chris7997 Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 I know I'm going to take heat for this...but so it's Metamorph (is that a word?), some Serpent that eats itself, just the title "i"...lowercase! Not uppercase! (with an eye image), Enigma, and a semi-Satanic (partly being funny here) "Wicked Games." It's as if we are afraid to make any value judgement whatsoever in our show theme, and if there is one...it's got to be dark and Eastern. Dark, obscure, esoteric, enigmas are what these initial show concepts seem to be about. There's no balance to this with shows that have true meaning and are uplifting year after year (except for Crown, The Academy, and at times others). I get you can't be "Disneyland" and "Pollyanna" ever year and in every show but too many corps are force-feeding us post-modern baloney devoid of substance that leaves people scratching their heads after the corps walks off the field. "What was that?" is what we constantly hear in the stands at a show. And I'm sure it's partly to show how avant-guard and "sophisticated" we are being. "You just don't get it Chris. You just don't SEE what's there." No I don't. And neither does most of the audience. You can be sophisticated and entertaining. You don't have to make your show as unclear as a stained dirty glass. And shows can reflect real life. They don't always have to be abstract obscurities from the ancient world. How many inspiring topics could you do this year that could actually affect people's lives? What about stories that draw attention to the beauty in the world, like natural beauty (natural parks or nature), a husband or wife who volunteers to serve his country and leaves his family, a story of kids making it out of poverty from the inner city, a theme about redemption from drugs or alcohol, current news events with inspirational examples. The ideas are endless. Drum corps and art doesn't just exist for art's sake. It exists to inspire, to motivate, to draw our soul's out into a cause bigger than ourselves. To uplift our spirits. No to leave the audience more confused. That is a waste of art, in my opinion. Instead, it's a snake. An eye. A Wicked Game. An enigma. Shows that are so out-there in theme (I should have consulted my ancient mythological dictionary from college just to remember what an Ouroboros was), that we're wondering when did Western Civilization leave DCI? I get that too heavy a dose of saccharine shows and crowd pleasers ad nauseaum can make one feel ill. I'm not asking for more of those shows. I'm asking for a decreased dose of shows with no real vitamins in my medicine. Or at least some meaning to draw out from the abstract. I think that will make everyone feeling better. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris7997 Posted June 2, 2017 Author Share Posted June 2, 2017 Now Phantom. Here we go again. Like I said, drum corps cliched themes have got to be dark, eastern...and now "seductive!" All for what? To be "cool"? "Blurring the lines" according to their show description...of course! Gag. What is this Fifty Shades of Grey?! We cannot make any sort of value judgement or have any redeeming qualities to our shows...dark "madness and desire" have to be the order of the day. What kind of culture is this promoting in drum corps where we have minors participating in the activity? "Oh Chris! You are being too much of a square teetotaler...get with the times man!!!" People may call me unhip and too old-fashioned, but I'm making a counter-cultural argument against these disconcerting show theme trends towards darkness, obscurity, and now seduction. "This seductive, powerful character begins life solely as an invasion of mind, but quickly becomes something more, blurring the lines between beauty, madness, and desire." - Phantom program description 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post BRASSO Posted June 2, 2017 Popular Post Share Posted June 2, 2017 (edited) or alternatively, we could wait to see the shows first before drawing judgements and conclusions on its messaging values to us. But maybe thats asking to much, and instead we should make judgements and assessments on the unknowable at the moment. That certainly would seem to be far more quicker to do at the moment anyway. And making snap judgments on things IS faster and quicker, if faster and quicker is valued more highly than measured and patient reflection on something yet unseen would be. Edited June 2, 2017 by BRASSO 27 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mingusmonk Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 (edited) Tried to narrow your complaints down to something more concise. You have problems with: dark eastern seductive cool madness and desire obscurity esoteric enigmas avant-guard "sophisticated" (The one in quotes. You are OK with unquoted sophisticated) abstract obscurities ancient world. a snake an eye, especially when spelled i I don't exactly see the common thread. But everyone has their likes and dislikes. Here is hoping that there is enough out there to make this summer a worthwhile venture for you. Edited June 2, 2017 by mingusmonk 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris7997 Posted June 2, 2017 Author Share Posted June 2, 2017 (edited) 24 minutes ago, BRASSO said: or alternatively, we could wait to see the shows first before drawing judgements and conclusions on its messaging values to us. But maybe thats asking to much, and instead we should