Velvet Knights Announcement
Luckyjason
The news of VK's inactivity, to me, is as mornful as the death of Pepe Notaro.
Jason
JEDI RED 5
Although it is sad that the VK is dead....they are the only ones to blame....
burn in hell.....
just kidding....
sorry, that was too funny....
i miss em...but i dont miss all the mis-managing....bad decision making.....or
hixon...damn dude...why did you have to do that to my corps....
Pete
Tim Dunn
and oh yeah all us '96 vets are still waiting for our member
shirts and patches HIXON!!!!!
--
B
VKGARRY73
Tim wrote:
>and oh yeah all us '96 vets are still waiting for our member
>shirts and patches HIXON!!!!!
>
>
Maybe his HS band is wearing them. Hell, they're using all the rest of the
corps' equipment....except bugles, of course....and the drums repo'd by
Pearl....
Garry
VK Percussion '70-'73
VK Staff '80-'85
gam...@balibeyond.com
Can someone fill us in on exactly what happened to bring VK down? I know it
was a tax thing, but how did it transpire? Forgive me if this has been
discussed before.
As for Hixon, obviously not a popular guy these days, should we be surprised
that a person with no real corps experience would have difficulty running an
open class organization? I knew Tom a while back when he was totally green
and itching to get involved in corps. It wasn't long ago, just a few years.
Can anyone offer insights on how he came into such a powerful position so
quickly and with so little competitive or organizational background?
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J DENOVI
gam...@balibeyond.com wrote:
>>As for Hixon, obviously not a popular guy these days, should we be surprised
that a person with no real corps experience would have difficulty running an
open class organization? I knew Tom a while back when he was totally green and
itching to get involved in corps. It wasn't long ago, just a few years.Can
anyone offer insights on how he came into such a powerful position so quickly
and with so little competitive or organizational background?
I can offer some insight into this...
First of all - Tom Hixon worked very hard as the director of the Velvet Knights
- bottom line. Unless you were there in the office with him every night until
2:00 am, you'll be hard pressed to dispute that fact. He really did care for
the VK.
Tom became involved with the corps in 1992 when he was on the drum staff as a
pit instructor. 1992 was long-time director Jack Bevins' last season. He was
hanging up the red cons for the lavish, relaxing retirement he always dreamed
of.
In 1993, Don Porter, became the new director of the corps, but only lasted
through July of that season...Half-way through tour he unexpectedly quit
leaving the corps in shambles with no director. Horn instructor, and long-time
Velvet Knight, Billy Parks became emergency interim director until the board
could hire a replacement for Porter. Parks had a full-time job back home and
couldn't serve as director long. With the corps now out on the road for
national tour, the board had to hire someone immediately to keep the summer
going for the 128 kids, 30 staff, and countless volunteers. The job went to
the person who wanted it the most and believed he was the right person for the
job.
1993 was weird in many ways. It was the summer the busses were impounded in
New Mexico without insurance (NOT Tom's FAULT), it was the summer of numerous,
costly breakdowns (again, not Tom's fault) and it was the season that led many
of the corps members to jump ship and move to higher ranked corps the following
season. (Once again, not completely Tom's fault).
1994 was Tom Hixon's first full year as director of the VK. He did a nice job
recruiting a very diverse group of board members to help him bring the corps
back to good financial and competitive standing. The former board was as
disfunctional as a Jerry Spring episode. He made alot of good decisions that
year and some not good - he was new and learning every day. The board also
made some good decisions, and some not so good. 1994 saw the corps slip
further down the competitive ladder. Staff problems and a whipped-together
show never gelled. More kids jumped ship to other corps. Recruiting at the HS
level became more and more difficult. And, let's not forget that many years of
debt the corps was carrying was beginning to take its toll. Tom hung in there.
He was always at Bingo on Sunday night when no one else wanted to even set
foot in that smokey building. Alumni support was pretty much nonexistent. The
corps never was very good at treating its alumni like very well. So, soon
without the support of the vets, the alumni, and long-time supporters, fans and
parents...Tom found himself going it pretty much alone. Each year after 94 was
a rebuilding year. Kids came and went. Staff came and went. And the bills
just kept pilling up. Much of the corps debt was incurred years before Tom
ever arrived, but now he was left to deal with it...without much help. Jump
ahead to 1997. Things were finally starting to look up. Nice show, great
kids, debt was there, but manageable, and the corps started another Bingo game
at the Hollywood Park Casino. The show must go on was always the corps' famous
philosophy. Drum corps needed VK, and VK needed drum corps. But all the years
of pushing the debt aside and believing it will be taken care of next year
caught up to the corps (not Tom Hixon). During the spring, the IRS penalized
the corps for the way it handled tax issues related to staff for the past
several seasons. That was the straw that broke the cammel's back. It could
have happened to anyone. It taught other corps a valuable lesson. But it
happened to VK. And since Tom Hixon was one of the only one's left from '92
who stuck it out all the way to the end. He became the fall guy. The guy to
blame for years of not-so-great management.
Back in the summer of 1993, he chose to be in that position, he wanted it more
than anyone. And he worked hard all those years to make the VK great once
again. But he just couldn't do it alone. He probably wonders where all his
current critics were when the corps needed help in 93, 94, 95, etc. when he
asked for it. Pretty soon, after very little response, he must have given up
hope that help existed. The corps folded in the spring of 97.
Not much is known how much of the corps assets and equipment is still intact.
It is clear, however, that drum corps lost a great, entertaining, fans-first
drum and bugle corps.
- John.
AtwatrBD
> The corps folded in the spring of 97 <
That has to be one of the saddest stories I've ever read.
Paul Muncy
FIEFSTA
Thank you John for telling the whole story. No one realy knows what Vk went
through these past few years. As bitter as i was that the corp i loved had to
to throw in the converse, i still loved being a part of Vk. I am not saying
that i didn't bitch and moan when our buses broke down or when something else
went wrong and i to was quick to blame Hixon, but he did only what he could.. I
only wish that someday i will be able to see Vk live again, my only regret is
that i will never again be able to perform as a Velvet Knight.
allyson VK guard 95-96
James C. Nevermann
J DENOVI wrote:
> In 1993, Don Porter, became the new director of the corps, but only
As in ex-Anaheim Kingsmens' director Don Porter? Jr or Sr?
--
Jim Nevermann
Peter F Cassidy
Nice piece. This is the kind of stuff that should be running in DC World,
the blood, the sweat, the debt, the dodgey tax situations corps face with
seasonal staffs that could be - or not be - interpreted as full-time
employees. Such a shame the touring demands place corps at the threshold
of disaster all the time - just to participate in the activity. pfc
: I can offer some insight into this...
: First of all - Tom Hixon worked very hard as the director of the Velvet Knights
: - bottom line. Unless you were there in the office with him every night until
: 2:00 am, you'll be hard pressed to dispute that fact. He really did care for
: the VK.
