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"Impossible", you say?

Thanks to those that appreciated our performance, it was the experience of a lifetime getting to perform with my brothers that came before me, that taught me, that I marched with, that have come after me and are keeping the corps going. It's funny too, because we have people on here criticizing, yet all over facebook I'm seeing messages from JD Shaw, John Meehan, Daniel Wiles, Dean Westman, Robert W Smith, etc congratulating us. And the millions along the route, and others on tv, facebook, twitter, etc as well that enjoyed it.

Look, people can be critical for Madison not using tv to their advantage, critquing the screamers, Lauer's slip, etc, but let's keep our eyes on the big picture here for a second: Who was the last DCI corps, current members, alumni members, current and alumni members, ringers whatever to march in the 2nd best known parade in the world? ( Rose Bowl being first) I'll wait for the answer. I hear crickets Right...I hear crickets because no one has done it. Not any of the vaunted east coast corps past or present, and no one else. I know of 3 DCA corps that have in the past ( Cabs, Skyliners and Matadors), but that's it, So Madison performed in Macys with a huge ####### corps, and got more eyes on DCI corps than the entire summer tour does every year. That's the important thing

Then where were you two months ago when the Scouts could have used your awesomeness? Nobody likes a Monday morning quarterback.

Spare me the picayune blatherings. DCI got coverage...The Madison Scouts got national coverage..."Drum and Bugle Corps" got national coverage. You want to get picky...go pick your teeth. Or your butt. I don't really care which you choose.

so a couple points from someone who actually participated in this event, and took it personally. thanks for all your feedback, good, and... well... seriously? sometimes, if you don't have anything nice to say, just... (comments censored) Hope you enjoyed your holiday. We sure as hell did. Anyway, we did it because well, why not. We have a corps that just celebrated 75 years, alumni who are very active in supporting the current corps, and three directors who wanted to "get the band back together" so to speak. I had the ability to hang out with guys who just marched, and guys who marched 30 years behind me and chat like we're all old friends. That's some magic if I've ever seen it. We couldn't do more drill than we could learn and clean in 12 hours (4 tues night, 8 wed, and practice time at the rehearsal site on our own), we had to make it accessible for everyone from the 15 year old current member to the 50, 60, and 70+ year old members, and to be honest, we have a boatload of participants, so it didn't leave room for much more than a park and bark. 2 step intervals just don't let you move around with a big old horn that easily. So yea, it was about getting everyone together under one roof, and trying to peel the paint off the wall. No, we didn't care about numbers of people for tv. We wanted representation. All of this was ok with all of the participants, directors, and yes, even Macy's and CBS and NBC who have to OK what goes on the TV. And no, no one cares about tv frame size or viewing angle. Not one single group. You as a ensemble cannot have any idea what the artistic director and production coordinator's are thinking and what they feel needs to be broadcast. I too, work in entertainment production, so don't talk to the masses here like they are stupid. They're not. It was out of our control, so we didn't worry about it. All decisions for your performance are approved by Macy's and the TV Stations. They have to approve everything you plan to play and do. If they don't like it, you have to change it. We had to cut music (we had all learned already) out of the performance last minute to make it all work in their time frame due to their proposed layout of performances during the broadcast. So seriously, as much as I enjoy the banter every once in awhile, shuddup. We jumped at the chance to go out and blow the windows out of the Foot Locker, and we did. We forced the recording engineer to ENTIRELY revamp his approach. haahahahahahah. Which was awesome. We went out and had some fun in the cold. For those of us who don't march anymore, it was a chance to not just put on a uni and pick up a horn, drum, or piece of gear, it was an opportunity to put on THAT uniform. You can say there are corps that change you when you put on a uni, but there's something different about being in the Scouts, or Cavies, Cadets, or BD or even Troopers. There's a history, and a tradition. I think that's why I have such a hard time thinking about forcing more injury onto my body by marching for someone else. It'll just never be the same. It's beyond inspiring to see gents from the 60s and 70s in the streets working on 5s till they were perfect. Gents who hadn't picked a horn up in 30 years to magically find a way to pull not just a buzz from their lips, but to pull together something presentable. And the guys who hadn't carried a drum in years to put on the harness (and a back brace) and hack until the wee hours of the morning so they felt it was clean enough to finally sleep at 3 am. I got a call from a friend tues night saying he's proud to be my friend, he'd watch for us, and there's not many corps that could pull off "pulling everyone together again". Even his own corps he aged out from he admitted they just don't have the support or pride from past generations to fathom making something of that scale happen. that says a lot. and it says a lot about the three guys who worked their butts off to organize this. housing, travel, busses, uniforms, horns, drums, flags, rifles etc etc etc. practice space and the family members who came out to help as support staff sewing unis last minute to make them perfect, dealing with food, checking people in and issueing horns and gear. So I hope you all had a happy holiday, if you enjoyed seeing us rattle the streets of NYC, you're welcome. This made the best start to a holiday season Ive ever had, and it bittersweet with this being the first holidays without my father, it became something my fam could really get into, Because Dad loved the holidays, and he loved the Scouts. I wish he'd have been here to see it. cheers.

