From: jerger@d0msu7.fnal.gov
Subject: Re: Re: VK Bashing & DC North
Organization: Fermi National Accelerator Lab
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 19:50:26 GMT
X-Posted-From: d0msu7.fnal.gov
X-Posted-Through: sol.ctr.columbia.edu

dowzycki@andromeda.rutgers.edu (Ken Dowzycki) writes: 
   
>   The biggest problem I have with the Velvet Knights is that
>they are nothing, nothing but regurgitated Bridgemen.  Do they
>think that they are actually presenting something new?  I had the
>displeasure of growing up on a steady diet of Bridgemen bullshit 
>which includes chickens, dancing bears, lions, fat lady, tall man, 
>clowns, so forth and so on.  Velvet Knights are doing the same
>thing only with a modern drill, but guess what, IT ISN'T WORKING.
>VK seems to field a full corps every year yet they will always be
>relegated to the cellar (of finals).  If they are smart they will
>take a page from Star's book.  No more Mickey Mouse, Space Show, 
>Circus Acts, they wised up and look where they are today.
 
It isn't working for you, but there's plenty of people it does work
for.  As far as where they place, that has more to do with how the 
corps is run, in my opinion (see below). And if you want something
"new," maybe you would like them to become yet another Garfield 
clone. They're not under the impression that they're the first to
do comedy, but at least they've put a So. Cal. twist on it (probably
another reason you don't like them), and if you were to put all the 
corps on a field in street clothes with no identifying marks but
their performances, they'd probably be the easiest to identify.


>   Not to speak ill of the departed but in my opinion Mr. Hoffman
>just infested another corps with his jibberish.  Do you really
>think that Hoffman's shows from his days with Bayonne hold a candle
>to anything Zingali did with 27th.  In comparison, their drills 
>were anemic and the guard was an eye sore at best, that is, when they
>picked up equipment.  Ditto VK.  Only now the Velvet Knights are at
>it longer than Bayonne and what do they have to show for it, a tie
>for 7th as their best placement?  (Which reminds me, the guard
>scuba diving on retreat was another GEM!)  Maybe VK is not CAPABLE
>of performing a REAL DRUM CORPS SHOW.  Tell me, what is their best
                 ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
               yeah right. define this.

>section?  Are they known for anything legitimate?  Drill?  Hornline?
>Drumline?  Guard?......  Silence, right!

Wrong. How about GE - you know, that aspect that's worth 40 points?
Sure, none of the sections is a dominant force in the corps from
year to year, like, say, that drumline that took high drums in
'80,'81,'82 from.... gosh, was it the Bridgemen? But so what?  
And you'll get no argument from me that the level of 
playing/marching has been pretty low most years. But not always -
in '88 we saw Madison a good amount right before Finals, and our 
brass line was within .3 to even .1 ahead,  drums were about even
and we were about 2 points behind overall the last show before
Nats and the great random draw B.S. 
    If you want to know why VK has never gotten past 7th, I would
say it's because of how the corps is run. The consensus among the
people I know of who have experience with the corps is that VK will
never be a top contender unless they get new management. In '87 
they brought in new, quality staff and started making some changes,
and the quality of the playing started to get a lot better. In '88
I know they were making an  attempt to start moving towards a little
more depth to the humor (I know you won't agree), and it seemed like
things were going to start being respectable. But then in '89, right
before the season, they fired the visual staff and brought in the 
king of Southern California cheapo high school band drill, who pronounced 
the previous staff unfit to write a top twelve drill and proceeded 
to hack up the show and drastically change the rehearsal technique. 
So the corps sank back in the mud and friends who marched said tour was
a total hell. And my friends who were among the visual staffers fired
now write drill for the Blue Knights and the VK staff has changed again
who knows how many times. 
    Hopefully Float will have enough independence there that he will
remain and build the drumline up as he appears to be doing. But I can
remember having a snare line in '88 with seven vets from the year before
but NO snare tech because they wouldn't hire one, until tour at least
by which time there wasn't much he could do. And I would imagine we were
the only top 12 drumline who had to pay the corps director 5 bucks when 
we needed a new pair of sticks ON TOUR. So I wonder if it is only a 
matter of time before this staff flees or gets ousted like a lot of 
other good staff has.


>   Who is carrying on the questionable tradition of Hoffman antics.
>Is this some kind of tribute to him?  Why not seize the opportunity
>to compete with the Big Boys, instead of running around in Red
>Converse.  Give me the Freelancers anytime over these chumps.
>VK can continue to "present" their shows which will allow Mr. 
>Pottymouth to hit the john when they are on, or if it is too
>crowded, just use VK's busses.  While we are at it, I'm surprised
>that you can keep a straight face admitting that you took part in
>that debacle.   With VK out of the picture maybe we can see some
>talented corps in finals like Glassmen, Spirit, or for that matter
>anyone.  Well, there always is a fly in the ointment.

Well, since VK is beating Glassmen by three points I guess you don't get 
your wish. So hit the john all you want but not on the VK busses 
because they wouldn't clean 'em so we didn't use 'em. And I sleep
alright at night without nightmares of the "debacle." I worry more
about guys who sound like they will be up in the light standard with
a high powered rifle when VK takes the field Saturday night. You don't
have to like them, but calling for their abolition is a little extreme,
dude. But hey, it's your opinion, and what the hell, you are pretty
fun to argue with when you get agro.




                                               Steve Jerger


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