Mad Mello

Oh yes, I remember that one (and its several variations) well.

Doug was one of our arrangers at Marshall when I was in college; GREAT guy, and so was Peter who also worked with Bloo. The don't suck line was used a lot by the staff at Scouts, too. I always loved Van Mathews' pre-show talks. He would often tell a somewhat incomprehensible story that seemed somehow deep and mystical at the time, lol. He was certainly one of my favorite staff members and I have fond memories of him. Of course nothing will ever beat singing YNWA as a corps before taking the field.

When I marched Scouts ten years ago, all of us who were French Horn players played third mellophone using horn mouthpieces with adapters. A few of the guys competed in I & E on French Horn but we didn't actually march any. I can't imagine any corps still does as I haven't seen them on the field for years.

FMM, 1998 Madison Scouts. And, of course, a rabid fan.

When I marched Scouts in '98 we had no theme whatsoever, just a title. I challenge you to find the common thread betwen Lupin, Peer Gynt, and Remembrance. It worked fine and the crowd responded enthusiastically. I think a non-themed show would go over very well even today.

Agreed. I only marched one year, and had no prior corps experience. I wouldn't trade my year with Madison for ANY other corps. I wanted to march Scouts, and if I hadn't made the corps I was going to march Bluecoats...hardly helping the little guy there!

Thank you. I wish we could sticky this on DCP. Please know that most of us support you.

Madison hired Bill Howard to right the ship financially; it doesn't get much better than that. There were multiple reasons for letting Sal go, and I will trust the board based on what I know of the situation.

San Francisco is one of the most beautiful (and coolest) cities in the world, so it has my vote.

At the Fairfield show, I sat next to a family who had never been to a DCI show, nor a marching band competition. They had seen an adboard on the side of the road and thought it sounded fun. They thoroughly enjoyed themselves and said they were going to try to go to Louisville, Centerville, Columbus, and other shows in the area. They seemed to very much disagree with your assessment. IMO shows are in general more entertaining than they were when i marched. Why? Because everyone's not doing the same thing now days. The Fairfield show was a prime example. Every single corps had a unique identity, and there was not a dull show in the lot.

A lot of people don't realize the financial trouble the corps has had. I think financial stability is overlooked when people discuss the changes that were made. The organization is trying to secure the future--the very existence--of the Madison Scouts. That is far more important to me than any score could ever be.

There is a long summer ahead and it is too early to predict anything. I do know this: Madison will bust their rear ends to put the best product possible on the field. That you can take to the bank.

Mike is a great guy. I'm sure he has mixed feelings about it, but he can't help but be thrilled by SW's performance. I was very happy for him last night.

Scores are very arbitrary. An 85 one night might earn you an 84 the next. Placements are fine, and I think they should keep things as they are now.

Wow. As an alum tonight's scores pain me. I'm from the "winning isn't important" era, but we still would have been furious if we scored like that. I hope that they can get it together. They have some fine people on staff so I have faith that it will work out. But for now, I am beyond unhappy.

My wife commented that "it wasn't very Madison," but I disagree with her. I think it is vintage Madison. It's not in your face for 11 minutes, but Madison shows never have been, despite people's memories to the contrary. It is the soft, subtle moments that make any Madison show imho. 2007 is very powerful and holds the crowd's attention from the moment the field entrance begins, just the way a Scouts show should. I loved every minute of it and can't wait to see it again later this summer.

You are 100% correct. There wasn't a "bad" performance in the bunch last night. A very strong show overall and I enjoyed everyone. I've seen a group score an 11.9--imagine what that must look/sound like, and you are well on your way to "bad."

That would be me. Check your PMs.

An excellent point. A judge is intensely watching one aspect of the program; they notice things those of us looking "big picture" do not.

The guard is a pretty big part of the visual package, however. :)

Scouts had a lot of drum dirt, but not that much! I agree with you on this one.

My thoughts exactly. Madison's dirty, but it's also June 19. Give them time and they'll be all right.

Great to see them doing so well. The more good Wisconsin corps the better.

Man, I hate their narration. Fun show, though.

Scouts were very sloppy. Visually there were some massive problems and intonation was suspect. In all honesty, though, they were at least equal to GMen, regardless of the scoring. I think they will beat Glassmen in the long run. Cadets are going to be scary good, btw.