mendy328

HERE'S THE LATEST ON MARTY FROM JOHN: Marty had a rough evening and is struggling today. They put him back on the respirator. Doctors are still very positive and keep saying that sometimes you have to take a step back in order to take two forward. They are not allowing any visitors today and probably not tomorrow. So, keep sending positive energy and prayers!

Enjoy!

Repost- from John Wooton: Just saw Marty. Really great news... Paulette, his wife, Jimmy, his brother, Ray Franscen, local drummer, and myself went into the room. I brought a drum stick. He was holding a stuffed bunny with his left hand. I ...put the stick in his hand, matched grip, and asked him if he knew what that was. He started squeezing over and over. I asked him if he wanted me to read the hundreds of facebook messages and he shook his head no. If you know Marty, you know that he doesn't like a fuss. So, that was an expected reaction. I asked him if he wanted me to leave the drum stick and he shook his head yes. I then asked him if he wanted to hold it matched or traditional. He was holding it matched and let go of the stick. I put the stick in his hand traditional grip and fixed his hand on the stick. He even pulled his pinky back and middle finger straight. He then tapped the stick on his leg. He now won't let go of the stick. It was a beautiful moment. It was a Cooperman, I should have put a cheaper stick in his hand cause I don't think I am going to get that one back.

I wonder how much an 'entertaining' year truly has to do with this. If you are an alumni or drum corps die hard, you are going to see 'your' corps no matter what. Does the rest of the audience ('fringe' crowd) actually hear whether or not the year is good/bad and make the decision to attend based on that? Just wondering. Instead of marketing to non-corps/band/music folks in Indy alone, would it be better for DCI to market more to alumni? Many that I know hadn't been in years, myself included, but regained interest upon return. Just some thoughts. Also, as a member, I loved going to new and exotic locations every year for finals (Montreal, Miami, etc.). I can imagine that Indy might get old for those that march many years, especially coming from California. It would be interesting to hear from some of those members. Not having been to a show in quite a while, I was surprised to see how small the crowd was this year compared to the 35,000 I used to perform for. I'm glad DCI is working on this and I hope they never die! It's a wonderful activity!

Here's the address: Tulane Medical Center » 1415 Tulane Ave New Orleans, LA 70112 » Room 4405 Let's flood him with cards! What a boost that would be for his spirits. He's a fighter. ;)

Cards would be wonderful. I'm working on getting the address. He's at Tulane hospital in New Orleans.

Per John's request, I will continue to post updates for those interested in Marty's condition. Please keep him in your prayers. John Wooton I have some good news!! Marty moved his left leg today and held up two fingers when asked to. At times he is able to answer yes and no with head movement. He made eye contact with his wife, Paulette, and got a little choked up with a chin quiver when two students from Brother Martin came by to let him know how much they missed him and that his new street beat was awesome! Thank you for all your prayers and flam paradiddles. It is overwhelming.

Another from John's Facebook page (with his permission): <li id="stream_story_4e4946f2b01774472507059" class="pvm uiUnifiedStory uiStreamStory genericStreamStory uiStory_785990851299 aid_Array uiListItem uiListLight uiListVerticalItemBorder" data-ft='{"evt":4,"src":9,"sty":22,"actrs":"42811119","nactrs":1,"targets":null,"pub_time":1313419680,"fbid":"785990851299","qid":"","s_obj":11,"s_edge":1,"s_prnt":11,"ft_story_name":"StreamStoryCreateGeneric_StatusStreamContent","mf_objid":785990851299,"object_id":785990851299}'>[/url] John Wooton I understand that the last post about Marty is maxed out! That says something about how many people this man has touched. Waiting for MRI results now. Keep the comments and prayers coming. I will read them all to him. Thank you everyone. Post more here...

From John Wooton: "The stroke was in a major artery in the back of the head leading into the brain. I have been visiting him in ICU and is able to squeeze his left hand. Still unconscious but reacts mostly to humor. I told him "now off the right!" He refused and continued to lead off his left." He is at Tulane Hospital.

I thought the exact same thing...flashlights? Next step might be those massive spotlights that twirl around a large venue...

I applaud your desire and ambition. I had the same feelings 31 years ago when my dream was to march Phantom Regiment. My parents asked me to put together a pros/cons chart and study it. I did that, then presented it to them (which included how I would pay for everything myself). I marched french horn '81-'83 and those are some of the best memories of my entire life. Your parents know what is best and you should respect their wishes. However, come up with some valid arguments and see what happens. I wish you the best!

