Silliness

[Hrothgar15]

I guess I just want to get an explanation behind some of the “silliness” I’ve started to see in drum corps show design.

I haven’t been following the activity for long, but from what I can tell, there were corps like the Velvet Knights whose “schtick” it was to be silly, and it was understood and expected. But most were just musical ensembles (like say a symphony orchestra, or a jazz band is) but with the outdoor visual and pageantry element. I think I like drum corps shows much as I do performances of those other groups, but the brass and percussion sound and marching aspect put it over the top for me. I’m just not sure why “silliness” should be the norm in this art form but not the others (I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a “silly” symphony orchestra performance).

Mostly I’m referring to these elements in overall show design that I find embarrassing, awkward and uncomfortable. Basically, ideas that I just have to sort of tolerate if I still want to enjoy the art form but seem totally incongruous to the idea of performance.

One is the overall design of uniforms. I think most corps proper uniforms are fine; Boston Crusaders and Cadets stand out to me as particularly classy and serious. Most guard uniforms however I find to be entirely too outlandish and silly, absurd really. Unprofessional. Brash colors, accessories, crazy designs, exposed skin, etc. I’m not saying it’s bad, it just seems unnecessarily silly to me regardless of show theme. I assume there is a heavy WGI influence in DCI which permeates to some of the other parts I find uncomfortable, and that this type of stuff is expected in that art form.

With regard to regular corps uniforms I feel like DCI has had to make similar accommodations as a lot are more “costume” oriented, tight fitting and less professional looking. The ornate, bold uniforms such as those from the Blue Devils and Madison Scouts of the early ’90s, some of my favorites, for whatever reason aren’t the norm today. I’m sort of curious about the history of WGI and why outlandishness seems to be the norm there, and when it started to influencing DCI so heavily.

At this point you may be tempted to make the argument that design of such things must be progressive, and that the older styles I mention are outdated. But in a performance idiom such as this I find the notion of era entirely meaningless. If a uniform or musical style or instrumentation was better twenty years ago it was better twenty years ago; if certain other things are better now than they’re better now. It has nothing to do with time. Let’s not mistake change for progress or celebrate being different than the past for the sake of being different.

You may also want to disregard my arguments by countering with something about the experiences of the performers. Don’t. I have never participated in any type of these ensembles and am only pointing out these issues as a paying spectator and fan of decades of drum corps performances.

Back to the topic at hand, and at the crux of this issue, in today’s performances I find most of these uncomfortably silly moments to come over the loudspeaker. Not that there’s anything inherently silly about recorded material, but since there’s such a penchant for absurdity these days and this technique allows designers free reign for any audio material they want heard, most seems to be communicated this way. Not only can this material occur at disproportionately loud volumes with no effort, but the electronic nature with which is it is produced always isolates it entirely from the sounds that the corps are producing, so the listener is forced to comprehend it individually. Last night’s performances were spectacular, and I had been following the evolution of these shows over the whole summer, but I was left puzzled as to what the purpose of some of these silly electronic moments is.

A recording of a contemporary pop song in the middle of Spirit of Atlanta’s show, and recordings of tired spoken word clichés about Las Vegas.

The Blue Knights show.

A sentence in the Cavaliers show repeated incessantly: “In the future, everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.” Baffling to me why something like this is remotely necessary to include in a performance.

Loud electronic dance club music in the Cavaliers show. Why?

Portions of movie and television dialogue being played throughout the Cadets show while the members are performing.

Histrionically over-produced recordings of young men and women speaking, “alone,” “scared,” “fragile,” “abused” interfering with a beautiful horn solo in the Bluecoats’ ballad. If the point of music is to convey emotions without entirely transparently speaking over a loudspeaker what those emotions are, then what’s the point of playing in the first place? This one in particular stood out to me as being entirely unprofessional and overly sentimental and crude, unrefined in the exact opposite way that an orchestral performance and well designed drum corps performance is refined. It made me very uncomfortable and embarrassed.

