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Saturday, January 3rd, 2009 at 9:51 am - by Tom Ferrick. Filed under: Uncategorized.
By Tom Ferrick
If the Mummers don't take action, this could be the only guy left watching the parade.
What would you call a big parade that hardly anyone shows up to watch? I would call it a failure. In Philadelphia, we have a different name for it. We call it the Mummer’s Parade.
News reports in the Daily News and the Inquirer made it clear that the crowd that lined up on Broad Street Thursday to see the Mummer’s strut their stuff wasn’t… well…a crowd. There were long stretches of Broad Street that remained empty all day. Even at prime locations (at the Bellevue, to name one) parade watchers ran only two deep.
Parade enthusiasts offered the usual excuses for the lack of audience. It was cold. The publicity about the city cutting off the subsidy money may have kept people away. The parade was shorter this year, but maybe there were fewer people because the usual string band performance spots were also cut back. Etc. and so forth.
But, here is the reality: Attendance at the parade has been slipping for years. It has defied various attempts to juice it (Remember the parade on Market Street years?). Cold is not an excuse because the parade used to draw five to six times the crowd it does today on more frigid New Year’s Days.
Lose your audience and you lose your reason for being. But, if the Mummer’s want to get serious about reclaiming their place as anything more than a folk curio, they are going to have to address these issues:
1. It is not a parade. A parade is where you stand and witness a continuous stream of performers, marching bands, floats, etc. that go by at a continuous pace. The Mummer’s Parade is a stop-and-start affair. And sometimes more stop than start - especially when it comes to the string bands, which is why 90 percent of the people go to the parade. You often have to invest four hours on a street corner to hear 60 minutes of music. In terms of pacing, it resembles the Stations of the Cross.
2. It is monotonous. I won’t go as far to say that if you have seen one string band you have seen them all. But, if you have seen four or five you have. There is a reason for this sameness: The Mummers are wedded to tradition. Changes in performance, selection of music, choreography and costumes come slowly and incrementally. There may be differences in the polish of the performances, but not in their basic structure. They follow rules and rubrics handed down from one generation to another. That’s why it is hard to tell one string band (or comic or fancy division) from another. Now, ask yourself this: Would you stand on a cold street corner for 7 hours to watch 30 troops of Boy Scouts pass by? Same uniforms. Same marching style. Same insignias. Same. Same. Same. The charm wears off quickly.
3. It is too long. Nine-to-11 hours parades are the norm. This year, because of the cut in the city subsidy, the parade time was trimmed to a more manageable 6-plus hours. Necessity is the mother of invention. The Mummer’s did it only because they would have been forced to pay additional police overtime and other costs associated with a longer parade. A shorter parade is a better parade.
4. It has too many string bands. Nominally, there are 18 string bands. In reality, there are about 6 top-notch bands, 6 middling bands and 6 truly pathetic bands. Has anyone ever seriously thought of consolidating the 12 bottom-feeders into maybe 5 or 6 stronger bands? Ditto the comics and the fancies.
5. It has too many drunks. I don’t want to mythologize the past. I am sure there were always drunks at the parade (and in it, as well). But, the lid seems to have come off in recent years. Are you going to take your family to a parade where it seems like every third person is either throwing up, peeing against a wall, bobbing and weaving, shouting and screaming or blowing on one of those #@*$! plastic horns in your ear? I think not. The drunks have driven away regular folks because no one has done anything about the drunks.
6. It isn’t about the audience. The Mummers all have the same line - “We do it all for the folks who come to the parade.” But that rings hollow to me. If the Mummers existed for the audience, heads would roll among its leadership because it is losing its audience. They would jazz it up. Change the pace. Try new things. Try anything to get the folks back. And they don’t.
Take the string bands, please. Their performances have become more and more elaborate, with the kind of flats and sets that you usually see on Broadway shows. But, suppose you went to Broadway to see a musical and entered the theater to discover that there were no seats facing the stage. They were all on the side. You’d have to watch the show from the wings. Would you pay $100 for that ticket?
Ther same is true on Broad Street with the string bands. They don’t orient their performances to the audience. They play to the empty street in front of them. A lot in the audience are relegated to staring at the back of their flats. Does this make sense? No, unless you consider this fact:
The parade is not about the audience. It is about the Mummers. It’s about the tribe of guys who make up the various divisions. It’s about them, not about you. So, if you are a member of the audience, you’d better get used to that fact.
This is my list. Maybe you can think of a few reasons more. And this desk is open to suggestions on how to improve the parade.
But, let us be realistic. Don’t expect much to change.
When it comes to the Mummers, tradition rules - expect for one. The tradition of people going to the parade.
January 3rd, 2009 at 11:33 am
Hi Tom,
WAS, the coldest day of the year 20 degrees with wind chills in the single digits.
I would call the mummurs an icon of the city of Philly.
