In The Generics’ 20-year history, the members have changed over and the music repertoire has expanded, but their signature corny jokes have transcended time.
“What did the fish say when he ran into the wall?” one Generics member asked a crowd Friday night. “Oh, dam.”
Members of the university’s oldest a cappella group, The Generics, celebrated the group’s 20th anniversary Friday with a three-hour show featuring both current members and more than 30 alumni.
The near sell-out crowd at Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center’s Dekelboum Concert Hall was entertained by former members ranging from recent graduates to several founding members – one performer pointed out that not all the current members were alive when the group was founded in 1988 – who not only performed before The Generics’ set but also enlightened the audience to the group’s long history and traditions.
Between performing popular songs such as Dexys Midnight Runners’ “Come on Eileen” and U2’s “Mysterious Ways,” founding member Richard Hsu recounted some tidbits of Generics history.
An old tradition that lost some of its meaning along the way is a Yoo-Hoo chugging contest before trips. Members used to get bottles of the drink from the Knox Road 7-Eleven, and the winner would get to ride shotgun on the drive. Though the chugging still takes place, members said, the prize has long been forgotten.
The men would also kidnap new members and take them to Denny’s, said Deepak Ramapriyan, who sang in the group from 1997 to 2002. “We always sing to waitresses,” Ramapriyan said, noting the practice of singing to avoid tipping waitresses after racking up expensive tabs helped lead to the title of a past Generics album, Will Sing for Food.
The Generics alumni also made it clear the group has had a clear history of being more than just a regular a cappella group. Current members spice up the performance by dancing around the stage and even adding “your mom” jokes to the songs, but former members also had some jokes up their sleeves. They sang a song called “Title of the Song” that enumerated how to write a successful boy-band song, and they performed a Star Wars: The Musical parody, complete with masks, costumes and Broadway songs re-written to match the theme – Fiddler on the Roof’s “If I Were a Rich Man” became “If I Were a Jedi.”
Founding member Greg DiCostanzo said the goal of the group was always to distinguish themselves from stuffier groups across the country.
“The Ivies had a cappella, but it was more formal, more dressed,” DiCostanzo said.
“The Generics said, ‘F— that,'” added alumnus Paul Bachmann, who said their group was “just a little bit ahead of the curve” because they performed more popular rock ‘n’ roll music.
Current Generics said they embrace their reputation and try to keep adding to it. Junior music voice major Ben Lurye said that, among other things, the group is remembered for the lame jokes they tell between songs.
“We take pride in our really bad jokes,” he said.
And the audience seemed to have taken note of the group’s entertaining traditions. Senior mechanical engineering major and Generics business manager Christopher Barrow said a CSPAC house manager informed him a sizable crowd was waiting to get in once the show started, but couldn’t because the ticket booth had closed. Though Barrow says he regrets they could not obtain tickets, he called it “a self-esteem booster.”
Though less apparent, Generics members old and new said an exciting feature of the group is the close relationship between alumni and current members.
“When I was in the group, I was very close-knit with the alumni. Keeping in touch after school was natural,” said alumnus Kevin Wilsey, who recently left the group.
Generics members attribute their close relationship largely to their traditions. When a Generics member gets married, it is custom to toss them into the fountain at McKeldin, Ramapriyan said.
“There’ll probably be a few tonight,” he said. Steve Knotts, an alumnus who recently became engaged, was the recipient of that tradition Friday night, despite the chilly weather.
Hsu said he was pleasantly surprised to see the number of Generics alumni from other years who knew who he was. He said, “I have nothing in common with many of these guys except for being in The Generics, and apparently, that’s enough.”
jammidbk@gmail.com
