altsrock

i don't know about any of you, but i see some really crazy blurring of the lines between popular music and drum corps more and more. it was weird enough for us bjork fans to hear "cvalda" and "new world" in '05, but i guess what really threw me for a loop was the comment about singing along with the cavaliers. anybody here ever been to/heard of/seen video of billy joel in concert? playing "piano man"? i mean, granted, it's a kind of ridiculous to expect that to ever happen in a stadium, but if it did...i think it would be like the shot heard 'round the world for DCI. not that it would start some kind of epic war, i'm just saying...you know, it would be the singular moment that launched an all-out revolution or the mark of a new era... OK, MAYBE NOT. but it's nice to fantasize/dramatize. in other news: billy joel agrees to a guest appearence at J. Edgar Krum stadium to perform "allentown" live with the cavaliers. the lyrics will be altered, however. a sampling: "well we're waiting here in allentown because yet again our bus broke down" and "something happened on the way to that place they threw a colorguard flag in our face!" i also hear there will be an encore consisting of "we didn't start the fire" once again, with altered lyrics. i'll let your imagination run with that one. but really, people. "only the good die young"? catholic girls starting much too late just doesn't scream CAVALIERS to me. uptown girl? sure, she's been livin' in her whitebread world. now, she may be lookin' for a downtown man, but my kinda town? i don't see the two going together. AND SOME FOLKS like to get away, take a holiday from the neighborhood. they might hop a flight to miami beach--or to hollywood. but are the CAVALIERS just taking a greyhound down the hudson riverline? nay, my friend, they're more likely headed for loop south, chicago. let's face it, billy joel is the epitome of NEW YORK! how could a group from the arch nemisis CHICAGO take on such a NY icon? tsk tsk.

arrgh. sorry, i'm a long-time, frothing-at-the-mouth radiohead fan. i feel the innate urge to clear this up completely. sorry in advance for being so anal. radiohead and bjork have never collaborated on a song. THOM YORKE is the lead singer of radiohead (i think this was already mentioned), and he did produce one duet with bjork "i've seen it all" -- fantastic song, btw. thom and bjork also performed at the 2001 oscars together with radiohead and an orchestra -- following the release of dancer in the dark. thom has said his favorite non-radiohead song is "unravel" by bjork. fun. ok, that being said...radiohead has always held the key to an AMAZING drum corps show. too bad no one's picked up on it.

hm. interesting ideas being tossed around here. i will admit that a uniform change for the cadets would be "bold" and very, very interesting. yes, it makes me sick to my stomach to see all of that history thrown to the wayside, but i do definitely see the aesthetic concerns it addresses. it is a very curious proposition. however, if you're looking at it simply from an artistic standpoint, it's pretty #### stupid. yes, there is such a thing as "art for art's sake" in this case, inexplicably changing the uniform...just to fit some theme or something...but, in all reality, the "purpose" behind it would be to generate a shock value, no? to be edgy? "creative"? that's quite a faux pas in modern art. in short, it needs substance. what the cadets are already doing--which, i believe, is much more genius--is taking an image so familiar, so wrought with tradition (the Cadets drum and bugle corps, in all their glory, same uniforms, same everything), putting it out there, and manipulating it to do something absolutely unexpected. absurd, even. THAT is some real art right there. are you more likely to feel emotionally offset by an image of a piece of tie-dyed material being burned or the American flag? whether you realize it or not, the emotional reaction that rises up in you when you see the cadets take the field and do something totally (in your opinion, let's say) wrong, and "not real drum corps", is utterly connected to the maroon and gold, the cummerbunds and striped cream pants. you're seeing the "destruction" or perhaps "deconstruction" of something precious and sacred to some part of your mind and memory. strong comparison, i know, but that's what real art is about. extreme audience response/controversy/discussion is something every artist dreams of. well, most, at least. and you wonder why the cadets continue to do what they do, against your will, even to aggravate the fans? ha, this message board displays that which fuels it more than anything, i think. it's pretty amazing if i do say so myself. i'm not trying to knock anyone's opinions or simplify the way anyone feels about any of this. everyone's opinions are totally valid, and should be discussed. if you didn't, then they would essentially have failed. just my two cents!

i think it's vital here that we address the fact that there actually exists a drum corps that behaves identical to a specific baseball team when it comes to headgear...and actually all kinds of merchandise... i dunno about you guys, maybe i don't live fully in reality, but when i see someone in a faded blue hat with a red B, i think "hey, they must like/march(ed) crusaders." i mean i realize a lot of people wear it because they like the redsox, but i can't help my involuntary associations.

There was a LOT of booing/yelling/general freaking out, and several loud "WHAT?!"'s being thrown around in Florida (Gainesville). When the correct score came on, there was a substantial amount of cheering and clapping. The audience was really into it the whole night, though, so it was to be expected.