Pop Evil endorsed by Michigan Players?

Submitted by StephenRKass on

So there is a new piece at the Detroit News about Pop Evil's "In the Big House," a song regularly reviled in these here parts. http://detnews.com/article/20110930/SPORTS0201/109300356/‘In-the-Big-House’-finds-audience#ixzz1ZRqz4H1s

Brian's antipathy toward the song is well known, and some have blamed DB for giving it any positive credibility. However, the article focuses on one key demographic:  Michigan Football players, who (supposedly) want the song. Here's a few money quotes:

Hunter Lochmann, Michigan's chief marketing officer, said there has been considerable interest — good and bad.

"It's gaining traction," Lochmann said. "We know there are people who love it and some people who hate it, but our core customers — the players — they want to hear it."

That's an interesting quote, and one which has to be considered. What do the players want? And beyond them, the student body? I am clearly over the hill, and my opinion doesn't really matter that much. But it strikes me, if the team, and football alums, and the student body, are behind something, well, you might hate it and think it has terrible taste, but it isn't for you to decide. In fact, apparently, other Michigan athletes like it:

Lochmann said other Michigan teams have responded positively to the song, available for download at iTunes and Amazon.

"The other teams like it even though it's about the Big House, because it's also about being Wolverines," Lochmann said. "It's going to have (some) shelf life."

The article ends with what some what consider the ultimate nightmare scenario:

For Kakaty, (Note:  author, lead musician) who hasn't attended a Michigan game since he was a kid, he has one goal for the song, and Lochmann said Michigan would be all ears.

"We'd love to get into the Big House and play it," Kakaty said. "It would be our dream to play with the Michigan marching band. It's a song for fans, and we're fans, too."

EDIT:  I realized that I should put my personal opinion down. I am neither for nor against the song, but I don't particularly view it as a terrible abomination. Musical tastes are just that:  tastes, and they change. I am sure that "In the Big House" will be dated soon enough, and won't have the staying power of the Michigan Fight Song, etc., but if it pumps people up now, well, that's ok. And also, I don't find it nearly as ridiculous as "We Are Notre Dame."

buddhafrog

September 30th, 2011 at 9:05 PM ^

I'm out of the closet.  I love this song.  I do.

Maybe more importantly, my 10 year old loves this song and video (yeah, which says something about the song probably).  We live in Korea and don't get much UM - so when I see him on YouTube playing the video, I'm 100% down with this song.

 

cutter60

September 30th, 2011 at 11:28 PM ^

I was at the SDSU game last Saturday and last year, I attended the Bowling Green game.  A couple of observations:

1.  The volume and sound quality of the new speakers in the videoboards compared to last year is night and day.  Not only was it louder, it was also much clearer to my 50-year old ears.

2.  In terms of building up noise during the game, I actually thought the MMB percussion section was more effective than the rawk music.  If you were on the opposing team, that drumming has to be way more annoying than Seven Nation Army.

3.  I was seated in the section next to the students and was very impressed with their responses to the rawk music, including "In the Big House".  Now I'm not normally someone who likes this stuff, but it was obvious to me that they were really feeding off of this.

4.  This isn't high art we're talking about here--it's music that's used to pump up a stadium crowd.  If you're expecting a rock opera or the equivalent of the Beatles white album in terms of originality, then you're likely to be disappointed.

5.  For the venue that it's designed for, "In the Big House" does exactly what it's designed to do--no more and no less.  The MMB certainly contributed its fair share to the overall entertainment in the stadium, and as I mentioned in (2) above, that incessant drumming was noisier than hell.  Based on what I observed last Saturday, I think they have roughly the right balance between the band and the rawk music.

6.  The tune and the video is growing on me--I have to admit it.  Goodness knows it's way, way better than that "We are Notre Dame" song/video.

7.  All the marketing things (video introductions, etc.) that go into the game day experience are fine, but in the end, what gets the crowd really fired up is what happens on the field.  There was a great buzz in the stands thru much of the first half, but it got sucked right out of the crowd with the poor play in the third quarter and kind of picked up again in the fourth.  You can bring in all the rawk music and parachutists and fireworks you want, but it all falls short if the team doesn't win or isn't playing well.