shortly after helping us break in our new brand with his Across the Pond
reports.
CatSilverman, one of our NHL Central
Division editors at ATB, has been with InGoal Magazine since December 2015. She
has also sent her ink to The Athletic, primarily as a Coyotes correspondent.
Minnesota’s
RyanLund and Boston’s ArielleAronson, who covered their
respective regions in ATB’s college section, have each graced Fox Sports with
their byline. Lund, who came here by way of the SanFranciscoChronicle and Northwestern University’s
Medill School of Journalism, is still with the network’s Minnesota and
Wisconsin affiliates.
Aronson had also seen action in the Boston Globe
and the New York Times before lending
her knowhow to ATB. She has long since started channeling her talents in other
departments, as have others during and after their tenures with this franchise.
When
we broke away from the sports media pack and aimed to make “hockey and pop
culture collide” in 2016, we were partly victims of our own success. Some of
our best talent in writing, photography and editing alike went to the next
level faster than we could replace it.
While
a quorum remained to keep our content stream flowing consistently, we had fun
with group projects like the 25 Duck Days series in the fall of 2017. That
certainly lived up to our social media cover photo and epitomized the tagline
and mission of our 2016 relaunch. It allowed us to seize some fun Mighty
Ducks-related stories from athletes, entertainers and sportscasters alike. We
even caught the attention of bilingual audiences.
Of
course, none of this would have been possible without the creative thinking and
evolving visions of our founder, Connolly. Special thanks to him for giving
Along the Boards and Pucks and Recreation life, leadership and direction.
Thank
you to all those who loaned us their talent for anywhere from 500 words to five
years. We wish everyone continued and amplified success, regardless of where
you go and what you do with your skills.
Thank
you to the athletes, celebrities, coaches, broadcasters, executives and
celebrities who loaned us a little of their time for our on-site game coverage
as ATB and for our feature projects in both eras. Thank you to all of their
respective publicists/SIDs/media-relations coordinators for granting us access.
And
thank you, most of all, to our readers for your support. Whether you are
strictly a hockey enthusiast, have a penchant for pop culture or a mix of both
and beyond, we hope you will continue to follow our alumni as they take their
bylines elsewhere.
No
matter where they go, what they write about or who they write for, they shall
forever represent their roots in ATB/P&R.
Three
years after it started going national with standalone networks in every major
market, Fox Sports all but consummated its rise to challenge ESPN by taking
over Jock Jams.
Then-Fox
Sports Net anchor Van Earl Wright virtually emceed Jock Jams, Volume 5, the last installment of an eight-album series
in the 1990s. Much like household names from SportsCenter on some prior installments, he kicked it off with one
of his catchphrases, then returned for a midway interstitial and the closing
track.
But
after he said “Let’s hit the showers,” no one representing the Jock series would return to don the
uniform again. That is unless you count 2001’s All Star Jock Jams, which was tantamount to an alumni scrimmage
with its overload of repeat tracks.
Naturally,
the Fox Sports brand has sustained stability and respectability in terms of
sports coverage. Some of its regional affiliates have kept the FSN acronym,
which has also inflated to a national network (FS1) covering Major League
Baseball, college football and college basketball.
But
in terms of athletic music compilations, the new brand on the block had the
dubious honor of taking the table scraps. Together with the ’90s, the act of
capitalizing on the canned-music crazed was fizzling.
Sure,
the practice was permanent in professional, collegiate and some high-end
amateur venues. But it was ceasing to be a commercial boon. Afterward, most
songs heard at games could just as easily be found on mainstream CDs.
To
that point, several of the selections for Jock
Jams, Volume 5 stayed obscure even among sports-music junkies. Six of the
15 musical tracks were energized remixes of Billboard fodder, yet most of them
still did not make the collective cut in athletic arenas.
Released
three months and a week ahead of Y2K, JJV5
awkwardly ushered out an era, with only a few songs leaping into the new
century. And even those have proved polarizing among unintended listeners.
Others, including the first on the track listing, simply dropped and
disappeared in an unprecedented crowd of rallying beats.
“Reach Up”
Lyrically
speaking, there is not much to this song, which makes it a prototypical kind of
Jock Jam. Other than the Perfecto All-Stars repeating the title and Wright
cutting back in with “Can you feel it?” it cedes everything to a rhythm that
flows naturally with a game-starting vibe.
Whether
the song’s placement on the album clouded the public’s perception of its innate
specialty is unclear. But besides introductions or opening plays, this also
provided a quick in-game pick-me-up in many venues in the early 2000s.
And
with the sparing, straightforward vocals, it nearly rivaled the chorus of
Jennifer Lopez’s “Let’s Get Loud” during that era. Although the latter would
come to overshadow it, as would Danzel’s “Put Your Hands Up in the Air!”
mid-decade.
“We Like to Party”
“Six
Flags! More flags, more fun!”
That
mind-searing ad campaign came five years after JJV5. More than a decade later, the Colorado Rockies were keeping
“We Like to Party” afloat as their run-scoring song. Meanwhile, the Tri-City American major-junior hockey team has used it as their goal song.
Elsewhere,
the full song, complete with Vengaboys vocals, can still be heard after a
victory or as a re-energizer prior to the next period, quarter, inning or half.
But that practice is relatively sparse across the sports universe.
