Dylan Ford Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Phantom's tanline maintenance must've been fun - those certainly didn't leave much room for error. Wish they were brighter, sometimes you lost the guard on the field from up top or on video. If I recall correctly, I think I remember even watching a quick "Off the Field" Phantom Regiment video through the DCI Fan Network, and I think I remember seeing the PR guard, before getting into uniform, getting spray tanned! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Brace Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 If I recall correctly, I think I remember even watching a quick "Off the Field" Phantom Regiment video through the DCI Fan Network, and I think I remember seeing the PR guard, before getting into uniform, getting spray tanned! I imagine they got plenty of volunteers offering to help with this job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeD Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 They are obsessed with safety pins.....I just can't figure it out. The uniform is made so you don't need them at all, but I think it's a security thing...they just have to have them pinned. Wierd. And yes, my uniform back in the day was thick, hot, smelled like a horse when it got wet, and yes, very old, but we still looked good. Today's uniforms are not made to last for generations like the old school uni's. My Garfield uni, that I wore from 70-72, was actually from around 1961 or 62. Being on the "husky" side, I NEEDED Aunt Nellie to use a few dozen safety pins to keep my uni hanging together, sad to say. You are right...they smelled like the Kentucky Derby when wet...I recall Aunt Nellie hanging the jackets inside out all around her back yard fence to dry them out after a long day of parades, like Memorial Day or July 4th. Cadets wore white pants? They may have been a bit lighter than the pants worn now, but never white. Off white, light ivory, cream. I marched in the 70's...haven't worn white since then anyway. Maybe back in the beginning? Mine was a light cream'ish color, thought that might have been due to age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
84BDsop Posted January 8, 2009 Share Posted January 8, 2009 You are right...they smelled like the Kentucky Derby when wet...I recall Aunt Nellie hanging the jackets inside out all around her back yard fence to dry them out after a long day of parades, like Memorial Day or July 4th. I'm sure THAT made her popular with the neighbors! See...this is what I loved about the classic BD uni....built in ventilation!!! Even during that one day show at Whitewater prelims, I didn't feel that hot....kinda felt for the guys in Suncoast, tho, and their double breasted wool jackets...OY! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ussglassman Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Your so right about many of the things you talk about with tradition and corps being true to themselves. However, your dead wrong about drum corps being weak because of innovation. This past years finals was probably the best ever (by far) from both a quality standpoint and an entertainment standpoint. Performance quality just keeps getting better and better. Times change and so does the activity. I agree the activity may end up killing itself...but it will not be because of innovation it will be because of the exclusive elitist attitudes of those who run DCI and their not realizing who they are or should be. What I meant about "innovation" being the nail in the coffin for the drum corps activity is 2 specific things: 1) corps are choosing music, instrumentation, and overall show designs that are destroying the traditions that define "drum and bugle corps" as it was intended to be. 2) corps are killing themselves off one by one having to PAY for the innovations that will keep them competitive. It makes perfect sense. I remember when I first got into drum corps in 1999 you were hard pressed to find a big corps with matching contrabasses. Maybe BD, SCV, that was about it, and those horns had been reconditioned many times to keep them looking good as old as they were. Oh, and the Glassmen marched 2 valvers....... NOW?!?!?! Drum corps get new brand new custom-built horns every other year. They have to PAY to haul 150 members plus a much larger staff and overpacked semi trucks across the country to more and more performance venues. Kids cannot afford to march drum corps anymore because it runs upwards of $2500 just to be involved, not to speak of the expenses of transportation to camps, and to survive during the times when you aren't property of a corps. Drum corps innovation has already destroyed the activity. Yes, the shows are bigger, flashier, cleaner, etc. But, its like watching a baseball game knowing that almost every single player is not only doped up on performance enhancing drugs, but they are each being paid $180,000,000 just to play for a few years....kinda sad isnt it? I'm mad....very very mad at the direction the activity has taken. I believe that we will start seeing more and more corps