noblegaijin Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 (edited) Each year that passes, I see the Blue Knights deliver a show that is, for all intents and purposes, clean / solid enough to be considered top 12. One adjective that I have never been able to use when it comes to a BK show (including the year I marched in 2000) is "entertaining". I was a part of the "dark and brooding" indoctrination that is BK - they're keen on proving that they have their own style and possibly more enthusiastic about making the sport "come around" on its collective view on what constitutes a championship performance. This is where an artist loses his identity in his work - it happens at the point where you insist that your audience "just doesn't get it" and belligerently pursue your particular point of view at the expense of its original intent: to edify your audience. An entertainer is beholden to his audience. A presenter doesn't show up at Pepsi and attempt to deliver a presentation on how to drive Coke sales. A magician doesn't walk up on stage and give the audience a talk on blood diamonds. Nor should a drum corps take the field and give the audience its take on a great show iwhile incessantly ignoring years and years of evidence that this style, viewpoint, institution is not considered to be the state of the art. Some at the BK camp perhaps believe that emulating the success of other corps only cheapens its brand. It's a "sellout". It's "admitting defeat". To that, I say "try not to take yourselves so seriously." There is a reason why Olympic swimmers, basketball, football, and baseball players have "fundamentals" -- these are things that tend to yield the best results. Every science has evolved in a similar fashion. Where would we be had a group of rugged sailors not discovered that the world were curved? How about Copernicus' crazy notion that the Earth rotates around the sun? How about transistors before there were integrated circuits or later computers? Is there room for innovation? Did Robert Noyce ignore Shockley's breakthroughs with the transitor before he created Intel? Doesn't the evolution of any art form require the good work that came before the breakthroughs? BK should start from a place that observes the fundamentals. Pick songs that the audience can identify with. Have flashy moments that show of its musicianship and confidence to the crowd. Make someone's pulse exceed 60 beats per minute. Otherwise, you're just performing for yourselves. What's the fun in that? Edited June 5, 2014 by noblegaijin 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcjordansc Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Did you just come from a run through or is this a preemptive rant? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
How_Will_It_End? Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Each year that passes, I see the Blue Knights deliver a show that is, for all intents and purposes, clean / solid enough to be considered top 12. One adjective that I have never been able to use when it comes to a BK show (including the year I marched in 2000) is "entertaining". I was a part of the "dark and brooding" indoctrination that is BK - they're keen on proving that they have their own style and possibly more enthusiastic about making the sport "come around" on its collective view on what constitutes a championship performance. This is where an artist loses his identity in his work - it happens at the point where you insist that your audience "just doesn't get it" and beligerently puruse your particular point of view at the expense of its original intent: to edify your audience. An entertainer is beholden to his audience. A presenter doesn't show up at Pepsi and attempt to deliver a presentation on how to drive Coke sales. A magiician doesn't walk up on stage and give the audience a talk on blood diamonds. Nor should a drum corps take the field and give the audience its take on a great show iwhile incessantly ignoring years and years of evidence that this style, viewpoint, institution is not considered to be the state of the art. Some at the BK camp perhaps believe that emulating the success of other corps only cheapens its brand. It's a "sellout". It's "admiting defeat". To that, I say "try not to take yourselves so seriously." There is a reason why olympic swimmers, basketball, football, and baseball players have "fundamentals" -- these are things that tend to yeild the best resutls. Every science has evolved in a similar fashion. Where would we be had a group of rugged salors not discovered that the world were curved? How about Copernicus' crazy notion that the Earth rotates around the sun? How about transistors before there were integrated circuits or later computers? Is there room for innovation? Did Robert Noyce ignore Shockley's breakthroughs with the transitor before he created Intel? Doesn't the evolution of any art form require the good work that came before the breakthroughs? BK should start from a place that observes the fundamentals. Pick songs that the audience can identify with. Have flashy moments that show of its musicianship and confidence to the crowd. Make someone's pulse exceed 60 beats per minute. Otherwise, you're just performing for yourselves. What's the fun in that? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noblegaijin Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 Did you just come from a run through or is this a preemptive rant? Preemptive - let's hope I have to eat these words by the end of '14 season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CUDAKITE Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 2010... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noblegaijin Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hfYJsQAhl0 Cute - but which points in particular do you take exception with? Something more than a YouTube link to a overquoted comedy from the 90s? Basically, I see "I disagree and am not really sure how to express 'why'". 