“Ray of Light”
Within
the 18 months between this song’s release on an eponymous Madonna album and its
inclusion on Jock Jams, the New
Jersey Devils were playing it during stoppages of play. There is proof of that in
the first five seconds of this highlight reel from the 1999 playoffs.
But
overall, this did not have the same broad outreach or long-term adhesive as its
preceding track.
“Miami”
The
multi-talented Will Smith came back one volume after “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It”
appeared on ESPN’s last Jock Jams album.
But apart from fan-produced YouTube music videos on a given team with the Miami
dateline, this is short on a sports-related legacy.
Perhaps
that owes to Smith’s association with his hometown Philadelphia 76ers. He may
declare the Florida metropolis “my second home” in the song, but no one has
given much call for the homage at games.
“Turn It Up/Fire
It Up”
The
first remix on this compilation has surprisingly failed to gain playlist
prominence at any point. One would think the call-and-response chorus would make
it coveted crowd-participation fodder.
All
it would take is to play Busta Rhymes’ request, “Let me hear you say fire it
up!” then let the audience oblige. If necessary, one could flash the three-word
phrase on the videoboard. For a half-minute stoppage of play, a subsequent loop
of Rhymes commanding, “Say fire it up!” followed by a pause for the crowd would
match quantity with quality.
If
at least one or two relatively high-profile teams had taken that up, it could
have established itself as one of their everlasting in-game customs. It could
have been another “Jump Around.” But for whatever reason, it is not.
“I’m Gonna Get
You”
Of
its 10 selections for the best Jock Jams
songs, Complex chose two samples from Volume
5. The publication described the 1992 title track from a Bizarre Inc. album
as “a perfect fit for this series.”
The
same publication’s assessment, however, concedes that the tune “might be a bit
too vocal-drenched for some of you.” It is hard to say whether that kept it
from seeing as much sound-system action as the best-played of its peers. The
opening portion was at least groovy and instrumental enough to fill short
breaks in the action.
“Nice and Slow”
This
remix of an Usher song hardly lives up to its title. That is good for
sporting-event purposes, but it would not make the rapper a can’t-miss presence
on the PA system. For that milestone, he would have to wait another five years,
when “Yeah!” was an instant all-round hit.
“Woof Woof”
When
breaking down every Jock Jams track,
Aaron Gordon of Vice Sports had an interesting take. “This is either a poor
man’s ‘Whoomp! There It Is’ or a rich man’s ‘Who Let the Dogs Out?’” he wrote.
As
it happened, “Woof Woof” marked a belated return by 69 Boyz, who previously
sent “Tootsee Roll” to Volume 1. That
came two slots after “Whoomp! There It Is” on the compilation’s track order.
Meanwhile,
the comparison to the Baha Men’s breakout tune surely stems from the dog
references and sounds. Perhaps the fact that JJV5 came one year before “Who Let the Dogs Out” dooms “Woof
Woof”’s hopes of becoming a sound-system staple. It was overshadowed by a
polarizing mainstream pop hit that spent much of 2000-01 in prominence before
crashing the All Star Jock Jams.
“Nobody’s Supposed
to be Here”
Deborah
Cox leads off Side 2 of this compilation’s cassette with the revamped mix of
her September 1998 single. But beyond that inclusion and her later live performance of “O Canada” at the 2008 NBA All-Star Game, the Toronto native has
not been quite synonymous with sports.
“Feel It”
In
advertising and short-order canned-music play alike, the bell-ringing hook is
the crux of this dance jam. As such, it is no surprise that
sportsannouncing.com endorses it for general rally or pump-up songs.
In
other momentary flares, this Tamperer/Maya tune rang its familiar bell after a
few goals at the 2001 NHL All-Star Game. Other than that, it has not been at
the forefront of any stadium playlists, but the collaborating artists still
felt compelled to reunite and redo it in 2009.
“Too Close”
Even
as a remix, this version of “Too Close” was too slow to sound right in a sports
setting. Much like with “Set It Off” or “No Diggity” on some of the ESPN Jock Jams albums, coming across this
track while playing this album makes an in-game music junkie want to shout
“Next!” but not as an enthusiastic acknowledgment of the group behind the tune.
Elsewhere,
Crespo’s music has made its way into Hispanophone soccer culture. But despite
the energetic opening riff to the remix on Jock
Jams, “Suavemente” did not catch on among major North American arena DJs.
It
could have been a gimme at major- and minor-league ballparks alike, and would
have even sounded right during a random stoppage of play at a hockey game.
Unfortunately, that potential has not materialized.
“Burnin’ Up”
How
do untrained ears listen to this and not immediately think of Marky Mark and the
Funky Bunch? Just like “Good Vibration” earlier in the decade, this song
samples the “Sweet sensations!” cry by the late Loleatta Holloway.
Somehow
or other, “Good Vibration” never made the Jock
series, even though it would have been a perfect fit. Nonetheless, much like
“Woof Woof” soon had with “Who Let the Dogs Out,” “Burnin’ Up” was implicitly
overshadowed by a similar sounding mainstream tune.
As
such, it could not catch on at the arena. It did, however, land on the
aforementioned Complex’s top 10 in 2013. Although the site supposes the song
also suffered one of the same detriments as numerous later Jock Jams contemporaries, reflecting, “it was primed for the
pre-millenium house party that was imminent before the Y2K bug destroyed
everything.”
“All I Have To
Give”
Granted,
the last of the Jock Jams remixes did
lend a little oomph into this Backstreet Boys song. By all accounts, however,
that was not nearly enough.
