What a Splendid Morning for Zombie Stroll
by Jonathan Paxton [jonathanpaxton@gmail.com]
Issue 236 / August 2008 More from this Issue
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What Sunday street spectacle would creep out a Salt LakeCity resident-more than any other? If you said "a gaypride parade" then you probably think that a gun rack isan essential car accessory and you're voting for McCain.Speaking of pasty-faced people who speak incoherentlyand walk stiffly, want to know what would really freak meout? Hordes of zombies stumbling down the street. The 1stAnnual SLC Zombie Walk is coming August 10th and it willdevour you.
Photo: Mitch Allen
A list of qualities for a good zombie walk orchestratormight include childhood dreams of the dead walkingand a genuine belief that the Zombacolypse willhappen. Enter Sarvas, a man who needs only onename, like Prince or Madonnaa man haunted byvisions of zombies since youth. "Zombies were and stillare the most frightening thing on earth," Sarvas says.When he's not busy surface piercing a tramp stamp onyour girlfriend's back or poking your lip with a shiny stud atthe new Blue Boutique in Sugarhouse, Sarvas is training fora zombie war...or planning a zombie walk. The virus-like ideawas born after he attended his first walk in Portland one yearago. He looked up other walks and said, "Fuck, if Boise,Idaho has one we better have one."
Sarvas had to answer some of the mysteries in his dreamsand eventually turned to the most reliable source: zombiemovies. "My favorite zombie movies of all time are theReturn of the Living Dead I and II. Return of the LivingDead is a spoof of a zombie movie spoof. The zombiestalk, and that's where the 'brains' phrase came from."Sarvas found that "in the original zombie movies,zombies really didn't ever eat brains, but those spoofs arewhere it originated."
Sarvas hopes that the walk will freak outa few Salt Lake City residents. "Ifanyone can doanything in SaltLake to make peoplego 'WTF?' that's all I really careabout," Sarvas says, "I definitely want people to be like 'AAAARGHH! Zombies!'"But the devilish Sarvas has a smirk lurking behind his smile and eventually he givesup his real motive. "If a bystander falls down and cries. If I can catch that personwith my camera as they're crying." Sarvas gets misty-eyed for a second and looksinto the distance with longing and says, "That would be AWESOME." This is a manyou can trust to deliver a quality zombie experience.
Zombies also need to know how to be convincing and intimidating. The web is thebest resource for a zombie trying to claw its way out of your mortal body. Sarvassuggests the D.I. as an awesome place to find gear to assist in its emergence. Justrip and splatter your second hand duds. I was wondering what makes for a nicesplatter batter and Sarvas, as usual, had the answer: "Two bottles of chocolatesyrup and one bottle of strawberry [will give] a sweet blood." Avoid the eyes though.Apparently fake blood burns like a mother.
The guest list for this event is huge and stands welcoming. Anyone is invited toparticipate in the festivities as long as they are "respectful to everyone else anddress like a zombie," Sarvas says. The on-walk transformation is key for a realisticzombie walk. Plan to meet up with friends mid-walk and "turn" them by adding fakeblood and raw meat accessories.
Walk participants should meet at 10 a.m. at a specific spot TBA. By 10:30, thewalk will commence. Sarvas is hesitant to release to many details out of fear thatauthorities might get involved. "Anywhere there's fun... cops will be. Maps won'tcome out until a week before," Sarvas says. For more information about the walkroute and the meeting place email slczombiewalk@gmail.com or add them onmyspace (www.myspace.com/zombiesinslc).
In preparation for the event Sarvas suggests watching zombie movies and drinkingalcoholic or highly caffeinated beverages for 72 hours straight. "Me? Oh, I won'tdrink water all weekend long and I'll get cramps," he says. To demonstrate, Sarvaschannels his inner zombie for 5 seconds and begins to growl.