: Tom became involved with the corps in 1992 when he was on the drum staff as a
: pit instructor. 1992 was long-time director Jack Bevins' last season. He was
: hanging up the red cons for the lavish, relaxing retirement he always dreamed
: of.
: In 1993, Don Porter, became the new director of the corps, but only lasted
: through July of that season...Half-way through tour he unexpectedly quit
: leaving the corps in shambles with no director. Horn instructor, and long-time
: hope that help existed. The corps folded in the spring of 97.
jimwundr
>Maybe his HS band is wearing them. Hell, they're using all the rest of the
>corps' equipment....except bugles, of course....and the drums repo'd by
>Pearl....
>
>
>Garry
>VK Percussion '70-'73
>VK Staff '80-'85
Garry - It's possible because you are very correct about the equipment.
Jim Wunderlich
VK Percussion Staff '96- 1/3 of '97 (if you know what i mean)
J DENOVI
Yes, Don Porter was a former director of the Anaheim Kingsmen and later went on
to serve a short time as diretcor of the Velvet Knights in 1993.
Belski
On 6/2/98, John wrote:
>I can offer some insight into this...
>
>First of all - Tom Hixon worked very hard as the director of the Velvet
>Knights - bottom line. Unless you were there in the office with him
>every night until 2:00 am, you'll be hard pressed to dispute that fact. He
>really did care for the VK.
Hitler loved Germany too. It doesn't serve to qualify the actions of a man who
shot too often from the hip in an attempt to move away from the "VK of old," as
he liked to put it. I know Tom put in a lot of hours but I'm not going to sit
here and let you qualify his actions. Please read on.
(stuff deleted)
1993 was weird in many ways. It was the summer the busses were impounded
>in New Mexico without insurance (NOT Tom's FAULT), it was the summer of
>numerous, costly breakdowns (again, not Tom's fault) and it was the season
>that led many of the corps members to jump ship and move to higher ranked
>corps the following season. (Once again, not completely Tom's fault).
WHAT!?! Are you kidding me? You're trying to say that it's not the director's
fault that the busses were not maintained in the offseason and that the
insurance policy was such an afterthought as to be revoked a week into the
tour? It's interesting to me that anyone could say that the man in charge is
not at fault. Lack of experience and poor planning led to the demise of the
Velvet Knights. I hate to publicly crucify the man like this, but since he
refuses to accept responsibility for things and his dwindling group of
supporters continually defend some highly questionable decision-making, I feel
I have no choice. 1993 was definitely what killed the corps. When Tom
addressed the corps he made the members feel that everything was their fault
when things started breaking down. I distinctly recall being stranded in the
middle of New Mexico for three days and being yelled at by Tom because he found
a drum head box on the campus after it had been cleaned. It felt like the
captain of the Exxon Valdez was yelling at his crew for drinking on the job.
As en educator I understand the need to teach life lessons, but as a human
being I understand that belittling down a group of kids who had worked VERY
hard to be the cleanest corps that VK had fielded in years (maybe ever) is
probably not the best idea to implement if you plan on keeping corps members
around in future years. People wanted to stay away from Tom in droves. The
mass exodus of members was almost entirely his fault. It had much less to do
with how the corps did competitively than how he treated the members.
>1994 was Tom Hixon's first full year as director of the VK. He did a nice job
>recruiting a very diverse group of board members to help him bring the corps
>back to good financial and competitive standing. The former board was as
>disfunctional as a Jerry Spring episode. He made alot of good decisions that
>year and some not good - he was new and learning every day. The board also
>made some good decisions, and some not so good. 1994 saw the corps slip
>further down the competitive ladder. Staff problems and a whipped-together
>show never gelled. More kids jumped ship to other corps. Recruiting at the
HS
>level became more and more difficult. And, let's not forget that many years
of
>debt the corps was carrying was beginning to take its toll.
I cannot argue that Tom was instrumental in getting some debts repaid and
getting the corps headed back toward financial solvency, however there is more
to 94 than you mentioned. The biggest problem is that Tom began sticking his
nose into show design. At that point, it was all over. What started out as a
fairly interesting show using all Nightmare Before Christmas music, became a
totally misguided and unfocused departure into the world of the completely
idiotic and ridiculous. Tom began to try to control more and more of every
facet of the corps and as a result began to slip in more and more areas. Had
he concentrated on simply preparing the corps on an administrative level for
the upcoming months, things would have been a lot easier. Unfortunately, he
was so bent on "saving the VK from itself" that he was making decisions that he
wasn't qualified to be making. Show design is not a job for an average pit
tech. MANY rehearsal were spent on props and ideas, even entire productions,
that never made it past June. The countless wasted hours of rehearsal explain
volumes about the downward spiral of the corps on the competitive tour.
>Tom hung in there.
>He was always at Bingo on Sunday night when no one else wanted to even set
>foot in that smokey building. Alumni support was pretty much nonexistent.
>The corps never was very good at treating its alumni like very well. So, soon
>without the support of the vets, the alumni, and long-time supporters, fans
>and parents...Tom found himself going it pretty much alone.
His own doing. There was a core group of veterans who put together a list of
suggestions in 1994 that we wanted Tom to consider. Everyone in the group had
been with the corps longer than Tom had, and when the group presented them to a
very hesitant Hixon, they were brushed aside and told that they didn't need to
worry about it. Tom would deal with the issues himself. At that point it
necame painfully obvious that this was less for the good of the corps than it
was for Tom so see if he could singlehandedly turn things around at VK. Alumni
wanted to help, veterans wanted to help, parents wanted to help. Tom pushed
them away. If not directly, then by making everyone feel guilty that VK was in
the position it was in. Most of us were doing more than we knew we were
capable of doing to try to keep things going smoothly. For God's sake, my dad
and Charlie Groh completely rebuilt the inside of the equipment truck, and
built four huge matching pit carts. I even built a new set of contra bays on
my lunch breaks from the rehearsals. The help was there, Tom just took it all
for granted that it would be there all the time.
>Each year after 94
>was a rebuilding year. Kids came and went. Staff came and went. And the
>bills just kept pilling up. Much of the corps debt was incurred years before
>Tom ever arrived, but now he was left to deal with it...without much help.
>Jump ahead to 1997. Things were finally starting to look up. Nice show,
great
>kids, debt was there, but manageable, and the corps started another Bingo
>game at the Hollywood Park Casino.
All true. Things were in fact getting better.
>The show must go on was always the
>corps' famous philosophy. Drum corps needed VK, and VK needed drum corps.
>But all the years of pushing the debt aside and believing it will be taken
care
>of next year caught up to the corps (not Tom Hixon). During the spring, the
IRS
>penalized the corps for the way it handled tax issues related to staff for the
>past several seasons. That was the straw that broke the cammel's back. It
>could have happened to anyone. It taught other corps a valuable lesson. But
it
>happened to VK. And since Tom Hixon was one of the only one's left from '92
>who stuck it out all the way to the end. He became the fall guy. The guy to
>blame for years of not-so-great management.
