BALA CYNWYD, Pa. — Local ska fan and dad of two Curt Kopicki was overjoyed after receiving a tie as a Father’s Day gift from his children for the tenth year in a row, confirmed sources who were glad they didn’t have to spend too much money on it.
“I’m not a scotch-drinking, barbecuing, golfing fisherman, so Father’s Day gift options are limited,” Kopicki said while putting on some Mustard Plug to celebrate the occasion. “But the kids got me a checkerboard tie, you can never have enough of those. Classic. It’s going to go perfectly with my checkerboard suspenders, checkerboard Vans, and checkerboard trilby hat. I think I’ll make the tie’s debut at the Supernova Ska Festival! It’ll definitely impress the merch guys.”
Kopicki’s children were relieved that the present garnered such a positive reaction despite not putting in too much thought.
“The tie was on clearance at Kohl’s for 85% off so it was a no-brainer, but I’d never seen Dad so happy,” said 19-year-old son Neville Kopicki. “His birthday is coming up, but it’ll be hard to top Christmas when we commissioned his favorite cartoonist, Evan Dorkin, to recreate the album cover of ‘American Ska-thic Volume 2.’ My sister Pauline and I are thinking of pooling our money to get him a Cameo from the dancing guy from the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. It’ll be totally worth the 15 bucks.”
The aging demographic of ska fans has helped keep independent record labels afloat.
“I would have folded the label years ago, but the kids who bought our records in the ‘90s now have kids who know nothing about ska, except that their parents love it,” said Starry Records owner Jeff Wildman. “Every holiday season, they clear us out. Vinyl and cassette reissues, even pins with just the word ‘ska’ on them. And Father’s Day is our biggest money-making time of the year. Let’s just say, we’re always stocked full of Reel Big Fish limited releases come June.”
At press time, Kopicki shed a tear after he also received a t-shirt from his children that read “World’s Greatest Ska Fan.”