Dear Blue Devils,

[devsabre]

Dear Ghost,

Continue to enjoy the traditional shows that you love so much. After all there are at least 20 of them available to you each year. Some folks like that and that’s ok. Don’t watch BD if you must but we don’t need 21 shows designed the same way. Don’t expect or ask Blue Devils to follow the sheep. What you’re asking for helps no one. And yea…14 Championships…they don’t have anything to prove.

Honestly people enjoy BD because of what they are not because of what we expect them to be. Those that like BD don’t follow, they have their own path and they’re not interested in walking with the masses. Sometimes we don’t like what BD does but we would never ask them to be like the rest of DCI.

------------------------

Dear Blue Devils Organization,

I like what you’re doing and thank you. You know what you’re doing, keep doing it.

[Rifuarian]

Wrong. And I mean everything in this sentence is wrong. First off, I'm not sure if BD is "hated", and if they are, it pales in comparison to the vitriol that Cadets have received until recently. And if they are "hated", as you say, it's not because they're "so progressive". Other progressive shows have won, and the corps that presented them were well liked at the time. The three-peat Cadets of the 80's were pretty progressive, but I don't remember anyone saying anything particularly hateful about them.

Any time a corps presents music of such a dissonant nature, you're going to get a negative reaction from some people. It's just that way. If Phantom Regiment came out next year with an all George Crumb show and was beating the field by two points, you don't think people on here or in stadiums around the country would be throwing a fit? I do.

It's absolutely mind-blowing when I hear someone claim that the level of "hate" BD has received is comparable to what the Cadets were subjected too in 2005-2008. There's some hatred to be sure, but for the most part you have befuddlement and mild discomfort, which was exactly what the folks at BD want. There have been no 100+ page BD bash-fests on DCP, no lewd or threatening remarks. Some of it can still be seen if you have the time, but the worst was of course removed. The scattered boos BD received pale in comparison to hash-gate. God knows what the audience reaction would have been like had the Cadets won in 2007.

[Rifuarian]

Yes, any corps could take the role of change agent. In some ways, George Hopkins took a stab at it a few years back but the stars didn't align for him. To successfully carry it off, the corps must be in the position to win, anything short of that is just another good idea. Same could be said for Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, Picasso, et al...for them to have impact they needed to be successful and accepted (not necessarily by the public, but moreso by art design and critical world...chicken & the egg). Once this occured, "new" became admired and desired. So for this reason maybe no one else could be the agent but BD now. Star of Indiana was comfortable in that role and their departure was the final salvo in the face of the traditionalists. It set in motion an irreversable trend that even the dinos couldn't hold back.

Ultimately BD's huge margin wins is a loud and clear signal that neuvo design is here to stay in one form or another. And more importantly, that it's OK to different, just make sure it's very good.

Is BD different? Yes. Are they exciting? You betcha. Have their recent shows been "new", "progressive", "cutting edge", "revolutionary", and "innovative". No. A thousand times no. They're not so much ahead of the rest of drum corps as they are off to the side a little bit. Same thing for the experimental Cadets shows. And that's great . . . I want as many corps as possible to develop their own distinctive styles, and BD's is very distinctive. But it is not new.

[N.E. Brigand]

Yes, any corps could take the role of change agent. In some ways, George Hopkins took a stab at it a few years back but the stars didn't align for him. To successfully carry it off, the corps must be in the position to win; anything short of that is just another good idea. Same could be said for Andy Warhol, Salvador Dali, Picasso, et al. -- for them to have impact they needed to be successful and accepted (not necessarily by the public, but more so by the art design and critical world: chicken and egg). Once this occurred, "new" became admired and desired. So for this reason, maybe no one else could be the agent but BD now. Star of Indiana was comfortable in that role and their departure was the final salvo in the face of the traditionalists. It set in motion an irreversible trend that even the dinos couldn't hold back. Ultimately BD's huge margin wins is a loud and clear signal that nuevo design is here to stay in one form or another. And more importantly, that it's OK to different, just make sure it's very good.

Maybe. In film, for instance, there are one-time critical darlings and Oscar-winners that most people find unwatchable these days. As for art, it's funny you cite Dali and Warhol; I just read this commentary on Dali's work, including this passage: "Has any other artist ever squandered so much energy and intelligence on such absurdities? The upsurge of interest in Dalí’s later work is fueled by historians and curators who want to construct a prehistory for Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons, those reigning deities in the it’s-so-bad-it’s-good sweepstakes." It's possible that future drum corps historians will shake their heads at the judges' one-time acclaim for the Devs' late aughts and early teens style.

