Aquabat and Yo Gabba Gabba creator shares the fun

Christian Jacobs likes to have fun.

 

He’s part of the Ska band The Aquabats who are famous for their theatrical stunts, costumes and funny lyrics.

Co-creator of the kid’s show Yo Gabba Gabba, Jacobs collects Japanese toys and frequently holds dress up days at the Yo Gabba Gabba production warehouse. But the best part of him having fun is that literally thousands of other people get to have fun with him, too.

 

“I think for me, fun is inclusion,” Jacobs said. “Storytelling and narrative is a big part of inclusion and everybody is part of it at our shows.”

 

Yo Gabba Gabba Live, a touring extension of the television show, comes to Kingsbury Hall Nov. 9, including just a few more people in the fun of a good story.

 

For those behind the hipster curve of things, here’s the skinny: Yo Gabba Gabba is a kid’s TV show about five monsters living in DJ Lance Rock’s boombox. They sing and they dance about the normal things kid’s shows encourage – sharing, learning, and being nice, but they also bring along an impressive list of people who help them share their message. Jack Black, The Shins, MGMT, Jimmy Eat World and Hot Hot Heat have all performed on the show. Biz Markie has his “beat of the day” and Jack McBrayer and Paul Scheer have an act telling knock-knock jokes for the kids.

 

Jacobs feels that the show has an appeal to these performers, and in turn to a lot of other adults, because of the show’s “DNA.” Both fathers, he and Scott Schultz put together a show for their kids that they as parents would also like to watch. Getting artists, bands and comedians on the show is part of that, but the performers feel the same way.

 

“It’s not about the money [for them],” he said. “There’s no way we could pay what Jack Black normally gets for a show. It’s about them doing something for their own kids.”

 

And, he said, that is part of the reason parents and adults like the show, too. Not just because cool bands show up, but also because they like what the show’s producers, also parents, are doing for the kids.

 

“I think our generation –late 30-somethings– are into a lot more things our kids are into,” he said. “We’re kids recreating our childhood for our own kids. There’s a lot of referential stuff in the show that references our childhood . . . we’re repackaging the best things and giving it to our kids, and that’s appealing to our generation.”

 

Nov. 9 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
Kingsbury Hall
kingsburyhall.com
Tickets $30+