BigW Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 3 minutes ago, Fran Haring said: As Bobby Hoffman told me in 1980 (he wrote drill for our DCA corps that year)... "All that 'spontaneous schtick' we (the Bridgemen) do??? We put in a lot of hours working on that 'spontaneous' stuff to get it right." He would get steamed... justifiably so, IMO... when he kept hearing "The Bridgemen do nothing out there... not as much content as the other corps" and stuff like that. Indeed. Many groups have tried to do things similar and failed miserably because they just thought simply doing it would work in and of itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Incognito365 Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 (edited) 35 minutes ago, BigW said: One can be silly and have humor without offending the vast majority of people, can't they? Or are these complainers the arbiters of what's supposed to be acceptably funny and what is not? There are some societal lines and such one shouldn't cross. There was a DCA corps in the 70's who went to some places on a serious level and did cause a pretty serious level of negativity even then, causing some major show rewrites, like when the swastika showed up on the field when the Germans are attacking music from "Patton" started (I kid no one on that) and the guard held Jesus at gunpoint and then lashed him in their "Jesus Christ, Superstar" program (Again, I can't make this up). I've been told the Cavies' show from last season was pretty funny and done in a very tongue in cheek way. Did it offend anyone or cross any lines of decency? Just askin'. We had a local marching band make a swastika and do the "hail hitler" leg movement in said set during a section of their show about technology (this was during the video game segment, Call of Duty World at War). They never removed it even though the crowd audibly gasped every competition. Went on to win state. Lol. Sometimes pushing the envelope gets you places I guess. Said part starts about 5 minutes in for those who would like to see. https://youtu.be/KeweDl4AYc4 Edited July 10, 2018 by Incognito365 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigW Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 (edited) 5 minutes ago, Incognito365 said: We had a local marching band make a swastika and do the "hail hitler" leg movement in said set during a section of their show about technology (this was during the video game segment, Call of Duty World at War). They never removed it even though the crowd audibly gasped every competition. Went on to win state. Lol. Sometimes pushing the envelope gets you places I guess. Maybe it depends on the setting and your school district. Shock is great effect when done well. That being said, this local HS program caused a lot of controversy to the point it didn't take a lot of searching to find related articles: https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/145690/marching-orders-high-school-bands-communist-arnold-ahlert I've been a Band Director. If this was an idea presented to me... I'd be like... "There are far better ideas out there. Let's keep looking. We don't need administration and the school board after us, and I'd like to keep my well-paying job, thank you very much." Edited July 10, 2018 by BigW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eleran Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 5 minutes ago, Incognito365 said: We had a local marching band make a swastika and do the "hail hitler" leg movement in said set during a section of their show about technology (this was during the video game segment, Call of Duty World at War). They never removed it even though the crowd audibly gasped every competition. Went on to win state. Lol. Sometimes pushing the envelope gets you places I guess. Who knew it would be a hit? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri Schehr Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 9 minutes ago, Fran Haring said: Didn't offend me at all. I enjoyed the show. Liked the tongue-in-cheek humor... and somehow, they made that improbable "My Way/Mars" mashup work quite well. LOL. Me, either. I was laughing. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terri Schehr Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 4 minutes ago, Eleran said: Who knew it would be a hit? Where’s Max Bialystock when you REALLY need him? 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigW Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 3 minutes ago, Terri Schehr said: Where’s Max Bialystock when you REALLY need him? Well, there are a lot of elements in play here. Mel Brooks made sure the whole thing was a farce and that the viewer knows this. I heard an interview with him in which someone complained to him at the musical, and he pretty much told them off, telling them he was a WW2 combat engineering vet, Jewish to boot, and yes, he indeed knew what the Nazis were all about and his thought was the best way he could get back at them was to make fun of them. From reading the comments about the Cavies, they made sure everyone realized it was a farce, and sincerely hoped everyone would go along with it and laugh as well. I'm very fond of both versions of the Producers- especially the original movie when Leo discovers Max has hired Ulla: One of these days, I need to form a Soundsport/Minicorps that plays that go-go music before I kick the bucket. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 1 hour ago, Bluzes said: The thread is compairing the past to the present in acceptance and taste of the shows context. Has the average drum corps fans intellect elevalated so high that everyone will recongize the Nighthawk picture, I had to look it up so before the internet this may have been missed totally? Folks that post here think so. I was pummeled like I'am the only one that never seen this painting I don't think so but hats off to BD for pulling this off great work. Has our drum corps intellect risen so much it is hard to explain/show drum corps to a friend and they instantly became a fan or even say they like it, VK & Bridgemen were able to pull that off? Am not here to put down one era or another but our taste has evolved. Hopefully not to the point of the old Big Bands that finessed themselves out of an audience. Friends of Johnny Cash would point out how bright he was but kept it from affecting his image. He found a way to relate to the average music lover and never let that get in his way. Can dci learn from that do they need to I don't know. no. not everyone does the research you think we do. Probably more here than the average Joe in the seats, which has been one of the issues in recent years....fans get to see a show once and don't want to have to research to get a show. it has gotten better in many instances, but some corps still choose to do their thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Ream Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 35 minutes ago, Fran Haring said: Didn't offend me at all. I enjoyed the show. Liked the tongue-in-cheek humor... and somehow, they made that improbable "My Way/Mars" mashup work quite well. LOL. A drum corps show with "Duuuuudddde" in it can't possibly offend, even Gloria Steinham 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigW Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 2 minutes ago, Jeff Ream said: no. not everyone does the research you think we do. Probably more here than the average Joe in the seats, which has been one of the issues in recent years....fans get to see a show once and don't want to have to research to get a show. it has gotten better in many instances, but some corps still choose to do their thing. Pursuit of the Higher Art! Heck... what fascinates me is how such a simple premise as "Tilt" was both artistic, and so accessible and well-loved. Proof it can be done. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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