Tag Archives: occupational folklore

Fishy and Trout

“If a drag queen is really pretty, and they look like a real female, instead of a man dressed in drag, then they call them ‘fishy’. And if they’re not ‘fishy’, then they’re trout. It’s like a diss, to call someone a trout.”

The informant introduced me to these drag-queen slang-terms during the middle of our interview. She used to work in a costume shop for drag queens, and she learned these terms from hanging out with several drag queens. She said that she enjoyed working in the costume shop because she met many people she wouldn’t have normally had the chance to. She seemed proud that she knew these slang words, because it gave her some authority in the world of drag queens. It made her connections with drag queens more real, because she could partake in their unique culture. Most occupational folklore works on this level. The more folklore one learns about a culture, the more accepted that person is as “one of them”. Even though the informant does not partake in dressing in drag herself, she still likes having ties to the culture.

I thought this piece of folklore was very interesting. It’s always cool to learn new words and their meanings, especially if they’re slang words from another culture.  I also thought it was interesting that both words, “fishy” and “trout”, connect to fish. I wonder what the connection between drag queens and fish is, if there is one. Maybe it’s because fish seem like a more gender-neutral animal, and drag queens like to walk the line between genders. Or it could be that fish terms are just more unique than the classic “pretty” and “ugly”, and drag queens like to be unique. Whatever the case, I feel that the words appropriately fit their meanings. “Trout” is more of a blunt, ugly word, while “fishy” sounds more delicate and similar to “pretty”. When a drag queen looks successfully like a real female, he is considered very pretty. I have seen many drag queens in the Mardi Gras festival in Provincetown, Rhode Island. There is a huge range in their female resemblance. I think it’s a very interesting culture, and I’m glad I know a little more about it now.

Kemps

As I was interviewing all of my informants for the collection, I remembered that there were all kinds of traditions that I learned during my time in the high school marching band, and I wanted to add at least one of my own. So I decided to include the card game, Kemps.

Kemps is a game that I learned about in band from the upperclassmen and later I learned that it’s a game that the upperclassmen in band generally teach to the younger grades so that one the way to football games and such we could all be entertained.

The Rules of Kemps

  1. Maximum of Four (4) Teams
  2. Two players per team
  3. Each teams will have a specific signal between the players
  4. Objective of the game: Collect all four of the same card and only have those four cards in your hand. After this, you signal your partner and your partner will say “Kemps”. Your teams will have won the turn after this.
  5. If another team sees your signal, they can call out Anti-Kemps and win the turn instead.

After the upperclassmen teach the underclassmen the rules, it’s basically a trial by fire, wherein the “newbies” try to apply the rules as best as they can as they attempt to will the game.

 

One of my fondest memories of band is teaching the lower grades how to play this game and seeing their frustration in trying to learn it. It’s a tradition that I know for sure is still carried out, and one that I look forward playing every time I return home for a visit.

Ninja

J: Can you tell me about Ninja?

T: Hahaha, Ninja, well that’s a game the students learned from you wasn’t it?

J: Well yeah, but you incorporated it into rehearsal.

T: Well, if I understand it correctly, and help me if I mess up, Ninja is a very active game where the players get into a circle and while pivoting on one foot, try to tag both hands of all the other players. But…what was the other part of it?

J: They can only move once per turn.

T: Yep, that’s it! After I saw you playing it with a few other students, I thought that it would be a fantastic way to warm up the body before rehearsal, so I started adding in time every rehearsal to ensure that everyone could play for about ten minutes.

J: I’d say it definitely helped us stay hyper and alert.

T: Exactly. That’s one of the reasons why I didn’t have any qualms about spending the time doing it.

J: Does the band still do it now?

T: Of course! I wasn’t going to let that little gem go to waste. Thank you for teaching it to them.

J: Happy to help, and thank you for helping me out with my project.

T: No problem, well, it’s getting late, so I’ll talk you later. Night.

J: Night!

 

While Ninja has become a widespread game across the world, I picked it up while attending drum major camp. The other drum majors were playing it, and I thought that it would be an amazing fun game to bring back and use in the band just for fun. I was pleasantly surprised when the band director wanted to incorporate it into our warm up routine. I was even more surprised to hear that the band is still playing Ninja as a warmup now that I’ve graduated. I’m happy to say that I added a little piece of tradition to the band that everyone will carry on, hopefully, for years to come!

Pride Time

J: Ok, I spoke with you earlier this week about different traditions we do as a band, and was wondering if you’d mind sharing some of them.

T: You know I’m always happy to help you out. What would you like to know?

J: Well, how about Summer Band? We can start there. What’s the first thing, besides the heat, that comes to mind when you think of Summer Band?

T: Hmm, well that would have to be “Pride Time.”

J: Can you explain what that is?

T: Well, let’s see…OK, during Summer Band, which is the first week we begin on our marching music for the season, we get a lot of freshmen who have never marched before. Because of that, they have to be disciplined. To do that we have the entire band stand outside at attention. Should I explain what that is?

J: Sure.

T: Attention is a position where the body is completely still, your arms are at your sides, your feet are together, and you’re looking straight ahead. But do not…I repeat, do not, lock your knees.

J: Or you’ll pass out.

T: Exactly. But back to Pride Time; after you come to attention, you stay in that position for about a minute, and you do not move.

J: Why is that?

T: It’s to teach the younger kids, and remind the older ones, that your body is a temple, and you have to teach it to remain still at all times on the field unless you’re executing a move in the marching show.

J: So what happens if someone moves during Pride Time?

T: Well, we call “At Ease”, which means everyone leaves attention, and then we call attention again and start over. We do it again and again until everyone has been able to remain still for at least one minute.

J: And after that?

T: After that, either the drum major or myself will call out, “Who’s got the best band?” To which the band will respond, “We do!” Then the leader will call, “Dismissed!” And the band will respond with, “Pride!” After that, practice ends. And we carry this process out at every rehearsal during the marching band season.

J: Oh, before I forget, who taught you about Pride Time?

T: I learned about special calls and routines and endurance exercises when I was in band as a kid, and through college, and graduate training. So when I came to Forrest City, I wanted to keep up the tradition that had helped me.

J: Interesting! I didn’t know that!

 

I knew from the beginning that I wanted to interview my former band director about a few of the traditions we had back when I was in the high school band, because a lot them resonated with me and I carry out some of them today. Pride Time was one of the most grueling exercises I’ve ever experienced. Imagine standing completely still at 12 Noon while the sun is blazing above you and it’s 110 degrees. A minute under those conditions will test the resolve of any band member, but year after year the band survived. Even during the year when I was drum major, and I was an especially tough drum major, the band rose to the occasion and was stronger for it. It’s a test of endurance that strengthened my body all four years of my marching band career and it’s a tradition that will continue to train the future band students to come.

“If you don’t try, you’re lazy.”

The informant shared this proverb that he learned from his father in law.  I laughed when he said it, but he asserted, “It’s actually quite a good one though.  I learned that from him.”

The informant learned it in the context of their shared business.  To him, it means that “if you just, when something comes up, if you don’t try to resolve it or if you just do nothing, then you are lazy. Also if you can do better, but you don’t try new things because it is too much work…  You should always try things or else you are lazy.”

He uses the proverb when talking to his employees.  He says that they never try new things; they just do.  They think that this is how they have always done it so they just continue even if it isn’t working, but he tells them this so that they will try something new.

I think the proverb is very true especially to the more modern generations who rely more on technology to get things done.  I think the proverb is really saying not to complain if you aren’t going to do something to change the situation.