OSU Band Ripped by Overseas Press

Submitted by Wolvie3758 on

So I am currently In Ireland for a month on a work assignment. This morning I sat down to breakfast opened up the National newspaper the Irish Times to find a lenghty article entitled "Seedy underbelly of Ohio State's marching band "culture" exposed. by Dave Hannigan.

While I am always happy to read about the trailer trashiness of anything OSU the article was deeply disturbing exposing the various themes of the "secret songbook.  In Europe and other places for that matter the media tends to paint all Americans with the same brush. Following on the heels of the American dentist killing Cecil the Lion, it hasnt been a good month for Americans here.

After reading the article I can truly say how proud I am of our own Michigan Marching Band and the CLASS organization it is and always has been. I found mysef secretly wishing that our band will do a Classy Songbook version when OSU comes to town. Contrasting Class vs Trash.

To OSU, its fans and its band Thanks for making us ALL look bad. The OSU band is coming to the UK on Oct 25 to perform the halftime show at the NFL Jags/Bills game and the author wonders what kind of reception it will get noting that since the revelations the Band has been booed and called perverts at recent appearnces. Rightfully so..One wonders what will happen when they arrivre in Ann Arbor

This is our opportunity to contrast "Cultures" between Michigan and Ohio St. ..There is one paragraph detailing a unnamed song in the secret songbook that is dedicated to "a main rival" that one can only assume is Michigan.

Cant wait for that special day in Nov when the OSU band comes calling

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/america-at-large-seedy-underbelly-of-oh…

 

 

Wolvie3758

August 6th, 2015 at 10:23 AM ^

Ive run into alot of Wolverines here lots of Maize and Blue..I had one one great moment the first week..Our company group went up to Howth for Dinner at the Abbey Tavern..This first group of about 140 had a batch of Buckeyes in it and earlier in the day we had some good natured back n forth..When the bus arrived at the restaurant we were met by Our Irish guides..It was raining a little and one of locals had this HUGE Michigan Maize n Blue umbrella that the buckeyes had to walk under as they entered the restaurant..I was laughing all night!..GO BLUE

BlockM

August 6th, 2015 at 6:48 AM ^

I still don't understand why this kind of thing makes people so happy to read about. Yes, I get that we want to beat OSU in sports, but you really enjoy reading about racist/sexist/homophobic/etc things having happened there because it puts you on some sort of moral high ground?

schreibee

August 6th, 2015 at 6:52 AM ^

Dave Hannigan - Michigan Man! Good investigative journalism Irish Times!

"Secret Songbook Exposed"

In a troubling development, the marching band that took the "Script Ohio" and tradition of "dotting the i" from a storied rival, and then bit the hand that fed them, has been exposed to have a litany of secret songs about insensitive or taboo topics, including one where they form the tableau of a giant man with his head painted red and silver pooping in a beer cooler....

m1jjb00

August 6th, 2015 at 7:20 AM ^

When I was there in '98 it rained every day of the 17-day stay.

I wouldn't get too worked up over it.  The Irish basically like the U.S., and it's not like that band gave Europeans the only in they'll ever see on tsk'ing the U.S.

Yo_Blue

August 6th, 2015 at 9:41 AM ^

Glock bus - 74-78

...and yes, we had a song book.  Nothing along the lines of what is being reported that OSU has.  Our songs were mostly about college life and making fun of the M Band directors and staff.  ...and of course OSU and MSU.

Wolvie3758

August 6th, 2015 at 10:30 AM ^

and thats one thing ..its all the other things in their songbook that are really really bad...it want just holocaust jokes it was gay jokes, racist jokes and alot of other very uncool things..and to me the worst part of it was their attitude of "get over it" this is who we are and if you dont accept it. u r not part of us....but then again..it is Ohio

Perkis-Size Me

August 6th, 2015 at 8:04 AM ^

While I was never part of the band, I can only assume our band has several OSU related songs that are nowhere near suitable for public ears.

Not condoning the OSU band and their disgusting songs, but don't think for one second that they're the only band that does this. They're just the one that got caught. The Penn State scandal taught me to not get too high and mighty about anything Michigan does or doesn't do in college athletics.

Anything can happen to anyone.




Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Former_DC_Buck

August 6th, 2015 at 8:10 AM ^

I thought they shouldn't make the trip and that both the band and the alumni band should be shut down for the year.  I feel for the younger folks in the band who were not involved, but many of the current band members were and my fellow band alumni are even, imho, more to blame.  They have pushed back against what some of us view as necessarty changes. 

