Issue 072
February 2011
He might be best known for drunken TUF shenanigans but Dave Kaplan has a storied relationship with music. The lightweight even appeared on The Singing Bee game show – and won.
FO: What kind of iPod do you have?
Dave: “I have an iTouch. Thank you to the UFC; it was a Christmas present. Awesomely enough, I had just gotten one maybe a month before but right at the TUF Finale my car got broken into at The Palms and the only thing they took was a book bag and my iTouch. So I was very happy two weeks later to get one in the mail.”
What music do you listen to when you’re at home?
“I would say I have a relatively eclectic sense of what I like. Huge Bruce Springsteen fan, which is probably strange being 30 years old or under and liking him. Favorite Bruce Springsteen song? That’s a tough one. I saw him in concert, which is another story entirely, but I ended up in the front row.”
Do you like to listen to music when you train?
“I don’t. I always listen to podcasts for some reason. I don’t know why it is. I think it’s because you can listen, zone out, then listen – and I don’t need that motivation. It’s weird. I don’t listen to a lot of music. It’s almost to the point where sometimes, when we’re training and the radio is playing through the speaker system, I kind of don’t like it. Because a lot of times we end up sparring to Michael Bublé or something (laughs). It’s hard to punch someone in the face when you hear some guy sing, ‘Another winter’s day is coming...’”
Do you have a signature walk out song?
“Have you seen my entrances? I like to think, ‘OK, what’s the very last song you’ll hear somebody ever come out to?’ At UFC 98 I dressed up like Mad Max. I had the full leather outfit with the Tina Turner theme song playing, which I’ll say was not a good idea to warm up then put leather pants on. It took five minutes to get them off at the station where you’re supposed to get your Vaseline. Shawn Tompkins did not help me one bit to take those pants off. I am somewhat known to coming out to Tenderness for The Ultimate Fighter Finale. I thought it was funny that you’re about to come out to have combat in a cage and the theme song is, ‘Where is the tenderness?’”
THE SHUFFLE CHALLENGE
Hit shuffle on your iPod and name the first five songs that come up. No cheating
1. The Waterboys – The Whole of the Moon
“It’s a really good song. Listen to it, you will love it. Every person I’ve ever told about it, it’s like their favorite song now. It would be a great song to come out to.”
2. Bee Gees – Paying the Price of Love
“This one is from one of their albums in the mid ‘90s. I bought this at Wal-Mart with my dad because he wanted to listen to it – he’s a Bee Gees fan. But, for some reason I like this song, it’s about a guy that loses his girl and she’s off doing God knows what.”
3. The Ramones – I Want to Be Sedated
“You really can, with three chords and no other musical talent, rule the world.”
4. Bruce Springsteen – Brothers Under the Bridges
“This is my favorite Bruce Springsteen song – it’s fortunate that came up. Great song. It’s about being part of a gang and watching cars racing. Really every cliché that Springsteen’s known for is in this song: girls, wine, all that kind of stuff.”
5. The Killers – Mr Brightside
“I think my favorite Killers song is either Human or Jenny Was Friend of Mine I like it because it’s kind of weird. They’re from Las Vegas so big shout-out to them. And the guy used to have a moustache and moustaches are cool.”
Dave Kaplan spoke to Gary Alexander
