HornTeacher

Not touching that one with a ten-foot denture...

Bingo. I might only edit this to "...the only competitive opinion of this uniform...". Other than that, Daave, I think you hit the bulls-eye.

Maybe there is still hope for the Middle East after all.... And you might try going with "the fleas of a thousand diseased (deceased??) camels." it worked pretty well for Carnac the Magnificent.

Kinda' sorta' like Christmas morning, isn't it?

Re: Bridgemen Uniforms, ca. 1970's When you're putting Jim Brady front and center, it wouldn't matter if the Corps was dressed as Tarzan.

Don't eliminate consideration of the Gerber Convention. It can be your friend...

Say it ain't so, Joe.....

Thanks, Fish. I told you I was stupid on the matter. I appreciate your clearing it up for me (and brown makes all the difference in the world. Based on yesterday's television feed, it appeared reddish on my screen -- and that had me confused).

Not for me to judge, and I'm trying like he** not to do so. That being said...I'm confused by the diagonal RED stripe at the waist -- but I'm sure it is for a reason I'm not intelligent enough to comprehend. And the Trooper uniform of the past always said "austerity." I see nothing austere in this. (Trying like living heck not to say what it DOES say in my mind.) I'm trying like heck to like it...I WANT to like it...and I'm willing to give it every shot in the world. But-but-but-but.......

God bless ME??? Hell, no...God bless the 27th.

More ladders than a five-alarm fire... When a trumpet part possesses the look of a flute etude on steroids (range-wise), it ventures into the simple realm of insanity. Or in my case, profound jealousy.

Kinda partial to the Pompton Queen, myself....

For us old farts.... 1990 Star of Indiana 1979-1981 27th Lancers (any of the three) 1973 Troopers

Makes sense to me, though I have an idea that there may be some who might scoff "But that NEVER happens!!"

Regal Ithaca Mall Stadium 14, Ithaca, NY

Troopers' "modernization."

Absolutely priceless!!

Such is the result of my obvious affinity with the soapbox. Yet again I fail to heed my father's wisdom... Kind, mannered, and civilly-extended rebuke received and so noted.

You're right, Tobias. And thank you for the correction. I was getting ahead of myself in my typing (thinking already of Scouts). I've corrected it. Thank you.

He was only meaning to get a rise out of us.

Songs of the Lower Crust for the Upper Crust???

I'll concur. And I'm NOT kidding.

Wow!! Thanks, BRASSO...you just knocked me on my figurative (and almost literal) butt with that one. What a great question, both from the standpoint of simple semantics and the broader metaphysical. Distinction without a difference...I LIKE that. You just gave me my next couple of lesson plans with that one....

The key to all of this lies in the listener maintaining an open mind as to whatever changes (whether they be of tempo, style, orchestration/scoring, etc.) a given selection may go through over time. This is true not only for D&BC, but for any genre or style of that selection. To illustrate this, I'll go outside of D&BC for a moment, and use the vocal music medium for a moment. The song "Home" from the musical The Wiz has had many interpretations, each of which have developed their own following. Which of the following four can be said to be the most "definitive," most "effective," or most "enjoyable?" Stephanie Mills (1975), Original Broadway Cast Diana Ross (1978), Film version of the show Barbra Streisand Melinda Doolittle Each is different in their own way, whether the changes are large, or more of a simply "cover" variety. The song "My Funny Valentine" (from the musical Babes In Arms) also has had many renditions, each different in their own way. Three of these are: Mitzi Green (1937), Original Broadway Cast Ella Fitzgerald Melinda Doolittle Again, different interpretations, which leads to different responses according to the individual. For me, the Doolittle version (her earliest version, without the "disco" style tempo/style change) absolutely kills me. Blows me away. But that's just me. Does it mean that I don't enjoy other versions which come down the pike every so often? Of course not. I try to be open to whatever I hear, but I still find myself going back to her version when I want what, to me, is my most enjoyable experience. If we look into D&BC, we can take the Ellis tune "Strawberry Soup." Among the performances would be: Cadets ('78) Scouts ('82, '83, '93) Blue Devils ('93) Crossmen ('02) Each different, if even slightly. Heck, to my ears, there are minor differences in just the three versions done by the Scouts alone. And the thing is, I can't really point to ONE which I can cite as my personal favorite. Sometimes it depends on my mood (heck -- most of the time it depends on my mood. I'm a sour, moody person. So shoot me. ) There are days when I actually go to the Crossmen's version, even over those of the the Scouts or Blue Devils. The whole key to this is that, had I not kept an open mind to the possibilities for enjoyment inherent in any performance, the only result would have that of robbing myself of something which later gave me great pleasure. And I won't even go into the maxim "Variety is the spice of life"....

And who says there isn't civility and reason in Washington??? :>)