Spring Fling Throwback. Pen and ink. Originally published in the Daily Pennsylvanian on April 5, 2007.
Two eagerly anticipated announcements come springtime: 1) Who is the commencement speaker? 2) Who’s performing at Fling?
Since graduation only really concerned a fourth of us, the latter was arguably of more interest to the entire student body every year. The choice of musical performer to headline the annual Spring Fling concert was often hotly contested, with people complaining that the school’s Special Planning + Events Committee (SPEC) consistently favored some musical genres over others (e.g., “frat rock” and hip-hop). I felt for them, because it was impossible to satisfy everyone’s diverse musical tastes with one act.
Anyway, as with the unveiling of artists in the years prior, SPEC’s decision to cast an alt-rock group that peaked in the 90s was not free of controversy. Interestingly enough, it was announced that Harvard, Princeton, and Dartmouth had also booked the group for their spring concerts.
Nothing against Third Eye Blind (I like Jumper as much as the next person), but I wasn’t the only one who thought that their sudden relevance on the campus music scene deserved a “Party like it’s 1999” joke…
To quote a famously snarky blog:
“Seriously?! How has Third Eye Blind suddenly become the hottest ticket on the… circuit? Did Chumbawumba, the New Radicals, and Deep Blue Something all have bar mitzvahs booked up?”
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Cameo of the week: Marketing professor Keith Niedermeier, everyone’s favorite Ph.D-slash-rockstar… (Fan-made sign spotted at one of his gigs: “Marketing professors know how to position their goods!”)
I only intended to make a throwaway reference to one of his former bands, Boost. Apparently, he thought that the guy wearing the band shirt bore more than a passing resemblance to him… Since I’m reprinting the cartoon, I’d like to state for the record that the guy harassing Ben Franklin is not him… Besides, Dr. Niedermeier is a proud supporter of Stephan Jenkins and co.
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This is a scan of the original drawing prior to publication. More about my stint at the DP here.