A man prattling in heavily accented English throughout the entirety of the Blue Devils performance, which admittedly had some fantastic musical moments. Why? Why?

All of these moments made me uncomfortable and embarrassed and I struggle to understand their place in this art form. For one, they seem to detract from the “timelessness” that a good performance should have, one that remains equally impactful and relevant 10, 20, 30 years from now. But more importantly, drum corps has enough of an image problem as it is and these designers are doing everything they can to ensure it avoids impacting those interested in other types of musical ensembles. There is nothing inherently unprofessional or uncool about choreographed ensembles of brass and percussion performers, or anything preventing drum corps from having widespread appeal.

But all of this stuff is doing just that, and it seems show designs of today are less enjoyable for a number of these reasons. This is different from how things used to be, but is it better? How did things get to be the way they are? And how can the trend start to move away from silliness in the future?

Edited August 12, 2012 by Hrothgar15

[IMcomguy]

Have you ever watched Blessed Sac from this past year in WGI?

That will clear up every question you ever wanted to know about why people design the way they do these days...

[BRASSO]

I wish I had the marketing genius to be able to pull my old toilet out of my wall, slap a slab of old paint on it, and sell it for a $10,000 dollars to some customer as " High Art ". I can't market like that, but I wish I could. Its like the guy who made himself a multi millionaire in the 1970's by taking a small rock, put it in a fancy box enclosed with silly words that customers could say in talking to their "pet rock" and charge folks an arm and a leg for a rock in a box. This was " silly " of course. But it also is marketing genius to get people to buy a rock in a box that you are supposed to talk to. In this situation, who had rocks in their head ? The "Genius Artiste " that concocted the idea ? or the gullible that swallowed this " High Art " silliness, hook, line, and sinker ? Who here doesn't wish you could get people to pay good money to purchase the small rocks in your backyard if you put them all in a small rectangular, inexpensive, colored cardboard box for them.... with a note suggesting they talk nicely to their pet rock ?

Edited August 12, 2012 by BRASSO

[DeepSouthDCI]

Hrothgar, you must be a ton of fun at parties.

[DCImonkey]

Hrothgar, you must be a ton of fun at parties.

Why are these chocolate covered strawberries being served at room temperature?

Who set the volume on the stereo to 35...is that really necessary?

Why do I have to take a shot if I have actually DONE something that you say you've "never" done while playing Never Have I Ever?

haha <all in good fun Hroth>

[corps8294]

You didn't mention the Blue Knights. They were beyond silly this year; they were the joke in finals!

[IMcomguy]

You didn't mention the Blue Knights. They were beyond silly this year; they were the joke in finals!

[Kevin Powell]

WGI and Indoor percussion folks have brought their game to the DCI party. Pretty simple. That is not saying it is good or bad, just the cause of the change.

To step back to your silly comment about Velvet Knights. They were great comic relief in a mostly serious show. It may be more difficult to perform great comic timing than the straight up timing of classical or even jazz. That is just something for you to think about - It might not be your thing. One thing for sure... VK could perform the hell out of a show.

[BRASSO]

WGI and Indoor percussion folks have brought their game to the DCI party. Pretty simple. That is not saying it is good or bad, just the cause of the change.

To step back to your silly comment about Velvet Knights. They were great comic relief in a mostly serious show. It may be more difficult to perform great comic timing than the straight up timing of classical or even jazz. That is just something for you to think about - It might not be your thing. One thing for sure... VK could perform the hell out of a show.

Victor Borge, a well trained and accomplished Classical Pianist, became a legend in the Comedy Performing Arts by poking " silly fun " at the sometimes self absorbed overly serious Classical Music idiom. He was a welcomed breath of fresh air with his comedic genius, imo.

Edited August 12, 2012 by BRASSO

[Kevin Powell]

Victor Borge, a well trained and accomplished Classical Pianist, became a legend in the Comedy Performing Arts by poking " silly fun " at the sometimes self absorbed overly serious Classical Music idiom. He was a welcomed breath of fresh air with his comedic genius, imo.

Exactly - but his comic timing is what made him great.