I cannot believe that anyone would have the audacity to complain about the Scouts in the parade. They had members from all over the country (and other countries) participating who were brought together for about 24 hours to practice as a group. I would venture to say that there is no other corps who would have had such a tremendous alumni response. It was thrilling for the members and for their fans. It is about the brotherhood above all else. They made DCI proud. If you think you could have done it better, go stand outside in the 30 degree temperatures in snow, wind, and rain with no coat for 3 hours.

No, Seen. But I think that nearly 17 pages of back-and-forth conjecture debating the merits of the coverage, how the coverage was accomplished, and attention paid to a few words spoken in error or mis-pronounced on the parts of television newscasters/celebrities has overshadowed or detracted from the basic positive nature of the Madison Scouts' appearance and televised coverage in regards to the 2014 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. And until CBS, ABC, or FOX television is willing to pick up the coverage of an "Indianapolis Motor Speedway/Lucas Oil Stadium Thanksgiving Day Parade" featuring nothing other than parade units representing the various organizations currently under the umbrella of "DCI" (although maybe including large balloons of Jim Jones, Gayle Royer, Dean Acheson, et. al.), I think what we currently saw a few days ago stands to act alone as a positive action.

Kudos to Bob J. and Surf for loaning their vehicles and equipment to Madison for the Macy's Parade and practices. Like Spirit's fraternity with the Crossmen, Madison's JK oil painting to Cavaliers, Cavaliers' birthday cake for the Cadets, etc., etc., such efforts are what make our activity special and memorable. Have a great new season. (Love the filigree on the didgeridoo. Is this a new Yamaha, Stanbury, or FJM line of product???)

Maybe we can appreciate all coverage without dissecting one vs. another? There were 22+ million television viewers for this past week's Macy's parade. 99% saw a marching band ahead of Santa.

As I said before, was it really? Maybe somewhere in the list of goals for the Scouts, but not the priority. Loaded question: Cadets at the 96 Olympics. Did it do anything to help? Anything? My cringe over that show they were made to do live still hasn't reached its half life and I'm still wincing in embarrassment every time I think of it. I'm most certainly not wincing about Madison at Macy's. No narrator with some powder-fluff cornyfied dumbed down plot and much pointless and embarrassing prancing about. It was bang, pow, sock, kaboom! As it should have been.

It's AN important thing, no doubt. So is quality. So is presentation. So are a lot of things. And look, they were overwhelmingly well received by drum corps fans and the like, so who the heck cares if people decided to take a more critical look at things which could have been done better? If all we're looking for are roses being thrown at our feet, the activity will go nowhere. And let's not mistake these relatively minor critcisms (in contrast to all the things they did well in this parade) for nastiness or dickishness. I've seen none of that in this thread, or anywhere else for that matter. Take the critcism for what it is. Or don't, and move on. But enough with the hyper-defensiveness. Overall, they were great. It was good for DCI. And there are things which can be learned from their performance to make things better for the next corps to do it. That's all. Resume your turkey sandwich leftovers!