Edited August 23, 2010 by N.E. Brigand

[WOOHOO]

Maybe. In film, for instance, there are one-time critical darlings and Oscar-winners that most people find unwatchable these days. As for art, it's funny you cite Dali and Warhol; I just read this commentary on Dali's work, including this passage: "Has any other artist ever squandered so much energy and intelligence on such absurdities? The upsurge of interest in Dalí’s later work is fueled by historians and curators who want to construct a prehistory for Andy Warhol and Jeff Koons, those reigning deities in the it’s-so-bad-it’s-good sweepstakes." It's possible that future drum corps historians will shake their heads at the judges' one-time acclaim for the Devs' late aughts and early teens style.

LOL just because one guy says that about Dali (a very mean, agressive man) does not diminish his work in any way at all. Same goes for the BD "praise" that happens now.

[N.E. Brigand]

LOL. Just because one guy says that about Dali ... does not diminish his work in any way at all. Same goes for the BD "praise" that happens now.

Well, I also mentioned films: most Oscar-winners are now widely regarded as having been nothing like the best movies of their years. Likewise there were movies that did quite well in critics' polls over the years that have long since fallen into obscurity -- and rightfully so, in the eyes of modern observers.* As for painting, I'm not going to undertake a thorough investigation into art criticism just now, but I know I've read more than one art critic (and I believe the fellow I quoted is respected in the field) who finds Dali overrated. I linked to that review because I had just read it, and you coincidentally mentioned Dali. That critic could be completely wrong on Dali but my point would stand: current success is no guarantee of future results; it's too early to be sure that recent Blue Devils shows will always be regarded as classic or paradigm-shifting performances.

*That said, great box office performance is also no guarantee that later audiences will care for a film -- and this is a point that arguably militates against the suggestion sometimes made on DCP (a notion I have tentatively supported) that fan approval ought to be taken into consideration in rewarding corps' performances.

[Photographer Jim]

Yes, any corps could take the role of change agent. In some ways, George Hopkins took a stab at it a few years back but the stars didn't align for him. To successfully carry it off, the corps must be in the position to win, anything short of that is just another good idea. .... So for this reason maybe no one else could be the agent but BD now. Star of Indiana was comfortable in that role and their departure was the final salvo in the face of the traditionalists. It set in motion an irreversible trend that even the dinos couldn't hold back.

I'd agree with the basic thought of this (I have followed corps for 50+ years. I'm kinda ..... old! So I'll discretely ignore any references to dinos. ). Striking out in a different direction from the pack, and ultimately having that vision become more generally accepted, does require that the "renegade" be in a position to have people who care take notice. And in the drum corps world, that generally means you need to be "a contender". Otherwise its probably just going to result in a reaction of "Uh-huh. Now, where was I?" You may be right. Maybe BD is the only corps that currently is of the talent quality AND is thinking in ways that are significantly divergent enough to shake things up enough to be a catalyst for (as of yet) unseen future changes.

Ultimately BD's huge margin wins is a loud and clear signal that neuvo design is here to stay in one form or another. And more importantly, that it's OK to different, just make sure it's very good.

Yes, maybe, somewhere out there, there is a current or future show designer who will latch onto one or more critical components of what BD has been doing and spin them into something so totally new, so dynamic, and so crowd pleasing that even the present day BD would be saying "WOW. Would you listen and look at that!" One can only hope.

[WOOHOO]

Well, I also mentioned films: most Oscar-winners are now widely regarded as having been nothing like the best movies of their years. Likewise there were movies that did quite well in critics' polls over the years that have long since fallen into obscurity -- and rightfully so, in the eyes of modern observers.* As for painting, I'm not going to undertake a thorough investigation into art criticism just now, but I know I've read more than one art critic (and I believe the fellow I quoted is respected in the field) who finds Dali overrated. I linked to that review because I had just read it, and you coincidentally mentioned Dali. That critic could be completely wrong on Dali but my point would stand: current success is no guarantee of future results; it's too early to be sure that recent Blue Devils shows will always be regarded as classic or paradigm-shifting performances.

*That said, great box office performance is also no guarantee that later audiences will care for a film -- and this is a point that arguably militates against the suggestion sometimes made on DCP (a notion I have tentatively supported) that fan approval ought to be taken into consideration in rewarding corps' performances.

Well, art critics are art critics, a lot with personal, political agendas (much like drum corps fans )

I would argue that most current successes in the eyes of the popular public have very little staying power

[Bob J]

Dear Blue Devils,

Congratulations on another successful season. You are reading the same rulebook as the rest of DCI, right?

Bob

[N.E. Brigand]

Well, art critics are art critics, a lot with personal, political agendas (much like drum corps fans )

Or drum corps judges?

(I don't think so myself, but as I noted in my Allentown review, that seemed to be the tenor of opinion among a fair proportion of the audience.)