1978 legacy

[byline]

Was that Rita Moreno?

If I recall Pete Emmons was not a fan of Bayonne.

Nope, she didn't come along until 1980. It was a blonde gal, can't remember her name.

[byline]

She also asked Pete what he thought of our colorguard and the concert number, she thought it was quite good.

He said - it's not some of the stuff I do, they kind of lose a continuity with all of those different uniforms, but those girls must be exhausting, creative......no.....innovative's the word for their guard..... He said something along those lines.

Yes, we understand it's not some of the stuff that you do!

To me, Pete looked extremely uncomfortable in the commentator's role, like he'd rather be anywhere but there. (Understandable, too, since he had a corps that was competing that night.) I can understand the idea; to put someone with actual drum corps experience and expertise in the commentator's role. But I really feel like it was a mistake on DCI's part to put him in that position, and I'm glad it's something they didn't repeat in later years (not just with him, but with a staff member of any corps). It creates an odd conflict of interest (which, by the way, he handled remarkably well, given his negative comments about his own corps' performance). But anyone who's ever been in a position of being quoted by someone else, or having his or her comments captured for all of posterity on tape--even though it may have been an "off the top of my head" kind of comment, which seemed to comprise a lot of what Pete was saying--knows that it's almost never an ideal position to be in, and there are usually things one says that in retrospect, one wishes could be edited to say what was truly meant. So I would tend to take most of Pete's comments in that '78 telecast with a grain of salt. Just my take on it, though. . . .

[Blue Devil Legend]

Was that Rita Moreno?

If I recall Pete Emmons was not a fan of Bayonne.

Gene Rayburn, Pete Emmons, and Barbara Hunter, who was a former anchor at a Bay Area television station.

[Blue Devil Legend]

To me, Pete looked extremely uncomfortable in the commentator's role, like he'd rather be anywhere but there. (Understandable, too, since he had a corps that was competing that night.) I can understand the idea; to put someone with actual drum corps experience and expertise in the commentator's role. But I really feel like it was a mistake on DCI's part to put him in that position, and I'm glad it's something they didn't repeat in later years (not just with him, but with a staff member of any corps). It creates an odd conflict of interest (which, by the way, he handled remarkably well, given his negative comments about his own corps' performance). But anyone who's ever been in a position of being quoted by someone else, or having his or her comments captured for all of posterity on tape--even though it may have been an "off the top of my head" kind of comment, which seemed to comprise a lot of what Pete was saying--knows that it's almost never an ideal position to be in, and there are usually things one says that in retrospect, one wishes could be edited to say what was truly meant. So I would tend to take most of Pete's comments in that '78 telecast with a grain of salt. Just my take on it, though. . . .

Pete's fatal prediction: (paraphrased)

"Phantom and SCV will drop, and the Blue Devils will move up".

Those words will always echo in my mind.

[JimF-LowBari]

Ehhh, count your blessings if you saw it live or on a good TV. That was the year we went to New Orleans for American Legion and got to the cruddy butt motel about 15 minutes before DCI started. (Which was 23 hours and 45 minutes after the busses left PA.) TV in our room had hardly any color and tinny sound. And if you crancked the volume it got all distorted.

Funny part was everyone was smelling like goats (A/C crapped out in our bus) but no one wanted to miss any of DCI. In breaks between corps, people would empty their pockets and do a fully clothed Pool dive to cool off and de-smell a bit. No wonder I don't remember the announcers.

Thanks all for the memory jog...

[Rocketman]

She also asked Pete what he thought of our colorguard and the concert number, she thought it was quite good.

He said - it's not some of the stuff I do, they kind of lose a continuity with all of those different uniforms, but those girls must be exhausting, creative......no.....innovative's the word for their guard..... He said something along those lines.

Yes, we understand it's not some of the stuff that you do!

And how many times did his guard win trophies? Think about it!

Rocketman - Pete the Dragoon

ampssuck

[byline]

And how many times did his guard win trophies? Think about it!

So they tied for the guard award in '78 because Pete was the guest commentator? OK.

[Scerpella]

Asked who he thought took it that night, Pete Emmon's answer was "Madison"! B)

If only! :P

Ive made this point before but since we're talking about 78 it bears repeating. 2 hornlines who actually have improved with the years are Bridgemen and Blue Stars. The balance and musicality of those lines was literally 20 years ahead of its time, altho Bayonne did rely a little more on raw power. Tastes have certainly changed. Listening now SCV sounds like they struggled with their program, Blue Devils intonation was pretty bad (altho they had the hardest show, 79 was when they took that show and mastered it) Phantom sounded more like the 4th or 5th place corps. Madison's show was only middling hard, but it was by far the most exciting of the top six and the hornline was very solid. (Thank God for that drumline which btw got screwed)

[byline]

Asked who he thought took it that night, Pete Emmon's answer was "Madison"! B)

If only! :P

Ive made this point before but since we're talking about 78 it bears repeating. 2 hornlines who actually have improved with the years are Bridgemen and Blue Stars. The balance and musicality of those lines was literally 20 years ahead of its time, altho Bayonne did rely a little more on raw power. Tastes have certainly changed. Listening now SCV sounds like they struggled with their program, Blue Devils intonation was pretty bad (altho they had the hardest show, 79 was when they took that show and mastered it) Phantom sounded more like the 4th or 5th place corps. Madison's show was only middling hard, but it was by far the most exciting of the top six and the hornline was very solid. (Thank God for that drumline which btw got screwed)

I remember being astonished by the quality of nearly all the shows on finals night. You're right about Bridgemen; that's one of my favorite shows of theirs. I'll have to listen to Blue Stars again; for some reason, all I remember are the guard's turbans. Visually, I thought Phantom was quite clean and striking, though I also felt that the composition of the show was simpler than that of the other top corps. (Again, this is relative; I'm not saying Phantom's show was simple, but simpler in comparison to the other shows.) Madison had a truly amazing show that night, and you're right about the drum line; just a really superb drum line. I thought Blue Devils were pretty amazing, though their show was quite difficult, and as you note, they mastered that program the following year. Santa Clara's show was wonderfully complex, but a little ragged in spots. Yet the whole of their program, and the subtlety of it, blew me away.

Just a great year for drum corps, IMO . . . but also a transitional one, as was '79. I thought '80 was when the creative direction in which show design had been heading really came together into a powerful, cohesive style for most of the corps. But it also forever changed the direction in which corps headed in the '80s.

[byline]

Watching the DVD again, I'm blown away, in particular, by a show that seems to get little attention: Crossmen. This was the first year for the capes, and so I suppose that explains their low (undeserved, IMO) placement. But I remember being mesmerized by their show live, and even with the limited camera placement (still can't believe they couldn't get the "high" cam any higher than that; I was right, that about the farthest you can see on either side is the 30 yardline, so we viewers lose a lot of the drill), you get some sense of the flow of that show. The drum line's painted faces are eerie, and the effect of those capes was so much better at their full length. There's not a bad line or angle on them, and they added so much visual impact to that show.