HockeyDad

Never mind. I'll save my snarky post for another thread. Have a nice weekend everyone!

The kind where the drummers keep their mouths shut and awe me with their actual mad drumming skills.

Not to derail the topic, but, I think your premise is not true. The article you are referring to is coming from the NYT. The NYT is pushing an agenda here. I don't know that anyone knows there's a dam about to burst with lots of gay athletes coming out. The NYT would like for that to happen and is pushing that agenda, but, whether it has an basis in reality is another thing. Anyway, back to shower stories

heh. Stay off my lawn!

Ummmm........give 'em what they want? And stop pretending you (corps, dci) don't know what that is. In short, when you argue with your customer over what they want, you lose.

DCI is like New Coke. The owners and marketers decided they knew what the consumer wanted. They made it all the way to day 78. Whereupon they couldn't withstand the bad publicity and widespread consumer revolt anymore, then sheepishly went back to "Coke Classic." Lesson: Consumers like what they like. Period. You're not going to change that, especially when they have choices. Possibly the single best thing DCI has going for it is there is no other choice if you want to watch drum and bugle corps. In this case, I can't "switch to Pepsi." I either drink the New Coke or stop drinking cola altogether.

I'm with the buckeye. And I'll take it a step further. Those who actually consider shows with popular appeal to be "dumbed down" are the types of full-of-themselves snobs who pushed the activity to the spot it's in right now. This attitude needs to be reigned in.

And how is that workin for them?

LOL I was at a concert this afternoon, and the guy in my avatar mentioned performing in the Rose Bowl, and how, when you're performing in front of an audience like the Rose Bowl, you have to play things that appeal to a broad audience. Spoken like a guy who knows what he's talking about. Increasingly with DCI, I get the feeling the designers are designing for themselves and the judges. Too much navel gazing for my taste. So, I've been walking with my money lately. In DCI, I and people like me are the problem, not the solution. We, the "legacy fans," are to be scoffed at. I read about right here with some frequency.

You forget the pre-season games. I'll have to give you a minus 1 point for that. So, that makes 10 games plus the B1G championship, for a total of 11. DCI is a small fish in a big pond. A really, really, really geeky small fish. It would be the small fish that gets picked on by the bigger fishes, yet so wants to be relevant. So much so that it will change its rules constantly, even to the point of jettisoning its core identity, in that quest for relevance. And in the process, lose much of its support base.

The problem with this whole Carl Ichan/Jack Welsh/Warren Buffet we need a business takeover thing is - this isn't any business that has money in it for someone to go grab. This is more like the nature conservancy of Hennepin County, or the San Francisco Symphony, or whatever. A small, non-profit, that's going nowhere, with lots of infighting. Oh Boy ! How can I get a piece of This Action ?!!!? (BTW I see the strike officially ended yesterday, a bit of good news) No, what DCI needed was a rich patron to give it money. Because it's an arts group, not a business to wring money out of. Not a good plan for success? You'd be surprised if you stopped and thought about how many groups owe their survival to behind-the-scenes patrons.

Did I mention.....more Chuck Naffier arrangements !

You're funny when you play dumb. As you know, my broad brush comment was in response to this - "Being in college band at all is questionable. I hated every minute of college band and I was the drum major" You project your personal experience - via the broad brush - and make it a commentary on college marching band in general. You might be surprised to learn that the universe extends beyond the end of your own nose. For a lot of people, the experiences they had in college marching bands was the time of their life. And guess what? That's okay.

Your life appears to be one broad brush after another. I'm sure, with your attitude, your fellow band members really thought you were a hoot. Although I do agree with the age limit - at some point it's time to move on. In junior hockey the age limit is 20. I am convinced that if there wasn't an age limit there would be 30 years old players out there still chasing the dream.

first question: Yes second question: I don't know. At some point you need to stop bleeding money.

LOL as we were watching the Frozen Four yesterday (and who Wasn't !!!), my son asked, "are all the Yale players smart?" Actually it threw me - the concept of a "smart" hockey player - and I say this a Hockeydad myself.....

What? Who wouldn't like 30 years of "Brian vs. Brian" ? (don't make me explain it)

Yay hockey !

More arrangements by Chuck Naffier !

2006, Madison Scouts Alumni Reunion Project. Specific moment - Through The Eyes Of Love. My #2 son, who at the time was 7, looked around. IIRC, everyone was standing. Anyway, after looking left and right, he turned to me and asked, "Why are all those old people crying"? Apparently he didn't notice my eyes were welled up too. Kids....

Yeah. No real reason to go spend any money on it, is there? Every year, same old same old.

I like the scissors. Drum corps needs more scissors.

Mike Boo, being mildly critical of the present state of drum corps? Wow, now I have seen it all. BTW I couldn't agree with you more The only thing you didn't throw in there was the lame "it needs to evolve" claim.

That would be merciful. This has become one big "is it June yet?" thread.

Brilliant !!