Your story is a moronic smear campaign.
People watched them on in HD-TV and the mummers looked Great in HD!
And HD needs new content badly.
Now you be a good one term Nutter fan and go crawl back under your rock.
Alex
January 3rd, 2009 at 2:24 pm
I agree wholeheartedly with Tom. The Mummers parade is nothing but an excuse for people to get drunk in public. If they pulled the plug on it, I for one would be happy.
January 3rd, 2009 at 4:25 pm
My wife and I came up from Maryland to see the Mummers and were delighted. We lived for many years in New Orleans and appreciate the cultural value of such privately produced events. Like Mardi Gras, the Mummers have avoided becoming yet another advertising venue for corporate sponsorship. What we saw was authentic community expression. I’m saddened to read the negativity expressed in several of the Philadelphia news outlets. Some of you apparently have no idea what a tremendous cultural treasure you possess, and sadly you won’t until it is gone. My wife and I had no problems with excessive drunkenness or inappropriate behavior. Indeed, by New Orleans standards the Mummers parade is very tame. We will be continue to bring tourist dollars to Philly largely because of the Mummers. I doubt we are alone. Thanks for a great time in a great city!
January 3rd, 2009 at 5:15 pm
As a guy who marched with the Landi Comics for several parades, I would agree that trimming some of the superfluous comics groups and some of the more execrable string bands from the line-up would probably do a lot to improve morale for the spectators as it begins to resemble the a New Year’s ‘Bataan Death March’ towards the end of the day.
But a lot of how the Mummers present themselves in the other 364 days of the ‘offseason’ would be a good start in terms of bringing change. Like:
*A real Mummers Museum website…one that has decent history links and pictures and provides a backstory to those not in the area…and not one that keeps looping the same awful track over and over again, no matter how often you mute it. To the physical museum: some proper museum exhibits by curators who know how to present history.
* Figuring out a way of presenting the Philadelphia version of Mummering (as the one practiced elsewhere is of a more medieval and religious nature) to the world at large; or even for more local outreach. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation did an interesting documentary on the different kinds of Mumming Tradition across the world…not to mention the movie Strut! Why aren’t the elders of the varied clubs trading on that?
*A dedicated base of monetary support. The parade has been too hooked on easy money from the City without even thinking of the strings attached. Hopefully this wake up call will push them into setting up a nest egg from which to pay for future parades and not be wholly reliant on the City for support. And, possibly, begin to dictate some terms.
January 3rd, 2009 at 7:14 pm
I agree with John. This is a culture experience that sometimes gets taken for granted by the natives of Philadelphia. It was freezing that day I was there. This a a fun way to spend time with the family with little money involved if you take public transportation. Due to the cold, I did not bring my camera, but I wish I had.
January 3rd, 2009 at 8:45 pm
The mummers parade seems like little more than a boring taxpayer-sponsored celebration for the benefit of a group of exclusive, closeted, homoerotic cliques at an inopportune time of year.
Perhaps merging with the Pride Day Parade would spice-up this dull affair, save some money, feature better weather, and provide an appropriate venue for these brave souls we call mummers.
January 4th, 2009 at 3:09 pm
First, It’s great to read Tom Ferrick. He has been the most knowledgeable of all local columnist for many years.
I agree with everything except cutting the number of string bands etc.
My suggestion is let the parade be a parade with no Broadway performances, props and all the rest that makes it the slowest moving parade on earth.
Let’s save the performances and judging for some indoor space like the convention center- either the day of the parade or sometime before or after parade day.
January 5th, 2009 at 10:56 am
Times change, and the Mummers could adapt to the need of people for a faster-paced event. Getting the police to handle the drunks is essential
I think the problem is one expressed anecdotally: My fiancee’s family (all from South Philly) always attended the Mummers parade as a day long affair, with an open house, macaroni and gravy in big pots, people coming in and out.
Well, they’ve all moved. They’re gone, like so many Philadelphia families with school-age children. Especially in Pennsport and South Philly and other neighborhoods, who are the base of Mummery.
So, to get a crowd back, we have to get people back instead of watching on TV from Washington Township.
January 5th, 2009 at 11:04 am
@Joshua - That’s a good point about people having moved out of the city. Since the whole parade is fueled on tradition, it’s a pretty difficult task to convince new Philadelphians that the parade is something worthwhile - and not just a bunch of drunks in sequins. I’m with Tom’s suggestions; the parade could really use a refresh to get people interested.
January 5th, 2009 at 11:30 am
Being relatively new to Philly, I’ve only been to the past 2 Mummers parades, but based on what I’ve seen Tom’s points #1 and #3 are spot on.
I like Ron’s suggestion to move the judging indoors. The delays between performances really kill the parade’s momentum, at least at City Hall (where I’ve watched).
However, I’m sure the Mummers (at least some of them) really do want to do a performance for the crowd, and not just for the judges.
