*
- The following program
is a co-production
of the University of Wisconsin- Madison
and PBS Wisconsin.
- Mike: Nobody takes me as a serious musician
'cause I'm always putting on funny clothes,
but it's show business. [drumroll]
* [audience cheers exuberantly]
- Narrator: The costumes,
the fireworks,
the really big shows...
- One more time! [roaring cheers]
- A legacy of music and showmanship
that is unmatched.
[blows whistle, yells] - Dig, dig, dig, dig, dig!!!
- 50 years leading the charge and marching to the beat--
- How bad do you want it?
- Musician,
performer,
and the man with the baton. [crowd roars]
- He's got people right here
in the palm of his hand. [thunderous cheering]
- He can entertain anywhere, anybody,
under any circumstance.
[hockey buzzer]
- Unforgettable moments
on the biggest stages.
- He's an icon.
- He's an entertainer.
There's no doubt about it. - Mike: Is that right?
- He's a daredevil. [chuckles]
- Mike: It was fun!
It was still fun. [cymbals clang]
- He's a showman.
- Mike Leckrone: Wisconsin's Showman!
[exuberant cheering]
* ["You've Said It All"]
- Funding for Mike Leckrone: Wisconsin's Showman
is brought to you by
Robert J. Lenz,
Greg and Carol Griffin,
Stanley J. Cottrill Fund,
with additional support from
Rawson S. & Mary L. Price,
Alumni of the University of Wisconsin Band,
Focus Funds for Wisconsin Programming,
and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
*
[drumming]
- Mike: When the band
comes on the field and plays "On, Wisconsin!"
I feel
the hair crawl up on the back of my neck.
* ["On, Wisconsin!"]
- One of a kind,
a legend, [blows whistle]
Wisconsin's Showman.
There are many descriptions of Mike Leckrone
and thousands of students
who have taken his lessons
beyond the walls
of the University of Wisconsin- Madison.
* ["On, Wisconsin!"]
Mike began his tenure in 1969,
and 50 years later,
retired as
the longest-serving marching band director
in the history of the Big Ten.
- Mike: One of the reasons I stayed with what I'm doing
for all these years:
It was fun!
It was-- It was still fun.
[students chant a cheer] You want it, Bucky? [blows whistle]
- Fifty years of Camp Randall halftime shows,
countless basketball and hockey pep bands...
and the big event of every spring--
the UW Varsity Band Concert.
[pyrotechnic explodes]
[electric drill noises]
[testing microphone] - 1- 2-3, 1- 2-3, 1-2-3.
- Mike: This is my usual route.
Looks good, yeah.
They're way ahead of schedule.
- If you hadn't been to the Spring Concert,
I think the way to describe it would be...
[crowd cheering wildly] - Hello! Welcome!
- Teeple: ...A marching band concert.
- Sarah Marty: Then, bring in
a whole bunch of rock 'n' roll lighting,
like you'd see in a rock concert,
fireworks-- inside the building--
streamer cannons,
confetti bombs,
and fabulous guest talent,
all together with a ton of school spirit.
You ready? - Mike: Yep.
- Okay.
Welcome, everybody, to our Tuesday production meeting
for the 45th-Annual UW Varsity Band Spring Concert.
Give yourselves a round of applause.
[light applause] There we go, we made it.
- Mike: I'm probably going to go through,
you know, what it was like 50 years ago.
At the end of it, I'll--
I'll do that sing-y thing that I do.
[sentimental music]
"Funny How Time Slips Away.
Funny How Time Slips Away."
[singing softly] * How time slips away
- As Mike Leckrone
prepared to take his final bow,
thoughts turned to a lifetime filled with music.
[cheers and applause]
- During my childhood,
I don't ever remember there not being music.
*
I grew up and was born in a little town in Indiana,
North Manchester.
I was born in a house; I wasn't born in a hospital.
*
I have a sister.
That's my only other sibling.
My dad was a schoolteacher, as a band director.
My mother started as a housekeeper.
Later on, she became a clerk in a record store,
which gave me a lot of access to a lot of music
when I was very young.
