Drumline (2002)

Episode 127 (September 6, 2024)

Laci and Matt talk about the 2002 college band-centered classic Drumline, a highly entertaining journey into the world of HBCU marching bands. Nick Cannon is either “great” (Laci) or “perfectly fine” (Matt) as Devon, whose me-first attitude doesn’t quite gel with his teammates on the campus of Atlanta A&T. He is especially at odds with the band director Dr. Lee (Orlando Jones) and drum major Sean (Leonard Roberts). Will they figure it all out in time for the big showdown against the villainous Morris Brown University, whose razzle-dazzle tactics Dr. Lee disapproves of?

It’s a fun and sweet movie and, obviously, we’re shipping Devon and Sean. Get Laila (Zoe Saldaña) out of here!

Drumline Podcast

Time stamps:

01:19 — Our personal histories with Drumline
17:32 — History segment: Music producer Dallas Austin (real-life inspiration for the story) develops the project as a movie; director Charles Stone III and star Nick Cannon
29:15 — In-depth movie discussion
1:14:18 — Final thoughts and star ratings

Artwork by Laci Roth.

Music by Rural Route Nine. Listen to their album The Joy of Averages on Spotify (https://bit.ly/48WBtUa), Apple Music (https://bit.ly/3Q6kOVC), or YouTube (https://bit.ly/3MbU6tC).

Songs by Rural Route Nine in this episode:
“Your Ambition” – https://youtu.be/ZHudVTCkrQY
“Winston-Salem” – https://youtu.be/-acMutUf8IM
“Snake Drama” – https://youtu.be/xrzz8_2Mqkg
“The Bible Towers of Bluebonnet” – https://youtu.be/k7wlxTGGEIQ

Source:
Halftime is game time: An oral history of ‘Drumline’ by Aaron Dodson | Andscape, 2017 – https://bit.ly/3T30CGt