Cappybara Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Well, I am 61, and I LOVED BD this year. Might be my favorite BD show ever; I first saw them in 76. I knew there would be people like you who would show up haha which is why I added that there will obviously be exceptions. I'm just talking about a general trend, not an absolute. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimF-LowBari Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Well, I am 61, and I LOVED BD this year. Might be my favorite BD show ever; I first saw them in 76. Mike I'm surprised!!!! I'm surprised you didn't see them until 1976, guess too much GSC time. Saw them day after DCI at Hershey live 1975 and have the DVD from that year. And thinking about it, BD was cutting edge then for use of jazz and body movement (drum line during "Legend of the One Eyed Sailor" concert). So what's the surprise they are a bit "different" in 201x...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Freedman Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 People can object to unusual subject matter, or they can object to the presence of unexplained props or theatrics. This is the latter I think, based on the defense of Star 93. It's true that putting unexplained artistic elements into a show (or any artwork) can confuse and annoy some people, and perhaps rightly so. Modern art museums are full of works created by brilliant snobs who may actually take delight in going over the heads of most people, because they have contempt for most people anyway. Taking the source material for Crown 2013 as an example, Robert Wilson (or Philip Glass, I forget which) actually expressed contempt for Broadway shows as a whole in a description of his motivation as an artist. The implication (to me) was that there is a political dimension to much modern art works that are clearly intentionally confusing to many people. Such works divide the public into two camps - those who join the club by doing everything possible to understand the work, even if we fail to do so, and the condemned great unwashed cultural illiterates. While I loved the theatrical element in the middle of BD's show this year, I have to admit I didn't understand it. ButI enjoy my own confusion when presented with weird art. I feel it gives me something to explore later if I'm interested. But others I think are more aware of the intentional snub that seems to them inherent in these things. And sometimes they're right. Art can be very political in this way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 I knew there would be people like you who would show up haha which is why I added that there will obviously be exceptions. I'm just talking about a general trend, not an absolute. Ah, I'm not sure age is that big of a factor as much as culture and what each individual is used to. I like stuff from every year, and I dislike material from every year. I'd be considered old by some, but I'm middle in terms of ages that humans can be. Pretty much right in the middle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 Ah, I'm not sure age is that big of a factor as much as culture and what each individual is used to. I like stuff from every year, and I dislike material from every year. I'd be considered old by some, but I'm middle in terms of ages that humans can be. Pretty much right in the middle. Perhaps I should eliminate age from the argument altogether then since it's distracting from my main point. Why is "unusual" and "weird" associated as a bad thing? Why do people feel the need for things to fit in a certain mold? Where will the innovation come from if any little thing that is "unusual" gets shot down? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GUARDLING Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Perhaps I should eliminate age from the argument altogether then since it's distracting from my main point. Why is "unusual" and "weird" associated as a bad thing? Why do people feel the need for things to fit in a certain mold? Where will the innovation come from if any little thing that is "unusual" gets shot down? its not a bad thing, what it is is easy. When people don't understand something or it isn't what they are used to it makes them uncomfortable and also could make it feel things are slipping away from them. Now of course no one admits this but IMO something familiar is easier to digest for some and brings personal emotions into play they can relate to. It's just plain ole easier for some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lincoln Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Perhaps I should eliminate age from the argument altogether then since it's distracting from my main point. Why is "unusual" and "weird" associated as a bad thing? Why do people feel the need for things to fit in a certain mold? Where will the innovation come from if any little thing that is "unusual" gets shot down? It's not always associated with bad. Sometimes it's the opposite. I loved BK's "Avian" because it was unusual and weird. You see lots of people changing opinions on something as they get used to it. People talk about Star '93 and how great that show was. Back when it was going on, there were a number of people who thought it was unusual and weird. Heck, when Garfield started doing their thing in '82 it was unusual and weird. On the flip side, when everyone starts copying unusual and weird, it becomes mainstream - leaving room for someone to start doing something unusual and weird again. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Freedman Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 This has caused me to go back and review BD from the mid-late 80s. Wow. Just ... wow. Very different from the 90s. A big part of the difference is the increased demand now, with the resulting super fast pace of technique and rapid mood shifts. It makes it impossible for a corps to just establish a powerful romantic mood and then just lay it into the audience's skulls at 90 db the way they used to. It's all more abbreviated now. The music sources in BD 2014 are really very similar to what they played back then. But so many notes are shoehorned in and they are showing off more moods and transitions between moods, so it's very frenetic. That's about 90% of the difference IMO. And that's probably as it should be because the members will learn more. The real contest behind the scenes could be described as - whose members improved the most during the season. It's all run by teachers and that's their perspective, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jjeffeory Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 Perhaps I should eliminate age from the argument altogether then since it's distracting from my main point. Why is "unusual" and "weird" associated as a bad thing? Why do people feel the need for things to fit in a certain mold? Where will the innovation come from if any little thing that is "unusual" gets shot down? I couldn't tell you; I like weird, unusual, AND variety. I'm sure others will be able to help. That being said, I think it's more innovative to do things within an established and specific set rules than it is to constantly change the rules. That just seems lazy to me. Why bother having rules if you can't be innovative that way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cappybara Posted November 27, 2014 Share Posted November 27, 2014 I couldn't tell you; I like weird, unusual, AND variety. I'm sure others will be able to help. That being said, I think it's more innovative to do things within an established and specific set rules than it is to constantly change the rules. That just seems lazy to me. Why bother having rules if you can't be innovative that way? What rules are we changing? Corps are just adopting different styles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.