- Mika Mitmoen: His mom was more outgoing.
She was the outgoing one, but my Grandpa Leck,
he was very quiet.
My dad's a lot like him.
Liking to just sit back and observe,
read, love music.
- Mike's dad-- Harold 'Leck' Leckrone--
a school band teacher
known for giving music lessons to children of all ages
throughout the community.
To Mike, he passed on a lifelong love of music.
- Mike: My dad, obviously,
being a band director,
he was always bringing home records
for me to listen to.
He wanted me to learn to play an instrument.
My first instrument was as a percussionist.
When I asked him that in later years,
"Well, you didn't have any teeth," he said.
"You couldn't play any other kind of instrument
at that point because there was no teeth."
But he said, "I wanted you to learn rhythmically
"how to read notes and read music.
"Music is a great outlet for you, and it's something
that'll serve you well all your life."
So, that was the message that he gave me very early on.
As soon as I had my teeth,
I started playing trumpet.
*
By the time I was in the sixth grade,
I was playing in the high school band.
It was a tradition in the high school
to display your medals on your uniform.
If you got medals,
and the medals came either winning 1st or 2nd place
in one of the music events.
And I would go to a music festival,
and if it started at 8:00 in the morning
and ended at 4:00 in the afternoon,
I might play eight, ten events.
Because of my nature, I just did a lot of 'em.
- Mika Mitmoen: He also
participated in baseball,
he participated in track,
and he played basketball.
- My favorite sport was basketball
because you're in Indiana, and that's all anybody knows.
It's a great, great tradition.
- Mika Mitmoen: My grandpa would always put on, like,
a little halftime show on the basketball court.
But with my dad being a basketball player there
and in the band,
there was a little bit of a conflict
with time.
- Mike: So, my dad and the high school coach
worked out a plan where--
with about two minutes to go in the first half--
the coach would pull me out.
I would run across the hall
where my mother had a uniform
that we had specially built.
- Mika Mitmoen: She made a special kind of a shirt,
similar to what you might call a "dickey,"
that had the tie attached to it,
and it snapped in the back.
So, she just put it on, snapped it in the back.
He said he'd just put his arms out,
go out, perform for the halftime show,
and then go back, take it off,
rejoin the team, and play the second half.
[audience cheering]
[playful jazz]
- A mother's clever costume solution
was just the beginning
of what went on to become
a flashy tradition.
[cannon blast] - Whoa! [crowd cheering]
- It started very simply with a fancy shirt
that I happened to have backstage and put on
because my other shirt was just absolutely drenched in sweat.
And so, I did it and I got a reaction.
The next year, you start getting, "Well,
what are you going to wear next year?"
Or, even the kids in the band pick up on it, "Well,
"that was pretty wild last year.
What you gonna do?"
"Have you got something to match that next year?"
So then, you feel that obligation
to try to match
or outdo what you did before.
[mischievous jazz]
- Lois Levenhagen: Well, I'm coming down today
to fit Mike with his new costume
and go from there to see how it fits,
and then, if I've got some more alterations,
finish hemming, I'll take it all home,
and then, bring it back later this week.
[sewing machine whirrs]
[lifts presser foot, cuts threads]
To come up with an idea for his jacket every year,
Mike and I get together, but then during the year,
the both of us, we like to watch the skating programs on TV,
or he likes to go out to some of the shows
where there's like in Las Vegas.
- Mike: Once in a while,
I'll see a design I'll cut out of a magazine or
a advertisement somewhere that I'll show her and say,
"This, get close to this."
- Once they put the show together,
we know what the theme of it is,
then we sit down and decide, "Okay, we may take something
from this jacket or this idea and put it together."
- Mike: They became a little more
subtle in the last year if you can call
glitz and shine
and fringe and everything, if you call it subtle.
Is that right? [cheering]
One of the core stipulations
for the last jacket that I wear,
the last jacket I put on is,
Have to be red! [snickers]
It's got to be red.
- Lois Levenhagen: No one else has seen this yet
except for my husband.
There's the back.
- It's got the 50 on it.
