Why Blue Devils Win

[HollywoodNeoCon]

For what its worth, and by the numbers, with your kind indulgnece:

1. I spent a great deal of my young adulthood with the BD organization, and have 3 rings to show for it.

2. I have a great deal of respect for what the A corps has fielded since I aged out.

3. That respect aside, I don't think every championship they've won since 86 was as deserved or well-received as the prior World Title wins.

4. I still spend a great deal of time and money supporting the organization and an activity I don't feel as passionate about as I once did, but am intellectually honest enough to admit that while I think the "Golden Age of Drum Corps" ended in 1989, my father, who marched 1963-66 Cavaliers probably felt the same way at some point in time.

5. I sometimes feel Wayne Downey phones it in, but has such raw talent, the guy can write a chart based upon the Mary Tyler Moore show theme and still win high brass.

6. Scott Johnson walks on freakin water.

Conclusion: as an alumnus, I will continue to applaud BD victories. As a drum corps fan, I will occasionally hearken back to 1976 BD, 1980 North Star, 1983 Garfield, and just about any Madison show and wax nostaligic about the days drum corps shows were written for the "popcorn eaters."

That said, the Blue Devils win because they consistently find a way to win. Just like the Blackhawks last season with a combo of young and old talent. Just like the Yankees are trying to do this year (and have every year) with an open checkbook, and just like we all try to do every year with whatever tools we have at our disposal. As they say, "hate the game, not the player."

Edited July 12, 2010 by HollywoodNeoCon

[fsubone]

Why does your ellipsis have too many dots? Somewhere, an English teacher is crying.

edited because I made a tYpO. iRoNiC (this might not actually be ironic either... haven't taken an English class since high school)

Oh, it's actually because I have OCD about even numbers, so I type all of my ellipses with 4, sorry.

[ContraRich77]

I'll argue on that point...you can't do what they do without education....like every other corps out there, they have months to teach (educate) to play...I came in having never marched a slide in my life....yet I was taught (educated) how to do it. They didn't necessarily teach me any music theory, but I DID become a far better musician because of the teaching (education) afforded me by Wayne Downey and Jack Meehan.

Not self-discovery??? BD was the first time I ever was responsible for my own upkeep...and it prepared me for the military. I certainly discovered I could perform in front of thousands of people and not be scared about it...and I discovered that after a season of corps, nothing else was going to feel as hard.

No camaraderie?? I'll point out ScoJo in the 06 Blue Smoke video, talking to the drum line (Sounds like finals....) "Tonight's show's dedicated to every one of you, and that person standing next to you. That's your brother, that's your sister...that's why you guys are here." Sounds like camaraderie to me. EVERY corps builds that...no corps is composed of robots.

Performance is certainly part of it....but WITHOUT education, self-discovery, and camaraderie, performance cannot happen....they're all part of the same whole.

You can't DO this activity at ANY level if you don't have all of those elements. That hasn't changed in the over 50 years of BD's history...nor the 70+ of Madison's, Cavies', or Cadets'....it's universal.

I think you misunderstood him Sam....All these things are the inevitable result of a group effort like Blue Devils, or any other corps. I think all he meant is that BD didn't waste time better spent on the show "teaching" these things. Many corps DO take extra time to put more emphasis on these matters in terms of what's expected of them, but I believe these things are a naturally inevitable result of the ebb and flow of the experience of a Blue Devil season.

[84BDsop]

I think you misunderstood him Sam....All these things are the inevitable result of a group effort like Blue Devils, or any other corps. I think all he meant is that BD didn't waste time better spent on the show "teaching" these things. Many corps DO take extra time to put more emphasis on these matters in terms of what's expected of them, but I believe these things are a naturally inevitable result of the ebb and flow of the experience of a Blue Devil season.

Rich....the exact quote from his post was "Every year, BD picks the most talented and attractive performers in drum corps. They train these performers in a system that emphasizes one thing - performance. Not education. Not self-discovery. Not camaraderie. Just performance."

There's no misunderstanding here...he's saying BD teaches nothing but performance...a pretty clear read.

[jmc5682]

Explain the boo's? I'm not the only one who feels this way!

