Much as I dislike comedy songs, and as much as I disdain punk revivalists, it’s hard not to smile when you hear this novelty hit by Irish band Sultans Of Ping FC.

It’s the sheer naive silliness of it, as well as its opening lines – “My brother knows Karl Marx / He met him eating mushrooms in the people’s park” – and its guitar riff, and its general singalongability.

The lyrics are utterly bonkers and I’m puzzled by the accent of the lead singer Niall O’Flaherty, who comes from Cork but sounds like John Otway, who comes from Aylesbury, Bucks.

Perhaps he is putting on what he believes to be a generic ‘punk’ accent because the music is nothing if not generic punk. And none the worse for that.

Where’s Me Jumper? came out in January 1992 and was included in the band’s debut album Casual Sex In The Cineplex.

The Sultans (as they became after two albums) didn’t last long though they did reunite in 2007 to play with their pals Carter USM.
Today, O’Flaherty is a lecturer in the History of European Political Thought at King’s College, London, specialising in 18th and 19th century thinkers such as Darwin and Malthus, while guitarist Pat O’Connell is in banking in London.

Bass guitarist Alan McFeely moved into film music and Morty McCarthy teaches English in Sweden; he has also written a book on Cork slang entitled Dowtcha Boy, which I shall have to ask @Padraig Reidy to translate.