So here’s my $.02:
* The groups should prepare a “short” performance (1-2 minutes long, minimal props, not for judging) and a “long-form” one (for judging).
* Set up stations every X number of blocks where each group can perform their “short” performance for the crowd.
City Hall would be one of these but not the ONLY one. That way, people are encouraged to spread out and see the parade all throughout the route instead of just clustering at the end where the judging occurs.
Since there’s no big setup before/after each short performance, the parade should move quickly.
* Do the judging after the parade, at the Convention Center.
* Incent people to get off their couches and into the city on New Year’s Day.
I don’t know if that means free parking, SEPTA vouchers, attendee costume contests, or other incentives (personally I think if the parade were shorter that would help a lot - remember, the Mummers are competing against college football’s biggest afternoon/evening), but the city shouldn’t be so dead quiet on New Year’s Day.
January 10th, 2009 at 3:12 pm
I agree with Tom. The problem is that the Mummers’ Parade is no longer a parade, and when they march, the String Bands are not performing for those on the street.
When I was a kid (1950s/early 1960s), the string bands started marching around 11 in the morning. They were done about 2 - 2:30 pm. In South Philly, they performed on most blocks. I used to stand on the 2400 block of South Broad. Most importantly, when they did not perform on a block, they still played music. As they marched by, they played.
Now, the string bands perform on very, very few blocks. And in between, they do NOTHING. Why would anyone stand on a block where a performance is not scheduled? Of course it is empty on those blocks.
But even if you are on a block where the string bands perform, there’s a problem. Some of the bands have “scenery.” THey are putting on a stage show. It’s great if you are standing in the middle of Broad Street (as non-marching members of the band are — evaluating the performance). But if you are on the sidewalk, what do you see? Sometimes nothing, except the back of the scenery (unpainted plywood). Usually, you feel as if you have the worst seat in the house — looking at a stage show from an extreme side angle, rather than in front. My view — they string bands are performing for the judges. The judging stand should be placed to the side of the string bands, or at least some of the judges should be there, so they can judge the bands the way people on the street see them.
Tom is right about it being monotonous. If someone won last year, the others think “that’s the formula.” Go on YouTube and put in Ferko or Fralinger and look at performances from 20 years ago. They were much better. The music was better, the band members’ movements were better, etc.
And finally, a string band is a STRING band. I listened to one band this year and thought, is this a SAX band? Did any band have a xylophone this year (lovely effect in some musical pieces and always found in years’ past)? How many violins or basses could be found? Banjos are fine, but not all banjos! And more accordions please! Maybe band members no longer know how to play instruments, or don’t want to learn. [Can Ferko do a public service and give lessons to others?] The lack of a true string band, with a diversity of instruments, makes for a very monotonous sound.
The good points this year: it was fast. On the 2300 block of South Broad (near Methodist Hospital), the first string band starteed at 10:45 am and the last one went by just before 2 pm. That is great. Those half-hour gaps between bands were eliminated!!! For those who brave the cold, the pace of the parade this year was greatly appreciated.
And at least in South Philly, the people on the street were well behaved (maybe center city is different) and enjoyed the parade.
June 1st, 2009 at 10:46 am
I know I’m extremely late on chiming in here, but I stumbled across this article by chance, and I want to throw something out here for anyone else who happens to.
Reading all of your comments, I don’t think that some of you understand that this tradition is not a paying full time job. This is a hobby, though a taxing one, for the people involved, and to put it together takes an astronomical commitment of both time and money of all those involved.
As I’m reading things like “they should have the parade and then a separate day at a separate venue to be judged” or “they should prepare different routines for the judges and the crowd,” I’m getting the distinct impression that none of you have ever been directly involved in any of these operations and how truly difficult it is to pull off what they ARE able to accomplish. This is, of course, not to mention that the “prize money” doesn’t even cover the winning club’s expenses.
I agree with the comments above which said that this is something we won’t value until it is taken away. It is sad, really. I guess a tradition like this can’t make it in today’s ADD-plagued, instant gratification demanding, jaded society. God forbid that we do anything which even remotely gives a sense of community, or cultural identity.
June 1st, 2009 at 10:54 am
@Scully. It’s never too later to chime in on the Mummers. I appreciate your comment about this parade being an important event for Philadelphia as a community. That I think most would agree with. But many of the people who like the Mummers as an idea no longer make the effort to see the parade. Scully, it sounds like you’re involved in some way with the Mummers. What would you suggest to try to improve turnout for the January 1st event?
January 14th, 2010 at 12:33 pm
A bunch of us (geezers) were watching the parade on TV last week and wondered what happened to the real music ?? The parades we watched long ago, did not have saxophones drowning out the music.. We remembered a great connection between banjos and xzylophones and not saxes and drums..WHAT HAPPENED over the last 20 years ??