Mickk3 Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 “Not for the Faint of Heart” was a difficult book to put down. Mr. Van Wert's account of his three years marching with the Santa Clara Vanguard is an honest, sometimes gritty, portrayal of the passion and heart-break we've all at least partly experienced. No matter when you marched, no matter what corps you marched with, no matter your gender, DC section or age, you should afford yourself the opportunity of this book. *DCI article on DC Books It's the right time to order if you want to be assured delivery before Christmas (ect.). I bought “Not for the Faint of Heart” (“Spike” Van Wert), "The Lorin Solo" (Chuck Edwards), and “On the field, from Denver, Colorado… the Blue Knights!” (G.M. Kuzma) for my fifty-year-old sister, and “The Line,” (by and Courtney Brandt; a novel about competitive high school band) for myself. My sister will be thrilled because this is something she would never think to buy for herself and nothing she's going to see while doing her own Christmas shopping. It's also a great time to buy one or all for your book reports. There are two advantages to Drum Corps books, book reports. The subject matter is little known which gives you the advantage over main-stream works as 1) no teacher can tell you you've misunderstood or misinterpreted the content, and 2) you can spread the word about Drum Corps and get well-earned props for your involvement. *I belive the above article was written before the release of Chuck Edward's "The Lorin Solo", another excellent book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peel Paint Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 I bought this book from Spike selling it at finals at the Blue Knights' souvie booth in Pasadena, and I also found it riveting. I've read books and online journals written by corps members, and always found them enjoyable and worth the time, but if I was going to recommend only one book to read about drum corps, this would definitely be the one. This book's a jaw-dropper. No matter how much you think you know about corps and about life, Spike will teach you some new things. Highest recommendation. /no personal connection to Spike other than the one very brief meeting in August Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luvs me sum mello! Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 And don't forget Building The Green Machine by Colt Foutz. All about the book can be found here: http://www.cavaliers.org/cgi-bin/store.pl?...prod&id=526 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickk3 Posted September 17, 2007 Author Share Posted September 17, 2007 And don't forget Building The Green Machine by Colt Foutz. All about the book can be found here:http://www.cavaliers.org/cgi-bin/store.pl?...prod&id=526 ah thank you LMSM.. i ordered the book but it won't go out until later in November .. so another good reason to order it now if you want to give it as a Christmas (ect.) gift !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnD Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 We have just added a new column to the front page of Drum Corps Planet that will be written by the young authors mentioned above - Spike, GM Kuzma, Colt Foutz, and Courtney Brandt. You can see the first installment of Company Front, written by GM Kuzma on the front page - as well as our announcement of the column. Chuck Edwards' The Lorin Solo is also a neat novel that is set in the drum corps activity. Please be sure to support these authors and encourage them to continue writing about this great activity. -john Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickk3 Posted September 17, 2007 Author Share Posted September 17, 2007 ah.. i should mention that I have no personal connection either. I've never met any of the authors. "Spikes" book i intentionally set down after the second segment (year) was over.. I wanted to wait before I read about his third and final year marching. Contrary to Santa Clara Vanguard's philosophy, I had a difficult time holding back from cheating ahead to look at the scores (during Spikes marching time I didn't live in the USA and lost touch with DC). Spike's “Not for the Faint of Heart” had an added effect of being a bit of a cliff-hanger for me. I'd appreciate any other information on DC books anyone knows of. I've done several searches but haven't come up with any others other than the ones in this post. As a second choice, thank you to anyone who can recommend a good online book or journal or two (I like the feel of a book as opposed to a computer screen). These books have been an invaluable source for me as a way to catch up on a more contemporary DCI, as opposed to when I marched in the 70's and 80's. As much as 'old school' drum corps challenged and shaped us established (read - old) folks, the evolution of DCI has taken that craft to the next level. I have an ever increased appreciation for what I see on the field. I'm only a quarter of the way through Chuck Edwards, "The Lorin Solo", but his story is unfolding nicely and has the added pleasure of an intriguing 'b' story. The primary characters's involvement with 'Tracy'; their common personal challenge, Lorins relationship with his mother, and with Tracy's family, all draw the reader quickly in. It's easy to forget that every person in that 135 (now 150) person corps you're watching, every person who is made to look as identical, as uniformed, as the next person has a rich internal and personal life. This morning I watched the ESPN2 DCI finals show (I Tivo'd it) again; this time it was with a greater appreciation for the individual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
randomnoise Posted September 17, 2007 Share Posted September 17, 2007 (edited) It's not about Junior Corps, but the Renegade Journal is another drum corps book. It is very entertaining and talks a lot about how to start a corps. DISCLAIMER: I wrote part of it! Synopsis: Los Angeles entertainment lawer Lee Rudnicki's book about the San Francisco Renegades ... a drum corps that went from an unknown group of seven people to a world class drum corps of over 125 members through the use of a comprehensive and "evil" marketing plan. http://www.cafepress.com/rj7.17442470 Edited September 17, 2007 by randomnoise Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickk3 Posted September 18, 2007 Author Share Posted September 18, 2007 It's not about Junior Corps, but the Renegade Journal is another drum corps book. It is very entertaining and talks a lot about how to start a corps. DISCLAIMER: I wrote part of it!Synopsis: Los Angeles entertainment lawer Lee Rudnicki's book about the San Francisco Renegades ... a drum corps that went from an unknown group of seven people to a world class drum corps of over 125 members through the use of a comprehensive and "evil" marketing plan. http://www.cafepress.com/rj7.17442470 Ordered it, Random - thank you. It should be particularly poignant to me because I live in Los Angeles and am also in the entertainment business (although in a different context than Mr. Rudnicki). I look forward to reading it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickk3 Posted September 19, 2007 Author Share Posted September 19, 2007 I finished 'The Lorin Solo' last night. Not only was it a good drum corps book, it was a good book. yesterday i read Michael Boo's article, Wayne Downey talks about the evolution of the drum corps activity and a short time later, Mr. Downey was mentioned in the book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickk3 Posted September 19, 2007 Author Share Posted September 19, 2007 bump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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