Juicy stuff: Rotten Tomato Karaoke with Dropkick Murphys

We thought lobbing rotten tomatoes at bad singers or stand-up comedians was the kind of ridiculous, this-never-really-happens act you only saw in "Looney Tunes" cartoons. (Sure, it sounds harsh, but consider that the alternative was flattening the offensive performer with an ACME anvil.) But on Thursday, July 21, from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m., the First Annual Rotten Tomato Karaoke Party will feature a stage full of local celebrities setting themselves up for a splatter. The party, which will be held at 66 Sleeper Street in a tent adjacent to The Barking Crab, is a fundraiser for The Claddagh Fund, a non-profit founded by Dropkick Murphys bassist and vocalist Ken Casey (pictured with the band, bottom right) that supports charities that focus on services related to children, veterans, and alcohol and drug recovery. Spring for $30 per tomato (or $100 for 4), and you can toss them in the direction of performers like Bruins champ Shawn Thornton, Miss Massachusetts Alida D'Angona, and chef Jamie Bissonnette, among others. (Even some ordinarily buttoned-up types, like state senators and city councilors, are taking part.) If you're feeling masochistic, or just want to put yourself in the line of fire to support a good cause, attendees can sign up to sing on a first-come, first-served basis. (Tickets to the party are $25 in advance here, and a limited number will be available for $30 at the door.)

Before the party, STUFF chatted with Dropkick Murphys' Ken Casey. We asked him about the band's new album, Going Out in Style, a concept album about the Irish-American experience told through the perspective of a fictional character, Cornelius Larkin. Style became their highest-peaking record on the Billboard charts this spring. We also asked for advice Dropkick Murphy's wannabes should heed on Thursday — and we even queried Casey on what song he'd be most willing to sing from another, very different, Boston-based boy band. Like a tomato, it's juicy stuff.

STUFF: How did you come up with the tales described in Going Out in Style? And where did the main character’s name, Cornelius Larkin, come from?

Most of the stories were based on experiences of our families: grandparents and parents. And they were based on many of our own experiences, too. But it seemed to focus things more by telling the story through the eyes of one man. James' grandfather’s name was Cornelius Lynch, so I guess Cornelius Larkin isn't such a far stretch. The title track “Going Out in Style” is supposed to be through the eyes of Cornelius as he awaits the start of his final party, his wake. He dreams of the cast of characters that will assemble in his honor — and he thinks of who he might need to apologize to as well.

Are there any songs that are especially literal depictions of your own personal experiences?

Most of the stuff is based on people and stories from my life: cops who arrested me, nuns I had in grammar school, random friends from all walks of my life... and many of my friends' parents. Like Mrs. McAuliffe, whose room I had a tendency to sleep walk into when I passed out at her house, and Mr. and Mrs. Flannigan, whose beautiful stained glass window I broke while fighting with their son. And of course, last but not least, Mr. Sluggo and Mrs. Brady, whose couch I happened to urinate on as a passed-out teenager. It's fun to give shout-outs to friends and family in songs. They get a kick out of it, even if it is in relation to wetting your pants.

Did any other concept albums inspire your approach?

Not really. We were more inspired by the old Irish tradition of connecting literature and song — the lost art of story telling that Irish literature and music are so famous for. You know, in the current world of digital downloads, the album is almost a lost art form — never mind going above and beyond that to an even larger story. In the old days, you had songs like “Finnegan’s Wake” inspiring a book [James Joyce's Finnegans Wake], or plays inspiring song: for example, a Brendan Behan play [The Quare Fellow] that inspired his brother Dominic Behan to write the song, “The Auld Triangle.”

Going Out in Style was released four years after The Meanest of Times. That’s like an eternity in Dropkick years. Why the slightly longer gap in between albums?

Lots of touring, a live album and DVD, and a bunch of children. It didn't seem like a long time, to be honest, but compared to six albums in 11 years prior to that, I guess it was.

Very important question: why rotten tomatoes? Wouldn’t rotten potatoes be more appropriate? Should tomatoes be reserved for the Dropkick De Lucas, or something?

Tomatoes are messy and will hurt a little, but potatoes would have knocked people! Unless we threw handfuls of mashed, but that'd just be weird.

If anyone performs karaoke to a Dropkick song… what’s the best advice you have on how they should try to channel their inner Ken Casey? What’s a good “entry-level” Dropkick song, and what’s one that should NEVER be attempted by amateurs?

I think they are all pretty easy, but many of them have two of us singing, because the lyrics are so rapid fire you’d never be able to sing it yourself and still breathe. And some have up to five of us trading lines on the verses for that same reason. The bottom line is, don't try to sing a song on your own that it normally takes five men to sing.

You’re going to be performing at Fenway in September. The last big concert that came to Fenway was another Boston-based band: New Kids on the Block. Ahem, slightly different style. BUT imagine the Claddagh Fund would receive a $1 million donation if you performed a NKOTB song karaoke. Which one would you choose?

“Hangin’ Tough”? Is that one of their songs? I guess that one. It's the dance moves they'd pay to see more than the singing, I suppose. I think I'm going to invite Donny [Wahlberg] or Joey [McIntyre] and see if I can get them to do a dropkick song and I will do a NKOTB number. That would be awesome.