disappearing. Within just a few years I really don't think anyone but the top 12 will be left, and soon all those organizations will begin feeling the burn of how much $ is flowing in and out with every "innovation" some $$$$ hungry tycoon decides to introduce. The show closest to me, the Moonlight Classic in Stockton, CA used to be a huuuuge event. It was almost like championships for corps west of the Mississippi, and the stands were packed full 10 years ago to see the Div 3 corps play their hearts out. Last year, the stands were dotted with random groups of fans that came out to see the 6 or 7 units who showed up to play. I heard the event was nearly cancelled because they couldnt find enough corps to perform, and because they wouldn't recover from ticket sales what was required to run the venue.... THIS is quickly becoming the drum corps legacy. I hear stories from people in the alumni corps I play with, about how 70+ corps would show up to nationals 20 years ago; how now making the top 25 in semi's was an HONOR, and how it actually meant something to have been a member of a real drum and bugle corps. To those of you who read my demeaning doom and gloom post, I invite you to attack anything I have mentioned here. I am 25 years old. My rookie year was the year they legalized Bb horns in DCI. I don't think they should have ever legalized the 3 valve G bugle, and I am truly saddened at the so-called innovations that have already decimated something I consider to be such a defining force in my life. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ussglassman Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 (edited) What I meant about "innovation" being the nail in the coffin for the drum corps activity is 2 specific things:1) corps are choosing music, instrumentation, and overall show designs that are destroying the traditions that define "drum and bugle corps" as it was intended to be. 2) corps are killing themselves off one by one having to PAY for the innovations that will keep them competitive. It makes perfect sense. I remember when I first got into drum corps in 1999 you were hard pressed to find a big corps with matching contrabasses. Maybe BD, SCV, that was about it, and those horns had been reconditioned many times to keep them looking good as old as they were. Oh, and the Glassmen marched 2 valvers....... NOW?!?!?! Drum corps get new brand new custom-built horns every other year. They have to PAY to haul 150 members plus a much larger staff and overpacked semi trucks across the country to more and more performance venues. Kids cannot afford to march drum corps anymore because it runs upwards of $2500 just to be involved, not to speak of the expenses of transportation to camps, and to survive during the times when you aren't property of a corps. Drum corps innovation has already destroyed the activity. Yes, the shows are bigger, flashier, cleaner, etc. But, its like watching a baseball game knowing that almost every single player is not only doped up on performance enhancing drugs, but they are each being paid $180,000,000 just to play for a few years....kinda sad isnt it? I'm mad....very very mad at the direction the activity has taken. I believe that we will start seeing more and more corps disappearing. Within just a few years I really don't think anyone but the top 12 will be left, and soon all those organizations will begin feeling the burn of how much $ is flowing in and out with every "innovation" some $$$$ hungry tycoon decides to introduce. The show closest to me, the Moonlight Classic in Stockton, CA used to be a huuuuge event. It was almost like championships for corps west of the Mississippi, and the stands were packed full 10 years ago to see the Div 3 corps play their hearts out. Last year, the stands were dotted with random groups of fans that came out to see the 6 or 7 units who showed up to play. I heard the event was nearly cancelled because they couldnt find enough corps to perform, and because they wouldn't recover from ticket sales what was required to run the venue.... THIS is quickly becoming the drum corps legacy. I hear stories from people in the alumni corps I play with, about how 70+ corps would show up to nationals 20 years ago; how now making the top 25 in semi's was an HONOR, and how it actually meant something to have been a member of a real drum and bugle corps. To those of you who read my demeaning doom and gloom post, I invite you to attack anything I have mentioned here. I am 25 years old. My rookie year was the year they legalized Bb horns in DCI. I don't think they should have ever legalized the 3 valve G bugle, and I am truly saddened at the so-called innovations that have already decimated something I consider to be such a defining force in my life. Oh, and one more thing for those of you who are fuming mad at me right now. Drum corps were intended to be a service for KIDS who wanted to learn music and have something fun to do during the summer. Drum and bugle corps were supposed to be to keep kids from getting into trouble when they were out of school for the