From Deseret News archives:

Internet tuning in to Jeffs — as a rock star

His voice, image making inroads in pop culture

Published: Sunday, March 11, 2007 12:10 a.m. MST
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
He's gone from polygamy to pop culture.

Warren Jeffs merchandise is popping up on the Internet, from T-shirts featuring the Fundamentalist LDS Church leader dressed in stereotypical "pimp" garb, to Jeffs' voice fronting a song for an experimental rock group's latest album.

audio

 Audio link (3.1MB .mp3)

Audio of Warren Jeffs song.

"His view of the world seems very twisted, and we wonder if he really believes what he's saying, or is it just rhetoric to control the flock?" Steve De Chiara of the Chicago-based group KinkZoid wrote in an e-mail to the Deseret Morning News.

Story continues below
"Warren Jeffs Explains" is the single off the group's latest album. The group describes its style of mixing sounds, tape loops and instruments to "create a clash of audio imagery."

"While listening to the clips we noticed that he spoke very soft, rhythmically, and almost hypnotic in tone," which the group thinks may be useful for a good cult leader, De Chiara said.

The song features a racist and homophobic sermon by Jeffs explaining the origins of rock music. Jeffs gave the lecture when he was principal of the FLDS-run Alta Academy school at the mouth of Little Cottonwood Canyon in the 1990s. The Deseret Morning News obtained a series of tape-recorded sermons from the time that speak about arranged marriages for girls and Jeffs' version of the history of polygamy and the Mormon religion.

"So when you enjoy the beat of the rock music, maybe even toned down with an orchestra, you are enjoying the spirit of the black race," Jeffs said in his monotone voice, adding that listening to rock music will "rot the soul" and lead to immorality, corruption and godlessness.

"Thus, the whole world has partaken of the spirit of the Negro race, accepting of their ways," Jeffs said in that 1990s sermon.

KinkZoid decided to put Jeffs' words to a blues riff.

"It fit very nicely to a blues-type beat" because he is speaking very close to perfect 4/4 time, "and the irony of the content of his speech put to a primarily African-American music form (blues) made it all the more intriguing," De Chiara wrote.

Comments

You can be the first to comment on this story.

Image

This is an album cover for the experimental rock group "KinkZoid." Their single, "Warren Jeffs Explains" samples one of the polygamist leader's sermons and puts it to a blues beat.

previousnext

Latest comments

Y. profs: Beck not all-knowing

and they are correct. Good grief.

Utah's Wynn healing up

In the wake of a great, competitive game all people can talk about is Max...

For those who keep saying there are other places where you can go "to...

Boozer is just doing and showing what he has always had, Talent! As long as...

Pedestrian is hit in crosswalk, dies

Condolences to the LeBaron family! He was the mission Pres in South Africa...

I've enjoyed reading Dick Harmon's articles through the years. An enduring...

Jazz outrun Pacers

I think we have found our stride. But we need to bring in one more player to...

Jazz outrun Pacers

to make a move until nearer the deadline. You can't get the best player until...

"If this team had an interior Defense for 48 minutes they would contend. "...

What have you done for me lately, Boozer? Well, lately Boozer has been...

Advertisements