OK wait just a damn minute here. I cannot believe you're going to sweep the
biggest, most inexcusable thing of all, under the rug here. The tax laws
changed. Corps staff members, based partially on the fact that they could not
individually set rehearsal times, could not be treated as independent
contractors. The law was very black and white about this very thing. and it
was IGNORED. Don't forget that. The tax codes were ignored. If, by some
stretch of the imagination, Tom didn't know this was the case, then he is
guilty of gross neglect and ignorance. In either case, the man at the top has
to take responsibility for what happens. It is his job, as the executive
director of the corps, to manage the people and the paperwork. In this case,
neither happened. End of story. It could NOT have happened to any other
corps. The other corps directors were requiring W-2 forms, social security
numbers, proof of eligibility for employment, etc. As a staff member at VK in
1996, I was asked for none of this and paid anyway. Yes, it was declared. :)
Tom's not the fall guy here. He's the guy. Don't try to make him a martyr.
He just didn'y know what he was doing. Plead ignorance. Plead lack of
experience. Plead anything, but don't tell me that "it wasn't his fault."
That's bullshit. He was in charge of making executive decisions. He made too
may bad ones. Period.
>Back in the summer of 1993, he chose to be in that position, he wanted it more
>than anyone. And he worked hard all those years to make the VK great once
>again. But he just couldn't do it alone. He probably wonders where all his
>current critics were when the corps needed help in 93, 94, 95, etc. when he
>asked for it. Pretty soon, after very little response, he must have given up
>hope that help existed. The corps folded in the spring of 97.
Let's see: in 1993, I was stuck in Albuquerque and then watched the corps
self-destruct with a lack of leadership. In 1994, I was in the good company of
a great bunch of people that wanted to make up for a bad year in 93 only to
watch our dreams fade away as the show sat largely unfinished while Hixon was
busy deciding how to make the rifles toss through a giant hockey puck (remember
that one guys?). In 1995, I was told by Tom that I represented too much of the
"old VK" and I promptly walked out of a camp and never looked back. I can't
believe I held out that long. In 1996, I got a semi-apologetic phone call from
Tom and reluctantly joined the brass staff so that I could work with Greg
Flores for the year. After quickly finding out in 1996 that you can only
facilitate change if the person in charge realizes that change is necessary, I
taught another drum corps in 1997 and learned not only that it could be done
right if the right person was in charge, but also that as a result of being in
the VK organization as it was falling apart I had adopted a persona that was
difficult to adapt to a new environment. I resent this tremendously and feel
that it had a lot to do with the summer of 1996 and how I was expected to play
both brass and marching tech, while fixing horns, and helping design a show, a
style, and trying to help reinvent a corps that had gotten lost along the way.
That, sir, is where his critics were in those years. We were in the middle of
it. Watching in horror as the corps we worked so hard to build up was tearing
itself apart. The 15 or so of us that were around from 1992 knew we had to
leave. BD, SCV, Phantom, Pacific Crest, Madison, and the Cadets all received
some very seasoned VK vets in the summers of 1995 thru 1997. We loved our
hometown corps, but couldn't stand idly by while it became impossible to just
be our absolute best on and off the field and know that everything would be OK.
>Not much is known how much of the corps assets and equipment is still intact.
>It is clear, however, that drum corps lost a great, entertaining, fans-first
>drum and bugle corps.
Only Tom and the kids in his band who have really nice equipment know. On your
last point, I wholeheartedly agree. I miss them a lot.
Flame away if you disagree, but make sure you were there before you tell me how
it was.
Respectfully,
Brian Belski
VK Contrabass 1992, 93, 94
Brass Staff 1996
Mike Collins
In article <199806040717...@ladder03.news.aol.com>,
bel...@aol.com (Belski) wrote:
> BD, SCV, Phantom, Pacific Crest, Madison, and the Cadets all received
> some very seasoned VK vets in the summers of 1995 thru 1997. We loved our
> hometown corps, but couldn't stand idly by while it became impossible to just
> be our absolute best on and off the field and know that everything would
be OK.
Brian, I can REALLY feel for you...It used to tear me up even before 1992
when we'd lose great kids to the 'Big Two' up north...sometimes I felt
like we were a feeder corps, but I always felt (and still do) that if I
couldn't look around at what was taking place and say 'would I march
here?' then what right did I have to make the kids stay...it's interesting
because I (and other staff) felt it was so simple to keep kids at VK.
Simply go watch BD, SCV whatever rehearse, eat, etc. and say 'what things
do they do that we don't', and then fix them. Given the incredible
uniqueness of the corps, if we could have fixed the other lures for the
other corps then I think things would have been ok...but, alas, they
weren't...I miss VK very much and am still hoping some 'business guru'
gets some $$$ backing to resurrect the corps. Given the state of drum
corps now, VK would be like Superman's blood transfused into the Grim
Reaper. I'm sure with proper backing (I know John D. is getting some good
connections in his new career, hint-hint!) there are plenty of staff that
would love to get together to put on a show, I know I would-with the right
management.
--
Mike Collins
BD 84,86
VK Brass Staff 88-91
Disney Hacker 91-96
Elementary Music Teacher 95-98 (Ahhhhh!)
Assistand HS Band Director 98-?? (Much Better!)
Future Brass Caption Head for Resurrected VK!
Ba...@my-dejanews.com
In article <mikecoll-040...@ont-ca4-18.ix.netcom.com>,
mike...@ix.netcom.com (Mike Collins) wrote:
>
> In article <199806040717...@ladder03.news.aol.com>,
> bel...@aol.com (Belski) wrote:
>
>>some very seasoned VK vets in the summers of 1995 thru 1997. We loved our
>>hometown corps, but couldn't stand idly by while it became impossible to
>>just be our absolute best on and off the field and know that everything
>>would be OK.
>
> when we'd lose great kids to the 'Big Two' up north...sometimes I felt
> like we were a feeder corps, but I always felt (and still do) that if I
> couldn't look around at what was taking place and say 'would I march
> here?' then what right did I have to make the kids stay...it's interesting
> because I (and other staff) felt it was so simple to keep kids at VK.
> Simply go watch BD, SCV whatever rehearse, eat, etc. and say 'what things
> do they do that we don't', and then fix them.
>
> Mike Collins
Hey Brian, long time, no see! Howdy Mike.
I understand what you guys feel like. There is a lot of loyalty even from
the cats that marched in the final years. I can't say I have felt like that
but I do know that up until Orlando last year there were people in my hornline
(SCV) who had come from VK who swore they would return to VK the minute the
corps is resurrected.