summer; places they could learn discipline, respect, and become better people.....Now the only kids that can be in drum corps are the RICH KIDS, while the kids who deserve to be out there running those fields are negated to watching from behind the fence at rehearsals. The neighborhood kids who would have at one time been able to join the drum and bugle corps that practiced at the VFW hall down the street are now left out in the cold because of......innovation..... You know, I have a deep respect for the Star of Indiana organization. They found that they wanted to create something that the drum corps activity couldnt provide for them. So, you know what they did? THEY LEFT!!!!! So, now all these other corps are getting they idea, "hey, lets do something new, that the limits of drum corps cant hold us back from anymore!" What sickens me, is that instead of being statesmen and realizing that they don't belong in drum corps anymore, the powers-that-be of the drum corps activity have decided to ruin the concept of Drum and Bugle Corps, and even worse, they have instituted that everyone who wants to be a part of it must either follow or DIE!!!!! Well, it looks like the vote is in, and even if you do want to be a part of it...your organization is probably going to die anyway....either that or lose all concept of the IDENTITY that your program was created upon in the first place..... Edited January 12, 2009 by ussglassman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deltabass Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Oh, and one more thing for those of you who are fuming mad at me right now. Drum corps were intended to be a service for KIDS who wanted to learn music and have something fun to do during the summer. Drum and bugle corps were supposed to be to keep kids from getting into trouble when they were out of school for the summer; places they could learn discipline, respect, and become better people.....Now the only kids that can be in drum corps are the RICH KIDS, while the kids who deserve to be out there running those fields are negated to watching from behind the fence at rehearsals. The neighborhood kids who would have at one time been able to join the drum and bugle corps that practiced at the VFW hall down the street are now left out in the cold because of......innovation.....You know, I have a deep respect for the Star of Indiana organization. They found that they wanted to create something that the drum corps activity couldnt provide for them. So, you know what they did? THEY LEFT!!!!! So, now all these other corps are getting they idea, "hey, lets do something new, that the limits of drum corps cant hold us back from anymore!" What sickens me, is that instead of being statesmen and realizing that they don't belong in drum corps anymore, the powers-that-be of the drum corps activity have decided to ruin the concept of Drum and Bugle Corps, and even worse, they have instituted that everyone who wants to be a part of it must either follow or DIE!!!!! Well, it looks like the vote is in, and even if you do want to be a part of it...your organization is probably going to die anyway....either that or lose all concept of the IDENTITY that your program was created upon in the first place..... While a little off-topic for "Best and Worst uniforms of 2008," these posts say some very true things. It is amazing how a community can be formed around an activity, and be so out of touch from it. Ask any corps member after a summer why they marched, and I guarantee you that a numerically measurable response will never be heard. People claim to be supporters of this wonderful activity, in which young men and women pour their blood, sweat, tears, and lives into perfecting a product designed for entertainment, and yet they sit on their couches year in and year out defaming and criticizing those who have accomplished something amazing. Reducing something as wonderful as marching in a drum and bugle corps to numbers and opinions is criminal. It's as though someone is looked down upon for finishing a marathon forty minutes behind the lead runner, when the important thing is that THEY JUST COMPLETED A MARATHON. I know fully that this is even MORE off-topic than my leaping-off point, but "innovation" is ruining and 'modernizing' one of the most pure activities today. If you want to fret over numbers, watch professional sports, where individuals are ALWAYS put above the team. Everybody knows who was the quarterback was on last year's super-bowl winning team. Who knows the name of Phantom's mello soloist? Very few. Don't focus on individuals, don't look down on any corps. You may consider yourself a fan, but comments such as "I don't see the Colts doing anything this year," or "Corps A is a sinking ship, GO CAVIES!!!" are contributing, albeit indirectly, to the demise of beauty. Do not underestimate the power of public opinion. Everyone deserves a rousing standing ovation during finals week, regardless of what numerical value a small group of individuals allots them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ussglassman Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 