ironlips Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 "...There wasn't a baby..." Maybe I should have written "babe". And that reaching out to the crowd thing? I took that cue from watching Pepe. I'm thinking of writing a book: "Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned at the Dream". 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 ... I dig the immediacy and spontaneity of being up close and personal with the "smell of the crowd", as Anthony Newly put it, playing some triple tonguing for folks whose faces I could see, or leaning down to blow a chorus of "Rock-a-bye Your Baby" to an actual baby. Sky's forte :-) Sky has never had a forte, except during warm-ups, which were short and insignificant... Sky's dynamics begin at fortissimo (in place of piano) and go up through FFFF to G level (a level named for Bob Giranda). They play well, sometimes exquisitely, like 1983 among many other years. But forte? Nah... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted February 12, 2015 Share Posted February 12, 2015 Be careful around Hanover at parades Andy, you may end up carrying one end of the corps banner. Great place to put youngsters when you want them to come to the parade but can't keep an eye on them. "Hey wanna help Uncle Dave at the parade?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 "...There wasn't a baby..." Maybe I should have written "babe". And that reaching out to the crowd thing? I took that cue from watching Pepe. I'm thinking of writing a book: "Everything I Ever Needed to Know I Learned at the Dream". OK - me and parades - the Cliff Note version: At the Puerto Rican Day parade in 1964 (13 years old). I had to go to the boy's room (not old enough for the men's room)... Took my contra bass with me... can't leave a contra bass on the streets of NYC. Came up from the (downstairs) men's room - the corps had stepped off in the parade. Hey, I'm nervous, so I run down the street, turning right onto 5th Avenue, running hard... right into an ancient (maybe over 45) woman carrying a shopping bag - knocked her ### over tea-kettle - as my mom used to say... OK, helped her up, picked up her crap... went back to running... Caught up with the corps - being the lone contra bass I'm the entire back row. Corps goes on through the intersection and a cop doesn't notice me, let's all of Westbound New York through - bye guys... Catch up with the corps 5 min later - life is good. Corps gets to 67th street or whatever street in the Upper East Side it turned off on... it's almost over... Henry Hartjen, WWII Vet and one of the Oceanside Legion Post members that proudly walked beside the corps in this and other parades stumbles, bumps into me, and hits the street - hard - never ever to arise. Heart attack - DOA at (I'm guessing) Bellview. Every one of these details is true - I honestly don't know if they all happened in one parade, but I'm pretty sure it was the Puerto Rican Day Parade that most of it occurred, for instance the bathroom, corps abandonment, and old lady TKO was one event. After that? Maybe multiple NYC parades over a year or two. Oh, and did I mention the soft pretzel vendor whose entire cart was knocked over into the ######### strewn street, only to have him scoop up his wares and continue selling them? Also a NYC parade. Haven't eaten a pretzel since. I get the same vibe from parades, walking through the other end of Da Nang (away from the base), and a casual stroll through Philadelphia, North of Lehigh Avenue, around 10pm on a Friday night. So while I appreciate everything you all have rightfully listed... Only parade I enjoyed was the St Pat's parade the year after I came home, when I went and sat on the steps at St Pats hours before the parade, and finished at the Blarney Stone off Central Park East hours after it. Parades - you can pick your friends, you can pick your nose, but you can't wipe your friends on the couch. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Florida Sun Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Ray I guess your missing that nice Texas weather bout now,It was 74 here today but we have what they call a hard freeze coming down from you northerners .But it ownly lasts till the sun comes up in the mornings ,So I throw a blanket on the bed to keep warm here .LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rayfallon Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Ray I guess your missing that nice Texas weather bout now,It was 74 here today but we have what they call a hard freeze coming down from you northerners .But it ownly lasts till the sun comes up in the mornings ,So I throw a blanket on the bed to keep warm here .LOL You're a cruel ####, Chuck. (btw - that rhymed). We were going to try to get out to Texas tomorrow morning, but every flight is sold out (we fly for free when there's a seat available). So... more shoveling this weekend... