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reunion show
My freshman year at Brandeis, there was a very good all-male a capella quartet on campus called The Justones (the University is named after Justice Brandeis, so the mascot is "the justice"). Many of us enjoyed their performances, and then they graduated and were gone.
Also at Brandeis was a sketch comedy troupe called Boris' Kitchen. At one of their shows, a year or maybe two after the Justones graduated, they announced a halftime act: The Monotones. Four guys got up on stage and proceeded to perform very enthusiastic, fully choreographed versions of a capella standards YMCA and Blue Moon ... all in monotone! Complete with the rockstar moves and everything.
Over the next few years, the Monotones were a staple of big Boris' Kitchen shows, and a favorite of the audiences. And then they, too, graduated and were gone.
This past Sunday evening, at Kriss and Jon's wedding, the DJ put on "Ice Ice Baby", and a small host of former Boris' Kitchen members did Steve's buttdance, another Boris' Kitchen staple of that era - and led by Steve himself, buttdancing right up front. I instantly thought: "the perfect followup to this would be a Monotones performance!"
I mentioned that to Steve, and he laughed. But then I thought, waitaminnit, maybe all the Monotones are here! So I went to Jon, himself a Boris' Kitchen alum, and suggested it. He thought it highly unlikely that we could convince them to perform, but yes, indeed, all four Monotones were present. (For good measure, I also poked Erica and she tried her charms on some of them :)
When the DJ put YMCA on, the four of them were huddled in the back, talking to each other, but they did not spring forth and perform. I thought that was it, they'd considered it, but as Jon had said, they probably weren't going to do anything.
And then, several songs later, Jon called everyone to attention, and introduced... as soon as he said the word "quartet" I knew what was coming up and got a front row position. We got one song, Blue Moon, in wonderful monotone. The first, and perhaps the only, Monotones performance in this century.
Also at Brandeis was a sketch comedy troupe called Boris' Kitchen. At one of their shows, a year or maybe two after the Justones graduated, they announced a halftime act: The Monotones. Four guys got up on stage and proceeded to perform very enthusiastic, fully choreographed versions of a capella standards YMCA and Blue Moon ... all in monotone! Complete with the rockstar moves and everything.
Over the next few years, the Monotones were a staple of big Boris' Kitchen shows, and a favorite of the audiences. And then they, too, graduated and were gone.
This past Sunday evening, at Kriss and Jon's wedding, the DJ put on "Ice Ice Baby", and a small host of former Boris' Kitchen members did Steve's buttdance, another Boris' Kitchen staple of that era - and led by Steve himself, buttdancing right up front. I instantly thought: "the perfect followup to this would be a Monotones performance!"
I mentioned that to Steve, and he laughed. But then I thought, waitaminnit, maybe all the Monotones are here! So I went to Jon, himself a Boris' Kitchen alum, and suggested it. He thought it highly unlikely that we could convince them to perform, but yes, indeed, all four Monotones were present. (For good measure, I also poked Erica and she tried her charms on some of them :)
When the DJ put YMCA on, the four of them were huddled in the back, talking to each other, but they did not spring forth and perform. I thought that was it, they'd considered it, but as Jon had said, they probably weren't going to do anything.
And then, several songs later, Jon called everyone to attention, and introduced... as soon as he said the word "quartet" I knew what was coming up and got a front row position. We got one song, Blue Moon, in wonderful monotone. The first, and perhaps the only, Monotones performance in this century.
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*dies over the Monotones all over again*
And, you know, I'd totally forgotten about the Justones. :-)
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Ohhhh Steve's butt dance!
Oh my! Sea monkeys!
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*Swoon*
I miss the Monotones.
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You might want to subscribe to
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Come to Harpers Ferry tomorrow night, see FLUTTR and Count Zero!
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-Your Borisian by marriage
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Well, the Monotones appear to have outlasted Spur Of The Moment, at least for the, er, moment.
Brandeis's mascot is an owl, and the teams are called the Judges, btw.
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I believe the vote occured soon after after I graduated (I'm '95), and there wasn't exactly a massive turnout to rock said vote. I think a lot of people were confused, since we hadn't had a walking costumed mascot in so long and nobody understood the owl connection. (I still don't.) I have nothing against an owl as a mascot per se, but I'm on campus right now (posting from a lounge in this new monstrosity of a Student Center), seeing the costume first-hand, and seeing the many Reunion staffers' t-shirts with the drawing on them... and man is it lame. What a wimpy-ass mascot. It's not tough-looking, nor is it goofy; it's just... eh. If the costume had talons and piercing eyes, maybe I'd buy it, but it really comes across-- especially this weekend-- as if it was designed to pose with the alumni's children. At least a stylized Judge would've been fun for everyone. (If I have to choose between my almae mater[s?], I'll take Sebastian the Ibis any day of the week.)