Lost Works That Should Have Stayed Lost: MC Skat Kat, “Skat Strut”

Paula Abdul and Skat Kat get it on…
“Now, pretend that you’re Corey Clark”: Paula and Skat role-play

Was Paula Abdul on drugs?

Not last week, when she tried to judge American Idol contestant Jason Castro’s non-existent second performance. No, was she high in the early ’90s, when she agreed to a cameo in the video for MC Skat Kat’s solo debut, “Skat Strut,” a Fresh Prince-ish piffle over Earth Wind & Fire’s “Let’s Groove” bassline.

It’s a typical music biz story: After the huge pop success of Abdul’s pro-bestiality single, “Opposites Attract,” above, from her hit 1988 debut album, Forever Your Girl, execs at the Virgin/Captive Records label felt the obvious next step was to give Skat, her animated co-dancer in the hit video, his own deal. This was a perfectly stupid idea, even if you’re one of those people with no passion for music, only for the latest thing on the radio. Of course, under the corrupt and paternalistic economics of the music business, it was relative genius. Almost.

The albumThe result, in 1991, was the masterwork The Adventures of MC Skat Kat and the Stray Mob, featuring Skat and his crazy, alley cat friends: Fatz, Taboo, Leo, Micetro, Katleen, and Silk. (Like, someone actually went through the trouble of coming up with names for these miserable animated critters.) As far as we can tell, they released a single single—the aforementioned “Skat Strut”—before the public rebelled. A one music video-long joke had been stretched past the breaking point. Skat Kat and his friends were quickly put to sleep.

In the video, Paula does a little less of that annoying, “Look at me! I’m really interacting with him!” stuff she did in “Opposites,” deeming to spend more of her time pretending to be a mischievous nymph (is there any any other kind?) whose escaped from an ink blotter in order to create havoc in cartoon land.

So, to the degree that Paula Abdul is drowning her liver in booze today, could it be in sorrow; perhaps for the far-too-soon loss of the only collaborator she ever loved, who truly didn’t want a thing from her, yet she somehow erased? I wonder….

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2 comments ↓

#1 Mark Cabrera on 05.05.08 at 2:31 pm

What happened was Emilio couldn’t stand the jealousy anymore and made her quit.

#2 Lena West on 05.06.08 at 2:03 am

Hey, we all have early 90’s moments we’d like to forget. I have a picture in a polka dot shirt, head wrap, palazzo pants and club shoes. Not a good look.

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