Through
its inclusion, the boy band was the last of the repeat artists in the series.
And as is common among that group, their later contributions garnered less
traction in the stadium DJs’ cues.
“Got to Be Real”
At
21 years of age when it hit this compilation, this was Volume 5’s only non-’90s song. To this day, it injects Cheryl
Lynn’s voice into the occasional sampling track, movie or TV episode.
But
the return to token disco-era tunes in the Jock
Jams series did not prompt much PA-system play. This author recalls exactly
one instance of “Got to Be Real” at a sporting event — between innings at an
MLB game late in the 2001 season.
Carlos
Alazraqui has at least twice — in separate years and on separate coasts —
affirmed his fondness for his breakout character’s statement, “I love you, Mr.
Onion Head.”
He
said as much in 2015 during a Rocko’s
Modern Life panel at Florida Supercon. Two summers later, he restated it as
“my favorite line” in an interview with AfterBuzz TV’s Keetin Marchi at the San
Diego Supercon, where the trailer for the long-time-coming Static Cling premiered.
While
Alazraqui did not elaborate on why that quote stands out, Mr. Onion Head is
inarguably one of the more memorable bada-bing-bada-boom Rocko characters. From his startling emergence out of nowhere to
his unfortunate demise via Heffer’s jaw, his lone appearance lasts 67 seconds.
Yet he is integral to the prolonged drama in “Junk Junkies” and speaks
sagaciously and substantively on sentimental value.
Himself
an Alazraqui character — the actor said at Florida Supercon he perfomed him as
a Nick Nolte impression — Mr. Onion Head packs ample resonance in a constrained
container. Some of the flashbacks he evokes have regained their relevance in
the countdown to Static Cling’s
release this August.
As
the Netflix teaser lets on, Rocko “just wanted my show back!” upon belatedly
entering 21st-century O-Town. The unspecified ’90s series reportedly takes a
broader effect when Rocko merely sought a piece of a purer, simpler era.
In
that sense, it plays the role his pogo stick had 25 years earlier. Despite what
the dealer he sells it to in “Junk Junkies” says, the object and the memories matter. This becomes clear
when Mr. Onion Head steps in to tell a slew of those memories in more detail.
As
the speech and the clips demonstrate, Rocko and the pogo stick “were pretty
much inseparable” during his Australian upbringing. When he was still in his
not-a-care-in-the-world years, it helps him maximize his energy expenditure and
miles in the spacious Outback. It later helps him elude danger, then smoothly
introduces him to puberty and his “first girl.”
Given
that Rocko’s first crush is a fellow wallaby with a pogo stick of her own, that
last point suggests the value of such sticks to the species. Being smaller than
lookalike kangaroos, they cover less ground when they leap.
Being
even smaller than their parents, wallaby children feel more empowered with a
toy conducive to higher, longer jumping. You might say it is to them what
Reebok would say its Trackstar was for human kids.
All
of this comes back to Rocko with Mr. Onion Head’s help after his pogo stick
gets him to his garage-sale goal. In this sense, it gets him out of trouble one
more time.
Previously,
while still hesitant, he admits “I guess I could” sell it while glancing at
threatening reminders of his pizza debt. Once that is ostensibly out of the
way, however, his conscience is clearer. Considering Onion Head’s lack of
sentience in Heffer’s presence, his crucial cameo brings a Calvin and Hobbes dynamic to Rocko.
Only
the toy’s owner can see him move or hear him talk, and can only do so when they
are alone. Moreover, the toy is there to make its owner reconsider an ill-advised
decision. Countless readers of Bill Watterson’s magnum opus hold that the
stuffed tiger stands for the boy’s conscience. Being Rocko’s favorite indoor
toy from childhood, Mr. Onion Head is perfect for the same role.
How
perfect? He inspires Rocko to re-purchase his pogo stick before Heffer’s disfigured G.I. Jimbo sells for the squandered $500. He is a key cog on a team
of toys practically looking out for each other, their owners and their owners’
friends.
But
while his speech brings a slice of childhood innocence back home, he himself is
prone to real-world influence.
Remarkably,
at least in terms of release dates, the Rocko
masterminds beat Pixar to the screen with selectively anthropomorphic toys. Mr.
Onion Head’s real-life inspiration, Mr. Potato Head, debuted in the movies
almost two years later via Toy Story.
And that was the mere beginning of his fame beyond public shelves and private
playrooms.
Odds
are Rocko’s Mr. Onion Head is one of millions of copies worldwide. If the
Nolte-esque speaker epitomizes the character, then he has “Chokey/Chewy Chicken
onion ring spokesman” written all over him. It would be no different than the
way Mr. Potato Head started hawking Burger King French fries circa 1997-98. (That gig virtually led to a Lay’s potato chip endorsements.)
Too
bad Heffer could not distinguish edible onions from toys. Now all Rocko has of
his Mr. Onion Head are the memories. Even if, say, one of Filburt’s children or
the boy who got Rocko’s foul ball volunteered to replace him with a Chokey/Chewy
Chicken kids meal prize, it would not be the same, especially due to postmodern
corporate tie-ins.
But
as long as Rocko hangs on to his pogo stick, Mr. Onion Head’s sacrifice will
not be for naught any more than G.I. Jimbo’s.