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TennTux Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 "...I hate parades with a purple passion..." What a great line! I think most drum corps folks feel that way, especially drummers. Me, I love a parade. (One of my college profs told me I'd "always fall outside the curve".) I dig the immediacy and spontaneity of being up close and personal with the "smell of the crowd", as Anthony Newly put it, playing some triple tonguing for folks whose faces I could see, or leaning down to blow a chorus of "Rock-a-bye Your Baby" to an actual baby. I fully realize this is a sin in some eyes, as is my intense hatred of something considered sacred by many others: Garlic. All of this must mean something, but the actual significance escapes me. Bring on St. Paddy's Day. Donna also loves marching parades... I never cared for marching parades though I know we used to (most times) make good money doing them.... 10 yrs playing Bari, 1 in the Hurc's Rifle Line and 10 more with Sun. (though those DM white gloves were a LOT lighter than the Bari and Rifle. LOL I seem to remember a lot of marching/walking backwards while the Corps (Sun) was playing that that was tough(er) on the calfs.... heh Now I drive the "case van" behind Reilly. Air conditioning in the summer, heat in the cooler weather. And It's nice and dry when it starts raining too! I think I can do another 10 years of parades this way.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2B or not 2B Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 (edited) OK. You want to talk Parades. Most Fun Award goes to: NYC "Puerto Rican Day" Parade". I was with "NYC Skyliners". We had 2 paid Sponsors. So we divided the Corps in Half. I was with the first half. Just about at the end. We dropped out of the Parade. The people there were mad, got called Many different names in 2 Languages. Then when the other 1/2 of Sky came along we jumped up gave them a loud Greeting, and ran down and joined. The Corps had Stopped, and we played another song and the Crowd went Nuts for us. Most Embarrassing Award goes to -- a NYC "St Patrick's Day". Yes at the Worlds Largest St. Patrick's Day Parade. I was with the Neptune, NJ "Shoreliners". When we stopped and Played in front of St. Pats., Cardinal and all,) and played "Never On Sunday" (not a real great Irish song). Scariest Award goes to: "Orange Bowl Parade".(again with Neptune "Shoreliners") First let me say this was Before the 1964 Civil Rights Act. President Kennedy was supposed to be their. But was killed just months before. We were about 1/3rd Black. The Names we got called along the parade route were Horrible. Then also some of the route had few People, So we moved All the Blacks to the inside ranks to protect them from thrown objects . Largest Amount of Drum and Bugle Corps Award goes to: VFW Nationals in NYC. It had OVER 75 Corps (and I believe Corps of the North from ALASKA). Although some of the Corps did not Compete in the Field Contest.. (like Corps of the North) I think ONLY about 48 were in Prelims) NYC has ALWAYS been big for many Corps in the Metro area (NYC, NJ). I marched in: Macy's Day, St. Patrick's Day(Irish), Columbus Day (Italian ) Von Stuben Day (German), Puerto Rican Day(Puerto Rican), Salute to Israel Day(Israel), Pulaski Day Parade(Poland) Labor Day Parade(U S Workers) and MORE. Edited February 14, 2015 by 2B or not 2B 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironlips Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 Like 2B, I dug the "Puerto Rican Day" parade. Unlike the others, on that route people literally danced in the streets. What a party! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bucbari Posted February 13, 2015 Share Posted February 13, 2015 (edited) Like 2B, I dug the "Puerto Rican Day" parade. Unlike the others, on that route people literally danced in the streets. What a party! Well if you want to get going on parades...well..nothing topped the parade in Bridgeport for the Barnum. Why did it seem that that went on forever? I have can still hear Nicko hollering "NUMBERS!!! NUMBERS!!". He would step out of line and point to some nice 16 year old. And please don't ask about the Gin and tonics prior to the Wildwood parade. What was a corps from Reading doing in Wildwood? I donnnnn't know. Edited February 13, 2015 by Bucbari 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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