- I got the 50 and "On, Wisconsin!"
[whispers] There you go.
- Mike: It's not as bulky as it used to be. - It's not as bulky, alrighty.
- Mike: So, if it fits here, it's probably gonna fit.
- Lois: Well, if I don't get a chance later,
I'd like to give you a big hug. - Mike: Oh, I'll give you one.
Thanks again for everything, for all the years.
Yep, it's been fun.
[band chattering, clapping rhythmically]
- Mike: Good morning, Elm Drive.
WAKE UP! [blows whistle sharply]
[blows whistle five times]
* ["On, Wisconsin!"]
- Janice Stone: He could get people
to do things they really didn't want to do,
and it's pretty amazing.
- Mike: Stop at the top.
Hit the ground together.
Match legs.
- Gary Ciepluch: There'd be days where it would be so cold.
He said, "It's just a state of mind."
He would say that all the time!
"If you want to feel cold, feel cold.
I'm not cold."
He'd take his shirt off,
and say, "It's not cold out here.
"It's all a state of mind.
You're better than that."
He'd get these young kids believing
that we could do anything
and then, all of a sudden,
going and taking a test was nothing.
- Mike: We're going to do the knee bow again.
We had some people in that quadrant
right back there.
[yelling sternly] Focus! Focus! Focus!
- Emma Watermolen: That probably
seems like a big component of what he's doing is, like,
just screaming at us, which...
sometimes has to be done.
And sometimes, he has to
take his headset off and throw it on the ground
and shimmy down that tower,
and, like, run, and you're like,
"Oh, no, here he comes!
Like, what did I do wrong?"
You're looking at your sheet
[fretting voice] "Did I do this?
Oh, no!!
And like you can feel the adrenaline,
and then, he just runs right past you.
- Mike yelling: FOOT PLACEMENT!
I am a bit of a yeller.
If I see something I don't like,
I think it should be fixed,
and I'm not very patient,
particularly if I've already told you once.
Right away "On, Wisconsin!"
Don't play it; Just do it.
I don't think I ever have yelled at anybody
that couldn't do what I've asked them to do.
I've told the band many times
they're never going to be as good as I want 'em to be.
They're never gonna be as good, perhaps, as they could be,
but that's the problem.
If you're not as good as you could be,
that's where the yelling comes in.
SPACE, TRUMPETS!
SPACE!
- Scott Teeple: This man
is a master of group psychology and group dynamics.
He's not really mad,
but he's really pretending to be mad
to fire up those students.
When I climb up on the tower sometimes
when I go visit rehearsals,
and Mike is up there,
and he's barking at the band
and really giving them the what for,
he'll just turn to me, and wink and smile.
- Are you ready, kids?
- Band in unison: Aye, aye, Captain!
- Tweet, tweet, tweet!
- Emma Watermolen: We all idolize him,
so we want to be there.
He shows us that
we're good.
It can be really fun.
Someone's expecting greatness of you,
it's the greatness that you can achieve.
- Greatness you can achieve.
For Mike Leckrone,
setting a high bar came from his own story...
...from lessons learned
through his own family.
- Mike: My grandfather and I
were very close.
He was a very stern individual.
I started working for him,
probably when I was in about the eighth grade.
He was in charge of the town maintenance.
With my grandfather, you didn't get off easy.
I was digging ditches.
I was doing work on the streets.
I was sweeping streets.
Anything you could mention that had to do
with street maintenance and town maintenance,
why I did.
He got me used to the idea
that hard work isn't really a bad thing to do.
And was, was a philosopher in a lot of ways.
A lot of the sayings that I
utilized later for the band,
I know I picked up from my grandfather.
He would put us in a ditch and say,
"You can stand anything if you know when it's gonna end."
And then, he would say,
"Guys, it's gonna end at five o'clock."
So, you knew
you were in the ditch working
'til five o'clock,
but somehow it made the time tolerable.
And I know I've used that on students
to make them think
those rehearsals would be tolerable for a while.
[ladder creaking]
- Janice Stone: There's a lot of different
band slogans or things
that Mike will say.
