Gheorghe's 6-Pack: World Party

Who is Mike Scott? 

It depends upon whom you ask. You'll get different answers from different pockets of people. 

If you ask OBXDave, I bet he'd first say that Mike Scott is the Houston Astros pitcher who dominated the National League in 1986 with his newfound, profound splitter, something he developed after scuffling for the Mets for a few years in the early 80's. (He went from scuffling to scuffing, it's said.) The Mets traded him for Danny Heep and then suffered twice over. In '86, this Mike Scott struck out over 300 in '86, won the Cy Young, threw a frickin' no-hitter, and was a whisper away from starting a Game 7 in an utterly insane NLCS that I'm super glad didn't go 7. Danny Heep... did none of those things. 

That's not who I came to write about today.

If you ask rob and AuguryDave, I bet they'd first say that Mike Scott is our pledge brother who also goes by deep cover pseudonyms such as Mitch Scotch, Miles Scoles, Milt Scolt, and Mick Scock. This Mike Scott is a Cherry Hill guy who's an artist in NYC. He once had works in an exhibit comprised of all Legos, ones that featured renderings of up-close faces like Mike Tyson getting punched and porn stars in climactic moments. At least that's what I recall from it, as it was back in my drinkin' days. This Mike Scott was a prop / second row guy and is a quiet but quick wit. Great guy. 

That's not who I came to write about today.

If you ask one of our children, I bet they'd first say that Mike Scott is the former boss at the Scranton branch of Dunder Mifflin. He's an HR nightmare and hideously off-putting with his insecuri-comedy, but he is ultimately lovable and gets the job done. He founded the Michael Scott's Dunder Mifflin Scranton Meredith Palmer Memorial Celebrity Rabies Awareness Pro-Am Fun Run Race for the Cure. He resides in Colorado, not far from TR. Reportedly.

That's not who I came to write about today.

If you ask someone who listens to the kind of alt-80's and 90's music that Squeaky, Dave, rob, and I (among others) enjoyed who was not also our fraternity brother, I bet they might say that Mike Scott is the leader of The Waterboys. This Mike Scott is a Scot (and a Scott) who enjoyed minor success in the milieu of Celtic rock or something that sounds less dorky and pompous. A multi-instrumentalist who has had some solo work but is best known for the Waterboys catalogue. 

You all know "Fisherman's Blues," perhaps most famous for being covered by Random Idiots as "Fischel Man's Blues." You may well be familiar with "Whole of the Moon." You probably don't know "Old England," "This Is the Sea," "Red Army Blues," or the sublime "Church Not Made with Hands," but you should. [ed. Note: Seems like a Waterboys 6-Pack is coming.] Their double-discer The Live Adventures of the Waterboys isn't on Spotify, and it's their best starter kit. [ed. Note: Seems like a Notify is coming.] Anyway, all of this music is a product of this Mike Scott. 

Oddly, that's not who I came to write about today.

I came to write about Karl Wallinger. That's right. You see, Karl Wallinger was another multi-instrumentalist like Mike Scott (and Rootsy) who was a member of The Waterboys for a few formative years in which the band generated all of the above songs save "Fisherman's Blues." His influence is apparent, and his role with the band was large enough for him to pull a "this town ain't big enough for the both of us" and split in 1985. One song he co-wrote with that Mike Scott before departing was eventually recorded and released in 1998. It was based on watching Live Aid and was called "World Party."

World Party became Karl's band name, though it was mostly him at work there. [Factoid #... however-many: Mike Scott himself took the name "Waterboy[s]" from the sort-of chorus lyric in the Lou Reed song "The Kids."] World Party had a tidy but enjoyable run at the modern rock charts whilst a few of us were matriculating, and I have a couple of their discs. 

A couple of weeks ago, Karl Wallinger had a stroke and passed on at the age of 66. Here's a nod to the work he issued while he attended the great big world party called life.

Gheorghe's 6-Pack: World Party

Vitals
Where: Karl is from Prestatyn, Wales; World Party debuted in London
When: 1986-2015
Who: Karl Wallinger mostly, with live and studio performers scattered throughout

One more factoid: As you might be able to tell in the picture above, Karl Wallinger is right-handed but turns a righty-geetar upside down and plays lefty.