Jock Rock 2000 was Jock Rock in name only. Its track
listing hardly resembled those of its predecessors from five and four years
prior.
It
also was not quite Jock Jams. If
anything, it furthered the ESPN Jock
series’ transition into more mainstream pop content. Instead of manufacturing
the bulk of its songs’ popularity, it would relax and run household-name tunes
that, in the ears of the powers-that-be, suited a sports setting.
To
that point, by the time it hit the shelves in June 1999, two of Jock Rock 2000’s tracks had already
appeared on the first installment of Now
That’s What I Call Music! the previous fall. Six months later, a third one
appeared on Now 3. The not-so-niche
Barenaked Ladies and Puff Daddy and the seemingly ageless Elvis Costello are
there as well.
With
that said, in terms of lasting resonance in the public-address pipeline, Jock Rock 2000 is hit-and-miss. Some of
its 15 songs have fostered a legacy of obscurity from the start. But five of
them are on a list of 100-plus in-game staples collected by Game Ops Commander
based on input from “industry professionals from the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and
major colleges all across North America.”
Two
of those Game Ops selections bookend the compilation’s lineup of full-length
musical tracks, which we now review as follows.
“Firestarter”
Prodigy,
whose lead singer Keith Flint died far too soon in March, firmly wedged its
work into the sporting conscience with this turn-of-the-century tune-up tune.
Together with the album’s “Let’s Get It On” directive by boxing referee Mills
Lane, it is like a latter-day Michael Buffer/2 Unlimited collaboration. Not a
bad touch for ESPN to open its fifth and final modern-heavy Jock album.
Peak
of the pregame or otherwise, “Firestarter” still logs respectable action across
the continent’s playlists. In many cases, though, it is strictly an
instrumental edit.
“It’s All About
the Benjamins”
The
title expression comes up in sports-business chat, but the song itself has
never been widespread at the games. One’s best bet of hearing Puff Daddy and
the late Notorious B.I.G. over a PA system is via Jock Jams, Volume 4’s “Mo Money Mo Problems.”
“Flagpole Sitta”
Harvey
Danger famously had misgivings about letting its work appear on a prominent
compilation. The Ringer touched on this as it related to Now That’s What I Call Music last fall during the album’s 20th
anniversary.
“Flagpole
Sitta” found its way there anyway, and whether the group had the same qualms
about Jock Rock 2000, it got there
too. Today it resonates as a well-liked ’90s song in general, but not so much
in sports settings. It comes up now and then, like at Chicago Blackhawks or Los Angeles Kings games, but only sporadically.
“Semi-Charmed
Life”
A
full decade and more after Third-Eye Blind peaked with this song, it was still
playing in its entirety during intermissions at amateur hockey games. So
there’s that.
“One Week”
The
Barenaked Ladies in general have established themselves as contributors to
athletic playlists. With its last of hesitation to dive into the fast-paced
lyrics, “One Week” has proved especially hard to shake off. It can and will
still hit without warning at abrupt, random stoppages of play.
Not
a bad way for a 20-year-old former Billboard
chart-topper to keep a measure of mojo after all this time.
“Ready to Go (Rock
Version)”
The
main instruments, the rhythm and the omission of the second bridge are the two
chief distinctions between this spin on the Republica song and the original
from Jock Jams, Volume 3.
Either
one fulfills its purpose as one of the pre-game show’s finishing touches. That
was true in the last quarter of the ’90s, and it is still the case today.
“Machinehead”
Evergreen
and versatile are the two operative terms here. When Billboard featured this among its top 100 sports songs in 2017, it
got Minnesota Twins and Timberwolves vice president of marketing and events Tim
Miller to vouch for it.
Miller
told the magazine, “If we only have 30 seconds to play something, we put LEDs
on the board and then I play 'Machinehead' by Bush. It’s a driving song that
says ‘Everybody make some noise,’ and everybody freaks out for 15 seconds, and
then the batter walks into the box. We try to time it out where we can get
enough people engaged, so a song like that is a classic.”
It
certainly works for those brief stoppages. As Billboard’s own staff assesses, it is also common “Before the puck
drops on the third period.” But in many places, it has also run in its entirety
during pre-game warmups deep into this decade.
“The Rockafeller
Skank”
Perhaps
its presence on Now! 3 contributed to
this song’s feel of a set-in-time 1998-99 hit. It had bountiful steam for those
years and the first few that followed, only to seem dated afterward.
But
while it may not be fodder for sports video-game soundtracks like it once was,
it still surfaces at real games. It is also one of Jock Rock 2000’s five songs on the aforementioned Game Ops
Commander list, even if it does not match the present-day force of the others.
“Oh Yeah, All
Right”
Local
H had already been together for a decade when it came out with this hit. Fresh
off their 1998 studio album, Pack Up the
Cats, it jumped to the Jock
series, but did not make many ripples.
It
is neither the most popular Local H song nor a well-remembered, let alone still
well-played track on the public-address circuit. One exception is the
Pittsburgh Pirates, who list it among their 28 run-scoring songs.
Then
again, that means there are 27 other songs reserved for that situation. Do the
math.
“Peppyrock”
The
New York Rangers, whose home arena was the epicenter of the Jock series, still occasionallycrank out this otherwise obscure BTK tune. Other than that, your best bet to hear it
is likely through a re-screening of 1998’s Never Been Kissed.