- It boils down to one word:
pride.
- Janice Stone: The one that
I would say is most prominent
is "Eat a rock."
Meaning, you have to be
tough enough to eat rocks to do this.
It's going to be hard.
*
- Mike: And you do it for pride.
The pride of the band, for the seniors,
anything you want, but it's for pride.
- Bob Rooney: I think
my favorite saying
that Mike uses all time is,
"If it was easy, anybody could do it."
- Melanie Rooney: Nobody said, "Do it again!"
-Dan: That was my second choice. [all laughing] - THAT WAS MY SECOND CHOICE!
- Whole Rooney Family: Do it again!!
DO IT AGAIN!! Do it again!! [laughing]
- Mike: You've got to do it every day.
All the time.
- Louis Liu: Mike would say, "All I want
is all you got."
He's not asking more.
He's not asking too much.
He's just asking for everything you have.
- Mike: It's the Wisconsin band.
It has to be good.
And that's just-- that's reason enough.
- Emma Watermolen: He said
something about moments of happiness,
and I was like, "Okay,
"I'm not happy right now.
"Like, my body hurts and...
you're yelling at us." [laughs]
But he just kept saying that,
and there were a lot of moments of happiness.
- Mike: If you don't take pride in what you do, then...
you're lost.
- Emma: We all have ups and downs,
and if you don't have
that place to return to,
it's really hard to push forward.
- Mike: It's one word: pride.
You go out there, and you do it for pride.
[playing "76 Trombones" from The Music Man ]
- Mike: Work harder!
You're playing mushy.
* Dot da-da-dah-dah-dah Dot dot-da-dah-dut-da dot-dot-dot *
[band members murmuring] Sunday was okay.
And I'm saying this for the benefit of everybody.
The worst thing about Sunday was the hesitancy.
And that's what's gonna happen.
When we mix it up here for the next two or three concerts.
[in a demanding tone] Can you make it more musical?
It sounds like a bad drum section.
[band chortling]
Here we go: Seven. 1-and-2 at seven 2-3-4.
[band playing smoothly]
- Those early life lessons and tough work ethic
propelled Mike through his college years
at Butler University.
After graduation, he went on
to lead the school's marching band.
But after 10 years at Butler,
it was time for a new challenge.
- Mike: I had always been a fan of the Big Ten,
and I think they had the greatest bands
in the country at that time.
I thought, "Well, maybe I could take that next step."
And it was that ambition,
wanting to see if I could do it
and if people would be interested in having me do it.
- Ray Luick: All of a sudden,
this skinny guy with a crew cut, with a funny accent,
shows up,
and he is the new band director.
What is he going to try to do?
How is he going to be different?
- Gary Ciepluch: Why is he here?
Why did he come to Wisconsin?
- There's a sleeping giant here that maybe I can stir
and maybe make something happen.
- Ray Luick: Nothing else
was going to be the same.
>> HI.
I'M JON MISKOWSKI, DIRECTOR OF
PBS WISCONSIN.
WE'RE HERE TONIGHT, WHICH WE'VE
BEEN WORKING NOW TOGETHER WITH
MIKE FOR --
>> 42 YEARS.
>> JUST 42 YEARS.
WE'RE CELEBRATING YOUR LIFE,
YOUR ACCOMPLISHMENTS.
BUT I KNOW YOU'D WANT TO
RECOGNIZE -- YOUR NAME IS IN THE
TITLE, BUT A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
CONNECTED TO THE STORY.
>> EVERYBODY HERE FROM THE
PEOPLE AT PBS WISCONSIN TO THE
PEOPLE WHO WORKED WITH ME OVER
THE YEARS, THE PEOPLE WHO WORKED
ON THE SHOW, PEOPLE IN THE BAND,
ALUMNI.
THERE'S TOO MANY PEOPLE FOR ME
TO GET STARTED, BUT IT'S BEEN
VERY GRATIFYING FOR ME TO SEE
THCOME TO LIGHT HERE IN THIS
SPECIAL NIGHT.
>> STAY WITH US.
