Review: Dr. Bones (1990)
Written by Brian J. Sumner
Zoot Suit Riot: The Swingin' Hits Of The Cherry Poppin' Daddies (1997)
Ska | Rockabilly | Swing
You can’t talk about Dude, What?! without mentioning Cherry Poppin’ Daddies. Virtually every episode of the Dude, What?! Movie Review Podcast kicks in with that sweet, rhythmic drum beat from the song Dr. Bones (layered with Trey Parker and Matt Stone from their epic “Dude” scene from BASEketball) and as the breakdown from the piano leads into that signature horn section, you know you’re about to hear at least an hours worth of entertaining and funny movie talk. It’s the catalyst of the energy you will experience for the entirety of the show.
It’s awesome!
Cherry Poppin Daddies is a ska/swing band that was formed in the 80’s during a more punk rock & funk scene out in Oregon. Founded by Steve Perry (not the same dude from Journey) and Dan Schmid, the band released several albums and garnered a rather strong following before releasing their biggest selling album, Zoot Suit Riot: The Swinging Hits of the Cherry Poppin’ Daddies which was a compilation of all their best “swing” style songs. It was this album that helped kickstart the “swing revival” in the late nineties and opened the door for numerous other bands to find an audience, such as Royal Crown Revue and Squirrel Nut Zippers.
From beginning to end, the album is constantly up beat and a lot of fun. The title track, Zoot Suit Riot, would be the bands biggest hit, but to say it’s the greatest song on the album would do a disservice to some of the other great tracks. Ding Dong Daddy of the D-Car Line has the tempo of a fast moving train with its lyrics exposing the con artist ways of a fast talking ladies man trying to make it with ALL the ladies while Come Back to Me brings it down a notch and has that big time lounge showroom vibe where you feel like you’re in Las Vegas during its hey day!
Most notably, for our show, is the song Dr. Bones which tells the tale of being tempted by alcohol to the point where bad decisions are being made after a long night of drinking. The drums setup the tempo and the horn section keeps the pacing all the way to the end for a very enjoyable music ride. The intro from this song was, and always will be, the only song that could possibly be the driving force for the Dude, What?! show opening. Without it, a small part of our podcast loses its identity.
That’s a fact.
I highly recommended listening to Zoot Suit Riot: The Swinging Hits of the Cherry Poppin Daddies for its fun, upbeat style of music. It’s a compilation that you can literally play at any time of the day, week, or year and get your toes’a tappin’ and your hands’a bangin’ on the steering wheel while you’re riding down the road. And while you’re at it, do a deep dive into Cherry Poppin’ Daddies catalogue for some other hidden gems that go beyond swing music. Punk rock, funk, blues, you name it! They have a little bit of everything . . . much like our podcast!
Brian J. Sumner is the Host of Dude, What?!, & author of The Secrets of Dr. Killiecrankie. He loves music & can be found skanking to Dr. Bones on a weekly basis.
