fluf

Whitey On The Moon

Discogs: https://www.discogs.com/release/1918669-Fluf-Whitey-On-The-Moon

Year Of Release: 1994

Review

Whitey On The Moon is the second studio album from San Diego punk band fluf. Interestingly, the CD version is titled Home Improvements, and the cassette release was called Stocking The Lake With Brown Trout. I’d seen NOFX do this with Frisbee / Coaster – I’m not sure if the idea came from fluf or if other bands have done it before them.

I’m writing about fluf not so much because it was a fun punk band to listen to, but rather to draw attention to the important role that skateboard videos have played in influencing my musical tastes over the years. I first saw O in a funny segment in Ban This in the late 80s (with Lance Mountain and Neil Blender), clowning around and having what looked like a tonne of fun. In those pre-Internet days I couldn’t really find out much more about him and didn’t think much more about it. Fast-forward to the mid 90s, and Ed Templeton’s segment on the Best of 411, Volume 2 video featured Rooked by fluf. An excellent track that stuck with me over the years.

The Bones Brigade videos were instrumental in introducing me to “skate punk”, exposing me to bands like McRad and The Faction and giving me a taste for music by skaters for skaters. Then 411 came along and I was able to discover more cool bands like MCM And The Monster and fluf.

It wasn’t until quite some years later that I was able to track down a copy of Home Improvements (and later a reissued version of Whitey On The Moon). This is a great album from start to finish. Standout tracks are the aforementioned Rooked, along with Page 3 + 1, Twister, and Broke. If you haven’t listened to fluf, they’re worth checking out.

Rating: 8/10