I miss VK (especially '92). I think I was one of maybe five SCV people
laughing when you guys first did that Bottle Dance rip! I thought it was
hilarious! Too bad the resurrection looks about as possible as making a
profit as a "Sand Salesman" in Africa but maybe we could just make a new corps
entity and start from scratch! I am thinking something like, hmmm, The Rayon
Knights . . . The Silk Knights . . . The Flannel Knights . . . pick a fabric,
any fabric! Ok I'll stop.
One more thing. While your in this resurrection ritual, can you bring back,
Dutch Boy, Freelancers and Arizona Sun? If you need pigs blood, come see me.
AdamJ
Gregory Woll
jimwundr wrote in message ...
Diamond
...sorry...I just tuned in to this ng...what happened to VK?
Did they fold?...if so, when?
Was Dale L. on staff at the time...?
Merci/Grazie!
*<>
--
<>
"Live life as an exclamation, not an explanation!" - H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Jim Houston
... It never ends sometimes ....
Brian,
You are entitled to your opinions, and I understand
your anger at watching a corps you put so much of your
life into dissolve... but I also don't want to let
pass some of your more unfair and biased comments. So
I've added a couple of comments below.
Overall, I think John had a pretty good perspective on the mess
that VK was in -- since he sat on the Board for a significant
part of the time in question. I thought his comments were
correct.
I know it was a goal of people involved on the staff to
keep as much crap away from the members as possible.
Nevertheless, many had to suffer through a difficult time period.
I am also sad that just as VK was recovering, that it got felled
by, shall we say, the skeletons in the closet.
Belski wrote:
>
> On 6/2/98, John wrote:
>
> >First of all - Tom Hixon worked very hard as the director of the Velvet
> >Knights - bottom line. Unless you were there in the office with him
> >every night until 2:00 am, you'll be hard pressed to dispute that fact. He
> >really did care for the VK.
>
> Hitler loved Germany too.
Your way out of line on this analogy.
> It doesn't serve to qualify the actions of a man who
> shot too often from the hip in an attempt to move away from the "VK of old," as
> he liked to put it.
It is a shame that you don't really define for everyone else what the
term "VK of old" really meant. It had NOTHING to do with the excellent
shows that everyone liked, but rather referred to bad attitudes or, in some
cases, to bad and unethical behaviors of former board members, staff, and
(here and there) members. Tom's opinions on the values a drum corps should
hold are on the money in my opinion.
>
> 1993 was weird in many ways. It was the summer the busses were impounded
> >in New Mexico without insurance (NOT Tom's FAULT), it was the summer of
> >numerous, costly breakdowns (again, not Tom's fault) and it was the season
> >that led many of the corps members to jump ship and move to higher ranked
> >corps the following season. (Once again, not completely Tom's fault).
>
> WHAT!?! Are you kidding me? You're trying to say that it's not the director's
> fault that the busses were not maintained in the offseason and that the
> insurance policy was such an afterthought as to be revoked a week into the
> tour?
There is a prior post that is correct about the situation with the insurance
papers. Tom knew nothing about it until New Mexico happened. Tom took over
while on the road. The money situation was a mess and the buses were cheap.
And the director who was supposed to maintain the buses was from the previous era.
....
> Lack of experience and poor planning led to the demise of the
> Velvet Knights.
No. Debts from as far back as 1990 (!!!!) in 1997 and the IRS led to the
demise of VK.
[....]
>
> > John D. 1994: Staff problems and a whipped-together
> > show never gelled.
This was part of it.
> Brian:
> ... however there is more
> to 94 than you mentioned. The biggest problem is that Tom began sticking his
> nose into show design.
Sorry, Brian, but the biggest problem was a group of caption heads that
refused to
talk to each other, argued and changed the show concept over and over again,
and (as you correctly point out) made a mess of rehearsal schedules. This was
more often a sr. staff problem than you seem to think. The show design process
didn't work well at any level.
>... they [vets] were brushed aside and told that they didn't need to
> worry about it.
There was more going on to keep things together
than the members ever know about. To fix some problems,
you have to know the source of the problem.
[...]
>
> All true. Things were in fact getting better.
>
... I cannot believe you're going to sweep the
> biggest, most inexcusable thing of all, under the rug here. The tax laws
> changed.
No, they didn't. The IRS interpretation of laws on the books changed and they
expanded their definitions in several directions. Independant contractor
status was a specific area that in many industries has been abused. Note that
even now, by the IRS's own regulations, it is not clear that instructional
staff have to be considered employees. But how much of a fight can a
non-profit put up against an IRS when tax lawyers charge $250 per hour.
> Corps staff members, based partially on the fact that they could not
> individually set rehearsal times, could not be treated as independent
> contractors.
You are incorrect on this one. There are 10+ conditions that are examined that
taken as a whole are used to determine contractor vs. employee status.
> The law was very black and white about this very thing. and it
> was IGNORED.
No, it isn't black and white. And it wasn't ignored. The rules at the
time were interpreted by the Board in a fashion to benefit the corps.
Anyone working for the corps signed a contract outlining the status
of each individual as a contractor. After many years of doing it this
way, the IRS finally disagreed. [ and it didn't help the corps survival
prospects to be turned in by one of its own (?) -- perhaps as part of a
pressure plan by some staff to get paid overtime hours. hmmm wonder if it
happened this way. I don't know actually who might have done that. ]
> It is his job, as the executive
> director of the corps, to manage the people and the paperwork.
As far as I can tell, the paperwork was managed. 1099's were issued when required.
The cash flow of trying to pay debts you don't have the money to cover was always
a mess however.
> ...1996: Watching in horror as the corps we worked so hard to build up was tearing
> itself apart. ... We loved our
> hometown corps, ...
me too.
Brian, I'm sorry that the negative experiences of your last few years in corps
had such a strong effect on your attitudes. No one ever plans for a corp
experience to be the multi-year slow-motion train wreck that VK started to become.
Hixon did near the end manage to get some key things back on track, and things
appeared to be on an upslope. I also see that Hixon is for you a
lightning rod for every uncomfortable thing that happened. I don't really enjoy
going through dirty laundry, but neither do I want the general drum corps
community to believe you when some of what you say is so far off base.
[and for the rest your entitled to your judgements, but it doesn't mean it is
the truth]
For me, the "Story of VK" is a very complex one, and it demonstrates what happens
when a corps spends a decade or more not paying attention to the basics of
running an organization. And clearly the seeds of what occurred these past
few years
were planted and growing way back in 1987. I never saw ANY other person in
the
VK of the mid 90's put more effort into keeping it going than Tom Hixon, Sue
Tiller
and the Nelsons. A corps is more than just it's director --- a good staff,
active and honest
board members, hard-working volunteers, positive attitude, can-do, members,
and CASH, are all needed.
When each and all of these become frayed or snap, then a corps ceases to exist.
... and I'm as sorry as anyone to have seen it happen.
Jim Houston
VK staff '94
VK volunteer '95, '96, '97, '98
Jason Lowe
On Thu, 04 Jun 1998 15:24:51 -0800, Diamond@hitit&quitit.com (Diamond) wrote:
>Did they fold?...if so, when?
