Rifuarian Posted August 17, 2010 Share Posted August 17, 2010 I have to wonder if this person would have had the same reaction to our activity no matter what the content was. Did he wander into the theater to do an article on an activity that was taking up time from legitimate entertainemnt and WHY?I remember some horrible reviews on Blast also. Some good but some saying it was nothing more tha HS band banging in the crudest form. Would this writer have said the same if he heard show tunes, high steppin, or classical, did it matter? I agree , great exposure from the average person or mainstream But you have to admit,anytime we expose ourselves to others many times they dont get even more why we chose to do this. Just a thought. Seems to me that he got it just fine . . . and didn't quite like everything he saw. Are we really so thin-skinned and insular that we can't accept even this mild criticism? Some of his review was cringe-worthy, though he got some things spot-on. Dancing doesn't work on a football field, but God help you if you dare mention it. The comments are beyond embarrassing though. I'm sure they get better, but I could only make through a few of them. It does seem, however, that he's not completely new to drum corps. He seems to be aware that synths, etc. were not legal in the past. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted August 17, 2010 Share Posted August 17, 2010 Seems to me that he got it just fine . . . and didn't quite like everything he saw. Are we really so thin-skinned and insular that we can't accept even this mild criticism? Some of his review was cringe-worthy, though he got some things spot-on. Dancing doesn't work on a football field, but God help you if you dare mention it. The comments are beyond embarrassing though. I'm sure they get better, but I could only make through a few of them.It does seem, however, that he's not completely new to drum corps. He seems to be aware that synths, etc. were not legal in the past. yeah i have to agree with you there..im not quite sure hes as new as he lets on to be...flip flopping from Drill teams..or whatever it was to Corps seems forced,...but then again thats my job is to find that stuff in people..lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Something weird with that article: the byline at the top it says "by Emily McFarlan" but the captioned author photo at the top and signature line at the bottom are by "Mike Danahey". While I agree that this gives some valuable "outside" perspective (though the author notes in the comments that he has attended live shows in the past) and should not be belittled for not being "inside", it is odd at times. For instance, I'm not quite sure what to make of this paragraph, for instance, which seems to be a summation: I'm just easily confused by a combo platter of pageantry, arty music, Las Vegas and Broadway glitz, props, rifles, flags, special hairdos, makeup and sound effects thrown in for good measure. It's only a matter of time before one of these corps opens for Lady Gaga or winds up part of some museum installation. When, since the 1980s at least, did drum corps not have everything in that combo platter? Even sound effects, albeit non-electronic ones, go back a good many years now. This comment struck me: I found this review rather intriguing. If I wasn't familiar with drum corps, and I was in my teens or twenties, I would want to go see a show after reading this. Anything described as "dark," "scary," "haunting" and any mention of Heath Ledger and his Joker portrayal is going to bring young people in. Most kids aren't going to be interested at the mention of Gershwin and the like. They can learn to like that later. I would add that if drum corps suggests Lady Gaga and Avatar to the writer, as he says, then maybe it's fairly populist after all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 If you're approaching this guy to be nitpicky like with someone on this board, then you're already doing it wrong. Granted, this guy seems to come from a "I'm here to be sarcastic/funny" point of view, but he has a great point that should not be disregarded. It's one that's been brought up here many times, but is usually dismissed as a bunch of "dinos" or "trads" whining about how we're not marching symmetrical drill and carrying timpani anymore. Namely, the inability of a significant number of people to relate on a visceral or emotional level to many shows that are fielding today. The comments in response to the article show exactly what's gone wrong in the hearts and minds of many drum corps people. It's become intellectually incestuous, where we all tell each other how great our ideas are and isn't it wonderful? as average people who aren't initiated into the finer points of drum corps shrug and go "I don't get it." Saying "Yeah, well, he was WRONG about this point!" is not an answer to the larger issue: if DCI really and truly wants to expand its fanbase, how do we accomplish that when this is the impression we give? Don't get into the false dichotomy of Lady Gaga shows vs. high art, because as drum corps has clearly shown over the decades, there is a very broad middle ground. And as much as I don't like the addition of synthesizers or amps, those are only symptoms of the larger problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dckid80 Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Too late to say that this guy is the canary in the coal mine. BITD you might know very little about the activity but you could remember a melody or two that you liked and walk out tapping your toes or humming a tune. It is often said that years later one remembers most how something made them feel. I wonder how our activity matches up in that regard today. This year the Houston Symphony is offering free tickets to one of each of its first 4 performances in the hopes of grabbing some more subscribers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeN Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 I'm with Dave on this one. I think what got me reading the article is that the debate about synths and amps is both dumb and moot when an outsider looks in and says "look, I know the guard dancing on the field, but I can't even see it from the stands." We might be getting caught arguing about the trees while the forest is being cut down, you know? It makes me wonder what other "truths" we hold to be self-evident really aren't. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 It makes me wonder what other "truths" we hold to be self-evident really aren't.Mike I wonder if it might not be interesting for DCI to attempt a localized survey through some Indianapolis marketing firms to see what they are envisioned as by the "layman". Sure, it's marching band at first glance to most, but what kind of information could we find out about the activity and what prism it's viewed through when using a more objective viewpoint? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
N.E. Brigand Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 The comments in response to the article show exactly what's gone wrong in the hearts and minds of many drum corps people. It's become intellectually incestuous, where we all tell each other how great our ideas are and isn't it wonderful?--as average people who aren't initiated into the finer points of drum corps shrug and go "I don't get it." Saying "Yeah, well, he was wrong about this point!" is not an answer to the larger issue: if DCI really and truly wants to expand its fanbase, how do we accomplish that when this is the impression we give? Well, at least half of the comments at the blog itself, and as many again in this thread, are just like yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bawker Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 Well, at least half of the comments at the blog itself, and as many again in this thread, are just like yours. . . .which illustrates the divide we have now pretty well in both cases, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted August 18, 2010 Share Posted August 18, 2010 If you're approaching this guy to be nitpicky like with someone on this board, then you're already doing it wrong. Granted, this guy seems to come from a "I'm here to be sarcastic/funny" point of view, but he has a great point that should not be disregarded. It's one that's been brought up here many times, but is usually dismissed as a bunch of "dinos" or "trads" whining about how we're not marching symmetrical drill and carrying timpani anymore. Namely, the inability of a significant number of people to relate on a visceral or emotional level to many shows that are fielding today.The comments in response to the article show exactly what's gone wrong in the hearts and minds of many drum corps people. It's become intellectually incestuous, where we all tell each other how great our ideas are and isn't it wonderful? as average people who aren't initiated into the finer points of drum corps shrug and go "I don't get it." Saying "Yeah, well, he was WRONG about this point!" is not an answer to the larger issue: if DCI really and truly wants to expand its fanbase, how do we accomplish that when this is the impression we give? Don't get into the false dichotomy of Lady Gaga shows vs. high art, because as drum corps has clearly shown over the decades, there is a very broad middle ground. And as much as I don't like the addition of synthesizers or amps, those are only symptoms of the larger problem. I agree. sometimes we all take ourselves too seriously, and it may chase people away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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