In the midst of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the US Supreme Court a story appeared in an American newspaper alleging the judge got into a bar fight back in the 80s over West Midlands reggae outfit UB40.
According to a report in the New York Times, the fight began when, after going to see a UB40 concert in 1985, Kavanaugh and his friends mistook a man in a Connecticut bar for the band’s lead singer, Ali Campbell.
The report was a bizarre twist in Kavanaugh’s continuing attempts to make it to the Supreme Court, and provided a rare opportunity for some levity to those following the story.
Many weighed in with variations on what was perhaps the obvious gag given Kavanaugh’s stated taste for beer.
I thought Brett Kavanaugh liked beer not (cocks eyebrow) red red wine.
— Steven Hyden (@Steven_Hyden) October 1, 2018
Was that the night he switched from beer to Red Red Wine?
(Nailed it zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz)
— Rob Huebel (@robhuebel) October 2, 2018
Someone please post a a cover in which the words “Red, red wine” are replaced with “I like beer.”
— Beau Willimon (@BeauWillimon) October 2, 2018
Others took a slightly different approach.
I will pay one million dollars for any footage of Kavanaugh singing and/or karaoke-ing “Red Red Wine”
— John Hodgman (@hodgman) October 2, 2018
Ruth Bader Ginsburg never got into a bar fight at a ub40 concert.
— Kaivan Shroff (@KaivanShroff) October 2, 2018
Let he who hasn’t boofed after a UB40 concert throw the first glass.
— Zach Braff (@zachbraff) October 2, 2018
There were definite differences in people’s reaction to the story depending on their age.
Getting older mostly sucks, but I feel sorry for anyone too young to understand how funny someone getting into a fight after a UB40 concert is.
— Sean Thomason (@TheThomason) October 1, 2018
Everybody seems the same age on Twitter until you mention UB40, and then it's like those whistles that only people of certain ages can hear
— Laura J. Nelson 🦅 (@laura_nelson) October 1, 2018
People shared their own stories about UB40.
True story (and there might not be another chance to share this): First concert I ever went to was UB40. "Red Red Wine" was the third song they played & the crowd went nuts. After that we all seemed genuinely confused about what we were doing there. I punched no one that evening.
— Josh Radnor (@JoshRadnor) October 2, 2018
In 1988, while I was driving home from high school, a pickup truck ran a red light and totaled my car. At the moment of impact, UB40's "Red Red Wine" was playing on my car stereo.
Man, it feels good to get that off my chest.
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) October 2, 2018
Others took the opportunity to share deeply held opinions about the band.
If It Happens Again is UB40’s greatest song – not Red Red Wine. Bring it…
— Shannon Watts (@shannonrwatts) October 2, 2018
While everyone’s making UB40 Kavanaugh jokes today, I just want to reiterate a fact that I forced all my friends to acknowledge in high school.
Red Red Wine is a Neil Diamond song. You were all dancing to your mom’s old albums.
Carry on.
— Salome Strangelove (@salstrange) October 1, 2018
And if this whole thing has made you want to listen to Red Red Wine, here you go.
The report came after Kavanaugh faced questions about his past drinking in a Senate hearing into allegations he sexually assaulted Christine Blasey Ford in 1982.
Kavanaugh denies the allegation.