“Block Rockin
Beats”
The
L.A. Kings cued up this Chemical Brothers tune on January 10 and March 7 of
last season. Meanwhile, sportsannouncing.com expressly suggests it for
punctuating a block in a volleyball game.
“Zoot Suit Riot”
Like
Harvey Danger, the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies earned a spot on the first U.S. Now album with this song. Yet that
mainstream boost, combined with its Jock
Rock 2000 invitation, could not give it a prominent position on playlists
at professional games.
“Walk This Way”
The
original version of this Aerosmith song was a contemporary of Kiss’ “Rock and
Roll All Nite” and Low Rider’s “War,” two of Jock Rock, Volume 2’s “younger” tracks. Somehow or other, Aerosmith
missed out on the series’ classic-rock/oldies-heavy phase.
But
more than a decade after the original, the band enlisted Run-D.M.C. to
collaborate on a cover. Another 13 years passed, and the new “Walk This Way”
found its way to the contemporized Jock
Rock.
And
yet, to induce deeper head-scratching, the original Aerosmith-only cut of this
song seems to have garnered more sound-system action. From elite scholastics to
the higher-end pros, it typically pipes out while fans are still filing in and
players have yet to emerge for warm-ups.
“Can’t Wait One
Minute More”
It
is the penultimate track of the entire Jock
series, and a loop of its chorus would be perfect for the final minute of
action. Specifically, when the home team is harboring a lead and play stops
after the PA announcer makes the customary courtesy call.
Whether
the lead is substantial or small, logically safe or brittle, the home crowd is
at a point where they cannot wait to celebrate. Why this CIV song has never
gained traction, let alone through this perfect designation, is impossible to
justify.
“Pump It Up”
If
you regularly watched Hockey Night In
Canada in the wake of this compilation, you likely heard it in the
background during telecasts from Toronto. The Air Canada Centre made it a
staple in its rotation of random stoppage-of-play songs through at least the
final year before the 2004-05 NHL lockout.
That
should come as little surprise considering “Pump It Up”’ was on the 1997
Canadian compilation Contact 3! The Third Period. What is more impressive, though, is how the song was nearly two
decades old by then, is more than twice as old now and still going strong
compared to most of its Jock peers.
Unlike
the Run D.M.C. partial cover of “Walk This Way,” “Pump It Up” is a genuine
token throwback tune on Jock Rock 2000.
Yet for those who did not know better, it was as timeless as the career of its artist,
Elvis Costello.
More
importantly, it had (and still has) the right rhythm and oomph for the
canned-music pipeline. And it still makes it way to the occasionalNHLplaylist.
The
last track overall after this song has Lane telling an imaginary prizefight
loser, “Son, there’ll be other days.” Sounds like there have been plenty of
those for “Pump It Up” on the PA system.
You
cannot do the history of SpongeBob
SquarePants justice without acknowledging Rocko’s Modern Life. The former would never have happened without
the latter, and the key personnel overlap embodies the kinship of the two
Nicktoons.
There
is also barely a crossover between ’90s kids who grew up on Rocko and the Generation Zers who have
enjoyed SpongeBob’s cultural rise to Rugrats proportions and beyond. For
roughly a year, when the late Steve Hillenburg’s creation was finding its
groove, it shared the airwaves with his first animation endeavor on their
parent network.
Rocko’s removal from
the rerun mill in the summer of 2000 was as good as the official death of the
1990s. But by that point, SpongeBob
was raring for its encore campaign. While it premiered in the final year of the
old decade, it would inevitably have to be a “show of the future” if it yearned
for long-term traction.
Naturally,
it would need to be its own series, especially in order to become an adhesive
piece of the new millennium. But those who watched both show knew Rocko-influenced elements would help
Hillenburg’s creation gain that traction.
That
realization started dawning immediately in the summer of 1999, as SpongeBob’s run began in earnest 20
years ago today. After premiering its pilot as a Kids’ Choice Awards leadout 11
weeks prior, it became a Saturday staple in July.
This
meant more than the start of the next level in Tom Kenny’s (Heffer) profile as
he voiced the starring role. The first episode beyond the pilot also brought Mr.
Lawrence (Filburt) and Carlos Alazraqui (Rocko) onto SpongeBob’s all-time roster.
The
Internet Movie Database credits Lawrence as a customer in the “Bubblestand”
half of the July 17, 1999 episode. In the second segment, he announces the
surfing contest and voices the annoyed ice-cream salesman who fields multiple
pants-splitting jokes from SpongeBob.
Meanwhile,
IMDB bills Alazraqui as two types of fish and a “Loser” in the “Ripped Pants” segment.
As a tweet from Alazraqui on May 1 of this year indicates, that segment is
where one fish he voices first encourages SpongeBob’s antics.
Up
to that point in the burgeoning SpongeBob
chronicles, Kenny’s star character had been unequivocally exuberant, but only
in front of two or three people at a time. His onscreen audience is larger when
he accidentally tears his trunks and leaves the beach embarrassed before a
bystander notes his comedic potential. For the rest of that segment and many
more to come, SpongeBob is more outgoing and eager to amuse himself and others.
Intentionally
or not, the setting-off sequence mirrors Alazraqui pitching Kenny for a Rocko audition. The fish later identified
as Scooter catches SpongeBob’s knack for silliness the way Alazraqui unlocked Kenny’s
pathway to enlivening Heffer. In both cases, the speakers reverse the
recipients’ initial dearth of self-confidence.
