FROM THE SIDELINE/SIDEWALK

Went to a Historically Black College/University Classic Football Parade a week or so ago. The two schools participating were Tennessee State University and Florida Agricultural & Mechanical University. Nothing under the sun like an HBCU parade (can I get a witness?). It can warm a heart colder than the Antarctica and give the person with three left feet the ability to Chicago Step like they were raised in a Windy City dance hall. You see the innovators and sadly, also the imitators. Nevertheless, I was thoroughly entertained and here’s a few things I noticed while observing how we “do” early on a chilly Saturday a.m.:

There must not be any high schools in Florida; of the 15 or more high schools participating in the parade, there were none from the Sunshine State. Tennessee, however, had 4 high school bands representin’. And indeed, they brought the funk and the noise.

You have to be “this tall” (about 6’8”) to be a drum major with FAMU. All ten (count ‘em) of the green and orange gentlemen “leading the way,” were well over 72” tall. One or two might have even been 7’ (say what?). No half-stepping allowed, either.

Why were all of their majorettes from an Atlanta area (that code for suburbs, y’all) high school that shall remain nameless wearing ponytails that went past their rear? Doesn’t the band leader know that guns don’t kill people, but long weave being worn while marching does!

Old School Drum Majors. Sigh. Fellas. Fellas. I understand. It’s so hard to say goodbye to yesterday, but Cochise ain’t coming back. Let it go and stick to banging your drum in the garage…

While you have to applaud ER’body’s effort, South Augusta needs to re-group before coming back next year. They are, in the words of Huggy Lowdown, the “‘bama of the week, week, week…”; ghetto, but not fabulous. While they had a sign, it was not clear if they were high school, middle/junior high school, elementary or a community band. The band parents were spread out, walking through the actual parade crowd and nowhere near the kids. Band parents are there to support and should be walking along side the kids offering water, tying shoelaces when possible, picking up lost articles of clothes, etc. None of that was going on with South Augusta. Furthermore, said parents (chaperones) had lit black and mild cigarettes (cherry flavor), talking loudly (and inarticulately)—the kids seemed better well-behaved than the adults were (say what?). Again, great effort and thanks for coming such a long way, but um, get it together before you come back next year.

Axe.

Currently Listening To: Absolutely Nothing
Currently Reading: Ditto