Interesting Hopblog quote from today

[toph34]

<personal attack removed> MS

Despite your personal feelings about Mr. Hopkins, there is no question about his service to The Cadets organization and dedication to the hundreds of young adults that have marched during his 25 years with them. Ask the vast majority of those kids their opinion of George Hopkins and I doubt you'll hear the word "moron" associated with his name. In fact, quite the opposite. While your vision of the ideal drum corps show may be diametrically opposite of his, assassinating his character is trite and immature. The only "moronic" thing here is this statement. Nice job. <**> <**>

Perhaps you should take your own advice and stop reading anything associated with his blog. Eh?

Thank you Mr. Hopkins for your blood, sweat and tears over the past two and a half DECADES.

[CadetsFan08]

Well, as someone who has been watching Cadets' All Access rather regularly, I'll update you all to say that George has talked about the narration several times. His comments have always been about trying to figure out the right message, how to get that message across, and the need to throw it all out there and then edit it, both in context and amount of content. This is no surprise.

His first script for the closer was about a kid who was emotionally abused and found refuge in drum corps. But he spoke about realizing the need to change that as he only had a one minute tag after to bring the audience out of that powerful emotional state to a point of wanting to jump out of their seats applauding. So, while the narration might still not meet your personal likes or standards, GH has been trying to find the words (again, amount and compostion) that will bring the desired reaction from both the audience and the judges.

And while this is all part of his standard method of show design, it has also been very transparent (no surprises) from the beginning.

Exactly. However, the people who bash Hopkins and The Cadets are rarely informed. They like to stay in their own little worlds.

[KingJoeVII]

Sweet...my favorite story is from 04 though. They had way to much music, and had to cut it fast, in the closer somewhere. I think most of us remember the section where they simply cut from one song, did some sillent drill while counting, and then launched into the 2nd part of the closer. The first judges tape comment..."yeahh....umm, this section seems ppretty much like...ahhhh....cut and paste....yeah thats what it is. "

yep...you got it pretty accurate, Nick..I think what Jay had written the stuff way before we had to cut so we actually changed the entire drill for that section first and therefore kind of cut out any transitional material he had written in.

I can remember Hop pacing around on the field trying to figure out how to fix it so it didn't sound so out of place. Then he kinda just pitched to us the idea about counting "1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,1,2.." I think just as filler for the show that night until he could think of something better to do. I guess he never got back around to it and it stayed in till finals.

BTW, those drill sets are some of the sloppiest things I have ever seen the Cadets put on the field...just go back and look at them - the form is supposed to have parallel, straight lines. instead it looks like something a blind hopscotch player drew on the ground.

[MikeD]

Sweet...my favorite story is from 04 though. They had way to much music, and had to cut it fast, in the closer somewhere. I think most of us remember the section where they simply cut from one song, did some sillent drill while counting, and then launched into the 2nd part of the closer. The first judges tape comment..."yeahh....umm, this section seems ppretty much like...ahhhh....cut and paste....yeah thats what it is. "

We had learned a lot of Jupiter and Mars...ended up schmushing them together...worked pretty well.

[Pinwiz]

Exactly. However, the people who bash Hopkins and The Cadets are rarely informed. They like to stay in their own little worlds.

Wait. Because I have to pay to hear this info, I'm in the wrong? (I'm a Cadets fan, but I'm not paying for an all-access subscription.)

[drumcat]

Exactly. However, the people who bash Hopkins and The Cadets are rarely informed. They like to stay in their own little worlds.

...but living in CadetWorld is a bigger place? Come on. Arguing that the opposition is wrong because it is naive is a losing proposition. People on both sides of the discussion are well informed. Making the opposite point may be more self-examining than you may like.

[GMichael1230]

Exactly. However, the people who bash Hopkins and The Cadets are rarely informed. They like to stay in their own little worlds.

Wow, throwing around the word "bash" and an untrue blanket statement...yeah, I want to rely on your credibility, huh ????

~G~

[Piper]

The guy just comes across as being very egotistical........."On the field....from Allentown Pennsylvania......HOPPY ! " :P

[LAMystreaux]

...but living in CadetWorld is a bigger place? Come on. Arguing that the opposition is wrong because it is naive is a losing proposition. People on both sides of the discussion are well informed. Making the opposite point may be more self-examining than you may like.

You've done little beyond cook up conspiracy theories when it comes to this show, so sorry if I don't buy your well informed bit.

[euponitone]

...but living in CadetWorld is a bigger place? Come on. Arguing that the opposition is wrong because it is naive is a losing proposition. People on both sides of the discussion are well informed. Making the opposite point may be more self-examining than you may like.

I wouldnt say that the anti-hopkins crowd is wrong, but i would agree that they often take whatever new information comes out of yea and instantly turn it for the worst. How many times did we have to endure the diatribes about how the cadets steal crossmens talent at the audition, only to have someone like al chez or someone who actually tried out come on and tell us otherwise. We had a 20 page debate about the cell phone policy of the cavaliers, in spite of overwhelming arguments from fmm's of the dang corps that it wasnt that big a deal, yet we insisted that we knew better.

I will admit that just because someone has more inside information, doesnt make their opinion automatically correct...but it does make it something worth listenning to and considering.