From: aelman@Xenon.Stanford.EDU (Adam Elman)
Subject: Re: Stanford banned again
Organization: CS Department, Stanford University, California, USA
Distribution: usa
Date: 29 Sep 92 17:33:46 GMT

randall@informix.com (Randall Rhea) writes:

>The Stanford Band was banned again ... this time by their
>own athletic department.  They were going to do an "unauthorized
>biography" of their new university president last Saturday, but their
>althetic department forced them to change the show.  The LSJUMB was
>also banned from Disneyland earlier this year. 

>At least they were stopped before embarassing themselves again.
>The previous posting's mention of the spotted owl show in Oregon
>reminded me of what happens when the LSJUMB is left to their
>own devices.

Actually, the show was really funny, and really wouldn't have offended
anyone.  The AD is apparently just terrified of offending the new
president at all, since they are unsure how much support he plans to
give to athletics.

I wouldn't have minded had the AD just suggested saving it for later
in the season, after Pres. Casper has a chance to start his job and
get to know us a little better, but the tone (as reported in the Daily
-- the band staff didn't make any comments to us at all) was more
along the lines of "this will not go out onto the field".  The most
offensive things in the show were a) that Casper was a brewer who was
deported from Germany for violating German purity laws, and b) that he
was involved with the Mafia and was moving in on "Don Don Kennedy's"
turf (a local joke from last year's Big Game Gaities).  Really
offensive stuff, let me tell you.  Jeez.

And Disneyland was a complete crock 'o' you-know-what.  The way I
heard it, the Band had thought it had been invited to play at
Disneyland the day before the game.  At the gate, they were told that
they would not be allowed to play.  No big; but then they were told
that they would not even be allowed to ENTER Disneyland as a group.  I
was there the last time the Stanford Band went to Disneyland (February
'91, on a basketball road trip) and we didn't do anything worth
banning.  I don't know what they were afraid of.

Frankly, the Stanford Band hasn't done anything that anyone _really_
should have been offended by (with the possible exception of the nun
costume controversy last year, but that was the drum major himself,
who did not consult the rest of the band in that decision) since the
urinating-on-the-field incident in 1986.  In Oregon, people were
booing us LOOOOOOONG before we even started the show.  The show itself
was really not that bad (I reiterate my offer to e-mail anyone a copy
of the script).  The Casper show could have offended only one person,
and we think he probably would have taken it with a grain of salt.

If you think the Stanford Band's humor is sophomoric, and you have
lots of better ideas for shows, tell me -- we're always looking for
good show ideas, and I'm perfectly willing to suggest good ones.  If
you just don't like the idea of a band which makes fun of things
instead of marching military-style around the field like good little
fascists, then stay away from Stanford football.  Or at least take a
bathroom break at halftime. :-)

Adam Elman
aelman@cs.stanford.edu

P.S. Don't get me wrong -- I appreciate a good traditional marching
band as much as the next guy.  But I think what we do gives a bit of
variety to the game that you just don't get from traditional bands.