make judgements and assessments on the unknowable at the moment. That certainly would seem to be far more quicker to do at the moment anyway. And making snap judgments on things IS faster and quicker, if faster and quicker is valued more highly than measured and patient reflection on something yet unseen would be. My commentary and response to these corps very well thought out and detailed show theme descriptions released to the public is not a commentary on the shows themselves ... of course...because no one has seen the shows. My commentary is on the show theme descriptions. But we all know what we are talking about with esoteric shows and I'm not holding my breathe that the actual shows about an Ouroboros and an Enigma will not have actual show substance about an Ouroboros (!) or not be...shall we say...enigmatic! Surprise. DCI fans are allowed in a free country with free speech to make value judgments about show descriptions. I think open-mindedness and tolerance of shows that promote Western values in DCI with real life show themes that people can relate to is not too much to ask...and should be valued in the DCI community. Edited June 2, 2017 by chris7997 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SFZFAN Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 13 minutes ago, mingusmonk said: Tried to narrow your complaints down to something more concise. You have problems with: dark eastern seductive cool madness and desire obscurity esoteric enigmas avant-guard "sophisticated" (The one in quotes. You are OK with unquoted sophisticated) abstract obscurities ancient world. a snake an eye, especially when spelled i I don't exactly see the common thread. But everyone has their likes and dislikes. Here is hoping that there is enough out there to make this summer a worthwhile venture for you. You left out prancy-dancy and artsy fartsy 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowtown Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 Sound like you’re trying to control show themes to your personal tastes. Which as explained, would bore me more than vague, amorphous fluffs of nothingness. Why do you want to control content? You hold Crown up as an example this year, care to state their theme? Last year their show announced as a revenge fantasy, the year prior it was Hell but both ended up as tales of redemption, something you claimed to want…so perhaps a bit early to judge these shows? I’d suggest breaking out a dictionary, words have more than one meaning and usage as language evolves such as, snowflake is no longer just about snow and triggered has taken on a new meaning as of late too 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris7997 Posted June 2, 2017 Author Share Posted June 2, 2017 (edited) 6 minutes ago, cowtown said: Sound like you’re trying to control show themes to your personal tastes. Why do you want to control content? Everyone has personal tastes. Even show designers. They don't want to control content? They don't have personal tastes? Clearly their tastes are for the dark and obscure. And it's becoming cliche. And yes, I and thousands of other drum corps fans are getting a little weary of their personal tastes year after year in 80% of the shows. They need to put aside their own personal tastes for once and bring more balance and open-mindedness to show themes. Edited June 2, 2017 by chris7997 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cowtown Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 7 minutes ago, chris7997 said: DCI fans are allowed in a free country with free speech to make value judgments about show descriptions. I think open-mindedness and tolerance of shows that promote Western values in DCI with real life show themes that people can relate to is not too much to ask...and should be valued in the DCI community. It does sound like too much to ask but then again, I’m not sure I follow you because you contradict yourself. Could you hash it out a bit more so I can better understand what you’re saying ? Like Western values? And what are those Western values, who decides them and how is that free speech if it's so limited to only a narrow range? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dcsnare93 Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 3 minutes ago, chris7997 said: My commentary and response to these corps very well thought out and detailed show theme descriptions released to the public is not a commentary on the shows themselves ... of course...because no one has seen the shows. My commentary is on the show theme descriptions. But we all know what we are talking about with esoteric shows and I'm not holding my breathe that the actual shows about an Ouroboros and an Enigma will not have substance about an Ouroboros or not be shall we say...enigmatic. DCI fans are allowed in a free country with free speech to make value judgments about show descriptions. I think open-mindedness and tolerance of shows that promote Western values in DCI with real life show themes that people can relate to is not too much to ask...and should be valued in the DCI community. Judging a show based on a description without having actually seen it, I would call that being close-minded. Corps' have also done the very themes you claim like, just this past year... nature, heros, current events, inspirational stories. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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