the boys of the NYPD choir

[veggie]

Last night I watched "The Choirboys", a movie of the 70s about a squad of NY policemen: have "the boys of the NYPD choir" anything to do with that?

[philipchevron]

Last night I watched "The Choirboys", a movie of the 70s about a squad of NY policemen: have "the boys of the NYPD choir" anything to do with that?

No. There IS no NYPD Choir, as we discovered when we made the promo video. Just a band of NYPD pipers who can sing the MICKEY MOUSE CLUB song. But it was reasonable of Shane to suppose there WAS a NYPD Choir full of glorious John MacCormack/Ronan Tynan/Frank Patterson manqués. He's sentimental that way.

[veggie]

[Just a band of NYPD pipers who can sing the MICKEY MOUSE CLUB song.

[veggie]

ops, I forgot to say thank you!

[philipchevron]

[Just a band of NYPD pipers who can sing the MICKEY MOUSE CLUB song.

No really. That IS what they're singing when you see them on screen. Not enough of them knew enough of "Galway Bay" to take a chance.

[CraigBatty]

No really. That IS what they're singing when you see them on screen. Not enough of them knew enough of "Galway Bay" to take a chance.

That is just priceless, Philip. Thanks for the tidbit.

[philipchevron]

No really. That IS what they're singing when you see them on screen. Not enough of them knew enough of "Galway Bay" to take a chance.

That is just priceless, Philip. Thanks for the tidbit.

Actually, I only found this out myself when I watched the The Story Of "Fairytale Of New York" film the BBC made last year. They went back to all the original sources. Including the NYPD Choir. Who are really the NYPD Pipe band. Who play (Scottish) bagpipes and dress in traditional (Scottish) kilts. And don't know the words of "Galway Bay".

[CraigBatty]

Actually, I only found this out myself when I watched the The Story Of "Fairytale Of New York" film the BBC made last year. They went back to all the original sources. Including the NYPD Choir. Who are really the NYPD Pipe band. Who play (Scottish) bagpipes and dress in traditional (Scottish) kilts. And don't know the words of "Galway Bay".

I think I saw this doco recently too. I've often wondered about the píobaí mór and fillibeg/glengarry dress mode thing myself. I hazard a guess that there may have been a very large input of Ulster Irish in the make-up of the original pipe-bands in NYC. Which may go partially toward explaining the predilection for more traditionally Scottish modes of dress and accoutrement. Either that, or they were just aping the whole Victorian style of Celticisation of pipe-bands etc.

[dawsonn]

I cant really imagine any police force having a choir. If there was one i would imagine it to contain many camp policemen.

[philipchevron]

Actually, I only found this out myself when I watched the The Story Of "Fairytale Of New York" film the BBC made last year. They went back to all the original sources. Including the NYPD Choir. Who are really the NYPD Pipe band. Who play (Scottish) bagpipes and dress in traditional (Scottish) kilts. And don't know the words of "Galway Bay".

I think I saw this doco recently too. I've often wondered about the píobaí mór and fillibeg/glengarry dress mode thing myself. I hazard a guess that there may have been a very large input of Ulster Irish in the make-up of the original pipe-bands in NYC. Which may go partially toward explaining the predilection for more traditionally Scottish modes of dress and accoutrement. Either that, or they were just aping the whole Victorian style of Celticisation of pipe-bands etc.

I guess we'll never know. Perhaps we don't even want to ask. I do know that the whole St Patrick's Day thing was, in the first instance, a very Scots-Irish thing.

[philipchevron]

I cant really imagine any police force having a choir. If there was one i would imagine it to contain many camp policemen.

Imagine and be free.

[Benno]

forgive my ignorance
but what do the irish and scottish generally think of each other?
i know the english think of the scottish as barbarians
but what of the irish?

[DzM]

forgive my ignorance
but what do the irish and scottish generally think of each other?
i know the english think of the scottish as barbarians
but what of the irish?

I once heard that the Scots are still bitter at the Irish for that time when the Scots received bagpipes as a gag gift and didn't realize the joke for centuries.


Joking aside - They're both countries with millions of people. You will never find an answer to such a sweeping question that the majority of either country will agree with.

[Michaelo]

forgive my ignorance
but what do the irish and scottish generally think of each other?
i know the english think of the scottish as barbarians
but what of the irish?

The English think of the Scottish as barbarians? We're not in the 18th century now, you know?
As DzM says above- I think there are many different viewpoints. But barbarians? Thats a new one.

[philipchevron]

The Irish and the Scottish are traditionally bonded by a common ancient enemy - the English. The Scots-Irish, meanwhile, are just the enemy of rational thought and liberal expression the world over. We don't let them play in our yard.