Seeking Band Geek Lit

October 8, 2004 10:49 AM

Book publisher soliciting proposals on a high school marching band memoir. It could have an “American High” structure, in which a reporter follows a number of members of a band for a year, but the tone should be “Freaks & Geeks.” It could be something along the lines of “Drumline.” Or, and this is preferable, it could be a person’s wry memoir of his or her life as a band geek: weirdness on the bus, band sluts, the freshmen who steal your place, rivalries, loathing, the football team, what personality type goes with each instrument, etc. Knowledge of band camp and competitions would be a plus. BONUS: Maud's post includes the email address of a senior editor at Wiley to whom you may send your book proposals.
posted by _sirmissalot_ (9 comments total)

I have a lot of stories from my 4 years in high school band, but some of it has to do with Marching Band. Marching Band season only encompassed from the end of August to the beginning of October for us, and a few weeks in April when we prepared for competition, because we then shifted to Symphonic Band, which was a much more important counterpart to our conductor.

I don't think any of my stories are salacious enough I could articulate them well enough for someone to want to read them anyway.
posted by emptybowl at 10:59 AM on October 8, 2004

Er.....but only some of it had to do with Marching Band....
posted by emptybowl at 11:00 AM on October 8, 2004

I find it highly insulting that you would imply that MetaFilter readers might have special insight about high school band geekiness.
posted by MrMoonPie at 11:25 AM on October 8, 2004

Just a wild guess.
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 11:30 AM on October 8, 2004

Back in my band geek years (back when Frampton Comes Alive was IT) band geeks weren't considered geeks...our football team was so wretched that all the big guys were in the band instead. The football coaches hated our band director for that.
posted by konolia at 11:38 AM on October 8, 2004

Oh the memories. The smell of never-washed scotchguarded wool band uniforms that were 20 years old. The feel of white shoes made of rubber on my feet. And the power I would gain when I would don my 16 inch high white Q-tip hat. Marching Band, surely one of the greatest things ever. phhhhhbbbtt. Screw that. It was pretty nice to have a girl you sort of liked fall asleep on your shoulder on the busride home, though. I can't believe how much of my precious free time I spent playing "Money Money'
posted by n9 at 11:54 AM on October 8, 2004

It was pretty nice to have a girl you sort of liked fall asleep on your shoulder on the busride home, though.

Oh my God yes.

That's amazing, n9. I read that sentence, and, just for a second, it was like I was there again, riding the bus back from competition, with Amanda Hollifield asleep on my arm. In that second I could probably have told you what her hair smelled like, even. It was that real.

Amazing how that kind of thing never really leaves you, isn't it? I mean, I haven't thought about her in years...

*sigh* Now, see, I'm going to have to spend the rest of the night googling on people I went to high school with. Damn you! : )
posted by ruddhist at 12:28 PM on October 8, 2004

i have one of those moments every time i hear van morrison's 'brown eyed girl'. i was 14 or so, competing in a drum and bugle contest in bellefontaine, ohio, starry-eyed in love with a gal from the port clinton sweethearts, and we were "makin love in the green grass under the stadium". well, actually, we were shyly brushing lips in the trash under the bleachers, but hey...
posted by quonsar at 12:49 PM on October 8, 2004

sounds like a fucking BLAST
posted by Satapher at 1:02 PM on October 8, 2004