As for Europe, they'll love us again when their next crisis comes up and we have to save them.  Again.  America, saving Europe from itself since 1917. 

And I think once they start playing and marching, the crowd will be fine.  I recall all the furor before Live Aid when there was concern about Queen's recption due to thie fact that ignored the ban on performing in South Africa.  The people there didn't care when the music started.  I will admit Queen was one of their own, so I could be wrong, but I will be suprised if they are not well recieved by the time they are done. 

SalvatoreQuattro

August 6th, 2015 at 8:58 AM ^

They took on 200 German divisions compared to the 60 the Western Allies took on.The Eastern Front was on a whole other level in size and lethality.

 

You also conveniently forgot the British contributiions to the Allied cause in WWII. Some guy namec Churchill was pretty important. So too was the seizure of Ultra, Battle of Britain, and the island itselt served as a giant launchpad for the invasion of Europe.The Brits(and Poles, Czechs, and Canadians) were heroes too. Americans forget that and that's a God Damn shame.

 

WWI was an obscenity that the US has no business getting involved. The US saved no one. Worst war in our history by a huge margin. 116,000 dead in a year's time for nothing.

Everyone Murders

August 6th, 2015 at 9:14 AM ^

Actually, Nazi Germany saved Europe from itself, by idiotically violating the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact.  For all the tactical military brilliance on the German side early in the war, that was the fatal blunder and Hitler did it to himself.  Germany stood little chance of success after betraying its former ally.

But you're right - the Soviet contribution to winning that war was immense.  In addition to the human sacrifice, the Soviets brilliantly gave up wide swaths of territory, knowing how difficult it would be for the Germans to hold that territory over time (you'd think the Napoleonic Wars would have taught the Germans that lesson, but you'd be wrong).  The whole "you'd be speaking German if not for us" crowd tends to over-simplify things.  And, as you say, it's a damned shame.

That stated, it's a mistake to only view the US's contributions as the boots-on-the-ground fighting the U.S. did.  Britain would have been screwed without the Lend-Lease support that the U.S. provided, and Lend-Lease was immensely helpful to the Soviets too.  And it's important to note also that the U.S. played a leading role in the Pacific Theatre - more so than any other nation by far, and with high casualties and tremendous valor.  Also, Eisenhower's ability to unify the generals in Europe was a key factor in achieving success.

Which is a long way of saying that WWII's greatest generation had members of many different nations - US, Soviet, Great Britain, France, Canada, Australia, and many others.  The US played a critical role.

drjaws

August 6th, 2015 at 12:42 PM ^

The US was doing some hard fighting in the Pacific Theater, and the US likes to say the atomic bombs on Aug 6, 1945 and Aug 9, 1945 were the reasons the Empire of Japan finally surrendered.

In reality, that was only part of it.  The loss of Okinawa in May of 1995 was huge but so was the Soviet declaration of war on Japan on Aug 8, 1945.  The Soviets (with Mongolian help) plowed through Manchukuo (ie. Manchuria in eastern China) which resulted in the deaths of over 80,000 Japanese soldiers and over 640,000 Japanese POWs. 

All those combined made the Japanese finally realize they had 2 options.  Surrender or be wiped off the face of the earth.

Former_DC_Buck

August 6th, 2015 at 9:20 AM ^

The Gremans wore them down, helped the Bolsheviks come to power. Not long after they sign the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk  

Russia yields 34% of her population, 32% of her farmland, 50% of her industrial holdings and 90% of her coalmines. Bolshevik negotiator, Leon Trotsky, laments; “This is a peace that Russia, grinding her teeth, is forced to accept.

Without the American reinforcements in the West and their successes, the war likely would not have ended, more lives would have been lost and quite possibly France would have fallen. They were having Mutiny issues during 1917. I agree it was a needless war and it set up World War II. I have a difference of opinion on the American impact on World War I. 

Former_DC_Buck

August 6th, 2015 at 9:24 AM ^

Live Aid was in London.  They were concerned what their reception would be in London because they had done shows in South Africia.  I was conceding maybe they were more warmly recieved because they were British, even though there was some contorversy about them playing, than TBDBITL will be recieved since they aren't British. 

LSAClassOf2000

August 6th, 2015 at 8:34 AM ^

“We have fun,” said Mel Ponzi, an 80-year-old band alumnus still involved in fundraising, “and do things a little differently than most people.”

If by this he means engage in behavior that very few people not currently institutionalized in some fashion would even consider as typical in that sort of setting, then yes, yes you do indeed do things a little differently than most people. He is right about that. 

