Memories from a 3-peat! 1985 stories.

[Bill Hawkes]

Following Kevin's lead, Let's see how many memoirs we can generate about this history-making year. I remember Zingali climbing to the top of Giant's stadium to watch us and telling us afterwards that he needed to re-write pretty much all of Jeremiah.

[Michael L Jones II]

Kelly had i know that you were not suppose to lock your legs while standing in parade rest i might not have passed out in the Memorial Day parade. i just went down right over my drum. some of the drummers thought i was dead. i was out like a light but could hear everything that was going on around me................................................. Dont lock your legs

[Steve Aleman--the kid]

I can walk through an entire mall in record breaking time thanks to the high speed drills of 1983 and 1984....not only can I walk through the mall fast, but I can eat fast, chew fast, breathe fast, shower and get dressed faster than most people half my age (oopps! did I just hint that I'm old? yikes!)...it's as if my life has been put on fast forward and the slow button is broken. LOL

[David Wray]

Anyone remember how ridiculously FREEZING the Middletown showers (in particular) were? I remember them being colder by far than any other place we stayed. They were so cold that I remember actually trying to only get 1/2 my head wet at any particular time to minimize the shock. Also, I remember a guard member needing to cut through the men's locker room and she asked me if there was anyone still in the shower. My reply was something along the lines of "I don't hear anyone screaming so I'm guessing 'no' ".

[Charlie Bailey]

It seems that all the horror stories sort of blend together to become one big nightmare. I remember the showers were so cold that the soap wouldn't wash off my body or hair. I was always surprised that they would keep letting us stay there because we destroyed that field every year.

[Erik Fecke]

That's too funny! I remember it being exactly like you said. So cold that it felt like your scalp would retract in pain. Didn't the drains plug so we were standing in freezing, dirty, scummy water as well?

[Kathy Wygant Pantel]

I just remember choosing to take showers at night rather than the morning because the water was just too dang cold! At the end of a long, hot, dirty field, the cold shower felt good. And the horn was really dirty so it took a shower too!

[Kelly Broschak]

Hey everybody - I'm posting this same request on 83-85 forums, let me know if you can help!

We have tickets for both nights in Allentown and are looking for another ticket - both nights would be best but just one night might work. Please let me know if you have an extra ticket! Email me a [e-mail]. Thanks!!

[Marcie (Glenn) Farrell]

I remember Jungle Fever at Death Camp. Who was it that "ralphed" on Sully's shoes? "You aren't leaving the field unless you puke on my shoes!!!" And someone did. I also remember the historic "fork in the urinal" speech by Michael Cesario. That was such good material for Joe Roach's stand up routine for the bus. He imitated him oh so well.

[Jim Latten]

Memories of 1985 - it so happens that my "rookie talent show" gig, for which I proudly received, in eleventh place with a score of 27.0...Two Seven Point Zero...was to read from the diary I had been keeping since 11/84. It's been great to dig that diary out again in 2009. So, aiming for a higher score, here are a few memories of '85:

December 84, the show is changed to "Christmas in August"

January 85, the show is changed to Jeremiah, "On the Waterfront," "Prelude Fugue and Riffs"

1/25/85, the Herbalife ladies come and give their presentation. Also, Hop informs us of the following: "We had a few problems with Matt (Krempasky). So I fired him. Any questions? Oh yeah, who's writin'..."

March 85, "Candide" is added

March 85 - apparently fed up, Hop renames the fundraising stuff "Herbascum"

Hopkins bring new pet dog, "Jerry Jr." to rehearsal

6/5, Cesario: "The place is a pigsty. To avoid going into a description of it, just talk to Joe Roche (and get an impression...)"

6/5, Shorty: "There are things living in the kitchen that are not Garfield Cadets. Two pieces of cut ziti were in the bottom of the sink, looking up at me, sayin, "look at this guy..."

6/10, Herschel Walker almost running into/falling into our 28, 32, 36 inch tom toms at the NJ Generals game at Giants Stadium (the toms went by many names....Jeremiah drums, Jerry Myers, Oscar, Metro-Goldwyn Myers, flubs, bombasts, Jeremiacin, and (by drum judge Joey Allison) "Big Impact Things")

6/10, halftime at the Generals game: The teams left the field, we started staging, only to find that there was one more play that had to be run before halftime.

