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BITD, Memory Bumps, and Drum Corps


KVG_DC

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21 hours ago, N.E. Brigand said:

Not having marched in a corps, and thus not having the experience, I tend to think of corps and their adjudication in much the same way as I think about movies and their adjudication. Thus my frequent references to the Oscars or the Sight & Sound polls. Although I have to say that most of the films that I personally consider to be the greatest of all time are those that I first encountered (whether then new or not*) in my twenties, which may support the theory you reference.

In the film world, I find it helpful to read a wide variety of opinions (even if those opinions are in list form). It's fascinating, for instance, to browse the "best" lists compiled by the Japanese annual, Kinema Junpo, whose take on western films was often very much at odds with western tastes.

*Mostly not, given that my ten favorite films date from 1955, 1956, 1961, 1959, 1949, 1946, 1925, 1991, 1931, and 2001.

I’m curious to see your list- it’s been a long time since I’ve taken History of Film. (That  professor  was a big John Ford fan, as I recall.)

___________________________________

My first memories of drum corps are of watching Finals on PBS in the summer of 1989. Our antenna reception was pretty bad and the VCR recording I made was even worse. But I watched it over and over and over again. 

My first live show was at Lake Higlands high school, in Dallas, the following year. I carpooled with three other guys from my school (the driver is now a special effects supervisor at Dreamworks). We were stuff into that little hatchback like sardines and I feared for my life driving on 635. (We were from a small town.) Star of Indiana blew my mind. Actually, they all did. We were there to see another classmate perform with Sky Ryders—much yelling and cheering was done in our part. I said I HAD to get tickets to Finals the next year. (That didn’t work out— I marched in them instead...)

I still think of bus fumes, gym floors, retreat, winter camps, all of that stuff when I think back to that drum corps “is.” 

[Also:

Eating pizza at the circle in O’Hare, waiting for either the bus or connecting flight to Rockford.

Gopher holes at Beyer field.

The Game.

Taking a date on a drive, with a borrowed car, into Rockford to see The Crow after one night after rehearsal. She hated it and I got lost and almost couldn’t find my way back to Byron.

My first legal beer at the Hard Rock Cafe in the Mall of America— thank you, Dan Ferrell.

The morning after our mid-summer banquet. Oh, the misery... ]

That’s all really random stuff but I guess my point is, very little of what I read or talk about on here really coincides with what of my brain still thinks of as “drum corps”. Even as the memories fade. I don’t mean that in a negative way, just how it is for me. But it all passes the time and I still have fun following the activity and talking about stuff that piques my interest for one reason or another.

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1 hour ago, year1buick said:

I’m curious to see your list- it’s been a long time since I’ve taken History of Film. (That  professor  was a big John Ford fan, as I recall.)

To keep the discussion from going off-topic, I'll PM you the titles. (John Ford isn't in my top 10, but Stagecoach makes my top 25.)

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2 hours ago, year1buick said:

I’m curious to see your list- it’s been a long time since I’ve taken History of Film. (That  professor  was a big John Ford fan, as I recall.)

___________________________________

My first memories of drum corps are of watching Finals on PBS in the summer of 1989. Our antenna reception was pretty bad and the VCR recording I made was even worse. But I watched it over and over and over again. 

My first live show was at Lake Higlands high school, in Dallas, the following year. I carpooled with three other guys from my school (the driver is now a special effects supervisor at Dreamworks). We were stuff into that little hatchback like sardines and I feared for my life driving on 635. (We were from a small town.) Star of Indiana blew my mind. Actually, they all did. We were there to see another classmate perform with Sky Ryders—much yelling and cheering was done in our part. I said I HAD to get tickets to Finals the next year. (That didn’t work out— I marched in them instead...)

I still think of bus fumes, gym floors, retreat, winter camps, all of that stuff when I think back to that drum corps “is.” 

[Also:

Eating pizza at the circle in O’Hare, waiting for either the bus or connecting flight to Rockford.

Gopher holes at Beyer field.

The Game.

Taking a date on a drive, with a borrowed car, into Rockford to see The Crow after one night after rehearsal. She hated it and I got lost and almost couldn’t find my way back to Byron.

My first legal beer at the Hard Rock Cafe in the Mall of America— thank you, Dan Ferrell.

The morning after our mid-summer banquet. Oh, the misery... ]

That’s all really random stuff but I guess my point is, very little of what I read or talk about on here really coincides with what of my brain still thinks of as “drum corps”. Even as the memories fade. I don’t mean that in a negative way, just how it is for me. But it all passes the time and I still have fun following the activity and talking about stuff that piques my interest for one reason or another.

Your O'Hare mention reminded me of the summer of '83 and how often I was there too often escorting 8 different Cadets home for funerals of immediate family members, one family having lost father and son several weeks apart. Back then flights were cheaper and my wallet had more money.  The only benefit of this travel was I filled out every frequent flier membership card available at the counter of O'Hare while I waited for my return flights. When the airlines merged in the '90's from 22 down to 11 or so domestic carriers, they merged my accounts which provided a few free tickets (even with two airlines I had never flown on.) 

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