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Famous, or infamous, corps stories, myths, legends


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The one that I've heard, and please someone let me know weather it true or not, but the BD soloist from 89....rumored that after Finals, no one could find him. They eventually found his horn and uniform folded near a dumpster. True?

False.

But the fact that he later became a lawyer and is now in prison for embezzling $800K from his client trust account? Sadly....true.

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I marched Boston from '74 to '79. I could invite 2 of my friends, who marched with me those years, over to my house and we could write story after story after story all of which my fellow Bugle Bander's would find very hard to believe. The problem is that the current Crusader management are worried that parents of current or possibly future members of Boston might read these stories and yank their youngsters out of Corp. I will say this. The Boston Crusader's of those years were as crazy as most people thought we were. We weren't the Hell's Angel's but as I've said in other posts, for the most part, it was a good thing that we decided to hang out by ourselves on the dark side of the parking lot. I can't imagine another Drum Corp having more fun than we did but maybe it was our own brand of fun. I would like to topple one myth though. In all the years I marched in Boston I do not remember anything negative happening between the Crusader's and the Lancer's. It's possible that some stuff did occur but I doubt it as I'm sure I would have heard about it. As a member of The Mass Brass Mini Corp I and other Crusader alumni hang out with the Lancer Alumni who are members of Mass Brass. We all get along swimmingly. The Lancer's talk about how they almost won it all in 1980 and the Crusader's talk about...I'm sorry I forgot, must not disturb the Mommies and Daddies. I will tell one story which is a not a big deal as far as Crusader stories go and may only be partly true. Anyways, I thought that since SCVdrums started this topic I would like to suggest that he talk to some of SCV alumni who marched '75. That would be the year you were born I believe. Ask them if they remember the drunken Crusader standing on the fire escape ranting about how his fellow Crusader's locked him out of his room. He was naked as a jaybird I might add and in full view of SCV who were marching back from their rehearsal. Now the last part about SCV marching by might not be true but then again we are talking stories here and it does add to the story to think that SCV's first encounter with a Boston Crusader would be of one naked and ranting from a fire escape. By the way it was his own fault, he got too drunk and way ahead of everyone else.

I don't thnk today's corps management is terribly concerned about the exagerrated stories from 39 years ago, influencing parental decisions about joining BAC. I think what BAC does today and their success over the past 15 years has more influence on someone joining the corps. I like most alumni love the old stories and am always amazed at how they blur over time and how inaccuarcies take over but it makes for a good story. I would hope though that some stories are treated like a visit to Las Vegas and someone would have the good sense to know the difference and would respect former fellow MM's. Remember you might be talking about someones mom or dad now. Now I don't know if there is any truth to the naked ranter but i do know SCV did see many BAC MM's sitting on a hill above their rehearsal with their horn cases and wondering if a horn sectional was about to break out. All that broke out were several beverages from the horn case "coolers". So SCV was working hard in the hot sun and BAC wasn't. Mind that the age of consumption was lower then.

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I believe you're referring to 1957 VFW where the Cavaliers beat St. Vinny's Cadets. The incident was mentioned in Don Warren's book.

Yes, amadorj.. Thanks for that... I found out later last nite that the 1957 brawl at retreat was between the Cavaliers and St. Vincent's Cadets ( Bayonne, N.J)... not with St. Lucy's( from, Newark, N.J. ) ) at the VFW Nationals Championships in Miami that year. Cavaliers were 1st, St. Vinnie's 2nd. There is also a video on the incident in which some Cavs Alums discussed ( in good humor, I might add ) their recollections of the brawl on the field. The Cavs alums made the tape a few years back. I've seen that tape of their interviews, but as of last nite could not find it on the ' net anywhere.

Edited by BRASSO
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IIRC, he was out for the entire rest of the tour after the accident.

We were on the same tour with SCV that year...I remember seeing a show where they marched his hole which was very evident in the rotating quasar in their opener Northridge, then the sop spacing was adjusted prior to Nationals to close his hole. In looking back I think they should have left it, but that's just me. I'm not sure why he didn't march his age out year (84) but life is funny like that sometimes. To address IllianaLancerContra's "Where is he now?" query, he is one of my FB friends and happily resides in the Southeast with his family.

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We were on the same tour with SCV that year...I remember seeing a show where they marched his hole which was very evident in the rotating quasar in their opener Northridge, then the sop spacing was adjusted prior to Nationals to close his hole. In looking back I think they should have left it, but that's just me.

He was in the hospital for 10 more days, and was finally able to fly home after. For those 1981 shows without him in the final 2 weeks of the season, SCV put his Aussie hat under the drum major podium. It can be seen in the Whitewater video.

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This has been a fun read. I'll throw in a few memories.

'95 Southwind had a run-in with some gangsters. One of our contra players was wearing a red do-rag and apparently that was the rival color of the local gang in that territory. They made it clear he better not be seen wearing those colors again.

Yes, this happened to me. That was me. I was wearing the WRONG color for Kileen, TX.

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  • 3 months later...

The one that I've heard, and please someone let me know weather it true or not, but the BD soloist from 89....rumored that after Finals, no one could find him. They eventually found his horn and uniform folded near a dumpster. True?

Not true at all.

Sadly, what IS true is that he was found guilty of embezzling from his client trust accounts last year (he WAS an attorney) and is now in prison...#### it.

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I remember hearing something about an SCV member getting struck and killed by lightning back in the 80's, and that they always march a hole in remembrance.

Not SCV (and point out where they ALWAYS have a hole in the drill)...Skyliners Sr. during a rehearsal....mid 80s I think.

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I heard from a friend that a BD member refused to pierce his ears so the horn line filled a pillow case with mouthpieces and beat him with it. True?

Not when I marched, and I highly doubt it ever happened.

One of our snares in 84 refused to pierce his ear on religious grounds, but he wore an ear cuff so he wasn't the odd man out.

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Not SCV (and point out where they ALWAYS have a hole in the drill)...Skyliners Sr. during a rehearsal....mid 80s I think.

Sorry to just see this now - former Bridgemen trumpet Frank "Perdue" Petric was struck and killed by lightning at a Skyliner rehearsal in 1985. Frankie was one of the all-time great drum corps kids.

His wake remains one of the saddest, most awful nights I can remember in 62 years.

Frank was filled with life - e.g. climbed up and stuck head and shoulders through the vent in the top of the corps bus on the highway (1984) to "get some air"; when Bridgemen ran out of money in Bloomington IN (1984) on tour and had to borrow food to feed the corps the members understandably went into a deep funk. Suddenly we hear screaming from the top of the IU Field House - Frankie screaming "C'mon! We have to do this! Let's Goooooo! C'mon" He shinnied up those enormous concrete arches to the top where he jumped up and down screaming to rally the corpsmembers, which worked by the way. At least until the end of tour.

No one that knew Perdue didn't like him - he was like Sara Lee that way. His brother is/was a long time Skyliner Contra-bass, Romeo Petric - another drum corps great. What a family.

30 years later I think about Frank a lot. What he could have done in his life, and how quickly it was over. Just a tragedy.

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