DCI and the triumph of the Simulacrum

[quietcity]

Remember when Dylan went electric at Newport? Yeah, it was the death of music.

[brichtimp]

Great analog playing with great marching never needs an apology, IMHO..... Just a perceptive audience that can appreciate the difference.

[Pete Freedman]

...

Have Grammy-award winning rappers like Eminem or Weird Al (who deserves a whole topic on his own here, the guy who satirizes the triumph and fakery of the Simulacrum in pop culture, like Stewart or Colbert in their areas (remember "truthiness"?), and the endless possibilities that satire could bring to DCI, which we've sadly lost with the death of VK and Bridgemen, and DCI by glorifying the Simulacrum has become so much HEAVIER and sickeningly EARNEST, even self-righteous, in the last unsatirical decade as they desperately try to manipulate the Simulacrum to add simulated profundity to show GE just as they try to add profundity to baselines, scrambling to balance out the Simulacrum with Seriousness and Meaning, and thus jumping the shark with tasteless desperation in design all too often), achieved the same level of mastery as musicians and performers as a pianist or violinist? Many in the young generation would say yes. And they'd say that piano and violin music are boring and irrelevant.

...

WARNING TO ENGLISH TEACHERS: Do not read this paragraph without emergency medical equipment on standby.

[EntertainmentTrumpsAll]

I find the post intriguing. If you look at this years shows, you will see an excessive amount of standing and playing and then moving slightly with choreographed movement (dance almost) and then continuing to stand still. Almost every show this year had a prevalent amount of this type of "drill" to simulate movement and it was a bit disappointing. I believe that it can all (both drill and music) be synthesized to a tasteful degree but I fear it has gotten out of hand. The most memorable and amazing shows throughout dci's history have not had excessive amounts of simulation. It should continue to be that way

[Pete Freedman]

As to the OP's point, he is repeating the widely believed myth that show design elements such as electronics significantly improve the score. They do not. They are allowed because the judges feel they do not interfere with their job. (As to whether that's correct in all cases, I wonder)

The judges are teachers grading students. The design elements of the show, including electronics, have a very small role to play directly in judging and are probably scored similarly between top corps anyway. In other words, what little effect electronics has probably isn't much different between BD, Cadets, etc. so it ends up making almost no difference.

Almost every line in the sheets relates to how well the kids are doing what they are doing at that moment on the field.

Edit: This is my opinion as a fan who's read the sheets and heard/read interviews with DCI people on the topic, but I'm no expert.

Edited August 14, 2014 by Pete Freedman

[Quad Aces]

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to the longest sentence in the history of sentences:

Have Grammy-award winning rappers like Eminem or Weird Al (who deserves a whole topic on his own here, the guy who satirizes the triumph and fakery of the Simulacrum in pop culture, like Stewart or Colbert in their areas (remember "truthiness"?), and the endless possibilities that satire could bring to DCI, which we've sadly lost with the death of VK and Bridgemen, and DCI by glorifying the Simulacrum has become so much HEAVIER and sickeningly EARNEST, even self-righteous, in the last unsatirical decade as they desperately try to manipulate the Simulacrum to add simulated profundity to show GE just as they try to add profundity to baselines, scrambling to balance out the Simulacrum with Seriousness and Meaning, and thus jumping the shark with tasteless desperation in design all too often), achieved the same level of mastery as musicians and performers as a pianist or violinist?

Edited August 14, 2014 by Quad Aces

[zigzigZAG]

I find the post intriguing. If you look at this years shows, you will see an excessive amount of standing and playing and then moving slightly with choreographed movement (dance almost) and then continuing to stand still. Almost every show this year had a prevalent amount of this type of "drill" to simulate movement and it was a bit disappointing. I believe that it can all (both drill and music) be synthesized to a tasteful degree but I fear it has gotten out of hand. The most memorable and amazing shows throughout dci's history have not had excessive amounts of simulation. It should continue to be that way

Yes, this.

I'm talking about simulated difficulty in drill, simulated difficulty in substituting body movement for drill, simulated difficulty in sleight-of-hand staging and arranging that avoids moving while playing, simulated sound, simulated GE (props galore, uniforms varying year to year, or within shows). And scores that seem to reward the Simulacrum.

I want real demand, real drill, real acoustic sound, and real achievement awarded by real scores.

Edited August 14, 2014 by zigzigZAG

[zigzigZAG]

Ladies and gentlemen, I would like to introduce you to the longest sentence in the history of sentences:

Intended.

Try to narrate THAT, you narration loving show designers!

[Pete Freedman]

Granted, I agree with his points on society in general, and I think most fans here probably do.

Also, a simulacrum is an instance of simulation, usually of a person as in a homunculus. If you want to talk about a place where simulation has replaced authenticity, how about Simulopolis? Simuland? Simtopia?

[zigzigZAG]

Granted, I agree with his points on society in general, and I think most fans here probably do.

Also, a simulacrum is an instance of simulation, usually of a person as in a homunculus. If you want to talk about a place where simulation has replaced authenticity, how about Simulopolis? Simuland? Simtopia?

Homunculus! One of my favorite words. You, sir, are the winner! Woody Allen used it as an insult in a movie somewhere.

Skrillex is more homunculus than actual performer. A simulator-stimulator.

And the tarps in a certain narration-laden show were not of real people, but homunculi, which was why the audience had so much difficulty identifying them.

We could talk about the triumph of porn as Simulacrum too, but I'm not suggesting that as a show design for next year. 2016 maybe.