BD has been getting boo'd since the late 70's. People in Denver were not necessarily booing the placement, but they were upset with the spread. I understand why people are upset with the spread. They are mad because BD right now looks to be better than everyone else, and they fear the corps they honk for is not going to have a chance at the title. That is a legitimate fear, because BD like last year does not have a weakness in their corps such as percussion for Crown or visual (performance) for Bluecoats. Their biggest fear is that BD will win again, and we want anyone, I mean ANYONE to win EXCEPT the BLUE DEVILS!

[chaddyt]

BD has been getting boo'd since the late 70's. People in Denver were not necessarily booing the placement, but they were upset with the spread. I understand why people are upset with the spread. They are mad because BD right now looks to be better than everyone else, and they fear the corps they honk for is not going to have a chance at the title. That is a legitimate fear, because BD like last year does not have a weakness in their corps such as percussion for Crown or visual (performance) for Bluecoats. Their biggest fear is that BD will win again, and we want anyone, I mean ANYONE to win EXCEPT the BLUE DEVILS!

Actually, in all honesty? ... I'd just like to enjoy the show that takes the gold. I don't care what corps it is.

It didn't happen for me last year. And as of right now, all signs are pointing that it won't happen again this year either.

But I am just one lowly DCP poster....

[Jeff Ream]

Actually, in all honesty? ... I'd just like to enjoy the show that takes the gold. I don't care what corps it is.

It didn't happen for me last year. And as of right now, all signs are pointing that it won't happen again this year either.

But I am just one lowly DCP poster....

one of 2 ( and those with us can add on to the total)

[tja273]

OK - waited until Denver to do that. Avoided the Fan Network so that my first impression would be from a live viewing. And here's my first impression....a show with only two measures of coherent melody.

It is hard to take the rest of your post seriously when you start it like this. Whatever you think of the beginning and end of the show, are you saying there are only two measures of melody in the entire ballad portion of the show? I am trying to decide if you actually watched the whole show, or if you just wrote all of this up before you went and just pressed "send" this morning...

[The Other Mike]

Funny...if I was a BD member from almost that far back....why did I congratulate Garfield as the left the stadium after their victory run in 84...while I was still in uni? Rich Armstrong (Garfield's DM) remembers.

Or....why didn't we just throw away our beef stroganoff when we were stalled at the border instead of feeding it to Garfield...you should've seen them pound it down. Those members remember that one.

Or perhaps I shouldn've turned away from that young Canadian girl from Les Dons at the Montreal show (when I REALLY wanted to finally see Garfield from the front) instead of answering her questions about being in BD.

Or maybe I should not have made friends with a Garfield mello when we were housed at the same school and later NOT greeted her, both of us in full uniform,as we got off the bus and wished her good luck on Finals day...or not even given taken her phone number that night (lost it later that evening....always regretted that)

Perhaps I should've given the cold shoulder to a different female mello from 84 Garfield when I found out she worked the commissary at the Air Force base I was assigned to after completing tech school....certainly I could've stomped off in a huff, cursing her and her corps when I net her after we'd separately volunteered to play trumpet at an on-base church service.

Or even I -- a BLUE DEVIL -- should not have been singing the praises of CADET mello legend Barbara Maroney, as I do every time her name might come up.....perhaps I should not have been the one to nominate her for inclusion in the CADET Hall of Fame as I did last year,something her fellow CADETS did not do (although they did support the nomination).

Or to carry it to other corps....perhaps I should go back and recant all the praise and joy I heaped on 08 Regiment when they won by the slimmest of margins over my own guys....remember that?

Sorry....that kind of a broad brush is BS. People hating on BD or any other corps?? Your post is the kind of thing that perpetuates it, Mike...and it shows up when people still blame BD for the 08 retreat debacle, even though it's been proven time and again that it was primarily Blue Knights....so are you going to paint every Blue Knight with that brush, too?

There's a difference, I've NEVER like Blue Knights.

[84BDsop]

It is hard to take the rest of your post seriously when you start it like this. Whatever you think of the beginning and end of the show, are you saying there are only two measures of melody in the entire ballad portion of the show? I am trying to decide if you actually watched the whole show, or if you just wrote all of this up before you went and just pressed "send" this morning...

Kinda goes with the brass not playing for 4 continuous minutes in 09....I shot THAT one down in flames.