Old Skull
| Old Skull | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Madison, Wisconsin |
| Genres | Punk, novelty |
| Years active | 1989–1991, 1992–1993, 2005 |
| Labels | Restless |
| Associated acts | Planned Collapse |
| Past members | J.P. Toulon Jamie Toulon Jesse Collins-Davies Graham Lindsey Chris Scott Josh Scott |
Old Skull was an American punk rock novelty band formed in the late 1980s in Madison, Wisconsin. The band was started by ten-year-old J.P. (Jean-Paul) Toulon and his nine-year-old brother, Jamie Toulon, with encouragement from their father Vern Toulon, a longtime member of the Madison punk scene who had spent time in New York City, where he was a guitarist for the industrial band Missing Foundation.
The original lineup featured J.P. on guitar and Jamie on keyboards and came together after the brothers began playing with their father's instruments. After teaching the boys some basic chords, he added a drum machine and the band was formed. Soon after, ten-year-old Jesse Collins-Davies, joined the band on drums. Collins-Davies was the stepson of Robin Davies, a member of the Madison-based punk band the Tar Babies, who had previously recorded for SST Records. The group adapted their name from the punk rock band, Live Skull, who had stayed at the Toulon house after a show in Madison. After hearing a demo tape the band recorded, Mojo Nixon approached his label, Restless Records and persuaded them to sign Old Skull to a record deal. In 1989, Restless Records released Old Skull's debut album, Get Outta School. Produced by both Vern Toulon and Robin Davies and engineered by future Garbage member Steve Marker, Get Outta School dealt with such wide-ranging topics as skateboarding, hot dogs, homelessness and the AIDS virus. Due to the non-childlike subject matter in many of the songs, rumors persisted that Vern Toulon was actually ghostwriting much, if not all of the band's material. Critics described the album as hilarious, unlistenable and torturous, though most agreed that it wasn't all that bad for a group of nine-year-olds. The band also began opening for national acts such as Gwar, The Flaming Lips and Sonic Youth. The novelty of the act drew media attention from television shows like A Current Affair and publications such as Life, People and Newsweek. MTV also gave the band some minor airplay.
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