If you grew up in California where ska was HUGE, you might know multi Golden Globe nominee Oscar Isaac (“Star Wars,” “Dune”) was in some very good ska bands. For those who didn’t, this could be news for you.
Thanks to docnoir on X (formerly Twitter), a video of Isaac performing from 2001 has surfaced. If you follow the thread, a commenter linked a bunch of other songs from the band from archive.org. Isaac formed and fronted The Blinking Underdogs while he was at school at the University of Miami. He was also the guitarist, and the band was classified as a Christian ska band. Can he get anymore wholesome?
This wasn’t just one time though. The Blinking Underdogs was just a part of his contribution to ska history. His other acts had names like The Worms, Closet Heterosexuals, and Petrified Frogs, which really fit in at a time when ska band names were things like Reel Big Fish and Streetlight Manifesto.
[Editor’s Note: But also, THE WORMS?! Duke Leto had a band called THE WORMS?!]
In a past interview with Jimmy Kimmel, Isaac confirmed that one of those bands even got to open for ska legends The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. He’s just an awesome dude, and we’re excited to keep following his career.