As
Kenny told Parade’s Michele Wojciechowski in 2015, he was a “shy show-off” growing up. “I was always funny
to a select group of friends, but I wasn’t like the class clown with the
lampshade on my head.”
Landing
his first IMDB credit 10 years prior to SpongeBob,
Kenny subsisted largely on stand-up for the first quarter of the ’90s. But
while that earned him moments in the late-night sun on a laundry list of talk
shows, he finally stuck somewhere via Heffer on Rocko.
As
he told Wojciechowski, and has said elsewhere before and since, his connection
with Alazraqui on the Bay Area stand-up circuit bridged him there. At every
public opportunity, such as the 2012 cast reunion for a “Wacky Delly” live reading, Alazraqui jokes that Kenny owes him a sliver of his earnings.
But
perhaps Kenny and Hillenburg continuing their business relations with him is
sufficient. Apart from Winslow on CatDog
(1998-2005) and Mr. Crocker on The Fairly
OddParents (2001-2017), SpongeBob
has generated Alazraqui’s greatest volume of post-Rocko credits on Nickelodeon.
The
only way to perfect the reciprocation would have been to have Alazraqui voicing
SpongeBob’s best friend. That was not to be, but the two other since-ended
Nicktoons allowed him to establish his range.
Kenny
has done the same beyond Nickelodeon, particularly through a slew of Cartoon
Network programs. But with assists from Alazraqui, followed by Hillenburg, he
got what the former had first; namely the titular voice on a resonant Nicktoon.
Tangled up in
yellow
Kenny,
who Hillenburg had in mind for the role of SpongeBob when the series was still
a sketched-out concept, is the first to acknowledge the common threads between
his topmost Nickelodeon characters. Along with Dog on CatDog, Heffer and SpongeBob are endearingly energetic,
marble-missing, yellow-tinged man-children.
Last
Wednesday, Vanity Fairran a video interview on its YouTube channel, capturing Kenny’s reaction to fan impressions
of his characters. Going deep into his analysis, he singled out the latter two
on their generally limitless optimism.
“There’s
never any negatives with Heffer,” he told the magazine, “and SpongeBob’s kind of
like that too.”
As
it happened, Kenny’s colleagues on SpongeBob
gave him ample material early on to establish that continuity from Rocko’s deuteragonist to the new show’s
protagonist. While young viewers want to root for SpongeBob, much of the comedy
stems from his obliviousness to downsides, danger, rules or regulations.
On
August 21, 1999, the segment “Hall Monitor” had the title character taking the
honorary position too far beyond proper boundaries. His behavior in the uniform
outside of school ultimately lands him in trouble with the town police.
How
could any Rocko fan with analytical
inclinations have not thought back to “Uniform Behavior” after seeing “Hall
Monitor” unfold? Before SpongeBob does so at the expense of Bikini Bottom’s
public safety, Heffer, in Filburt’s words, lets the badge go to his head, to
the detriment of Conglom-O’s security.
Through
hallucinations in the form of the Seven Udders of Justice, Heffer’s disoriented
conscience gives him a pep talk on the eve of his first and only night on duty.
SpongeBob, after a long wait for his turn as hall monitor, delivers a
protracted and passionate speech on the honor. Both subsequently see crimes
that are not there, then crack under undue, self-imposed pressure when their
environment gets dark.
Of
course, between those two storylines, only Heffer ends up in prison, on one
count of indecent exposure. SpongeBob will not streak until much later in
Season 1, as he learns a hard safety lesson in “Hooky.”
Delayed
gratification
Other
hard-earned lessons come to each character when they realize their limits. With
Rocko’s “Mama’s Boy” and SpongeBob’s “Jellyfish Jam”, Heffer and
SpongeBob’s respective party guests become pests. They would rather carry on
the loud music and dancing to no end while the host wants to retire for the
night.
Individually
and with the company, respectively, Heffer and SpongeBob take things outside
and come away slightly more responsible than before. For the sake of continued
comedy, though, they only learn so much from that for so long in the saga.
But
on more decidedly uplifting notes, each yellow fireball also rides his optimism
to succeed in apparent fool’s errands. From the first season of SpongeBob, “Mermaid Man and Barnacle
Boy” comes to mind. The series star and his starfish friend Patrick may not get
their favorite superheroes back in their original form. But they do shake them
out of retirement and get them back on TV.
Previously,
Heffer had defied Rocko’s qualms about racing to Flem Rock before its
bulldozing demise. Despite various speed bumps, detours, vehicular breakdowns
and one bout of road rage, “Road Rash” culminates in the travel partners
getting an exclusive view of the national park’s final eruption.
They
get there with the help of Rocko acquiring some of Heffer’s infectious
determination after the latter’s uncharacteristically runs low. While the sight
they reach is smaller than advertised and quickly gives way to a fast-food
restaurant, Heffer admits that “It’s more glorious than I ever imagined.”
Some
may say the same about the project that came to define Hillenburg and Kenny in
the 21st century. Or, if it is not glorious, it is objectively far more
successful than most insiders or critics imagined. Multiple theatrical films,
theme park rides, Macy’s parade balloons and a Broadway musical speak to the
franchise’s mainstream power.
With
the character being an extension of the artist via his voice, SpongeBob has
practically given Kenny the equivalent of what Rocko promised the American
Balding Eagle could achieve by ditching wigs. He has made Kenny what Wedgie Boy
made Rocko for one segment of his own show.
