Thursday, June 17, 2010
Salty Zombies
Posted
By Gavin Sheehan
on June 17, 2010, 11:12 PM
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No matter what fun, exotic or particular taste you may have, chances are there's an organized community devoted to it in town. More specifically today we're venturing into the gratifyingly gory topic of zombie culture. And while the city has its own Zombie Walk (check back with us in August), beyond Halloween related events there isn't much in the public view. Unless you slowly crawl to the computer and glance your undead eyes over here...
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--- Salty Zombies was started up as a way for fans of the horror genre to chat and socialize, eventually leading to the planning of events and parties, even weekend-long celebrations, all in the spirit of the ethereal incarnation. In fact you can join in the celebration Saturday night as they host the Zombie Pub Crawl. And yes, costumes are highly recommended. Before the event kicks off we sit down and chat with the founder of the group, Zed Bailey, as well as the person who will officially take over as he departs his role, Samantha Burraston. Talking about their contributions to the community as well as the group, plus a few other topics. Along with some pictures to give you ideas.
Samantha
Burraston & Zed Bailey
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http://saltyzombies.com/Gavin:
Hey Samantha and Zed! First off, tell us a bit about
yourselves.
Samantha:
I'm a 29 year old rocker who refuses to act my age. I grew up in a
small town with virtually no night scene. Once I moved to the city I
made it a point to get involved and explore all the unique sides of
Salt Lake City. As a result, I'm very involved in local culture
including music, zombies, mountainboarding, skateboarding, art, and
DIY Punk Rock. I especially like the Rockabilly
scene in SLC.
Zed:
I have been living in the city of Salt for over five years and have
always loved sharing in the DIY culture and community.
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Gavin:
How did both of you first take an interest in horror, and more
specifically the zombie mythos?
Zed:
I have always enjoyed a good scare, specifically a good zombie
scare. Why? Because as George Romero once said in an interview,
"They are us." What is more scary then having your third
grade teacher, Mrs. Hanson a rotting corpse lumbering forward?
Zombies aren't some removed far off notion, no they are
us.
Samantha:
Living in a conservative community, I didn't get to watch a lot of
slasher and horror flicks, so the "off limits" intrigue was
strong for me. Once I realized how fun the adrenaline from the fear
is, and that it eventually goes away, I was hooked! I grew up
hunting, camping, and learning survival techniques. Like Zed
explained, they are us. It could happen at any moment. Zombies are a
fun way to keep up with survival preparation while having a good
time. Are you prepared?
Gavin:
Zed, you're probably best known as Tall Bike Jesus. How did you
first start constructing the bikes and become that figurehead in the
cycling community?
Zed:
I gained a passion for the bicycle in the lonely streets of Provo,
Utah back in 2001. From there my love blossomed and grew into the
Salt Lake City organization Salt Cycle. I wouldn't consider myself a
figurehead, I hate that idea - one person running everything.
Rather, I would consider myself an advocate among advocates that
advocates cycling culture.
Samantha:
He kinda looks like Jesus with that long hair. Yes, he is a leader.
Most good leaders are advocates. He just does a damn good job of
advocating.
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Gavin:
How did the idea come about to start up Salty Zombies?
Zed:
It was a natural extension of my other Salt project Salt Cycle. I
enjoyed the zombie walk in August, but felt it was limited to
figureheads organizing the events. It seemed a natural step to bring
the organization back to the people, allowing everyone and anyone to
post their horror events onto Salty Zombies.
Samantha:
He's right. There is enough interest in the valley, we just needed
to "Organize and Rise".
Gavin:
What eventually led to planning out events? Also, what was the first
event and how did it go for everyone involved?
Zed:
I started planning events back in October. I didn't wanted to add
flavor to the SLC by pushing forward a zombie event. The result was
the Salty Zombies Crawl. It went very well. Not a huge number of
individuals attended, however the walk felt more fluid and exciting
than other previous zombie walks. I decided to mimic it in the style
of the bicycle event Critical Mass - no leaders, directions - just
the zombie horde mindlessly gravitating towards various destinations.
We wound up at the Gateway at some point, a perfect place for
mindless wanderings.
Samantha:
I asked Zed if Salty Zombies would present the First Annual Zombie
Pub Crawl this Saturday. He was on board, and now the
horde is growing restless. It's easier to walk like a zombie when
you're drunk, anyway.
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Gavin:
The website quickly turned into a community-based forum. What did
you think of the response you started getting?
Zed:
It is still very young, around 40 members. The response, however
has been great and there is anticipation to grow it larger and larger
with each event. People want to be involved in the horror scene.
They just need a reason, a location. The Salty Zombies Pub Crawl
will do this and more for the website.