MichiganTeacher

August 6th, 2015 at 9:42 AM ^

Yeah, that quote stuck out to me too. Pretty telling, I think.

I do find it a little hard to believe that even in Columbus the band is basically getting away with this. That secret songbook is appalling, and usually in today's campus climate, anything even approaching that will get you banned/shut down/kicked out (and I'm not saying I agree with that in every case, just that that's how it is these days).

I think the fact that the band hasn't been shut down is just more evidence of how football is above everything else in Columbus, including ethics, academics, tolerance, etc.

Everyone Murders

August 6th, 2015 at 9:00 AM ^

I've not followed it too closely, but I read about the lyrics in the WSJ with the holocaust "humor" and had two reactions.  First, it's hard to believe an organization that large would not have a segment protesting loudly and successfully to such bullshit.  Is there not a single person of conscience in the OSU marching band?  So many people's lives have been touched by the WWII genocide and other genocides (Khmer Rouge, Stalin, etc.) - and not one of these people raised a stink about this?  (Not that you need a personal connection to be appalled by institutionalized holocaust "jokes", but holy shit!  Not a one?)

Second, I was thinking what would befall someone who proposed such a song in Michigan's band.  I was never in the band, but knowing people who were, I am very confident that it would be a very bad idea to propose a song referencing holocaust humor.  It would be social suicide, and rightfully so.  (This isn't to suggest that the Michigan band people were not politically incorrect and sexist at times, including crossing some lines of decency IMO.  But joking about gas chambers and incinerators - uh, no.  That would not get you very far at Michigan or in Ann Arbor in general.)

So while I'm not glad to see this story come to light, I'm glad to see this bullshit flushed out about OSU's band. 

Above and Beyond

August 6th, 2015 at 9:13 AM ^

I'm so sick of hearing about how great their stupid band is. It's not like they do anything miraculous. Any band can do what they do with ample practice. OSU's band is just willing to put more practice time in, which is fine, but it isn't like they're super humans and doing things other people simply cannot do.

Former_DC_Buck

August 6th, 2015 at 10:01 AM ^

There are a lot of really good pro athletes out there.  Most of them have physical gifts that seperate them from the rest of us.  But usually what separates them from their peers is the work they put in. 

It is the fact that they put in the extra time and work that others can't or won't that is what makes what they do on the field worth being considered great. 

That doesn't excuse Holocaust songs. 

The Mad Hatter

August 6th, 2015 at 9:28 AM ^

Throughout my life. And they were pretty damn racist.

And Poland suffered the highest percentage of casualties in WWII. 20% of their population. They were also the 4th largest allied army, even though their country was occupied. Polish air force pilots were essential in the Battle of Britain.

sadeto

August 6th, 2015 at 11:38 AM ^

Poland did not have the "4th largest allied army." Not unless you're willing to exclude the Republic of China, where the war started a couple of years earlier. Even if you do, the Free French had more divisions involved than the Polish did. 

And being Irish, a citizen, I've known a few Irish people in my life, too, and I've encountered quite a few racists. But what really surprises me about the Irish people is just how similar they are to other human beings, in that regard and others. I've lived and worked in countries around the world and bigotry rears its ugly head everywhere. 

MinWhisky

August 6th, 2015 at 9:38 AM ^

Would love to see an old (early 1960s) tradition revived - that of having 15,000 high school band members take the field during halftime at Michigan Stadium.  Seems like it could take place during one of the 1-2 games of lowest fan interest that preceed the Big 10 season.  Demand for those tickets is not very high anyway and I recall it being a fun time for band members and fans.  Good PR too.  Maybe a few blocks of end zone type season tickets could be sold at a reduced rate to accomodate the high schoolers for that one game.  What do former UofM band members think?

 

 

123blue

August 6th, 2015 at 9:57 AM ^

The OSU marching band should be banned from Michigan Stadium.  Period.

They also should be feeling heat in Ohio.  There are plenty of Jewish students at OSU and I'm not sure how they're cool with their band mocking Holocaust victims:

According to the Journal , one song, titled Goodbye Kramer and set to the music of the song Don’t Stop Believing , contained lyrics such as “small town Jew... who took the cattle train to you know where,” “[h]ead to the furnace room, [’b] out to meet your fiery doom,” and “[o]h the baking never ends, [i]t goes on and on and on and on.”

If the band isn't banned from A2, marshmellows should be allowed for The Game.  Wet, frozen, stone-like marshmellows...and the best arms should sit closest to the field.