Apparently, no one told CKY that it’s dangerous to hate on your boss. Or maybe someone did, and CKY just doesn’t give a damn. Either way, that’s just what the Pennsylvania band does. In its audacious, straightforward rock-and-roll style, the instigators in CKY make a point of telling everyone how much they hate the music industry. (Of course, they don’t hate it enough not to be on Island Records, a division of powerhouse Universal Music.) Luckily, they have so many devoted fans that Island is forced to shrug them off with a “boys-will-be-boys” roll of the eyes. After all, CKY’s series of home videos — with the band members and their friends and family doing ridiculous stunts — spawned MTV’s Jackass, which created a huge audience for the band’s snarling yet tuneful metal-tinged rockers. With the kind of reaction the CKY videos and Jackass got, how could a label not let these guys do whatever they want? Mostly, CKY is an uncensored and unpredictable band that will definitely put on a killer show — it’s already a proven backdrop for drunken antics.
This article appears in Aug 31 – Sep 6, 2005.