It would be wonderful if DCI would make announcements at the beginning of the show and at intermissions regarding the above suggestions...just like at a live theatre. Some of the audience are just newbies/parents that are so excited for their kids and don't know the proper etiquette, but would probably oblige if instructed.

Marty has been able to respond some via squeezing John's Wooten's hand. That's good news, I think!

Phantom Madison Boston Crusaders

Just want to be clear...I'm not blaming anyone or pointing fingers. PR is just trying to get something secured themselves so the kids can relax and focus on what is most important. As of 55 minutes ago, about 10:45 a.m. CST, they STILL do not have housing. PLEASE. Does anyone have connections or know of someone they could contact? It would be a huge service to the community and much appreciated by the Regiment! SUTA! :)

Phantom just received kudos on their FB page from the band director at Mountain Ridge High School in Western Maryland for their recent stay: " We certainly enjoyed having the corps in Western Maryland for the past two days. Best of luck in the coming weeks!"

Yes, it is ultimately DCI's responsibility for finals housing. However, as a drum corps family, we are all trying help out. Does anyone have any connections to a high school near Indy that might be willing to host PR? They have an excellent reputation for taking care of the host's property (from what I have heard). That was my sole intention on posting. Let's just help these kids have a place to put their sleeping bags for finals!

I apologize if this came off in a 'bad' way. Administration posted a plea on the PR alum page to hopefully find someone with connections. My intentions were sincere.

Honestly, I didn't mean to stir the pot...just wanted to see if there were some connections on here to find a location a.s.a.p. Glad to hear that something is happening. If that is the case, I'll leave it alone! ;)

Apparently, DCI did not follow up on insuring the housing committments made for everyone.

My Drum and Bugle corps...the Phantom Regiment...needs housing accomodations for championship week in/near Indianapolis, Indiana. If anyone out there has connections with a school that would be interested hosting the corps from Wed 8/10 thru Sat 8/13, please contact them directly at prinfo@regiment.org. Seriously. They should NOT have to be dealing with this the week before finals. Get on the ball, DCI!

While I bet you're asking about this decade (lol), I can tell you about the early 1980's! I marched PR '81-'83 and had so much fun that I would do just about anything to be able to be there again. I think the style of rehearsals is dependant upon many variables! How much sleep the corps has had recently, the weather, the field conditions, last night's scores, who was watching, time until finals, etc. There were days when we were a bunch of ragamuffins and days where we didn't budge. But, we always managed to place in the top six and I am proud to say that I've beaten every corps at some point or another. I do notice that today's PR hornline is more serious, but they also have more water in their personal jugs than we drank all summer! ha We lived. We had fun. And, lest anyone think everyone was clean cut and wholesome (cough, cough)...the best group of folks I know. :)

You know, I still don't get this year's BD show. Once I heard the joke..."BD brought to you by Home Depot", it just wasn't the same. Interesting thing is that at the Rockford show, I sat by a friend who is the lead brass player in a large city symphony. He marched a top six corps in the early eighties. His comment was that "BD just doesn't play as well as they used to play". All of the silly manuevering seems to have taken a toll on their chops!

While I'm glad there are experts on this board and in DCI, my personal opinion is that I go to a drum corps show to see what human beings can do well. It's amazing to see an exposed show executed immaculately. It's amazing to hear a crisp, clear drumline throwing it down. It's amazing to hear a unified hornline running licks together. It's amazing to watch a beautiful guard perform as one with passion. Yes, I'm a purist. However, I can see all of the theatrics, amplifications and tricks in plenty of other places. Drum Corps used to be the one place where I could enjoy viewing 'experts' in these other 'basic' skills. I miss that. I also wonder whose pocket DCI is after. If it's the alums, who have the support money and offspring to march, from what I've heard they are not reaching them with these new approaches. If it's the young ones, I don't know. Other than 'band geeks', their family and friends, what teenager that you know would sit through a drum and bugle corps show? My college-aged son certainly would not. I'd love to hear other's thoughts on this.

Interesting topic. I marched Phantom '81-'83, playing flugel the first year (Spartacus), then switching to horn after that. PR did away with the flugels and I was actually happier on horn. I felt like I could produce a sound that was fuller, louder and just sounded better - in my opinion. I think 'randomnoise' is spot on...whatever the corps is looking for that year might affect the instrumentation. I just wish we heard more the the drums and 'bugles' these days instead of artificial music...but that's another thread. ;)