Looking at the hate

[The Oz]

Last year, the judges told the staff of a corps that was playing a strictly classical show - marching and playing nearly the entire time - that they were not getting credit of the full potential of the G.E. and Visual captions because they didn't have the segments where the hornline put their horns down on the field and did body work or dancing - like their competition was doing. I just can't hear that without realizing how much the judging is also one of the things driving the morphing of the Drum Corps activity

While they’re at it, why not have the guard pick up the grounded horns a play a few passages?

[The Oz]

If I may be so bold as to comment on that famous/infamous PowerPoint presentation George gave at the January 2004 DCI seminar in Orlando, the "DRUM CORPS = MARCHING BAND" slide that Vince Lamb wrote about in Drum Corps World that was picked up on and reacted to with a resounding explosion of sentiment...

I was there for the presentation. Indeed, George put up a "slide" that said that verbatim.

HOWEVER, the context in Vince's article was totally missing, and personally, (NOT speaking on behalf of DCI in any way, shape or form, but for my self), I thought it got twisted by the lack of a preface to the "slide." George had stated immediately before that went up on the screen that we needed to do a better job of marketing to the public what we really were, because in the minds of the average person on the street that didn't know better, "DRUM CORPS = MARCHING BAND."

See how the context changes dramatically?

Forgive me if that wasn't what you were directly referring to.

Mike

Mike,

While completely agreeing with your post, Mr. Hopkins did later (in the same presentation) state his desire to add woodwinds to drum corps. From my vantage point and looking at the full scope of the presentation, it was pretty clear that evolving drum corps into band is part of his vision. And later events, including DCI's addition of woodwinds to I&Es, do little to separate Mr. Hopkins from the more direct interpretation of "DRUM CORPS = MARCHING BAND".

[Tekneek]

Last year, the judges told the staff of a corps that was playing a strictly classical show - marching and playing nearly the entire time - that they were not getting credit of the full potential of the G.E. and Visual captions because they didn't have the segments where the hornline put their horns down on the field and did body work or dancing - like their competition was doing. I just can't hear that without realizing how much the judging is also one of the things driving the morphing of the Drum Corps activity

It is easy to believe that judges want to turn every show into Star's 1993 show, one way or another. Star fed the judges exactly what they were asking for from 1991-1993. The fans blasted them for the same things that they praise corps for today. All along, judges were loving every second of it.

[Piper]

I won't pull any punches. To me Hoppy is the enemy of Drum Corps and all it stands for. He wants spotlights (with him in it), amps, vocals (singing his praises of course) and who knows what else is on his mind. What DOESN'T seem to be on his mind is how much money his "ideas" are costing the rest of us and why the (his) Crossmen are having trouble finding housing in Madison. I'll bet his beloved maroon and gold doesn't have that problem. If he wants woodwinds then let him go start a band.

[Vanguard07]

To me Hoppy is the enemy of Drum Corps and all it stands for.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If he wants woodwinds then let him go start a band.

agreed on both points

[kusankusho]

He wants spotlights

EXCUSE ME???????

Please say this is a joke.

[Vanguard07]

EXCUSE ME???????

Please say this is a joke.

Unfortunantly, I don't think it is...

[kusankusho]

Unfortunantly, I don't think it is...

*barf*

While it's really sad that "Cadets" comes in for a lot of collateral damage, this is where "the hate" originates.

Edited August 1, 2006 by kusankusho

[Rusty]

It's ugly, but how is it "inaccessible, unmelodic or abstract"? That's what I asked you in my original reply. It wasn't at all hard to "get" the use of the two sided uniforms in the 2005/6 shows.

Oh, come on. How about the umbrella and pointy hat? The intentionally awkward dancing on the part of the Dani troupe? The guard unis with the "faces" on the backs of their heads? As this columnist summed it up, "The Cadets, based in Pennsylvania, performed a strange number I can only describe as Cirque du Soleil meets John Philip Sousa on LSD. It had to do with Jefferson Airplane’s 1967 hit, “White Rabbit.” This act featured a female singer and lots of acrobats in weird outfits. For more details, ask Alice — when she’s 10 feet tall."

The Cadets (and I doubt even Hopkins would disagree with me on this) have spent two years putting hallucinations on the field. Yes, I call that inaccessible and abstract. I never used the word "unmelodic", by the way, and I don't know if I would label the Cadets as such--at least, no moreso than most other corps these days. (Most shows don't have music you end up humming without repeated listenings.)

You'll note we didn't get any in 2006. In fact, I'm hard pressed to name any part of The Zone that was copied by another corps this year.

Oh, just give it some time. Maybe it will happen, maybe it won't. Trust me, I'll be ecstatic to see "The Zone" die quietly.

And as noted by me in my original reply, shows have wandered right back since then. You didn't answer the question I asked you: which top 6 show in 2006 do you find un-entertaining or fan-unfriendly?

As presently reflected on DCP's standings, the top 6 are as follows:

Cavaliers

Blue Devils

Phantom Regiment

Bluecoats

Cadets

Santa Clara Vanguard

Of these top 6, I find the Cadets un-entertaining and fan-unfriendly. The other 5 have shows that presently hover somewhere between good and terrific. Actually, scratch that: out of all 5, I can't pick a single show I wouldn't love to watch over and over.

But have you watched the migration of vocals to other corps? And is there a corps that doesn't have amps? (Serious question--to my knowledge, just about every Division I corps does. Because, thanks largely to Hopkins, they're now pretty much mandatory to be competitive.)

If you want to pick on the Cadets specifically, do you really believe they were being "abstract" when they played Moondance, Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy, Malagueña, Rocky Point Holiday or the freakin Star Spangled Banner? Do you think they were being "unfriendly" when they put pop & rock tunes from Jethro Tull, Jefferson Airplane, Propellerheads and Bjork on the field?

If you want to talk about the Cadets, try not mixing together shows from different years; certainly you can admit that there's a massive difference between 2000 (a show that, you will remember, I praised) and '05-'06. But to give your question a whirl...

-2000-2001: loved it

-2002: good music, but the theme was a bit overdone (I still haven't shown my wife this show; I think she would cry at the closer)

-2003: sorry, but I can't see Malagueña in the hands of anybody but the Scouts

-2004: haven't seen the show

-2005-2006: I think you already know what I would say

Now here's a thought: the Cadets have spent the last three years putting rock, pop and acid house music on the field. Boy, those genres really need guitars to fill in the blanks, don't they?

Your criticism doesn't seem to match anything they've actually performed this decade. My beef with them appears to be completely opposite yours - I think they've been trying so hard to pander to the audience that they've lost some of the musical and design heft that made them great in the 80s/90s. And, just for the record, I personally like listening to the Cavies 2006 music quite a lot. I think the two original compositions are great, and the pit writing is just tremendous throughout the show. And then when you put it on top of their drill, you have a product that seems to enterain pretty much everyone in the stadium.

2005-2006 are certainly in this decade. And yes, I gathered that you seem to like the Cadets this year--and if anything, "Through the Looking Glass" isn't extreme enough for you.

You know what? I would like to be able to say, "To each his own," and leave it at that. But as I stated in my original post, Hopkins's agenda makes it pretty much impossible for drum corps fans to be agnostic on the Cadets.

[MikeBob]

-2003: sorry, but I can't see Malagueña in the hands of anybody but the Scouts

Is this the Cadets' problem or yours?