VK folded springtime of 1997. A day of sorrow for us all. VK will never die,
they will always remain the hearts of the fans, on the videos in fans vcr's and
on TV's, and in the minds of the future members when they DO come back.
Jason Lowe
HStarB
>Respectfully,
>
>Brian Belski
>VK Contrabass 1992, 93, 94
>Brass Staff 1996
>
>
Well said Brian. But then again, we have talked of this before and you know I
agree. I have many friends and ex-boyfriends that went through this ordeal.
In 96 I had Hixon personally call me at work,( a veteran to colorguard but not
to drum corp) and beg me to march that year. That seemed kinda weird to me.
With all the stuff that I all ready knew, I declined. Part of me wanted to be
in the heart of what it had all been in the past, but the rest of me saw where
it was going. I now regret the time in 90-93 when I wanted to march and
didn't. I feel for everyone that dealt with it. I still get teary eyed for
all my friends when I watch a person walk by in a VK jacket at a show. I
remember the days where I used to where my ex's jacket to school. Now all
those young inspiring high school kids can only watch videos and hear all of
the stories from there instructors that got to be a part of VK.
Harmony
Mission Viejo HS 89-93
Pacific Crest 97
J DENOVI
Brian, I can understand your rage and disgust with my post. Allow me to
clarify a few things. First of all, the goal of my post "My Take on VK" was
to try to show that the Velvet Knights had a long history of problems that
existed long before Tom Hixon ever arrived on scene. Being that I was around
in the pre-hixon years, I saw more goofy things go on than you'll ever know.
If you'll consult your VK history manual, you'll be reminded that I resigned
from the board of directors of the VK in 1995 because of what I believed to be
general gross mismanagement practices that my conscience just couldn't be a
part of any longer. I'm no Tom Hixon fan - but that's between he and I and I
like to keep it that way. That's why my post lacked a slant towards calling
for his head on a platter. Please know that I share many of the feelings you
expressed in your post "My Take on VK...(long-sorry, had to be done). If you
had taken time )by phone or private e-mail) to try and understand why I posted
the way I did, you would have a better understanding of my personal position on
the matter.
I tried to present a very general history of what happened and for specific
reasons. I don't think it's fair for me, or anyone else to publicly flog Tom
Hixon on RAMD when he is not here to defend himself. If we have issues with
Tom, then we should take them up with Tom - it's that simple. We need not drag
his name through the mud here for all to form an opinion based on what
disgruntled former Velvet Knights say and feel. That just isn't fair. I
wouln't want that to happen to me. You wouldn't want that to happen to you.
That's just common sense and a little use of discretion.
I also kept my take general for several other reasons. One, I firmly believe
that defamation of character can get one into alot of trouble. There's too much
of that here on RAMD anyway. If you re-read my post, you'll see I didn't try
to single out individuals. I tried to show that problems are created and solved
by groups when it comes to drum corps. One person can't single handedly break
everthing just as one person can fix it all alone either. And so was the case
with the demise of VK. You can't use the same level of thinking to solve a
problem that you used to create it. Two, I also wanted to shed some light on
the past ten years of VK history without leaving an overly tainted image of a
corps that just about everyone loved - me as much as anyone. I want VK's
legacy to live on in people's minds and hearts in a positive manner - I want
people to smile when they think of VK and rememebr it's 30 year history of
great shows, wild antics, humor, and that shark eating the fat lady at the end
of 92's show.
So I truly feel bad that you took such issue with my self-admitted sanitised
version of events. I certainly didn't mean to offend or enrage you or anyone
else for that matter. I just tried to look at the bigger picture and a longer
timeframe.
Thanks, John.
Belski
On 6/4/98, John Denovi wrote:
(a lot of stuff that was right on the money)
After rereading my original post, I would like to post a formal apology to Mr.
John Denovi. John, I meant nothing personal toward you. In all honesty, I
didn't recognize the address you used to post your original article and I truly
had no idea it was you. On to other stuff.
That said, I would like to state that my original post had more to do with the
way the corps was treated by Tom. All the good intentions and moral standards
in the whole world cannot make up for someone who is not prepared to take the
helm. He tried very hard, and I made this point in my original post, but he
took it out on us (the corps members) a little too often. I guess that when it
all boils down to it, the experience of the corps members is the most important
thing and with Tom, we just didn't get the one that we needed. That's all I'm
going to say. I said enough about it before. I'm not going to let myself get
caught up in the anger again. It's too difficult to temper my words as is
evidenced by the last post. Again, I'm sorry John. Your work in your 10 years
with the corps was always for the benefit of the corps and its members and that
can not be challenged by anyone. If I had known it was you I would have given
you a call to ask about some of the things you said--much like I'll probably do
tomorrow morning. VK should be remembered for the good things it contributed
to the activity, and posting on RAMD out of sheer rage is not a very good way
to ensure that. I don't necessarily offer my apologies to Tom, but that's
mostly because he wouldn't return any phone calls and generally avoided a ton
of folks who just wanted to help for a very long time. But that's neither here
nor there.
Thanks,
Brian
gam...@balibeyond.com
> Hitler loved Germany too.
Ouch! No one desrves such a comparison. How many people did he kill? I
asked the original question about Tom and feel somewhat responsible for this
thread taking a nasty turn. There's really no need to hammer on him in
particular. John's response was exactly what I asked for, an account of the
events. It takes lots of people to kill a drum corps and I'm sure many
contributed to it in some way.
The one thing on which we can all probably agree is that directing an open
class drum corps is not a job for a novice. All of the things that reportedly
happened smack of inexperience and greenery. It's not unusual for people who
are in over their head to try singlehandedly to "save the day." Obviously, it
doesn't work. The fact that a person with no practical drum corps experience
was the director at all suggests a serious breakdown in general management as
a whole. That's why I asked about it in the first place.
> The tax laws
> changed. Corps staff members, based partially on the fact that they could not
> individually set rehearsal times, could not be treated as independent
> contractors. The law was very black and white about this very thing. and it
> was IGNORED.
Just for information purposes, the tax laws changed when reagan was still
president. When and where rehearsals happen doesn't enter into it at all if
other criteria are met. There is no legitimate reason that would have
precluded the management from handling staff payments through a 1099 and there
should have been no confusion whatsoever.
So, isn't this the treasurer's fault? Probably. Yes, the director is
ultimately responsible, but so are the folks who put him there and kept him
there year after year. Isn't it also the fault of the staff who looked the
other way knowing full well that their fees were not being reported? In any
business, you either get a 1099, have tax witheld, or are operating illegally.
There is no gray area. If I were on the staff, I would have wanted to know
why there was no accounting for taxes in my check and how it would be
reported. Knowing that the fees were being handled illegally (ignorance of
the law is no excuse, these are adult professionals) and doing nothing about
it makes the staff willing participants and equally to blame.
