This issue's featured staff member is Renegades president, percussion
caption head, Lionel Richie fanatic and lawyer run-amok Lee Rudnicki.
Lee started his drum corps career as a snare drummer with the Reading
Buccaneers in 1983. He then marched with the Crossmen in 1984 and 1985, the
Garfield Cadets in 1986, and the Santa Clara Vanguard in 1987 and 1988.
After aging out, Lee was a member of the SCV percussion staff off and on
until 1995. He joined the Renegades in 1999 as a drum instructor and has
been with the corps ever since.
Lee lives in San Francisco with his wife Rumiko and their dog Buzz.
Read Lee's 107 Random DCA Memories, read below.
107 Random DCA Memories
DISCLAIMER: Contains humor, sarcasm and occasional vulgarity. Not meant to
be an exhaustive list of everyone or anything. If you can't deal, run away.
1. Shhhh ... Crunchy Frog.
2. Special thank you to Mickey Petrone, Tom Peashey and all the DCA
officials. The Renegades felt incredibly welcome this year, and are proud to
be a part of DCA.
3. Vince Bruni passes away. Sad.
4. Finally get to see Kilties live and in person. Cool beans, and a shout
out to Guap, Preach, Frank, and Evil Gabe Kangas. Also to Stef, who I like
more every time I meet her.
5. Number of times antagonized berserker nazi police were personally inside
my hotel room to quell civil unrest (aka P.O. 2) on Sunday Night = 2x.
6. Lisa-Lisa. Crunchy Ankle. Maybe sad, but she got to watch Prelims, which
turned into a quasi-religious experience and made her decide to march
Renegades again after she already decided not to. Meant to be, me thinks.
7. Seven. The cult grows.
8. Drum Corps is Evil. Shirts sold out ... again.
9. People finally "get" it. There is no stripe.
10. Carolina Gold is Evil, and maybe just as out of control as Renegades.
11. Since the day we met, Mistress Kelli and I have had some sort of a weird
mystical friendship bond that I can not explain.
12. Jim McFarland = Renegades #1 draft pick of 2003. Very close second = the
entire visual staff.
13. Renegade brass arranger Gerry Kelsey's response to hearing his
arrangement of Ave Maria sung by Renegades horn line = cry.
14. You need feet to keep your socks on.
15. Number of DCA Prelims judges at Renegades rehearsal on day of Finals =
at least two. And Jim Prime.
16. Carlos the snare drummer = a man possessed for an entire year.
17. You need feet to kick your friends.
18. Have I mentioned that Carolina Gold is evil?
19. Chris Fiest of Bucs drum staff = stunned and amused on Sunday that I had
absolutely no idea what our drum score was from Prelims (I still don't).
20. Number of times I have looked at a score recap this season = Zero. Empty
set. Nada. I avoid math.
21. is 7 x 3
22. Penalty points owed to Crunchy Frog = 28.0
23. Amount of money paid to Renegades by two random fans to have the corps
play a concert for them after finals = $1000.00
24. Ed Teleky = IN the Matrix. Blue pill x 777.
25. Mark Allen's Skyliner pit = awesome.
26. My mom's response to hearing our horn line play Ave Maria = cry.
27. I am officially bored by some junior corps. Sorry, but I am. Get a grip,
it ain't art. It's Failed Art. You should call it Fart.
28. Brandon Wilson's response to hearing our horn line play Ave Maria = cry.
29. Renegade Minicorps = fucking rocked. Was that SCV's Murray Gusseck or
Dave Weckl on drum set? Wow.
30. Ghostriders and Erie Thunderbirds = Get along like cats and dogs, but
both are really excellent and contain many cool people.
31. Fan emails sent to Renegades website after DCA = too many to count.
Thank you fans. We love you.
32. Renegades = Bridgemen's evil twin (as happily told to me by three very
cool Bridgemen alumni at I&E).
33. Bridgemen come back. Two corps run amok would be really, really fucking
scary.
