San Dimas High School Football Rules
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| “San Dimas High School Football Rules” | ||
|---|---|---|
| Song by The Ataris | ||
| Released | 1999 | |
| Genre | Pop punk | |
| Label | Kung Fu Records | |
"San Dimas High School Football Rules" is a song performed by The Ataris and is track three on their album Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits. The song was written by Kris Roe, the singer/songwriter/guitarist of the band. The Ataris first released the song on their EP Look Forward to Failure in November 1998. However, the song became enormously popular when released on Blue Skies and is considered a pop punk anthem of the 1990s.
The song was inspired by the 1989 film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. At one point in the film, a character who has run out of things to say in an oral history presentation yells "San Dimas High School football rules!" in front of the entire school (San Dimas High School).
The song was traditionally the last played at Ataris concerts. It was also somewhat of a tradition for The Ataris to bring a fan from the crowd to play the song on Kris' guitar, playing the rhythm guitar parts while Kris sings. This practice was for the most part stopped at the end of the So Long, Astoria tour in 2004, with Roe citing the fact that kids had been injured by bouncers when attempting to get on stage, along with the desire to change things up after closing shows the same way for over seven years. He also did not rule out continuing the practice again, but said it would only be possible at smaller clubs.
The band actually stopped playing the song altogether at several shows in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, the band performed it differently, slowing it down and having it build up to a sudden instrumental breakdown. Roe has expressed a distaste in playing this song, often citing that he had written it when he was younger, and it is no longer relevant to him.
In the recently kicked off 'Welcome the Night' tour, the band has begun playing it last again, with a faster, more 'punk rock' feel. According to Kris Roe, the band will now continue to play the song at the end of every show and that coming to an Ataris show and not hearing San Dimas is like "going to a Metallica concert and not hearing Enter Sandman."
| The Ataris |
| Kristopher Roe | John Collura | Paul Carabello | Angus Cooke | Bob Hoag | Sean Hansen | Shane Chickeles |
| Previous members |
|---|
| Jasin Thomason | Marko 72 | Derrick Plourde | Patrick Riley | Marco Peña | Mike Davenport | Chris Knapp |
| Discography |
| Studio albums and EPs: Anywhere but Here | Look Forward to Failure | Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits | Let It Burn | End Is Forever | All You Can Ever Learn Is What You Already Know | So Long, Astoria | Welcome the Night |
| Live albums: Live at the Metro |
| Singles: "San Dimas High School Football Rules" | "Teenage Riot" | "Summer Wind Was Always Our Song" | "In This Diary" | "The Boys of Summer" | "The Saddest Song" |
| DVDs: Live at Capitol Milling |
| Record labels |
| Columbia Records | Kung Fu Records | Fat Wreck Chords |
