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Drum. Cult or just Addicting?


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I don't know if it's something you'd describe as a cult, necessarily, but many times my wife has likened drum corps to gangs. She often brings this up when she goes to a show and observes the behavior of members of the various corps.

Some of the things she notes are how we tend to stick together in small groups, or packs, all wearing corps jackets displaying our 'gang' colors, greeting each other with unusual or 'secret' handshakes or catch phrases, and establishing our 'turf' for rehearsal, storing our gear, etc.

She may be onto something!

I think this is a really good comparison.

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The only thing missing, is human sacrifice! :grouphug:

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The only thing missing, is human sacrifice! :grouphug:

Not in our corps. LOL

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If it were addicting there would be DCA (Drum Corps Anonymous) meetings held regularly so Drum Corps Addicts could get together and talk about their addiction. DCA, hmmmm. :bleah::cool::hmmm::whip:

If it were a cult, corps would be hyping a religious experience like a revival or something. Revival? "Tent Meeting Revival!" :smile::grouphug::wacko:

Edited by Kansan
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I actually blew off my high school prom because it was our first show of the season. I'm glad I did though, it was my first win. So I guess thats a little extreme and cult-like.

I did the same thing.

Fortunately the girl I was going to take was in drum corps too so she understood.

My Mother didn't.

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I have to say, even though I'm just 18, while it is addicting it also can leave you with a big hole in your life when you go back home. It's hard to sometimes relate to people who don't know what drum corps is, explaining how you got so fit, where the hell you've been during the summer, and trying to convey the idea of 12 hours a day of hard work. It's really fun but really becomes a part of you which can be both good and sometimes bad.

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I have to say, even though I'm just 18, while it is addicting it also can leave you with a big hole in your life when you go back home. It's hard to sometimes relate to people who don't know what drum corps is, explaining how you got so fit, where the hell you've been during the summer, and trying to convey the idea of 12 hours a day of hard work. It's really fun but really becomes a part of you which can be both good and sometimes bad.

That is so true. I felt like I had been ripped from the womb after my 1985 DCI season. I went home to mom's and I was lost. Completely lost. A couple weeks later I went back to school and marching band camp and it was so total cuture shock. (Drum Corps to Big Ten marching band...). After a week the president of Tau Beta Sigma had a little chat with me because she didn't feel I was that interested in the band sorority anymore. She was correct. I quit, but I did stick out the marching season. I spent the next year only able to socialize with drum corps people.

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or nascar, or basketball, ...... Although most times when you turn off drumcorps from the television in a sports bar, it doesn't start a riot.

It does have cult aspects. Some of my better instructors had an innate ability to related the activity to religion (or sex). And/or held degrees in psychology and not music. I did miss the last week of school for two years of high school and three years of college to do drumcorps. Which was always annoying to take finals a week early. Although nice to be done with it a week early. I did have to come back from 9 to 9's to graduate high school. And missed three days. I also missed my next to oldest brothers wedding because I was on drumcorps tour. And missed all that income from summer jobs (could that be the tithing associated with religion?). Not to mention dues, housing, and other expenses.

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Oh, I missed that...as well as HS graduation parties....

I skipped the senior-class Mass held the night before my high school graduation in 1976 to go to the Bridgemen's Tournament of Stars show in Bayonne.... the Bridgemen's first appearance in their new "banana" uniforms.

My mom, who was a drum corps fan, nonetheless was not pleased that I missed the Mass.

Fran

Edited by Fran Haring
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LOL, just remembered night of my Senior Prom waaaay back when I was at Weekend DC Camp. And we weren't trying to win that season... or make top 10.... (more like not come in last place like the year before :ph34r: )

Not that I was going to go anyway... :tongue:

Now if anyone has Memorial Day or 4th of July plans it's "Will get there after I get back from the parades and clean off". And DCA Weekend is beginning to take over Labor Day Weekend again so don't even bother asking.... :tongue:

Edited by JimF-3rdBari
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