34. Person I most wanted to meet at DCA but did not = George Dixon.
35. So Cal. Dream Minicorps = Welcome to the club. RCR next up to bat. WEST!
36. Caballeros = Deserved to win DCA 2003. I tip my Yankees hat to them for
a well-deserved World Championship. The water-drums were genius. A little
more rain, and everyone coulda had 'em. LOL.
37. River City and So.Cal.Dream Evil Reinforcements = Special thanks and
congrats to those who joined Team Evil for the last month. You rose to the
challenge, and did a fantastic job. Domo arigato Mr. Roboto.
38. JT and Trevor -- Congrats for sticking it out through some rough times
to go the distance. Told ya. Now, wear the 2003 patch with pride ...
forever.
39. Ron (Sid) and Nancy -- On Saturday, in the Stadium Club bar, I ran into
our pal Ron again (the guy who ruined the Internet) and finally got to meet
his sidekick Nancy, also of RAMD fame. Nancy is brash, loud, chaotic and
completely out of control -- and she rudely crashed her way into Group 7 to
demand a cigarette from my Mom (true story). What does all that mean? It
means that Nancy fits right in with the Renegades. Hi Nancy. Welcome to Team
Evil.
40. Larry Girard = First guy to ever give the Renegades a chance, when he
wrote horn arrangements for 7 people and a ham sandwich in 1998. It's all
your fault bro. :)
41. Renegade souvie sales near $5,000 in two days ... again. Thank you DCA
fans and Renegade 2003 Souvie Team. We love you.
42. Have I mentioned that Carolina Gold is evil?
43. Reading Bucs drum line = awesome.
44. You need feet to stand up straight on.
45. Who invented the name Yuengling? Wacky.
46. Thank you Jim and Catherine Verduer for coming to DCA again.
47. Holiday Inn staff = eats snot. Nice puke outside the lobby, ya jerks.
48. Have I mentioned that Carolina Gold is evil?
49. 49ers season starts on Sunday. Yipppee.
50. The first few days after DCA is like waking up from a dream, and then
realizing that you're in 1976 Cleveland. Or something.
51. Renegades 2004 = Jazz + Evil Techno. LOUDER, cleaner and more Evil.
Join.
52. Renegades American Flag guy = apparently defines the term "run-amok."
53. Todd McClintick and Family = Thank you.
54. Todd Oliver = maniac, and allegedly can do math.
55. Cavies 2003 guard uniform = Nice art. Blech.
56. Have I mentioned that Carolina Gold is evil?
57. 2003 Contra line pulled it off again. Wow. Congrats. BTW - R2s
individual solo left me speechless.
58. James Bearney = Hulk. If he gets mad, run into the forest.
59. Lesbians. You can never have enough around.
60. You need feet ... to keep your legs from fraying at the end.
61. shhhh. crunchy frog.
62. Have I mentioned that Carolina Gold is evil?
63. Where was Dave Gambal? MIA. Ditto for our pal Al Murray, who was busy
getting married.
64. Renegades love Promark. Thank you Staci Stokes and company.
64. Why are there two 64s? I dunno.
65. DCA Finals "Field" Drum Judge. Not on the field ... for any corps.
should get his own 1.0 penalty for not crossing the front sideline in
reverse. F.
66. DCA Finals "Field" Drum Judge. Not on the field ... for any corps.
should get his own 1.0 penalty for not crossing the front sideline in
reverse. F. Yep. I list this one twice.
67. Thank you Times Leader for the cover story on the Renegades.
68. Thank you Hanover Area for adopting the Renegades.
69. Toast is illegal in Belgium.
70. Cathy Pearson = Learned Renegades show in two days, and performed it
like she had been in the corps since 1983. The Rene-guard was genius this
year. Thank you guard staff.
71. Not covering pitchers mound + rain + difficult drill = bad injury +
lawsuit waiting to happen. Please get the bases covered, DCA dudes and
dudettes ... before someone gets crunchy leg and blames you.
72. Chris Nalls + me = yin + yang.
73. Renegades 2002 documentary DVD = genius. Jay Lee for Governor.
74. Lynn, God damn Al and Jed = responsible for Renegades having a pit this
year. Domo arigato.
