I’ve just got to have a rant. This whole Olympics marching band thing has got way out of hand. From the sounds of it, some SOCOG dweeb made the wrong decision to start with, and they’d already got loads of overseas marching bands to come over when someone said "errr, how about letting some Aussies play?"
Now the Americans who were originally going to play at the opening ceremony are whinging about it. They’ve been offered the chance to play just about everywhere except for the opening ceremony, including the Sydney Opera House steps, but have apparently rejected it.
What a bunch of bloody whiners. Whose Olympics do they think it is, anyway? SOCOG is running the show; and no matter how stupidly they’re going about making these decisions, how do some hopeful minor players like this think they have a right to demand everything?
Did the rest of the world have a screaming fit at the Atlanta games people for the far more significant problems they had? Did we all say "look, your transport was crap, and you still haven’t caught anyone for setting off that bomb".
Oh, I even heard some feeble-minded band leader on the radio trot out that old line "we saved your asses in World War 2". Yeah, and we’re going to be hearing about it for the rest of time, aren’t we, thanks to gits like you, who conveniently forget that the US only entered the war when given no choice but to when Pearl Harbor was attacked – and this was two years after it all started!
The Opera House steps may not sound impressive, but there are few more spectacular places in the world you can stand. With the sun glistening on the water, the Opera House towering behind you, and looking across at the Sydney Harbour Bridge, it’s a sight that few people ever forget. Crowded House chose their farewell concert site well.
If I was running the Olympics, then about now I’d be saying "Right you idiots. We’re having the Olympics in Sydney. It’s going to be great. You can either come over and help us celebrate, or you can sit at home sulking. Your choice. Either come and play, or shut the flugelhorn up."