Samantha:
Creating events that bring awareness to the forum will help the
scene grow faster by facilitating communication. There are a lot more
than 40 people in the zombie scene. For example, the first Zombie Prom had over 200 people in attendance. The Zombie Walk had nearly
300. We just need to organize and communicate. The member based forum
Zed created is doing that for our scene.
Gavin:
Where did the ideas for all the events comes from and how did they
start turning into charity events?
Zed:
The Salty Zombies forums are often the place where individuals
bounce ideas off each other before committing to them. The charity
end of it seemed natural, open and was Samantha's idea.
Samantha:
Brainstorming sessions are fun. It was a group decision to start
doing charity work. We chose to accept donations for the Utah Food
Bank at our first stop on Saturday, (The BayLeaf Cafe 6PM at
159 South Main). We don't need canned food anymore, we eat
brains.
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Gavin:
Zed, What eventually made you decide to move on from leading the
website?
Zed:
I outgrew Salt Lake City and needed a larger city to take on with a
new set of adventures. My love for Salt Lake still remains, but my
heart is elsewhere. It was only practical to give it to someone so
motivated, and inspirational as Samantha.
Samantha:
He made it clear that he wanted to hand the project off to someone
who would not let all his commitment and hard work fade. I plan on
staying in Salt Lake City and raising a family. Zombies will
eventually attack, so why not help the valley get ready?
Gavin:
Samantha, you originally started up the Extreme Sports Club out in
Tooele. How did that idea come about and what was it like running
it?
Samantha:
I was president of several clubs and understood how to manage a group
of people. My high school sweetheart had asked me to help lobby the
city to build several skate parks. I felt it would be easier to lobby
with a backing from the student body. I created the club, taught
people how to work together for the common goal, then stepped out.
The drafting class created plans and the lobbying was successful.
Three skate parks went up in our community because of the efforts of
our group.
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Gavin:
Since that time you've had a stint at 2News, you've become heavily
involved with localized extreme sports, even taken part in the
hip-hop community. What made you want to take part in so many
different aspects of local culture?
Samantha:
I was producer for our high school television station "Buff
News". I approached 2News about internship, and they allowed me
to come learn their equipment and systems. I helped my high school
sweetheart build and show a low rider Chevy S-10. That got me into
rap music. I hated the negative lyrics and the harsh words that
rappers used to describe independent women. When I moved to Salt Lake
City, I met a professional mountainboarder named Halston Rhodes who taught me about hip
hop and action sports. I learned that hip-hop has the bass and beats
of rap, but with a positive vibe. I started exploring the hip hop
scene, even competing in a rap battle. Haa ha. I'll try anything
ONCE. I liked the core values that Halston and the DirtStar Army shared, especially community
involvement. They host free learn to rides to teach kids how to ride
mountainboards every summer, including the venture outdoors festival
the morning of Zombie Pub Crawl. You can meet him at the Pub Crawl
later that night. You can check out more via Venture Outdoors Festival at Canyon Rim
Park, 3100 South 2900 East. The venture activities from 8AM-3PM and the festival
is 3-10PM.
Gavin:
When did you originally hear about and get involved with Salty
Zombies?
Samantha:
Halston Rhodes sent me a link.
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Gavin:
How did you meet zed and how did the idea come up about taking
over?
Samantha:
Zed sent out a mass email asking if anyone was interested in working
with him on the site. I volunteered. After several brainstorming
sessions, Zed taught me how to run the website and communicate with
members.
Gavin:
Now that you'll be running things, what plans have you got in store
for Salty Zombies?
Samantha:
Salty Zombies will still be a community forum. Whatever the horde
wants, We'll organize. We are planning to host the Zombie Pub Crawl
annually. Our members are hosting more events this year, including;
Strankenstein's Zombie Prom, Summer's Dead Festival, and Night of the
Running Dead 5K Creep and Crawl. I am really excited for the 5K where
the living run from the dead. Clever.
Gavin:
The big thing to talk about is the Pub Crawl on Saturday. Tell us a
bit about the event and why you chose the Utah Food Bank as the
supporting cause?
Zed:
This is going to be an insanely great event that will push horror
culture forward in ways never realized before. Just think of its
simple nature: Zombies, Beer. That in of itself is a recipe for
awesomeness.
Samantha:
We start the night out by dining at the BayLeaf Cafe. This event is
free admission for ALL AGES. This gives the horde a change to mingle
and moan. Dinner specials available if you would like to eat the food
of the living. Here we collect food donations for the Utah Food Bank.
We then send the kids home and move over to Cheers To You for $2 cocktails while the bands interview with Helmut Von Schmidt on KBER101 from 6-8PM. We end the night at Burt's Tiki Lounge with a huge
after party. Simian Greed takes the stage at 11PM to rock the dead.
