A Bit of History
I know of no other band that is or has been on alcohol suspension or has been banned by more schools than the Leland Stanford Junior (pause) University Marching Band (a band after my own heart).
A brief history...
- 1963, The band goes on strike after the director is fired. The new director ceded all control over to the students.
70s:
- The Patty Hearst show includes a formation called the "Hearst Burger": two buns and no patty
- The Jayne Mansfield tribute: The urban legend of how she was decapitated in an automobile accident was announced over the PA, then the band played "Another Saturday Night and I Ain't Got No Body".
1986:
Banned by their own school from travelling to UCLA because of "incidents" against other schools. i.e...
- 2 band members caught urinating on the football field after a home game against WU
- during halftime of the USC game, the band spells out "NO BALLZ"
- the next game (the one that cost them the UCLA trip) they performed an anagram show and spelled out "NEUT". Except for some bad bad trombones who changed the "E" to a "C" without permission. I'll let you guys figure that one out. cool.gif
- After the suspension, the band appeared at the Cal game wearing angel halos in an attempt to apologize and get invited to travel with the football team to a bowl game. They went to the Gator Bowl under very close scrutiny.
90s:
- 90, again the school suspends the band for a game after their halftime show at Oregon criticized the logging of the spotted owl's habitats in the northwest. The Governor of OR issued a decree that the band not return for several years. They finally went back in 2001. Because of the spotted owl "incident", all halftime shows are now reviewed and approved by the athletic department.
- 91, the University of Notre Dame banned the band from visiting its campus after a show at Stanford where the drum major (who had been attacked by a fan of Notre Dame) dressed as a nun and conducted the band with a crucifix instead of a baton.
- 92, the Athletic Department pressured the band to fire its announcers after one used the phrase "No chuppah, no schtuppa" at a San Jose State game halftime show.
-94, the band was disciplined after members of the band skipped a field rehearsal in L.A. to play outside the L.A. County Courthouse during jury selection for the O. J. Simpson trial. They played an arrangement of The Zombies' "She's Not There." Lawyer Robert Shapiro said the incient was "a new low in tasteless behavior."
- 97, the band is again disciplined for shows making fun of Catholicism and the Irish at a game against Notre Dame. The band put on a show called "These Irish, Why Must they Fight?" Besides the stereotypical Irish-Catholic behavior, there was a Riverdance formation, and a Potato Famine joke.
2000's:
- 02, the band was sanctioned for "off-the-field" behavior, including violations of the University alcohol policy.
- 04, the band got the Mormons upset for joking about polygamy during a game against BYU. The Dollies (the bands version of a colorguard) appeared in wedding veils and the announcer referred to marriage as "the sacred bond that exists between a man and a woman... and a woman... and a woman... and a woman... and a woman."
- 06, see 02 above
When traveling as a group by plane, the members usually copy the safety instructions of flight attendants in unison, including hand motions pointing to exits and demonstrating the oxygen masks by putting airsickness bags over the face and inhaling and exhaling. When reciting the full name of the Band, it is traditional to leave a pause between "Junior" and "University", particularly when announcing at stadiums.
Before the ban, alcoholic "rank drinks" were snuck into the football stadium and drunk(sp?) "in ranks", are as extravagant as possible and vary from good to deliberately awful. In '91 there was the debut of the "tuna colada", possibly the rankest drink ever conceived. The Band is currently on alcohol suspension, rank drinks are no longer alcoholic.
A brief history...
- 1963, The band goes on strike after the director is fired. The new director ceded all control over to the students.
70s:
- The Patty Hearst show includes a formation called the "Hearst Burger": two buns and no patty
- The Jayne Mansfield tribute: The urban legend of how she was decapitated in an automobile accident was announced over the PA, then the band played "Another Saturday Night and I Ain't Got No Body".
1986:
Banned by their own school from travelling to UCLA because of "incidents" against other schools. i.e...
- 2 band members caught urinating on the football field after a home game against WU
- during halftime of the USC game, the band spells out "NO BALLZ"
- the next game (the one that cost them the UCLA trip) they performed an anagram show and spelled out "NEUT". Except for some bad bad trombones who changed the "E" to a "C" without permission. I'll let you guys figure that one out. cool.gif
- After the suspension, the band appeared at the Cal game wearing angel halos in an attempt to apologize and get invited to travel with the football team to a bowl game. They went to the Gator Bowl under very close scrutiny.
90s:
- 90, again the school suspends the band for a game after their halftime show at Oregon criticized the logging of the spotted owl's habitats in the northwest. The Governor of OR issued a decree that the band not return for several years. They finally went back in 2001. Because of the spotted owl "incident", all halftime shows are now reviewed and approved by the athletic department.
- 91, the University of Notre Dame banned the band from visiting its campus after a show at Stanford where the drum major (who had been attacked by a fan of Notre Dame) dressed as a nun and conducted the band with a crucifix instead of a baton.
- 92, the Athletic Department pressured the band to fire its announcers after one used the phrase "No chuppah, no schtuppa" at a San Jose State game halftime show.
-94, the band was disciplined after members of the band skipped a field rehearsal in L.A. to play outside the L.A. County Courthouse during jury selection for the O. J. Simpson trial. They played an arrangement of The Zombies' "She's Not There." Lawyer Robert Shapiro said the incient was "a new low in tasteless behavior."
- 97, the band is again disciplined for shows making fun of Catholicism and the Irish at a game against Notre Dame. The band put on a show called "These Irish, Why Must they Fight?" Besides the stereotypical Irish-Catholic behavior, there was a Riverdance formation, and a Potato Famine joke.
2000's:
- 02, the band was sanctioned for "off-the-field" behavior, including violations of the University alcohol policy.
- 04, the band got the Mormons upset for joking about polygamy during a game against BYU. The Dollies (the bands version of a colorguard) appeared in wedding veils and the announcer referred to marriage as "the sacred bond that exists between a man and a woman... and a woman... and a woman... and a woman... and a woman."
- 06, see 02 above
When traveling as a group by plane, the members usually copy the safety instructions of flight attendants in unison, including hand motions pointing to exits and demonstrating the oxygen masks by putting airsickness bags over the face and inhaling and exhaling. When reciting the full name of the Band, it is traditional to leave a pause between "Junior" and "University", particularly when announcing at stadiums.
Before the ban, alcoholic "rank drinks" were snuck into the football stadium and drunk(sp?) "in ranks", are as extravagant as possible and vary from good to deliberately awful. In '91 there was the debut of the "tuna colada", possibly the rankest drink ever conceived. The Band is currently on alcohol suspension, rank drinks are no longer alcoholic.