So
far there are no signs of an Alazraqui character supplanting SpongeBob on the
billboards and posters. But a project catalyzed by Alazraqui in the recording
booth should keep collecting an intangible debt.
At
its release, Jock Jams, Volume 4 was
the most contemporized of all installments in the Jock series. Its oldest track was originally released in 1987, its
second-oldest in 1992 and its third-oldest in 1996.
The
rest came on their respective artists’ albums in 1997 or 1998, the year ESPN
came out with the compilation on August 25.
Yet
in a strange, uncharacteristic twist, the two elders have aged the best on
sports sound systems. One was heard in a high-end baseball venue deep into this
century. The other frequents football and hockey games of all levels to this
day.
The
artists behind those songs had not previously appeared in the Jock series. Those behind four other Volume 4 tracks had. Two others had
established mainstream recognition going in, and would return for the Fox
Sports-issued Jock Jams, Volume 5.
For
those returning contributors, a preceding Jock Jam had immensely better play on
public-address systems, if any worth writing home about at all. The best years
were likely behind the series, which was getting more outside company on
high-level arena DJs’ cues.
As
one testament to that notion, ESPN’s last Jock
Jams go-round had 2 Unlimited hitting for the cycle. But for its fourth
leadoff hit in as many compilations, the dance duo arguably bunted. On that
note, it leads off our review of every Volume
4 track’s short- and long-term sound-system steam.
“Unlimited
Megajam”
This
mash-up was implicitly inspired by the preceding “Jock Jam Megamix” on Volume 3. With the two hodgepodges, “Get
Ready for This” and “Twilight Zone” each completed a hat trick of appearances
in the series.
“Unlimited
Megajam” also bears bits of “Tribal Dance” and “No Limit” from the third and
second volume, respectively. Its first-time snippets with the Jock Jams circles include “Let the Beat
Control Your Body” and “Workaholic.”
Interspersed
with Austin Powers exclamations, this offered another option for player
introductions. In addition, the opening “Ding-dong-ding-dong” sample or a
variation on it has been used to signal a power play in hockey, among other
in-game developments. In the wake of JJV4,
Powers’ subsequent “Yeah baby!” giving way to the “Twilight Zone” riff had some
moments on the loudspeakers as well.
But
for pregame pump-up purposes, most DJs stuck with Volume 1’s tried-and-true Michael Buffer/2 Unlimited collaboration.
That and the duo’s other contributions to the Jock series worked better as standalone sound-system staples.
“Mo Money Mo
Problems”
This
was a posthumous release by Notorious B.I.G. featuring Puff Daddy, Mase and
Kelly Price. But it started with a sampled Diana Ross, which made the bulk of
what most fans heard whenever this was played. Unless a DJ timed it for certain
occasions or lucked out with a protracted stoppage, they would not get around
to much else.
Before
long, arena sound crews were not getting around to any of it at all. One
notable exception is the Los Angeles Kings crew, which played this a dozen
times in the 2018-19 regular season.
“Can You Feel It”
At
this point in the Jock series and the
evolution of in-game presentations in general, this song may have been
victimized by simple ill timing. The comparatively obscure 3rd Party produced
something that would be a decent half-minute stoppage filler. Or it could have
been one of those warm-up songs that comes before the music heats up and the
players re-emerge for introductions.
But
the key turn of phrase there is “one of those.” The selection pool was too deep
for this to swim far in 1998, let alone the next century. This author, for one,
cannot remember hearing it in any public setting these past two decades. Not
even in the background during a game’s telecast, radio broadcast or webcast.
“Space Jam”
Might
the namesake movie’s long-awaited sequel give this song a second wind? Zach LaVine of the Minnesota Timberwolves already got that going at the NBA’s 2015
All-Star festivities.
For
understandable reasons, this Quad City DJ’s tune is largely considered a
hoops-only track. It was not unheard of to hear it at other sporting events for
a while, but those moments were few and far between. Generally, one can make
its case for an alternative to “Sirius” as a timeless basketball intro track.
“Raise the Roof”
Released
as a single on March 10, 1998, “Raise the Roof” was all of five and a half
months old when it made the JJV4 cut.
With most of the track consisting of Luke issuing the title directive, it
suited almost any general mid-game stoppage in any sport. It still does for
those who are in the mood for a throwback.
“Gettin’ Jiggy Wit
It”
Yet
another same-year song, this more or less marked ESPN’s renewed commitment to
featuring mainstream pop artists. In this case, Will Smith delivers his
eventual Grammy winner for best rap solo.
As
far as association with sports goes, “Gettin’ Jiggy Wit It” mustered plenty of
steam. Its general recognition doubtlessly helped it as a sound-system
selection in its formative years. But even as its overall peak wore off, it
persisted between plays.
As
a couple of bonuses, it had some cultural resurgences at its five- and 10-year
mark. During the 2003 Stanley Cup playoffs, the Anaheim Mighty Ducks made it a
de facto theme for goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere (aka Jiggy). In 2008, the
song appeared in the video game Backyard
Football.
“Everybody
(Backstreet’s Back)”
Lewis Black once sarcastically said, “when I think of football, I think ’N Sync!”
when another boy band performed at the Super Bowl. Logic suggests the same
sentiment held sway in this scenario, as Jock
Jams took this off the Backstreet Boys’ year-old debut album.