6/12, finally....lights in the elementary school showers.

6/20, Zingali to Scott Jones: "Were the baritones getting stacked up down there? Don't worry about the baritones, I want you to worry about not stepping on Little Mark! Do it again..."

6/29, new uniforms finally show up!

7/1, Sevier County TN, grasshopper crawling up the skirt of a guard member during retreat...

7/4, the infamous Atlanta parade...roll off...no response....roll off again...

7/6, the infamous Trap Door speech by Hop

July - Cesario quotes (supply your own memory of Michael's long winded, breathless-ending sentences: " The jackets are laughing at the pants"..."The milk is not for drinking; that's what the juice is for. Please, please, please don't come up for a king's goblet of milk"..."You can thank Iowa for unloading all the buses so neatly (applause) - STOP IT! Don't thank him NOW, though. He's not here"..

7/11, cymbal line marching laps while practicing crashes, Bob slowly following them in the golf cart

7/14, Madison 88.1, Garfield 86.2

7/20, an incredible post-performance speech/"revival meeting" by Zingali. (I recorded the 19-minute speech and will post it here once I figure out how.) "I stood on the top row of the stadium...that I wrote it for...and there isn't a drill....in the whole world....better than that one" ; later, commenting on the improved tour 2 drill: "No matter if you sat on your ass and did the changes, it would be better than what you had before"...and many more priceless quotes...and an occasional Tom Smith "How Ya Doin?"

7/30 coming out of Whitewater's steep stadium exitway, most of the pit percussion instrumentation topples off the golf cart/trailer. Star of Indiana's white train of pit equipment has no such problem.

7/31, SCV 92.8, Garfield 90.5

8/6, that filmmaker. ("Mr. Microphone") spending a couple weeks with us (does anyone have or know where we can see his final work?)

8/6, Sully: "Donna Perez, you look like you're out shopping for hamburger." Klesch: "Joe Roche, it looks like you're killing bugs with your feet"

8/8, SCV 95.9, Garfield 94.4

8/9???not sure if I have this right - the 2 counts of silence are added prior to the opening fanfare.

8/10 prelims, Garfield 96.8, 95.1 SCV

8/17, we win! After the show I break back into the darkened Camp Randall Stadium to retrieve our box of percussion accessories.

8/17, after finals - beer!! Also, Bob, Kieffer, Glen, Hannum, et al tearing across the grass and fields of our host school with the golf cart at top speed, leaving considerable lawn damage.

[Kelly Barr Sophy]

Wow Jim. I have to admit, some of this I don't even remember. Especially the NJ Generals game. I do remember when Madison beat us at Whitewater, but I am confused with your 7/30 date at Whitewater. I believe we were in upstate NY that day, like Rome or Rochester and we were in Whitewater on 7/13 and Rockford, Il on 7/14. I remember hanging out the day of the 14th in Whitewater with no practice and then driving to IL for the show. I remember NY because my BD was 7/29 and going out w/Lee Jeffryes in Rochester to a bar (Lee refuses to confirm this event, but we did go). I also forgot how many times we changed the show concept!!! Thanks for the nice memories! I wish I had kept a journal.

[Jim Latten]

Hi Kelly, you're totally right on those dates. My bad. Rochester was basically my "home" show so I shouldn't have been wrong about that, in fact I wrote in "Fauver Stadium, Rochester" for that date so I don't know what I was thinking when I typed that. Brain fart; gotta be Alzheimers. Or one too many thuds on the bombast drums.

We did, however, have an additional "major golf cart disaster" at Rochester, so that's what kicked me into the Whitewater disaster memory. The sight of three bus-sized and eight regular silver rack tom toms launching into the air above our heads is unforgettable.

[Kelly Barr Sophy]

Yup that makes more sense. Weren't we also going to play Frist Circle at one point too? I know the pit played it all season, but I think they wanted a jazz theme at 1st which is why they hired Matt to begin with. I remember 8/10 well, Marion, OH. Prelims was so hot that day, the staff was pouring ice on us as we marched off the field and we tied SCV that night and played to each other. I will never forget that. Was Mr. Microphone also the guy that took all the pictures that year? His name was George, he took a great shot of me, Pepe and Tom Smith on retreat at finals, I would love to have it.