Thanks for your response Frank. You got the old mind thinking. I guess the V/N war can be blamed for the demise of Reilly in addition to a lot of more serious subjects. I I left Reilly in April of '66 to go into the army. Most of the guys my age who were with Ridley Park, Bracken. Vasella, Vagabonds & many others moved on to Reilly & Archie for the '65 season. We all never made it to the '66 season, after answering Uncle Sam's call. Many went to the Marine D&B but the majority just blended in with the rest of 19 & 20 year olds. The '66 seson, as you know, saw the Archie-Reilly merger. I never got to see them on the field but heard it was a bit of a debacle. And thank you for your service. Ron Cook Sp5 E-5 519th MI Btn

Come on people...get real. Saying one top corps is easier than another to get in is ridiculous. Bottom line is that the top corps draw the most talented people in the world...period. How many NFL teams are there? How many top drum corps are there? It's no different. They are all at the very pinacle of their activity. It's very different now than it was back when I marched where every town of 10,000 people had a really good drum corps. It is a VERY select activity now. Every year is different. Depends on how many age outs a given corps had the year before, etc. Every corps has last minute spots that open up due to many reasons. My advice is to pick the corps that you really like and want to be a part of, then go do whatever it takes to get in. Don't listen to what anybody else THINKS it takes, including me. You will never make it if you don't try out. Make the commitment, put in the effort, do what it takes and then go and play your hand. You never know what they need or want until you get there. We are gong through this right now with my oldest son who is out at Blue Devil tryouts right now. He is having a great time, learning a lot, and...well...we'll see. One thing I would say that appears to be the case in all the top corps, at least the ones that I have contacts with, is teachability. How well do you respond to criticism and how quickly are you able to put that criticism into practice. Just go do it. You will never truly know until you try. As always...just my $.02. Dan

Just wanted to take a moment and congratulate the Madison Scouts on a job well done in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. You looked and sounded awesome on TV. Did drum corps proud. Hope everyone involved had a great time and has a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!

Of course, if you're going to audition on trumpet, I highly recommend growing a goatee.

SPATS!

I love the description posted with that video: "OMG these guys took it so serious ... they did a great job ... love it".

But knowing Surf, I wouldn't doubt it. Lol.

Not a fan of that NBC bunch... they are way too cutesy for my taste. I agree. Speak correctly.

LOL

I think your focus is impressing us with your awesome insights. It adds nothing.

Hmm, I wish you were there so all of these "glaring" mistakes would have been corrected. But you weren't and don't really know all of the logistics and amount of rehearsal time that was actually done trying to get 430 members from 6 generations all on the same page with a evening practice and one full day before the parade. I think it was fantastic and great exposure for our activity.

Presenting tonight's award is: http://media1.gameinformer.com/imagefeed/featured/uncategorized/worstcallofdutyplayers/ArmchairGeneral2.jpg ................and your award is: http://dynastyfootballwarehouse.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/FF-Trophy-Armchair-QB.3a.png

6th rule: SHHHHHH - They did fine.

Nailed it!

I am tired as I write this because I had the honor of joining with Madison at 3 am to do the "blocking and sound tech" session in front of Macy's. It took 4 "takes" for the TV gang to get it right. T.V. commentators had pre-recorded substitute voice-overs, including even comments going in and out of commercial break. The professionalism of Madison's organization under Chris and Scott was absolutely amazing as was the immediate and always spot-on response of the members who marched. The willingness to make the corps, the activity, and their individual personal reputations so stellar was tremendous as witnessed by their quick and absolute response to the horn sergeant's commands whose voiced echoed throughout NYC as if God himself was speaking. For me, it was an honor to witness the camaraderie and unity of the alums and present members as if all of them marched together in fact for many many seasons rather than this one event. From those who knew C.H. Beebe personally to the young un's in their novice whites from the past summer, their common focus was powerful. I particularly enjoyed the warm reception from various friends and admin/instructional staff members I have known over my fifty years in the activity. Being "live" at the blocking and at the parade gave me a great experience of the positive reaction Madison elicited along the line of march. With several of our legacy corps/founders celebrating major anniversaries during the past decade, Madison set a new standard and raised the bar exceedingly. Thank you to the poster who recorded and shared the photo session of the corps singing. There isn't a dry eye left in NYC while they are still replacing the shattered plate windows along 6th Ave and 33rd street. Loud and proud and a big hit with this NYC crowd. Well done, Scouts. Thank you...even if we hadn't had any snow until the Wisconsin corps arrived.

George Zingali referred to that as a "Carol Burnett Show", Fran. A bit of everything fun for everyone. He went on to say in 1984 that the Carol Burnett format was just fine as long as the selections complimented each other and went well together as a whole.

