ANAHEIM, Calif. – The D-beat genre — often characterized by its raw, stripped-down sound and signature drum beat — hasn’t always been the most inventive, but one bold man is trying to push its boundaries: meet Jim Rufus, sole member of the D-beat band Disguy.
At a recent show for D-beat legends, Discog — which Rufus performed outside of to the many punks taking cigarette breaks between bands — the one-man D-beater was very talkative, and quite drunk, opening up about his life, influences, and the current state of the broader D-beat scene.
“Remember that scene in Mary Poppins where Dick Van Dyke’s character has a bass drum mounted on his back, a harmonica around his neck, and various other musical instruments all over his body? And he just starts going ape-shit for the crowd — frightening all of the women and pissing off the cop? Well, that’s when it all started for me,” said Rufus as he carefully packed his elaborate rig into a variety of second-hand tote bags. “I told my dad to fuck off and moved into my car the next day.”
Rufus started his solo project after he was unable to find any other reliable musicians that could match his passion for the D-beat. “I don’t work well with others,” Rufus said. “I just march to the beat of a different drum.”
Spectators marvel at the raw aggression Rufus puts into Disguy songs on his favorite corner in downtown Anaheim. People can often can be heard exclaiming “What the hell is this?” “Please stop, my daughter is crying,” and “The cops have already been called.”
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Despite the freedom associated with being a one-man band, Rufus is welcome to the idea of bringing in new members.
“I have been working on a way to get my dog Beardo to do background vocals for me, but sometimes he just likes to sleep on the blanket,” said Rufus. “I dunno what his problem is, cause he loves it when I bring him to shows.”
Article by Colyn Emery and The Hard Times staff @REALpunknews. Photo by William W. Ward.