WE'RE GOING TO SEE HIGHLIGHTS.
THERE'S A LITTLE REFERENCE TO
ROSE BOWL.
I KNOW THAT'S IN THERE.
A NICE SCENE WATCHING MICHIGAN
LOSE IN HOCKEY, WHICH IS ALWAYS
A WONDERFUL THING TO SEE.
WISCONSIN WON, TOO.
THAT WAS ALSO NICE.
WHAT A WONDERFUL SHOW.
WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU TO
SUPPORT WISCONSIN PUBLIC
TELEVISION.
WE HAVE THE DVD OF THIS PROGRAM
AND THIS WONDERFUL 50-YEAR LOOK
AT YOUR LIFE, AT OUR LIFE ON
THIS CAMPUS AND IN WISCONSIN AND
YOU CAN JOIN US WITH YOUR CALL
AND PLEDGE.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO TALK TO MIKE,
BUT YOU CAN CALL AT
1-800-236-3636.
>> HI.
I'M DAVID HOFFERT.
I'M A VOLUNTEER HERE AT PBS
WISCONSIN.
AND I AM HONORED TO BE HERE WITH
YOU TONIGHT CELEBRATING THIS
TRUE WISCONSIN LEGEND.
WHAT I LOVE ABOUT A PROGRAM LIKE
THIS IS THERE IS LITERALLY NO
OTHER STATION ON TELEVISION THAT
WOULD MAKE A PROGRAM LIKE THIS.
THIS IS PERSONAL TO WISCONSIN.
IT'S PERSONAL TO OUR EXPERIENCE
OF WHAT IT MEANS TO HAVE ART AND
CULTURE IN OUR STATE.
ONLY PBS WISCONSIN CAN PRODUCE
SOMETHING LIKE THIS, WHICH MEANS
THAT WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT.
IF THIS IS THE KIND OF
PROGRAMMING THAT YOU LIKE TO SEE
ON YOUR TELEVISION SET, NOW IS
THE TIME TO CALL US AT
1-800-236-3636.
WE ALREADY GOT A CALLER.
HOPING FOR QUITE A FEW TONIGHT.
YEAH.
I'M GOING TO TELL YOU THAT IF
YOU GIVE $8 A MONTH, WE WILL
SEND YOU A DVD OF THE PROGRAM
THAT YOU ARE SEEING TONIGHT, A
WONDERFUL WAY TO SUPPORT THIS
PROGRAM AND RELIVE THE MEMORIES
THAT ARE IN THIS PROGRAM.
$15 A MONTH, IF YOU HAVE
GIFT-GIVING ON THE MIND, LET ME
TELL YOU WHAT YOU CAN GET FOR
$15 A MONTH.
WE'LL GIVE YOU THE PROGRAM DVD.
WE'LL GIVE YOU A SECOND COPY OF
THE PROGRAM DVD SO YOU DON'T
HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT SHARING.
WE'LL ALSO GIVE YOU A COPY OF
THE 2019 VARSITY BAND CONCERT.
AND, YES, THAT'S RIGHT, A MIKE
LECKRONE BOBBLEHEAD.
IT MAKES MUSIC.
I'LL SAVE THAT FOR NEXT TIME.
1-800-236-3636.
>> HI.
I'M LINDA BERMAN, A VOLUNTEER
HERE AT PBS WISCONSIN.
THIS IS A GREAT TIME TO CALL IN
AND SHOW YOUR SUPPORT FOR MIKE
LECKRONE AND FOR PBS WISCONSIN.
WHAT'S SO IMPORTANT IS THIS
WHOLE PROGRAM WAS BROUGHT TO YOU
BY YOU AND YOUR NEIGHBORS, WHO
HAVE CONTRIBUTED FUNDS
THROUGHOUT THE YEARS AT
1-800-236-3636 TO MAKE THIS
HAPPEN.
WISCONSIN IS SO PROUD.
WE'VE GOT FABULOUS STORIES.
WE'VE GOT FABULOUS LEGENDS.
MIKE LECKRONE WHO WE ADORE.