The Bayonne Bridgemen were perhaps the most innovative Drum Corps in history, imo. They were TOTALLY unlike any other Corps when they came out in 1976. Not just in music. But in unis... in entrance onto the field... brass laquered bugles.... on even the level of diversity within their Corps ranks. None of the other elite Corps at the time had as many minorities in their Corps ranks. This Corps gave off an " urban diversity vibe " that was totally unprecedented for its time. They were totally unique from the other Corps. And I mean totally... even more so than Star over other Corps in their timeframe. While just about every other Corps in the mid 70's was moving in ethos and vibes to the 'Burbs, the Bridgemen vibe and ethos was taking us to the City with their shows. The Bridgemen eschewed the military look in vogue with Corps typical style and unis at this timeframe and went for unis that Corps staff informed us later thry got its inspiration from sidewalks pimps attire they saw coming out of a nightclub one night in NYC. Just think about that for a moment, and how honest, refreshing and different this was... and how creative. The Bridgemen were greeted, particularly in the midwest, with raised eyebrows and a look of bewilderment.... and this was just the reaction they got with their entrance onto the field from the stadium gates or from the tunnel. They also made it quite clear that they did not care for the judges placement and scores, that their show design would be 100% based upon what would shake up the staid sensibilities of the early DCI at the time in the early 70's and go full bore with an attempt to entertain the audience with music, shuffling ( not marching ), and visual effects that average everyday people would find engaging. Nobody, but nobody was " marching " in shows like the Bridgemen were doing. What was unique about the Bridgemen is that they turned skeptical or even hostile crowds around within a minute of their opener. They were true performers as they had the ability to make people turn a skeptical and/ or bewildered look into smiles. Thats what staff and their performers that are creative and have enormous desires to please diverse audiences are capable of. Few people booed the Bridgemen after they watched them. The hate was dissipated. In performance. They never won a DCI title. We don't remember them today for this fact either. If we are looking for a Corps that was controversial, different, innovative, creative, the Bayonne Bridgemen were the real deal. From the moment your jaw dropped as you saw them come off their busses in those uniforms, to the moment you later smiled and waved at their bus as it exited the stadium parking lot.

This analysis doesn't discuss the fact, however, that each of the aforementioned sports leagues were farther along in their evolution than DCI was in 1979. Easiest comparison to make is with basketball (mostly because I just finished reading a 700-page book on the history of the NBA): The Basketball Association of America (later to be known as the National Basketball Association) was founded in 1946 by hockey owners who wanted basketball games at their arenas (similar to DCI being founded in 1972 by the corps themselves, separating themselves to a certain extent from the VFW circuit). The NBA added a shot clock in 1954 to speed up games (analogous to asymmetric drill). While the concept is introduced by the owner of the Syracuse Nationals, the team that capitalizes on this the most in the next few years is the Boston Celtics (similar, in my mind, to SCV introducing asymmetric drill and Cadets capitalizing on it in the 80's). A rival league, the ABA, appeared in 1966 and developed a completely different take on the game of basketball than the NBA. The two leagues uneasily coexisted for a few years, until merger happened and the ABA disappeared (shades of Star coming in on a completely different trajectory to the rest of the activity, succeeding, going in a completely different direction in 1993, and, ultimately, disappearing as well). In 1979, the Celtics and Lakers got two transcendent players, and their rivalry (between the players and the teams themselves) becomes a major point of the next few years (SCV's reemergence in the late '90s, against the Blue Devils return to dominance over the same time period). Finally, one player and his team (Jordan's Bulls) take over the activity for an extended period, dominating all comers for the next couple of years (shades of the Cavaliers in the first half of the '00s)...before the league returns to a relatively equal playing field, in which various teams contend every year (the Lakers and Spurs, and to a lesser extent the Mavericks in the NBA; the Cadets, Devils, and Cavaliers in DCI). Some groups reemerge as true contenders...some do it for the first time (the Celtics' resurgence in 2008 in the NBA vs. SCV 2009; the Cavaliers' emergence behind LeBron in the late '00s vs. Crown). Obviously, DCI's evolved in a more compressed time frame than the NBA did. But the various landmarks are surprisingly similar. So, really, trying to compare DCI 1979/2007 isn't a straight comparison to the NBA in the same time frame (Sonics over Bullets compared to Spurs over Cavaliers). Probably the most accurate comparison is trying to compare DCI 1979/2007 with the NBA Finals in 1954 and 2000 (Mikan's Lakers over Syracuse vs. Shaq's Lakers over Reggie Miller's Pacers). So...um...yeah. I can't believe I made that whole argument semi-intelligently.