75. Johanna and Jonathan = financial geniuses responsible for flying the
entire corps 3000 miles and yet somehow ending the 2003 season in the black
(which did not happen in 2002).
76. Ed Teleky's genius addition to Red Skies at Night = Matrix. IMO, best
drum corps tune since Rocky Point Holiday. Ed Teleky for music director.
77. Two Sevens. Ahhhhh.....
78. Evil Cymbal Instructor Anthony Aranda -- stayed on East Coast after DCA
to go to acting school in NYC. Good luck Anthony. When you're on a sit com,
call me to negotiate your contract.
79. Have I mentioned that Carolina Gold is evil?
80. Brigs playing to Statesmen at retreat = emotional x 777. A memory of a
lifetime.
81. For the record, I am now apparently judging a YEA! band show in New
Jersey in October. I warned George twice, but he still wants me to do it.
The chaos factor will probably make this my first and last judging
appearance of all-time, so get ready. Anyone know any good Joisey mafia
bodyguards?
82. Crunchy Frog. Shhhhh....
83. Veronica's fund raising = genius.
84. Lesa + Anne = PR gurus.
85. The year SCV changed pants colors in a tunnel. The car wash.
86. Lionel Richie.
87. Renegade staff = some of my best friends in the world.
88. Renegades 2003 = the corps loves one another like brothers and sisters.
Which, I think, is the essential element to getting a corps to the next
level. Which is gonna happen. uh-oh.
89. My first year on SCV staff. Controversy + DCI title.
90. Rich Duarte = The heart and soul of Renegades becomes his very own "cult
of personality" with the creation of the new evil soprano line member shirt.
Genius.
91. Frank Dorritie's genius addition to Red Skies at Night = Toccatta.
92. 2003 Renegade DMs = best drum major team I've ever worked with in any
corps.
93. Renegades Board of Directors = thank you for all your hard work this
year. We kicked ass.
94. Mike McCool = Assembled the Renegades 2003 visual staff. Genius. Just as
genius, was Steve Proud securing a Treasure Island home for the corps all
year.
95. My genius addition to Red Skies at Night = Slow Motion aka Bullet Time
(born in 1993 SCV).
96. Dave Watrous = kicks fucking ass as a marching instructor. Ditto for his
evil henchmen Dave and Marlena.
97. Looking ahead, In 2004, we should add about 5 more marching techs.
Really.
98. Chris Nalls = Maybe the best corps director in the history of the Free
World.
99. John Madden Football 2004. Woo-hoo!!
100. Definition of amusing = Renegades constantly sliding downwards in DCW,
DCP and DCA fan polls as the corps secretly cleans the show for 6 weeks in
California. Stealth, no?
101. LOUD is Good.
102. Red Alert Fred. Alisha has large breasts.
103. Jon Reynolds is Batman. Thank you to his cool mom and dad (two of our
biggest fans) for buying lunch for the entire corps back in California.
104. Evil Ending 2003 = created by Me, Ed, Frank, Chris, Watrous and Jim ...
in three hour long rage of a horn rehearsal at Foothill College. Thank you
horn line for being so patient and letting us try anything and everything
that we wanted. Double thanks to the whole corps is believing us when we
said the Evil Ending would work -- and allowing us to ditch the "march fast,
play loud and wave big things" traditional drum corps ending. Who needs it.
:)
105. Whoever made the megaphones (Brett?) - You created genius. Ditto for
Chris.
106. 2003 Renegade soprano line = thank you for your 100% commitment to
being part of the team. Next year, we play evil jazz, which will put a smile
on your face.
107. 2003 Renegade drum line = You became great because of YOU. You guys
have heart, and I am amazed at how far you have come. Sorry the Finals drum
judge didn't go on the field, but there are 10 other corps mad at him too.
MC REYNOLDS: Thank you and Good Night!! We'll be here all week ... tip your
waitress and try the veal!!
DISCLAIMER: This is not an exhaustive list of anything or anyone. In fact,
I'm sure I left important stuff out. C'est la vie.
This issue's featured staff member is Renegades president, percussion
caption head, Lionel Richie fanatic and lawyer run-amok Lee Rudnicki.