AND THIS IS A WAY YOU CAN WATCH
IT ON YOUR AIRWAVES.
SO IT'S A GREAT WAY TO PLEDGE
YOUR SUPPORT.
IF YOU WANT TO ENJOY THIS THE
REST OF YOUR LIFE WITH YOUR
FAMILY, CALL AND YOU CAN GET
THOSE FABULOUS DVDs.
BUT IT STARTS WITH YOUR CALL AT
1-800-236-3636.
>> WELL, THANKS FOR YOUR CALL.
REMEMBER, WITH A GIFT OF $8 A
MONTH, WE HAVE THE DVD, WHICH IS
A WONDERFUL OPPORTUNITY TO WATCH
THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN.
WITH A GIFT OF $15 A MONTH, WE
HAVE THE PACKAGE OF ITEMS,
INCLUDING A DVD FOR YOU TO HAVE
AND FOR YOU TO SHARE.
SO THIS PROGRAM LEADS UP TO IN
THE SPRING THE FINAL SPRING BAND
CONCERT, INCLUDING A PERFORMANCE
WHICH I THOUGHT WAS A HIGHLIGHT
OF THE LECKRONE FAMILY BAND.
>> I KNEW THE LAST PERFORMANCE
WAS GOING TO BE MEMORABLE.
AND THEN THE STAFF GOT THE IDEA
THAT MAYBE WE SHOULD PUT THE
FAMILY ON FOR A WHILE.
IT MADE IT VERY SPECIAL FOR ME
AND I HOPE FOR THE PEOPLE WHO
SAW IT, BECAUSE IT WAS A CHANCE
FOR US TO SHOW WHAT WE LOVE
ABOUT MUSIC, ABOUT MAKING MUSIC,
AND I WAS VERY PLEASED ABOUT THE
WAY THE WHOLE THING WORKED OUT.
BEING THE LAST CONCERT AND THEN
BEING SORT OF A SEND-OFF TO THIS
PROGRAM WE'RE HEARING TONIGHT.
>> I WAS AT THE CONCERT, AND IT
WAS REALLY MOVING, REALLY
INSPIRING, IT WAS REALLY
WONDERFUL.
BUT THERE'S SOME
BEHIND-THE-SCENES IN THE PROGRAM
THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE TONIGHT
OF STUFF WE DIDN'T KNOW IN THE
AUDIENCE OF THESE CONNECTIONS,
THE IMPORTANCE OF "ME AND BOBBY
MCGEE" THAT WE'RE GOING TO SHARE
WITH YOU.
WE'RE GOING TO SEE IT IN
REHEARSAL A LITTLE BIT LATER.
WONDERFUL.
FOR FOLKS WHO ARE AT THE
CONCERT, YOU'RE GOING TO SEE
THAT IN A NEW WAY TONIGHT.
SO STAY WITH US EXCEPT CALL US
AT 1-800-236-3636.
>> SO ONCE AGAIN WHEN YOU CALL
1-800-236-3636 TO MAKE THAT
PLEDGE OF SUPPORT TO PBS
WISCONSIN, A GIFT OF $8 A MONTH
GETS YOU THE DVD OF THE PROGRAM
YOU'RE SEEING TONIGHT SO THAT
YOU CAN REWATCH IT AND SHARE THE
MEMORIES.
IF YOU WANT TO TRULY SHARE THE
MEMORIES, THAT'S WHERE THAT
LEVEL OF $15 A MONTH COMES IN,
BECAUSE YOU WILL GET TWO COPIES
OF TONIGHT'S PROGRAM, ONE TO
KEEP, ONE TO SHARE, AS WELL AS
THIS DVD OF THE 2019 VARSITY
BAND CONCERT, MIKE'S FINAL
CONCERT.
ACTUALLY, I SHOULDN'T CALL IT A
DVD.
IT'S TWO DVDs, WITH THE ENTIRE
CONCERT.
SO THERE ARE CLIPS OF THAT
CONCERT IN THE DOCUMENTARY, BUT
THE FULL CONCERT IS AVAILABLE ON
THE TWO-DVD SET.