He definitely knows his material. And he's willing to sacrifice his body. Can youhandle it? Do you think you have what it takes to be the walking dead? Know this:if you don't have raw meat hanging out of your pants and you're not smotheredin fruity sauce, well, you just aren't zombie material and you can go be lamesomewhere else August 10th. BRAINSSSS!
Photo: Mitch Allen
A list of qualities for a good zombie walk orchestratormight include childhood dreams of the dead walkingand a genuine belief that the Zombacolypse willhappen. Enter Sarvas, a man who needs only onename, like Prince or Madonnaa man haunted byvisions of zombies since youth. "Zombies were and stillare the most frightening thing on earth," Sarvas says.When he's not busy surface piercing a tramp stamp onyour girlfriend's back or poking your lip with a shiny stud atthe new Blue Boutique in Sugarhouse, Sarvas is training fora zombie war...or planning a zombie walk. The virus-like ideawas born after he attended his first walk in Portland one yearago. He looked up other walks and said, "Fuck, if Boise,Idaho has one we better have one."
Sarvas had to answer some of the mysteries in his dreamsand eventually turned to the most reliable source: zombiemovies. "My favorite zombie movies of all time are theReturn of the Living Dead I and II. Return of the LivingDead is a spoof of a zombie movie spoof. The zombiestalk, and that's where the 'brains' phrase came from."Sarvas found that "in the original zombie movies,zombies really didn't ever eat brains, but those spoofs arewhere it originated."
Sarvas hopes that the walk will freak outa few Salt Lake City residents. "Ifanyone can doanything in SaltLake to make peoplego 'WTF?' that's all I really careabout," Sarvas says, "I definitely want people to be like 'AAAARGHH! Zombies!'"But the devilish Sarvas has a smirk lurking behind his smile and eventually he givesup his real motive. "If a bystander falls down and cries. If I can catch that personwith my camera as they're crying." Sarvas gets misty-eyed for a second and looksinto the distance with longing and says, "That would be AWESOME." This is a manyou can trust to deliver a quality zombie experience.
Zombies also need to know how to be convincing and intimidating. The web is thebest resource for a zombie trying to claw its way out of your mortal body. Sarvassuggests the D.I. as an awesome place to find gear to assist in its emergence. Justrip and splatter your second hand duds. I was wondering what makes for a nicesplatter batter and Sarvas, as usual, had the answer: "Two bottles of chocolatesyrup and one bottle of strawberry [will give] a sweet blood." Avoid the eyes though.Apparently fake blood burns like a mother.
The guest list for this event is huge and stands welcoming. Anyone is invited toparticipate in the festivities as long as they are "respectful to everyone else anddress like a zombie," Sarvas says. The on-walk transformation is key for a realisticzombie walk. Plan to meet up with friends mid-walk and "turn" them by adding fakeblood and raw meat accessories.
Walk participants should meet at 10 a.m. at a specific spot TBA. By 10:30, thewalk will commence. Sarvas is hesitant to release to many details out of fear thatauthorities might get involved. "Anywhere there's fun... cops will be. Maps won'tcome out until a week before," Sarvas says. For more information about the walkroute and the meeting place email slczombiewalk@gmail.com or add them onmyspace (www.myspace.com/zombiesinslc).
In preparation for the event Sarvas suggests watching zombie movies and drinkingalcoholic or highly caffeinated beverages for 72 hours straight. "Me? Oh, I won'tdrink water all weekend long and I'll get cramps," he says. To demonstrate, Sarvaschannels his inner zombie for 5 seconds and begins to growl.
He definitely knows his material. And he's willing to sacrifice his body. Can youhandle it? Do you think you have what it takes to be the walking dead? Know this:if you don't have raw meat hanging out of your pants and you're not smotheredin fruity sauce, well, you just aren't zombie material and you can go be lamesomewhere else August 10th. BRAINSSSS!
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Posted on August 11, 2008 by calanan
This was a fantastic event, thanks for the heads(brains?)-up! I have some photos from the Walk on Flickr at http://www.flickr.com/photos/calanan/sets/72157606652864542/ Cheers, - mike
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