Giveaways, including free music downloads and stickers from the
stage. The first 100 zombies get a Die Monster Die album when they
enter. Costume contests include Best Moan and Best Leg Drag. During the Die Monster Die performance, we will be
crowning Miss Undead 2010. There should be a great turn
out for hot zombie chicks for the Miss Undead contest. This is a
party worth leaving the grave for.
Gavin:
Going a bit local, what's your take on the community-built events
around the city, both good and bad?
Zed:
There is a great need for events, so if you have an idea and run
with it, the response is often very positive. However, often events
and organizations are very figurehead oriented. We need a DIY
culture similar to Portland, Oregon. There they tell you, "Fuck
you, do it better," and mean it. In the city of Salt we often
end up pushing our energies into leaders and hope that they will
carry us forward. As a result, when someone leaves the community,
events often die. With organizations that are less top down and
across the boards like Salty Zombies, it is my hope that a wide range
of individuals will organize and rise horror events in
SLC.
Samantha:
I agree with Zed. Having one person organize the group effort is
important, but the group has to be the one making the effort to be
sustainable. We've found that community involvement is what drives a
successful event. Sometimes, when the figurehead is responsible for
everything, they start to burn out and can't keep the event going.
Having a city based event allows people to attend planning meetings,
meet in person, and work together. On the bad side, it's hard to find
sponsorship for city wide events. Sponsorship funding for national
events are easier to find. We find ourselves being resourceful with
our limited resources for community-built events. Our generous
sponsors, SLUG Magazine and Coors Light have been amazing.
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Gavin:
Is there anything you believe these groups and organizers could do
to make them bigger?
Zed:
Most of the organizations need less hierarchy and more encouragement
from contributions from everyone. When everyone contributes the
events don't belong to one individual, the community owns
them.
Samantha:
Again, I agree with Zed. Delegation of duties to responsible people allow
the events to grow. Sometimes it is challenging to find people you
can count on. That's why a community run event is important. When
volunteers approach the organizer and want to be involved, they are
more likely to come through. If I ask for volunteers and assign
responsibilities, only half of it tends to get done. Let the event
unfold, instead of trying to make it happen. It may be different than
you intended, but it will be a successful group creation none the
less.
Gavin:
What's your opinion on the annual Zombie Walk every August? And will
you be participating in it this year?
Zed:
Amazing event that got Salty Zombies rolling. However, like most
people I feel the first walk was much more better orchestrated than
the second. The biggest problem with this event is, according to my
understanding, ran mostly by a single individual. So sustainability
issues arise. Which is why we are pushing for a community in Salty
Zombies. Its not about me or Samantha, its about the entire Salt
Lake City horror culture. If you want horror events to keep
occurring in Salt Lake City, contribute. A post, a comment, a blog,
a event. Anything. Its that simple.
Samantha:
I think the person running it has a lot on their plate. If you want
to see improvements, reach out and volunteer to support the zombie
events by posting on the website. The zombie walk is an
awesome event. Do your part to keep it going. Don't touch
pedestrians, Stay out of the street, don't leave blood on buildings
or sidewalks, and respect the public. It's a game, not a take
over.
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Gavin:
Over the years there have been attempts to do a Halloween parade with
little success. What would be your suggestions to formally have that
happen?
Zed:
There needs to be excitement grown about it. While key figures need
to be involved in orchestrating the event, it needs to be carried by
the community and the local businesses of Salt Lake City to be a
success.
Samantha:
The horror culture in Salt Lake City must grow before the Halloween
parade can be successful. Attend small events, tell your friends, and
keep participating. I'd be down to organize a parade in a few years
when we have more forward momentum.
Gavin:
What can we expect from both of you and Salty Zombies throughout the
rest of the year?
Samantha:
You never know what to expect. Events pop up based on community
suggestions. Get online and tell us what you want!
Zed:
Whatever the community wants. You have an idea? Post it. You want
a Halloween Parade? Talk about it, get the ball rolling.
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Gavin:
Aside the obvious, is there anything you'd like to plug or
promote?
Zed: SaltCycle.com will forever more be my first love of Salt Lake City
Culture. If you like bikes and live in Salt Lake City, check it
out.
Samantha:
My first project and ongoing love is the mountainboard scene: DirtStar Army. Professional
Dirtboarders Van Dewitt and Halston Rhodes, Van@dirtstararmy.com or hbomb@dirtstararmy.com, (801)
949-5013. And WidowMaker
Hill Climb (Motorcycle), Friday and Saturday June 25/26,
2010.
Tags: Salty Zombies, Zombie Pub Crawl, Image