Q&A with Rufus on Fire

by Basketball John on Feb 2, 2009 11:38 AM MST Comment 19 comments

I have a Q&A coming up with David at Rufus on Fire for tonight's game against the Bobcats. He asked a question that I'm in no way qualified to answer. So here it is. I'd like to get some responses

Which band or other musical outfit has a catalog that most represents what Salt Lake City is all about?

Thanks.

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Is SLC about any one thing?

by MelMan2002 on Feb 2, 2009 11:54 AM MST reply actions 0 recs

That was part of the reason I couldn't come up with anything.

SLCDunk.com, The Utah Jazz on SBNation

by Basketball John on Feb 2, 2009 11:56 AM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Slayer

for sure.

by Vromanite on Feb 2, 2009 12:35 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

Salt Lake City demographic information: Average age is 30 years old. It’s 80% White. It was just named the least obese city in America. It was also just voted as one of the top 15 “Gay friendly” cities in America, so I think SLC is surprisingly liberal and open minded. I think SLC is also really clean, has a great college scene and is really misunderstood as being boring and lacking diversity.

So with all of that said, here are 3 options: Dave Matthews Band. I just think they are wildly popular in Utah and they quietly just do their thing. They sort of span the cultures and generations of SLC. But the majority of the band is black, so their music works, but the demographics don’t.

I don’t think any band fits the demographics of Salt Lake City like the Backstreet boys. They are about 30 years old, they are middle-class, and they are about 80% white. But their music doesn’t do Salt Lake justice.

But more than any other band, the pick for Salt Lake City has to be U2. If you polled every person who lived in Utah or even just Wasatch Valley, I bet the most often named favorite band would be U2. I can’t stand them, so I speak objectively, but I have never met so many U2 lovers as in Utah. There is almost this transcendant religious connection that many Utahns feel towards them. Lots of Mormons even claim that many songs from Joshua Tree were written about Bono’s spiritual journey, including his investigation into the LDS faith. And just from a humanitarian standpoint, I think a lot of Salt Lakians have to admire Bono’s efforts around the globe. You may not love them, but if you want to find a group that fits the clean, kind, do-good image of SLC, you can’t do any better than U2.

And right now, as I type this, hundreds of awkward Utah high schoolers are dancing slowly to “With or Without You.”

The more you try to erase me, the more that I appear.

by clarkpojo on Feb 2, 2009 12:45 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

I am one of those U2 fans

They’re the first band that popped into my mind. Thanks for the comment. I figured you might show up on this.

SLCDunk.com, The Utah Jazz on SBNation

by Basketball John on Feb 2, 2009 12:53 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Well, we can't all be perfect, so I won't hold your fandom against you.

I actually respect U2 for their longevity and their accessiblity, etc. I even admire them for being pioneers in their musical sphere. I just don’t love them like most people do. And I should clarify, because I don’t hate them or anything. I think running to stand still, all I want is you, and their cover of Helter Skelter are all phenomenal.

The more you try to erase me, the more that I appear.

by clarkpojo on Feb 2, 2009 1:03 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

'One' is a great song...

It just took Johnny Cash to make me really appreciate it. I’m not a huge U2 fan either, but some of there stuff is OK. They’re definitely not one of those bands that makes me cringe when they come on the radio.

Grammar is not a time of waste

by Patrick517 on Feb 2, 2009 4:22 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

+1

Great thoughts. Dude – what do you do for a living? Just curious…

by MelMan2002 on Feb 2, 2009 1:17 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

For a living?

I am a registered nurse. I work at Duke University Hospital. But I have a background in journalism and another bachelor’s degree in English. In high school I was the editor in chief of my high school paper and wrote sports articles for the Daily Herald on the side. Prestigious, I know. I was also a journalism major for a year in college. So I love to write and my dream jobs would be to write sports columns, tour with a rock band, or write movies, in no particular order.

The more you try to erase me, the more that I appear.

by clarkpojo on Feb 2, 2009 1:30 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Duke?

