Funny stories, anyone?

[ESJohn]

One of the things I had been enjoying about the band I'm in is our director's stories which make us all laugh. I would suspect that there are several here that have had some funny or embarrassing things happen to them while playing their horns. It might be a good time to share those with the rest of the gang.

My most embarrassing one happened a very long time ago while in my high school marching band:
We had been practicing for a back to school event at the football field. During one of the routines, each of the squads would have different members turn different directions. I was to go the opposite direction of the one next to me. During our practices, there was a moment when the member next to me always turned to the right, which meant that I was to turn to the left. As I had trouble knowing my right from my left in those days, I relied on that person's movement to determine which direction I was to go. When that fateful day came, the member wasn't present so we marched with a gap in the line. Of course, I turned when the person on my right turned, but it was the wrong person. The band proceeded in unison one direction, while I marched off completely on my own in the exactly wrong one! I had my own one-man marching band until I realized that I needed to get back in line. I don't know how far away I was before I high-tailed it back into the ranks. I don't think there are any films of that day, for which I am very grateful!
Ok, time for the rest of you to confess!

 

[jbtsax]

I have told this story before but some may have not heard it. In the late '60's when I was an undergraduate, our marching band accompanied our football team to Colorado to play Air Force. In the middle of our halftime show during a number where the band stood and played while the drill team did a routine, all of the cadets suddenly jumped up and cheered. We though it was because they liked our band performance so much. It turned out that one of the female band members on the front row had her suspenders break loose and her baggy band uniform trousers dropped down to her ankles. Of course she was wearing shorts underneath, but that's all it took to get a "standing ovation".

 

[Furrhan]

I think my funniest two stories, in no particular order, would have to be:

1.) The time the band director was conducting with a Biro because she didn't have a baton and the ink thingy came flying out mid-swing and hit my co-lead saxophonist in the leg.

2.) The time the band director gave us a score for Advance Australia Fair (the Aussie national anthem) that she'd written herself but hadn't included a score for the drummer. She told him to "just do something that sounds good" so after the intro he launched into a heavy rock beat.

Marching bands really aren't much of a thing in Australia so I don't have any stories for those, sorry.

My own personal most embarrassing story would be the time I stupidly turned up to rehearsal at the theatre my school used for shows minus my saxophone and had to have a spare one brought across from the school. In those days I lived about 80km/50 miles from the school so there was no chance of going back home for my own instrument.

 

[Colin the Bear]

After playing the parade with the Eclipse Blues Band at a local gala, we were asked to do a spot to fill in in the arena. As we finished a local radio reporter came over to interview us. The band is of a certain age so the inevitable question arose.

"How long have you been playing together?" How could he know that we were sporting mosly deps?

"What time is it?" Was the reply.