I've seen this so many times, and it pains me greatly. Two of my corps folded
while I was there and too young to do anything about it. I just hate to see
what foolish adults can do to the poor kids who put their heart and soul into
being the best they can be. Nearly every corps fold has been because of
mismanagement at the top, not within the ranks. The ones who have survived
have had strong veteran leaders that are either still there or laid a firm
foundation for the future (see blue devils). Let this be a lesson to everyone
in management. It's not hard to do it right, if you know what to do. If you
don't know what to do, get someone who does!!
Belski
On 6/4/98, Jim Houston wrote:
>I know it was a goal of people involved on the staff to
>keep as much crap away from the members as possible.
>Nevertheless, many had to suffer through a difficult time period.
>I am also sad that just as VK was recovering, that it got felled
>by, shall we say, the skeletons in the closet.
>
>>Hitler loved Germany too.
>
>Your way out of line on this analogy.
Maybe a little out of proportion, but Jim, did you know that that's what a lot
of the hornline called him? He took a much harder line than necessary with a
group of kids that were working themselves incredibly hard already. A very
dedicated bunch of corps members were being attacked as they poured everything
they had into a dying corps. You weren't around yet, and I know that, but that
was honestly the biggest problem that a lot of vets had with him at that time.
Before we knew anything about what was going on at home, we were trying to
figure out how to react to all of the changes, most notably how to deal with
someone who tried to turn the VK into the drum corps equivalent of the Ladies
Rotary Club overnight. Please don't get upset, Rotary Club members. :) No one
disagreed with the motives, it was the implementation that was suspect.
>It is a shame that you don't really define for everyone else what the
>term "VK of old" really meant. It had NOTHING to do with the excellent
>shows that everyone liked, but rather referred to bad attitudes or, in some
>cases, to bad and unethical behaviors of former board members, staff, and
>(here and there) members. Tom's opinions on the values a drum corps should
>hold are on the money in my opinion.
Again, no one was questioning the values at all. In fact, everyone could stand
to be a little bit better about taking care of his fellow man, and I am
certainly no exception. However, the continuing references to the "old VK"
were directed sometimes at places in which they had no business being directed.
>> Lack of experience and poor planning led to the demise of the
>> Velvet Knights.
>
>No. Debts from as far back as 1990 (!!!!) in 1997 and the IRS led to the
>demise of VK.
We're really not going to keep blaming the IRS for this are we?
>> > John D. 1994: Staff problems and a whipped-together
>> > show never gelled.
>
>This was part of it.
>
>Sorry, Brian, but the biggest problem was a group of caption heads that
>refused to talk to each other, argued and changed the show concept over and
>over again, and (as you correctly point out) made a mess of rehearsal
>schedules. This was more often a sr. staff problem than you seem to think.
>The show design process didn't work well at any level.
I maintain that show concept is something which needs to be left to a qualified
show coordinator. When chaos began to reign in rehearsals, didn't anyone think
that the corps members would know what was happening? Of course they did, it's
silly to think otherwise, but unfortunately no one ever leveled with us. We
continued to be human mushrooms (fed loads of crap and kept in the dark). I
will concede the fact that the senior staff had a ton of creative differences,
but when the director began to program the show, it became quite literally a
"Knightmare."
>There was more going on to keep things together
>than the members ever know about. To fix some problems,
>you have to know the source of the problem.
I don't doubt this one bit. But like I said, no one ever admitted that
something was wrong. Everyone kept telling us how great we were (we weren't)
and how everything would be fine (it wasn't). Meanwhile Rome was burning. I
know that it's very hard to tell corps members about problems of this nature,
but in retrospect, I think honesty (which was one of the values Tom kept
telling us we needed more of) would have served those 100-and-something kids
better than the "everything's OK" treatment we got while we could see that no
one was in agreement on much of anything. It seemed very hypocritical then and
it does 4 years later.
>No, they didn't. The IRS interpretation of laws on the books changed and they
>expanded their definitions in several directions. Independant contractor
>status was a specific area that in many industries has been abused. Note
>that even now, by the IRS's own regulations, it is not clear that
instructional
>staff have to be considered employees. But how much of a fight can a
>non-profit put up against an IRS when tax lawyers charge $250 per hour.
Very true. What really seems weird is that many other corps had already gone
to the W-2 form instead of the 10-99 miscellaneous income form as it is much
more cut-and-dried than the independent contractor status, as you mentioned.
Why is it that VK stayed with 10-99's when others were moving to W-2's? Seems
like a fair question.
>> Corps staff members, based partially on the fact that they could
not
>> individually set rehearsal times, could not be treated as independent
>> contractors.
>
>You are incorrect on this one. There are 10+ conditions that are examined
>that taken as a whole are used to determine contractor vs. employee status.
True, but that one factor is a biggie don't you think? I did say that was a
partial reason, but let's not split hairs here.
>No, it isn't black and white. And it wasn't ignored. The rules at the
>time were interpreted by the Board in a fashion to benefit the corps.
>Anyone working for the corps signed a contract outlining the status
>of each individual as a contractor. After many years of doing it this
>way, the IRS finally disagreed. [ and it didn't help the corps survival
>prospects to be turned in by one of its own (?) -- perhaps as part of a
>pressure plan by some staff to get paid overtime hours. hmmm wonder if it
>happened this way. I don't know actually who might have done that. ]
Well, I don't think anyone working for VK ever did it for the money so the idea
of trying to squeeze out paid OT hours seems a little crazy to me. Sorta like
trying to squeeze water from the proverbial stone. As you said, the reason all
this happened is because the IRS narrowed its broad definition of contractor
status. It was made fairly clear though that this was the case. I remember
talking with Jim Wunderlich about that very issue on the 96 tour. Oddly
enough, I think we were broken down on the side of the road at the time. (It
wouldn't be drum corps corps without breakdowns.) Since I don't have any idea
who turned the corps into the IRS, I can't really comment on that.
>The cash flow of trying to pay debts you don't have the money to cover was
>always a mess however.
It's no secret the corps spent way beyond it's means long before the director
change. Tom Hixon inherited an incredible amount of debt when he took over as
corps director. In addition to that, he inherited a delapidated bingo hall, a
set of busses that weren't worth the amount of money it took to fill up the
fuel tanks, and a lot of internal problems. No one questions that.
I'd like to say now that I'm not particularly proud of the fact that I used
this arena to lash out. I'm not proud of lashing out at all. The anger and
frustration have no place here in this forum. For that I apologize. I read
some things and then immediately reacted to them. My grandfather was right,
you SHOULD count to ten. Anyway, what does remain are questions which may
never be answered. Why were the corps members treated like we were to blame in
1993 for things which seemed totally ridiculous? Why were the clarifications
regarding 10-99 vs. W-2 forms not studied more closely when other corps had
decided that employee status left much less margin for error and would be
safer? Why were people who spent literally years of their lives contributing
positively to an organization pushed aside and virtually excommunicated? Just
some food for thought. I guess I ruffled some feathers here, which I knew
would happen as I was clicking the "send" button. A lot of people are entitled
to some answers though Jim. I was out of line for publicly flogging the man.
