Cadets' narration....thoughts

[84BDsop]

Sam .... We appreciate your concerns. We have worked all year to make this work. I am sorry you find it so offensive.

Why is this so? Can you tell me what element of voice makes it less effective for you?

PS --- the inserted comment about no voice .... is a clear attempt by US ... by the Cadets, to make a little fun of ourselves ... and the entire controversy. After all .... it's just a little voice ... and drum corps! We will move on to the next challenge in 2008

George....wow...I never thought you'd actually respond (shouldn't you be at practice? :P )

It's not a "little voice"....a "little voice" was 05....which was perfect (I listen to the drumspeak section a lot because it was so well done). This is almost non-stop...i cannot enjoy the brass, percussion, or even guard performance with the CONSTANT narration....it's making "Lincoln Portrait" look like "4:33"

I do NOT need to be preached at that much....the corps speaks well enough with the actual music, guard work, and drill....

it's way too late to cut it back now....but if you HAD to have narration to tell a story, it could've been done with a lot less of it.

I've defended you in the past from people who call you the Drum Corps Anti-Christ -- both privately and sometimes on his very discussion board -- I've loved many of the programs you've put out (even though you have my ring!) and I am truly grateful you chose to respond at all, let alone on the public part of the forum. You have created some of the most innovative, spectacular, mind-blowing shows since taking the helm. You've gone ahead with programs with elements you HAD to know would generate controversy and stuck to your guns -- which I highly admire.

But I'm sorry...the 2007 Cadets is a corps I simply cannot enjoy, in spite of the extremely high performance skills of the members. They're performing the bloody hell out of the program...but the only way I'll be able to enjoy it is if someone cuts power to the mikes.

Sometimes less is more.....this is one time where more is definitely less.

[Antoni30]

Sam .... We appreciate your concerns. We have worked all year to make this work. I am sorry you find it so offensive.

Why is this so? Can you tell me what element of voice makes it less effective for you?

I think you should go back and re-read his post. Apparently, you can't see the forest for the trees.

I believe he makes some very valid points. Some of which are repeated over and over by many fans, not only on this site, but in the stands.

You have a tremedous corps. Why sacrifice all the hard work?

[bradrick]

Sam .... We appreciate your concerns. We have worked all year to make this work. I am sorry you find it so offensive.

Why is this so? Can you tell me what element of voice makes it less effective for you?

PS --- the inserted comment about no voice .... is a clear attempt by US ... by the Cadets, to make a little fun of ourselves ... and the entire controversy. After all .... it's just a little voice ... and drum corps! We will move on to the next challenge in 2008

Since it looks like George H. is reading this now:

I wanna share with you something I posted in a different thread where somebody was talking about the Cadets narration this year. Because I think the members performing this show are doing an outstanding job.

(snip)

Something unexpectedly happened for me when I saw The Cadets live this year. The members with the narration stepped out and really sold their parts and connected with me (only speaking for myself) and then flowed right back into the drill - and it wasn't just some voice talking over the show (like I had previously experienced from other corps or when I saw chunks of early season 07 Cadets on Youtube). And while I'd still prefer a show without it, that made it more palatable (sp?) - and it seemed to make it feel more like part of a serious whole product and "on purpose". Especially since the members are really pouring themselves into their bits.

Now whether or not I appreciate the written words they've been given - they're really attempting to sell it as the Cadets will. And seeing and feeling that for myself live made a difference for me.

(Note: This only occured in Dallas/Mesquite. In San Antonio, I couldn't understand a flippin' word of the narration. And I was right below the pressbox on the 50.)

(snip)

... anyways... I know you're catching much crap from people... and I wanted to put that out there and share that.

[MikeD]

You have a tremedous corps. Why sacrifice all the hard work?

Ummm..."sacrifice" it exactly how? Have you seen where they are placing right now? The corps is magnificent this year, and the narration is part of the great show they are performing.

[jwscv87]

I've watched the webcast several times and I love this show, as is, with narration. I don't look at it as being hit over the head with anything, nor do I find it offensive. I don't see the narration as an attempt to explain something that doesn't need to be explained. I see it as an attempt (a successful attempt) to marry visual, music, and the spoken word as a unified whole. You can't remove one element and have this show work as intended. It cannot be done.

I don't see what is so "icky" about a high school kid who didn't fit in and turned to music. That's not exactly a ground breaking experience.

I've thought the Cadets were outstanding, if dirty, from the first webcast I saw (San Antonio), but had the potential to really be special if they clean up. Looks to me like there is a pretty good chance of that happening next week.