I DID PROMISE YOU THIS THIS ALSO
COMES AT THAT $15 A MONTH LEVEL.
CAN YOU HEAR THAT?
IT PLAYS "ON WISCONSIN" AND OF
COURSE THE BOBBLEHEAD.
$15 A MONTH GETS YOU ALL OF THAT
AND OF COURSE YOUR SUPPORT FOR
THIS KIND OF WONDERFUL
PROGRAMMING ON PBS WISCONSIN.
IF YOU'RE WATCHING A LIEN, YOU -- ONLINE
YOU CAN DONATE THERE AS WELL OR
GIVE US A CALL, 1-800-236-3636.
>> NOW, YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED
THIS JACKET.
IT'S HARD NOT TO.
THANK YOU, MIKE.
HE IS NOT ONLY SHARING HIS TIME
WITH US, HE'S SHARING SOME OF
HIS APPAREL.
HE'S MADE A COSTUME CHANGE JUST
AS HE HAS DONE AT THE BAND SHOW
AND WE'VE BEEN GOING TO THEM FOR
YEARS.
SO WHAT YOU SEE IS THE FUN WE'RE
HAVING.
BUT THIS IS THE FUN YOU GET WHEN
YOU BECOME A SUSTAINER.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY.
THE MONEY IS DEDUCTED EITHER
FROM YOUR BANK ACCOUNT OR YOUR
CREDIT CARD MONTHLY.
YOU CAN JUST ENJOY AND GO, HEY,
I WANT THOSE DVDs AT $8 A
MONTH RIGHT NOW.
THAT'S THE BEAUTY OF IT.
PBS WISCONSIN HERE TO EDUCATE,
INSPIRE YOU.
NOW WE'RE GOING TO CONNECT MORE
WITH MIKE.
REMEMBER, MAKE THAT CALL,
1-800-236-3636.
>> IT'S GREAT TO HEAR THE PHONES
RING.
THANK YOU.
REMEMBER, THE DVD AND THE
COLLECTION OF DVDs AND OTHER
ITEMS ARE AVAILABLE WITH A GIFT
OF $15 A MONTH.
SO COMING IN PART TWO IS A
LITTLE BIT OF THAT HOCKEY STORY.
>> THAT WAS A GREAT PART OF WHAT
THIS BAND DID.
IT HELPED DEVELOP THE WHOLE BAND
PROGRAM, IS WHAT HOCKEY DID FOR
US AT THAT POINT.
>> A BAND AT A FOOTBALL GAME,
WE'RE KIND OF USED TO THAT.
BUT IT FELT THE BAND AT THE
HOCKEY GAMES, IT WAS JUST MORE A
LITTLE PERSONALITY.
>> IT WAS.
AND IT WAS UNUSUAL BECAUSE IN
THOSE DAYS, A LONG TIME AGO WHEN
I WAS GETTING STARTED, THERE
WEREN'T BANDS AT HOCKEY GAMES.
WE HAD TO GET IT STARTED HERE.
SO WE SORT OF GOT IN ON THE
GROUND FLOOR.
>> THOSE EARLY HOCKEY WERE WILD.
>> HARD TO DESCRIBE.
BUT YOU'RE GOING TO SEE SOME OF
THAT IN THE NEXT
*
- Mike Leckrone's childhood was filled with music,
close family ties,
and a value for hard work.
- That combination created the perfect foundation
for his next step:
his dream job
as a Big Ten band director.
But Mike soon discovered his Indiana upbringing
had not fully prepared him for Madison, Wisconsin in 1969.
[film projector fires up, motor spinning, sprockets clicking]
['70s rock, protesters chanting]
[chaotic shouts]
[Recording of Fred Harrington, UW President] - We have reached the point
of clear and present danger in our institutions."
[boots marching synchronously] - The University of Wisconsin- Madison
was a place of unrest and turmoil,
as anti-war protests erupted across the campus.
[chaotic shouting]
- Suddenly, there were these military uprisings.
As I looked out the window
at my office,
I could see people with fixed bayonets.