I accept this and apologize. Now I just ask for justification for some things
that seem questionable.
Thanks,
Brian
Mike Collins
> So, isn't this the treasurer's fault? Probably. Yes, the director is
> ultimately responsible, but so are the folks who put him there and kept him
> there year after year. Isn't it also the fault of the staff who looked the
> other way knowing full well that their fees were not being reported? In any
> business, you either get a 1099, have tax witheld, or are operating illegally.
> There is no gray area. If I were on the staff, I would have wanted to know
> why there was no accounting for taxes in my check and how it would be
> reported. Knowing that the fees were being handled illegally (ignorance of
> the law is no excuse, these are adult professionals) and doing nothing about
> it makes the staff willing participants and equally to blame.
Being a staff member from the 'old vk' I take offense at being blamed for
monetary mismanagement. When I asked a tax advisor, I was told that I
would simply have to make my 1099 income go into schedule C, as a 'self
employed' person. Needless to say my 'massive' check got creamed with me
then having to take all the taxes out myself (including social security).
So you tell me how I'm the devil regarding any problems on their end? My
tax advisor said nothing about 'oh boy that group's gonna get their head
handed to them for monetary mismanagement.' I was there to teach kids,
not through osmosis or mind-reading become the corps' financial savior,
that's what board/treasurer/directors are for! My expertise was in brass
playing. Should a board member come down now and teach my 3rd sops how to
double-toungue while I go and investigate the books?? Your argument is
bull...people should do the job they are trained for, and if you're not
trained to do it, then you shouldn't be there...that's what happened at
VK...
Jim Houston
Belski wrote:
>
> We're really not going to keep blaming the IRS for this are we?
> .... like I said, no one ever admitted that
> something was wrong. Everyone kept telling us how great we were (we weren't)
> and how everything would be fine (it wasn't). Meanwhile Rome was burning. I
> know that it's very hard to tell corps members about problems of this nature,
> but in retrospect, I think honesty (which was one of the values Tom kept
> telling us we needed more of) would have served those 100-and-something kids
> better than the "everything's OK" treatment we got while we could see that no
> one was in agreement on much of anything. It seemed very hypocritical then and
> it does 4 years later.
It is an interesting problem. When things at the staff level are falling apart,
what do you tell the members. Yes, they do sorta know it. But to tell the
whole truth is to levy strong criticism at the instructors they have to
listen to day in and day out.
On the money side, living hand to mouth is
a frightening and depressing way to run any operation. Do you really want
to scare the members with the stories of how tight a relationship exists
between when the payment was received for the last show, and when the
food staff was able to go to the store to spend it, or when the buses
were able to be filled up?
.. and on the "how great we were" question, it is hard to know
when positive reinforcement for really hard working members turns
into perceived dishonesty. We had a young corps that year.
average age under 17 years old. It is hard for senior vets like
yourself to be told things are good when you know they were better
several years before. But from the perspective of a new member, that
kind of feedback can be motivating. This would have been an issue
no matter what the state of the rest of the corps.
I still think it is (and was) the best thing to allow the members
to focus on their job (learning, performing, having as good a time
as they can have), and to stay as optimistic as possible giving
the major storm clouds brewing around you as a staff member.
I don't consider it to be hypocritical to do that either. The
few that asked me and insisted on an answer got a real one though.
>
> Why is it that VK stayed with 10-99's when others were moving to W-2's? Seems
> like a fair question.
It has a basic answer. There wasn't enough money available to field a corps
if all staff had to be paid under W-2s. They kept going hoping the issues
would resolve in their favor.
>
> I'd like to say now that I'm not particularly proud of the fact that I used
> this arena to lash out. I'm not proud of lashing out at all. The anger and
> frustration have no place here in this forum. For that I apologize.
Thanks for recognizing that. I don't think there is anyone who has
ever be associated with VK who isn't sorry/angry/frustrated that it
turned out the way it did. It really was something unique and
valuable.
> Now I just ask for justification for some things
> that seem questionable.
I guess I'm not trying to justify things. But to explain and
hopefully provide some insights into why things can go bad
in a corps without having to slam individuals who tried hard
to keep things going.
Jim H.
Jim Houston
Belski wrote:
>
> We're really not going to keep blaming the IRS for this are we?
> .... like I said, no one ever admitted that
> something was wrong. Everyone kept telling us how great we were (we weren't)
> and how everything would be fine (it wasn't). Meanwhile Rome was burning. I
> know that it's very hard to tell corps members about problems of this nature,
> but in retrospect, I think honesty (which was one of the values Tom kept
> telling us we needed more of) would have served those 100-and-something kids
> better than the "everything's OK" treatment we got while we could see that no
> one was in agreement on much of anything. It seemed very hypocritical then and
> it does 4 years later.
It is an interesting problem. When things at the staff level are falling apart,
what do you tell the members. Yes, they do sorta know it. But to tell the
whole truth is to levy strong criticism at the instructors they have to
listen to day in and day out.
On the money side, living hand to mouth is
a frightening and depressing way to run any operation. Do you really want
to scare the members with the stories of how tight a relationship exists
between when the payment was received for the last show, and when the
food staff was able to go to the store to spend it, or when the buses
were able to be filled up?
.. and on the "how great we were" question, it is hard to know
when positive reinforcement for really hard working members turns
into perceived dishonesty. We had a young corps that year.
average age under 17 years old. It is hard for senior vets like
yourself to be told things are good when you know they were better
several years before. But from the perspective of a new member, that
kind of feedback can be motivating. This would have been an issue
no matter what the state of the rest of the corps.
I still think it is (and was) the best thing to allow the members
to focus on their job (learning, performing, having as good a time
as they can have), and to stay as optimistic as possible giving
the major storm clouds brewing around you as a staff member.
I don't consider it to be hypocritical to do that either. The
few that asked me and insisted on an answer got a real one though.
>
> Why is it that VK stayed with 10-99's when others were moving to W-2's? Seems
> like a fair question.
It has a basic answer. There wasn't enough money available to field a corps
if all staff had to be paid under W-2s. They kept going hoping the issues
would resolve in their favor.
>
> I'd like to say now that I'm not particularly proud of the fact that I used
> this arena to lash out. I'm not proud of lashing out at all. The anger and
> frustration have no place here in this forum. For that I apologize.
Thanks for recognizing that. I don't think there is anyone who has
ever be associated with VK who isn't sorry/angry/frustrated that it
turned out the way it did. It really was something unique and
valuable.
> Now I just ask for justification for some things
> that seem questionable.