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Each year that passes, I see the Blue Knights deliver a show that is, for all intents and purposes, clean / solid enough to be considered top 12. One adjective that I have never been able to use when it comes to a BK show (including the year I marched in 2000) is "entertaining". I was a part of the "dark and brooding" indoctrination that is BK - they're keen on proving that they have their own style and possibly more enthusiastic about making the sport "come around" on its collective view on what constitutes a championship performance. This is where an artist loses his identity in his work - it happens at the point where you insist that your audience "just doesn't get it" and beligerently puruse your particular point of view at the expense of its original intent: to edify your audience. An entertainer is beholden to his audience. A presenter doesn't show up at Pepsi and attempt to deliver a presentation on how to drive Coke sales. A magiician doesn't walk up on stage and give the audience a talk on blood diamonds. Nor should a drum corps take the field and give the audience its take on a great show iwhile incessantly ignoring years and years of evidence that this style, viewpoint, institution is not considered to be the state of the art. Some at the BK camp perhaps believe that emulating the success of other corps only cheapens its brand. It's a "sellout". It's "admiting defeat". To that, I say "try not to take yourselves so seriously." There is a reason why olympic swimmers, basketball, football, and baseball players have "fundamentals" -- these are things that tend to yeild the best resutls. Every science has evolved in a similar fashion. Where would we be had a group of rugged salors not discovered that the world were curved? How about Copernicus' crazy notion that the Earth rotates around the sun? How about transistors before there were integrated circuits or later computers? Is there room for innovation? Did Robert Noyce ignore Shockley's breakthroughs with the transitor before he created Intel? Doesn't the evolution of any art form require the good work that came before the breakthroughs? BK should start from a place that observes the fundamentals. Pick songs that the audience can identify with. Have flashy moments that show of its musicianship and confidence to the crowd. Make someone's pulse exceed 60 beats per minute. Otherwise, you're just performing for yourselves. What's the fun in that? Considering that I've been hyping BK '90 in a group on FB, I don't agree with too much of what you're saying here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iheartponies Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Fundamentals- like spelling, perhaps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noblegaijin Posted June 5, 2014 Author Share Posted June 5, 2014 Considering that I've been hyping BK '90 in a group on FB, I don't agree with too much of what you're saying here. That's perfectly fine if you don't agree. If someone can justify how the corps continuously hovers around the same placement slots year after year and has never been able to break the top tier, I am all ears. The reaction I usually get with the five to six folks I bring to Drums Along the Rockies every year is, "that was kind of boring compared to what the [Cadets], [blue Devils], [santa Clara], [blue Coats], [insert top tier corps here] had to offer". I cheer out of pure fanboyism from being a Blue Knight, but they have yet to drive me from my seat after witnessing something special. Like every other year, I am greatly anticipating their 2014 show. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garfield Posted June 5, 2014 Share Posted June 5, 2014 Each year that passes, I see the Blue Knights deliver a show that is, for all intents and purposes, clean / solid enough to be considered top 12. One adjective that I have never been able to use when it comes to a BK show (including the year I marched in 2000) is "entertaining". I was a part of the "dark and brooding" indoctrination that is BK - they're keen on proving that they have their own style and possibly more enthusiastic about making the sport "come around" on its collective view on what constitutes a championship performance. This is where an artist loses his identity in his work - it happens at the point where you insist that your audience "just doesn't get it" and beligerently puruse your particular point of view at the expense of its original intent: to edify your audience. An entertainer is beholden to his audience. A presenter doesn't show up at Pepsi and attempt to deliver a presentation on how to drive Coke sales. A magiician doesn't walk up on stage and give the audience a talk on blood diamonds. Nor should a drum corps take the field and give the audience its take on a great show iwhile incessantly ignoring years and years of evidence that this style, viewpoint, institution is not considered to be the state of the art. Some at the BK camp perhaps believe that emulating the success of other corps only cheapens its brand. It's a "sellout". It's "admiting defeat". To that, I say "try not to take yourselves so seriously." There is a reason why olympic swimmers, basketball, football, and baseball players have "fundamentals" -- these are things that tend to yeild the best resutls. Every science has evolved in a similar fashion. Where would we be had a group of rugged salors not discovered that the world were curved? How about Copernicus' crazy notion that the Earth rotates around the sun? How about transistors before there were integrated circuits or later computers? Is there room for innovation? Did Robert Noyce ignore Shockley's breakthroughs with the transitor before he created Intel? Doesn't the evolution of any art form require the good work that came before the breakthroughs? BK should start from a place that observes the fundamentals. Pick songs that the audience can identify with. Have flashy moments that show of its musicianship and confidence to the crowd. Make someone's pulse exceed 60 beats per minute. Otherwise, you're just performing for yourselves. What's the fun in that? You seem to espouse the same faults you have towards the BK design team, full of loft phrases and compound sentences for the purpose of making a point that few seem to understand and appreciate. I can hardly tell what you're saying. BK is not giving in to pressure to be like "winning" corps? Um, and this is bad, how? Do we want all the corps to look alike? Then you claim that playing tunes the crowd recognizes constitutes "fundamentals". Since when? I thought fundamentals were the boring details like snare timing exercises, marching well, and playing together. I didn't know that playing recognizable music is a "fundamental" in the drum corps handbook. My suggestion, if I had the hubris to seriously offer one, is to concentrate on the fundamentals I listed. I think you'd be hard-pressed to say that the "winning" corps played recognizable music. Who listens to the stuff BD arranged around? Voltaire? And did any more than a few even know that Einstein was on the beach? When you started talking about transistors my head just exploded. I thought the wind blowing through the Rocky mountains was pretty creative and "flashy". Houdini was just very cool. I'm sure you have some deeply thought out point to this thread. Please, restate it a little more clearly. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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