[chadwick]

You know how some corps surprise us with something big in the show at Finals (i.e. Blue Devils exit through the tunnel in '04)? Can you imagine how crazy the fans would go if the Cadets 'surprise' was no narration at all at their Finals performance.

[ApathyJones]

The main issue with this narration crap is how utterly uncool it is...I can show BD, Phantom or SCV to a friend or coworker and they think it is impressive and generally enjoy it...even if they have no musical or marching background. They usually reference Stomp or Blue Man group or Cirque as being similar; all things that have caught on with the mainstream not only because of the level of talent but because of how cool and stylized they are.

The BD show from this year in particular is simply cool, in a similar vein to 2003 or 2004. There isn't anything hokey or lame being played, sung or otherwise acted out and that is how I can get non-marching geek people to sit thru it long enough to get into it. I showed this years show to a coworker when he asked me what I was watching and he thought it was cool and was impressed with the musicianship and overall quality...he had never known anything like drum corps existed, having only ever seen big college showbands embarrass themselves at football games.

When I showed the Cadets show to the same person it immediately turned him off when the narration started. All he could talk about was how ridiculous it was, and he got about 4 mins into it before I got tired of trying to defend it. I am embarrassed to show The Cadets show to anyone that is not already an official band geek. In the same way that highschool marching band or college marching band is perceived by pretty much everyone that is not a member as just about the dorkiest thing on the planet (and I generally agree with that assessment), this narration phase is garnering the same reaction. It is just NOT COOL. Never will you convert a highschool or college age person who is not already into the activity with this sort of show. That is the sad part...it isn't just driving away long time fans like myself, but it is pretty much locking out an entire group of people that could be fans if not for geeking it up to a level beyond all comprehension.

[84BDsop]

Any narration should enhance the show (04 BD, 05 Cadets, 06 Xmen, 07 'Coats)...it should not BE the show.

[wxologist]

I find it amusing that people say that they cannot hear the Cadets hornline because of all the narration.

If you really listen and watch the show...the narration is so perfectly placed that it is during downtimes in the music. It seems the score was written and the narration was just another musical line in the score.

IMO its the best and most efficient placement of narration ever used.

The Bluecoats' "You have the right to remain silent..." phrase is used in the same way...to fit the musical score. The reason why there isn't an uproar is because it's not used as often. But IMO they are used in the same way...effectively.

[Hrothgar15]

George Hopkins, thank you for taking the time to post in this topic. I'm sure that Sam and I have different opinions regarding narration in drum corps, but since you were interested in his opinion, I'll list off a few reasons why I persnally despise of in a drum and bugle corps show:

-It isn't music. The most important part of any drum corps how is the music. That is all I expect to hear when I watch or listen to a drum corps show. When I hear something else, I am disappointed. I like drum corps because I like music, and that's all I want to hear. Most of my enjoyment of drum corps comes from listening to the audio portions of shows. When I sit down at my computer or get out my iPod or get in my car to listen to drum corps at full volume, I want to know that all I will be blasting is the unique form of drum corps music that is unlike anything else in the world.

-It's cheesy. Music is something that is very mature, beautiful, and epic. A sentence spoken into the microphone does not fall under this definition. Constant bouts of narration all serve as departures from this definition as well.

-It has inherent meaning. One of the reasons I like music is that I can sit back and enjoy the beautiful sounds without having to think about what it means. There is no way to do this with narration.

-It removes limitations. I like drum corps more for what they can't do than for what they can. I like shows because the corps must deliver an entertaining product solely through the use of music and choreography. The fact that before 2004 only acoustic sounds could be produced and no words could be spoken into a microphone was very special to me. Now this is gone.

-It's unnecessary. You said that you were bored with the current format of a drum corps show and wanted to try something new. What you were bored with happened to be one of the most entertaining, beautiful, and emotional things I've ever experienced. If you were bored with that, then maybe you should find another activity. Corps continue to this day tobeing crowds to their feet with what to you is boring. There are millions upon millions of possibilities of voiceless shows any corps could perform for the next 1000 years. I want to see what the Cadets can do.

-It will ruin any show. I view drum corps show as whole entities, not as a series if notes and drill moves. When I evaluate a show, I evaluate the whole thing, much like I would with a book of a movie. One of the things that I look to is if the show wa able to accomplish its goals without the use of voice. If it cannot do that, then it is not a good show.

-It's the principle. You asked Sam why the voice wasn't working for him. My answer would be this: its voice. To me, it doesn't matter the content, the quality, or the frequency, but the fact that it is used. Just aware that many people dislike the voice for thus very reason.

I'm going to have to end this, as typing on an iPhone for extended periods of time isn't the most fun thing in the world, but please take my words into consideration.

Thanks,

Jordan "Hrothgar" Kay