I guess I'm not trying to justify things. But to explain and
gam...@balibeyond.com
In article <mikecoll-050...@ont-ca7-19.ix.netcom.com>,
mike...@ix.netcom.com (Mike Collins) wrote:
> Being a staff member from the 'old vk' I take offense at being blamed for
> monetary mismanagement. When I asked a tax advisor, I was told that I
> would simply have to make my 1099 income go into schedule C, as a 'self
> employed' person. Needless to say my 'massive' check got creamed with me
> then having to take all the taxes out myself (including social security).
> So you tell me how I'm the devil regarding any problems on their end?
You got a 1099 and paid the taxes. I was speaking of those who may not have
done so. I apologize if my post was less than clear. My intent was to
demonstrate that one person, the director, could not be entirely at fault for
the finacial problems.
Eric Senzig
Wow. I am having deja vu reading these posts ... it is spooky how similar
this VK thread is to the demise of the Sky Ryders ... one man well
intentioned man comes in, tries to be a hero and save the corps,
antagonizes a lot of the staff and members in the process, but stays with
the ship trying to bail it out until it hits bottom.
What I can never forgive is the fact that this man pretty much took the
equipment he donated to the corps and started a company catering to Texas
HS bando kids that is now taking in more than a million a year. I don't
see any of THAT money going towards resurrecting the Sky Ryders ...
I am of course referring to Mr. Paul Proctor. (For those of you who know
me that's the most generous description I've given of the story ... in the
interests of not dragging names through the mud in public ... not that I
haven't gone off and done that before.) He bailed Sky out of a $5000 debt
in 1990, then tried to change a lot of things including the corps'
location, pissing off a lot of people. By the time the corps folded in
1994 the debt had grown to $150,000. He meant well but had no idea how to
financially manage a competitive drum corps. His idea was to pass the debt
along to the members by making fund raising mandatory, or else pay cash if
you couldn't fund raise. This happened in 1992 and IMO it was the one
thing that contributed most to the corps' folding. (And yes, I was one of
the suckers who paid up ... grrr) When all the 1991 vets heard about this
new policy most of them scattered to the four winds, and I can count on one
hand the number of people who marched in 1991 and stuck it out through the
end of 1993. It really hurts to realize that only two years after I
marched, the Sky Ryders I knew did not and would never again exist.
I would be REALLY interested to hear any other stories about reasons the
Sky Ryders disappeared. I seem to be the only Sky veteran from that era of
the corps' history who is halfway active on RAMD.
Eric Senzig
Sky Ryders 1992
J DENOVI
Brian, thank you very much. You always were a class act.
All my best, John DeNovi
J DENOVI
Thank you Jim, you cleared that up nicely. And, Jim, thank you for all your
hard work with the corps over the years. Every corps should have 10 of you. -
John.
JEDI RED 5
The reason that I have an issue with Hixon, is that I saw the guy go from
someone that I liked to someone that would'nt listen to quality people that
surrounded him... instead, he got rid of the people that would have worked the
hardest for him.... but from my perspective, it seems that the guy got this
power trip after he took over VK. I mean... i was at a camp in 94 and watched
this lame show idea (nightmare show) being embraced by Hixon, instead of one of
the many cooler show ideas that were being pitched by Float, or Flores, or
anyone else...he brought this ex-animator guy to be on staff that never was
even involved in music, (let alone our strange world of DCI) and his opinions
were greatly considered by Hixon instead of a guy that won more titles then
hixon has ever even.... I watched him take nothing but the worst advice about
the show.
Thats my beef with the man.... the fact that, instead of being a moderator, he
seemed to want to be dictator,,,, thinking he had all the answers.... Float was
in-town/everyday staff.... and instead of listening to him, he listened to the
guys that werent even going on the road. He listened to the guys that werent
going to be there to make that crap work...
As for the financial troubles of VK... definately not Hixons fault.. and no
doubt he stepped into a jacked situation....
but thats not my problem with the man...
Somehow... i still get worked up over this stuff.... i have no idea why... i
hope i loose my ability to get this worked up over this thing. But bottom line
is that I did care a great deal for the VK.... so maybe thats why i get so
worked up...
oh well...
by the way...
its hot as hell in orlando right now...
pete
Jim Houston
JEDI RED 5 (pete) wrote:
>
> The reason that I have an issue with Hixon, is that I saw the guy go from
> someone that I liked to someone that would'nt listen to quality people that
> surrounded him...
Actually, in 94 he listened too much. The caption heads wouldn't cooperate or
talk
to each other, and while he tried to mediate and create compromises, nothing jelled
as late as the first week in June (meaning not only wasn't the show not done,
but some of the music caption heads hadn't written their parts yet), so he
started to
be REAL directive. Very proficient caption heads who don't know how to work
as a team
was a major problem that year.
> watched
> this lame show idea (nightmare show) being embraced by Hixon, instead of one of
> the many cooler show ideas that were being pitched by Float, or Flores, or
> anyone else..
Actually, it was one of the only ideas out of 20 that Float wanted to
support.. at least
half of the show was his idea. Flores did have a cool one (for Blue Devils), but
the VK horn line of that year couldn't play it, and Greg agreed.
> he brought this ex-animator guy to be on staff that never was
> even involved in music, (let alone our strange world of DCI) and his opinions
> were greatly considered by Hixon
Gee, talking about me now. Since you weren't actually around very much
and only heard gripes from some of the staff, you don't really know what
my role was or what influence I had. I was brought in by Tom as a consultant
about everything program/corps/and show related. I wasn't there to design
the show, but to help the staff come together on one idea and make it work.
This process didn't really work because of major turf wars.
As for my background (which you also don't know ), I was a great
fan of V.K. and have been following DCI since 1973. I had recently
come off working as a technical director on Disney's Fantasia Continued
(which has
a little music and a lot of visual design), had spent 17 years playing
trumpet up to semi-pro level, and, at the time of my
involvement in trying to restore VK, was Vice President
of Digital Production for Sony Pictures. So I gave Hixon the
best advice I could on everything I saw happening with the corps.
...
> Thats my beef with the man.... the fact that, instead of being a moderator, he
> seemed to want to be dictator,,,, thinking he had all the answers.... Float was
> in-town/everyday staff.... and instead of listening to him, he listened to the
> guys that werent even going on the road. He listened to the guys that werent
> going to be there to make that crap work...
Since it was brass, drum, guard, and pit caption heads who agreed on
doing this music (as the only thing they could all agree on), they all
went on the road, but then never cooperated to make it work, and blamed
everyone and everything else for that problem. So you definitely got
the story backwards.
> But bottom line
> is that I did care a great deal for the VK.... so maybe thats why i get so
> worked up...
Me too.
Jim Houston
j...@power.net
J DENOVI
Jim Houston is the only person I know associated with drum corps that has an
Academy Award on his mantle. He forgot to mention this when he listed some of
his entertainment industry credentials.
- john