Yet
to the astonishment of more than a few, some sound crews actually made “Everybody
(Backstreet’s Back)” a regular for a handful of years afterward. Smith is one
thing when it comes to catching casual fans’ ears with mainstream music. But
this?
“Going Out of My
Head”
In
general and in sports settings, this never reached “Rockafeller Skank”
proportions. Although in 2013, Complex included it among a selection of the top
10 Jock Jams series songs.
Within
the window of Jock Jams trendiness,
you could hear this Fatboy Slim jam in some venues. Sometimes it merely rolled
right after the album’s preceding spoken interstitial by J.K. Simmons, “No one
pushes us around.”
Later
in said window, it may or may not have been hurt by its presence on the Like Mike soundtrack. But perhaps the
greatest mystery is why, with its steady and zesty instrumental refrain, “Going
Out of My Head” never caught on as a scoring-play song anywhere.
“Mueve La Cadera
(Move Your Body)”
Like
other repeat artists in the Jock
series, the bilingual Reel 2 Real had a hard time besting itself.
There
has never been anything that would make “Mueve La Cadera” sound out of place at
a sporting event. It just never staked a regular seat in the cue the way “I
Like to Move It” of Volume 2 did.
“Push It”
It
makes sense that this song precedes the album’s first of two interstitials by
the late Yankee Stadium public-address announcer Bob Sheppard. Before switching
to “Hip Hop Hooray” of Volume 1 fame,
the Pinstripes frequently cued this old-school Salt-n-Pepa beat’s instrumental
hook after a home run.
One
of them, Laura Johnson of the San Francisco 49ers, told the publication, “This
collegiate and professional sports staple not only whips the crowd into a
frenzy, but it also gets the players pumped.” Meanwhile, Cleveland’s Josh Sabo
noted, “You can play this at almost anytime of a game and get people jumping
around and going nuts.”
House
of Pain’s magnum opus is by far Volume 4’s
most lasting Jock Jam. For starters, it was the only non-Volume 1 song of its kind to return for 2001’s All Star Jock Jams.
Its
unmistakable, inimitable rhythm is so good that several prominent college
athletic programs cue it up to give the pep band a breather. Although the band
is usually only inclined to give its instruments a rest, as no one can help but
follow the song’s directive.
“Jump
Around” is so timeless that, in 2016, the NHL’s San Jose Sharks considered it for their new goal song. In addition, a quarter-century after its release and
nearly two decades after Jock Jams,
Volume 4, the expansion Vegas Golden Knights gave it a regular spot on
their home-game playlist.
“One More Night”
Amber’s
de facto Jock Jams follow-up on Volume 2’s “This Is Your Night” could
not gain the same traction. It did not so much as appear in any cult classics
along the lines of A Night at the Roxbury.
It does not even have its own Wikipedia page.
As
it happened, both songs appeared on her 1996 debut album, so “One More Night”
may have suffered as a Jock Jam by not hopping on quickly enough. Or it might
not have waited long enough for conditions conducive to a second win. Or it
might have been a combination of both. Just look at all of Volume 4’s other 1996 and 1997 tracks.
“Beautiful Day”
Game-goers
and music fans alike are more likely to think of U2 than Hypertrophy when this
song title is mentioned.
The
former group, which released a wholly different song of the same name, has been
mainstream worldwide since the 1980s. Going back to the lack of Wikipedia
pages, the latter is in small company with 3rd Party as JJV4’s only contributing artists with that dishonor.
Surely
this “Beautiful Day” was played at some arena or stadium at least once before
U2’s “Beautiful Day” burst out in 2000. But even without that, Hypertrophy
never got a real chance to hype sports audiences.
“Get Ready to
Bounce”
Between
its titular hook and general rhythm, this song was perfectly suited for
warm-ups or other portions of the pre-game phase. It is more energizing than Jock Rock’s “Get Ready” but not up to
the full-fledged flare of “Get Ready for This.”
Brooklyn
Bounce would see its share of action in that context in the first handful of
years after this album. But like so many fellow Jock Jams, this song could not
last in the canned-music canopy.
“Tubthumping”
Barely
a year old as a single when it latched onto this compilation, “Tubthumping” was
an equally instant fixture at games. This author remembers hearing it in its
entirety during Zamboni shifts at minor-league hockey arenas in the winter of
1999.
Before
long, it had established itself (for obvious reasons) as a rally cry when the
home team suffers a setback. If the situation is not terribly serious, it can
also work when injured or shaken-up players skate or walk off under their own
power.
Because
of that niche, Chumbawamba defiantly lingers at the games. Whether
ticketholders like it or not, no one is ever going to keep this song down. Even
if it is not as prominent or widespread, it still has its place in the crowd.
“Son of a Jock Jam
(Mega Mix)”
The
sequel to Volume 3’s closing mash-up,
this delivers a little symmetry by incorporating “Tribal Dance.” A slew of
other songs from the first three volumes, most of which did not make the first
Mega Mix, function chiefly as a celebration of the series’ continued success.
Or,
at least, a celebration of the series’ continuation, period.
Like
its predecessor, it got little, if any game-presentation action outside of
low-budget scholastic or junior venues. Even in a gym barely cracking a
three-digit capacity, it is hard to imagine this song playing today.
Ultimately,
it was a harmless, what-the-heck capper for ESPN, which would relinquish the
last Jock Jams album to Fox Sports.