Let’s talk about the fact that you work at Duke for a minute. How did I not know this? Please tell me that you are a Blue Devils basketball fan? I’ve got a feeling you will make 2 new friends on here if you are. Hahahaha.

by BC7 on Feb 2, 2009 1:44 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

It's funny, because I grew up hating Duke.

They were like the NY Yankees of college basketball. They were always good, got the best players, had marquee players that I had no other reason hating other than the fact they were good and played hard, and most importantly, they were almost always better than my favorite team. But then I got my nursing degree from Duke and I immediately fell in love with the campus, the university and the basketball team. I even camped out for 3 days straight in order to get season tickets to the basketball games. And now that I have been to Cameron indoor Stadium, I can’t help but love the Devils. I had no reason not to like them in the past.

And as an aside, I have been to some of the premiere college basketball stadiums in my life. I saw Wake Forest at BYU, which was one of the loudest, roudiest and most entertaining games I have ever been to. I have seen a handful of dandies at the Huntsman center, including the first two rounds of the NCAA March Madness tournament 3 years ago. I have been to U of Texas’ stadium, and VTechs, and Wake Forest’s place and the Dean Smith Stadium for two games and I have been to Cameron Indoor, and I am being honest when I say that nothing compares to Cameron Indoor Stadium. It is like nothing you have ever seen. Only seats 6500 or so, but everyone in that stadium goes absolutely nuts, almost the whole game. If any of you get out to North Carolina in the next 3 years or so, I could possibly get a hold of some tickets for you. No promises, but you have a contact in Durham.

The more you try to erase me, the more that I appear.

by clarkpojo on Feb 2, 2009 2:09 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

That's awesome...

Thanks for the story/info. rxmike12 and I are both longtime Duke fans and have wanted for years to get out to Cameron for a game.

I’m pumped for the game Wednesday at Clemson.

by BC7 on Feb 2, 2009 2:29 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

and now you see why Clark and I are buds.

He’s like a more awesome version of me — while I wasn’t smart enough to find something more lucrative than journalism to do, he was busy getting all edumacated. He writes songs too so his musical opinion isn’t totally out to lunch.

Sorry to brag about you, but I had to let the bromance flow for a minute.

Uh, do you think you could draw me like a ninja?

by Shums on Feb 2, 2009 1:48 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

I appreciate it, man.

But you are being too nice. I didn’t stick with journalism because not only was I not good enough, but I didn’t have the cojones to follow a passion, even at the risk of getting paid in peanuts and IHOP coupons.

And for you and anyone else interested in music, have you heard of Jaydiohead? It is some guy that mashed Jay-Z songs to Radiohead tunes. It is pretty cool. Check it out. It isn’t the greatest thing in the world, but thoroughly entertaining.

And to get back to Basketball, I am worried about the game tonight. Not having Deron might be huge. Charlotte is an improving team and they have a decent defensive frontcourt, which always gives the Jazz fits. I hope the home crowd pulls us through.

The more you try to erase me, the more that I appear.

by clarkpojo on Feb 2, 2009 2:13 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

Band...

… The Used. They are local and represent most of the punks in Utah.

by P_Dizzle on Feb 2, 2009 1:50 PM MST reply actions 0 recs

I thought of them too

and I wondered if the question was, “Which band from SLC best represents SLC?” But I really don’t need them to be our representatives. I’ll take U2 any day over those guys.

Uh, do you think you could draw me like a ninja?

by Shums on Feb 2, 2009 1:52 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs

The Used are really funny.

Some of the band members grew up playing in a band in Utah County called Strange Itch. I used to see them play a lot of shows and my band even played at the same show they did once. Anyways, one time when I was in the 7th grade or something, I saw Strange Itch play a show. They introduced a song called Violence as a tune “about violence and how it’s bad and stuff.” It sucked. But then, and I kid you not, about 3 songs later they introduced a song called Violence 2, as “kind of a sequel to our previous song about violence and it’s kind of the same idea.” It changed my life. I have never seen a band even attempt something like it. Then about 10 years later I hear about The Used and recognized a couple of the band members as guys from Strange Itch, and I just had to laugh.

The more you try to erase me, the more that I appear.

by clarkpojo on Feb 2, 2009 2:22 PM MST up reply actions 0 recs