The "Barnyard Noises" Tape Switching Incident

The year was 1986 or so and the Pep Band was visiting that bastion of agrarianism, Virginia Tech, in Blacksburg. (Do you know how to get to Blacksburg from Charlottesville? Go south until you smell it, and then west until you step in it.) Specifically, the Pep Band Announcer was up in their Stadium Booth, ostensibly scoping things out in preparation for our show. (But, of course, he was really on a secret mission.)

At the time, Tech had a sort of bizarre habit about their football games. Despite having 2 different marching bands, they always played this one tape of fight song music whenever their team took the field. (They're not so bright down there.) Only this time, that fight song tape was secretly replaced by dark sparkling Folgers crystals. No, actually, it was replaced by a tape of standard barnyard noises.

So, needless to say, the Tech football team took the field that day to a loud chorus of "Mooooo"s, "Baaaaa"s, and "Oink"s. Great fun for the whole family, at least the part in the UVa sections.

This prompted an official decree by the Tech athletic department that the Pep Band Announcer was henceforth to be allowed in their booth no more than 90 seconds before the start of our show. (This turned out to be academic, as our next performance at Tech was to be our last - the infamous Bimbo Coles Show!)