While a little off-topic for "Best and Worst uniforms of 2008," these posts say some very true things. It is amazing how a community can be formed around an activity, and be so out of touch from it. Ask any corps member after a summer why they marched, and I guarantee you that a numerically measurable response will never be heard. People claim to be supporters of this wonderful activity, in which young men and women pour their blood, sweat, tears, and lives into perfecting a product designed for entertainment, and yet they sit on their couches year in and year out defaming and criticizing those who have accomplished something amazing. Reducing something as wonderful as marching in a drum and bugle corps to numbers and opinions is criminal. It's as though someone is looked down upon for finishing a marathon forty minutes behind the lead runner, when the important thing is that THEY JUST COMPLETED A MARATHON. I know fully that this is even MORE off-topic than my leaping-off point, but "innovation" is ruining and 'modernizing' one of the most pure activities today. If you want to fret over numbers, watch professional sports, where individuals are ALWAYS put above the team. Everybody knows who was the quarterback was on last year's super-bowl winning team. Who knows the name of Phantom's mello soloist? Very few. Don't focus on individuals, don't look down on any corps. You may consider yourself a fan, but comments such as "I don't see the Colts doing anything this year," or "Corps A is a sinking ship, GO CAVIES!!!" are contributing, albeit indirectly, to the demise of beauty. Do not underestimate the power of public opinion. Everyone deserves a rousing standing ovation during finals week, regardless of what numerical value a small group of individuals allots them. A-MEN!!!! All I have to say to those naysayers you speak of is this: "Yeah, you hate a specific uniform, but I'd bet you'd give anything to get to wear it...You say 'the colts aren't going to do anything this year..' but, I bet you would trade every moment in your life since you were 21 just to get 10 minutes to perform on the field with them...." If you are passionate about drum corps enough to bad mouth a corps...then be passionate enough to PAY $15 AND GO TO A ^$^%&^%in SHOW!!!!!! Even more, if your passion flows through you enough to think that what you have to say actually benefits the drum corps activity, then get off your ###, dig out your old horn mouthpiece and go join your local senior corps. DO SOMETHING TO MAKE THINGS BETTER rather than the continuing the apathy that is contributing to the continuing demise of what we all love so much!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lance Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Oh, and one more thing for those of you who are fuming mad at me right now. Drum corps were intended to be a service for KIDS who wanted to learn music and have something fun to do during the summer. Drum and bugle corps were supposed to be to keep kids from getting into trouble when they were out of school for the summer; places they could learn discipline, respect, and become better people.....Now the only kids that can be in drum corps are the RICH KIDS, while the kids who deserve to be out there running those fields are negated to watching from behind the fence at rehearsals. The neighborhood kids who would have at one time been able to join the drum and bugle corps that practiced at the VFW hall down the street are now left out in the cold because of......innovation.....You know, I have a deep respect for the Star of Indiana organization. They found that they wanted to create something that the drum corps activity couldnt provide for them. So, you know what they did? THEY LEFT!!!!! So, now all these other corps are getting they idea, "hey, lets do something new, that the limits of drum corps cant hold us back from anymore!" What sickens me, is that instead of being statesmen and realizing that they don't belong in drum corps anymore, the powers-that-be of the drum corps activity have decided to ruin the concept of Drum and Bugle Corps, and even worse, they have instituted that everyone who wants to be a part of it must either follow or DIE!!!!! Well, it looks like the vote is in, and even if you do want to be a part of it...your organization is probably going to die anyway....either that or lose all concept of the IDENTITY that your program was created upon in the first place..... Glad to see such passion. You'll find that your sentiments echo almost verbatim 10-20 other regular posters on here. Many disagree with part or all of what you said as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ussglassman Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Glad to see such passion. You'll find that your sentiments echo almost verbatim 10-20 other regular posters on here. Many disagree with part or all of what you said as well. LOL..bring it on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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