There was an anti-military atmosphere,
and here I am, wanting to organize
a military-type group.
- Ray Luick: When you are in an organization
that puts on a uniform
in the late '60s,
it was not necessarily seen
as a positive thing.
- A turbulent campus environment
and a band in need of direction.
What might have seemed like a thankless challenge,
Mike saw as opportunity.
- Mike: When I came to Madison,
basically, they said, in their own way, "Make it better."
[game buzzer rings, crowd cheers]
I was gonna be the third band director
in three years.
And that means there's no continuity.
On the surface, it looked like
it wasn't a good opportunity.
That was a challenge within itself,
but it was also a wide-open challenge. [ref blows whistle]
[ball swishes through net, cheering, whistle]
And that was very important to me, who was
trying to take that next step
and didn't want any barriers in the way to take it.
* ["Wisconsin's Pride"]
*
- Ray Luick: First rehearsal,
we walk out.
He said, "Line 'em up."
So, he walked down,
introduced himself to every member,
and he has not forgotten anybody's name
from that band since.
- Gary Ciepluch: It made
a huge university
very small.
The first day I'm on the field,
and I walked by,
and Mike Leckrone says, "Gary,
get your get your legs up!"
How did he know my name?!?
"How do you know my name?"
I auditioned for him two minutes.
And I said,
"Either I'm in trouble,
or this is gonna be the greatest experience of my life."
*
[percussion]
- Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen,
the University of Wisconsin Marching Band!!!
[cheering]
- Mike: The group that I did inherit
were very hardcore.
My first goal was to get them to do "horns up" together
so that when it came time to bring the horns up
into playing position,
they did it crisply, they did it uniformly,
there was a sense
of intensity about it.
I used to say, "That first year,
we had the best 'horns up' in the country."
[crowd cheering]
I think part of my strategy was,
I want 'em to feel what it feels like
to do something really well.
Take that to the next step
in what we were trying to do.
- Most bands in the Big Ten
were doing a move called the "chair step."
Mike took that step, added some flash,
and created the Wisconsin signature move:
stop at the top.
- I think the step that I added,
the stop at the top,
had a built-in intensity
and that became something that the band started to feel,
and I think the audience started to see.
- CJ Zabat: He wanted to give it
some oomph ,
some flash.
Something that people really want to see.
Instead of bringing it all the way up to 90 degrees,
he brought it down to 45.
And so, your thigh would be about 45,
and then, you'd point your toe all the way down
as straight down as you can go,
hoping that it's all just kind of a straight line.
The kicker with stop at the top
is that you switch legs as fast as you can.
You kind of give it a slight hesitation,
where you stop right there once you reach that point,
hold it there for the audience to enjoy and be like,
"Oh, my gosh! They just did that."
And you swap again;
You keep going back and forth.
- The new step wowed audiences,
and showed off the intensity and precision
of the band's signature moves...
Early evidence of the showmanship
Mike would bring to every performance.
But it would be
the creation of another tradition
that propelled Mike's reputation as a showman.
[clanking, clunking sounds]
- Tim Mackay: Go ahead and hop up here, Mike.
Do you feel like
this height is where you want this?
- Maybe a little lower,
if you don't mind. - Sure.
We can contain it around your jacket,
but it might look good if your jacket was over it.
- Mike: Over the top? Alright.
- Yeah, we'll look at it tomorrow.
Ready? Here we go.
Three, two, one, go.
And you dial it up, up, up, up, up.
[motor lifting]
I think, start by waving 'Hi' to the upper crowd there, yeah.
This year, we're flying Mike
on a big arch,
and we're flying him
for his Act Two entrance
using the jet pack.
- Go, go, go! [jets fire]
- Sarah Marty: Mike is quite the daredevil.
We like to think of him
as the Evel Knievel of the marching band world.
[mischievous music]
- Mackay: Cool.
Do a couple of those.
Great.
- Mike: In the concert, there had been
a series of times where we had done entrances,
and the entrances,
got more and more involved.
And we had pretty much done everything
we could do at ground level.
So, we started thinking, "What can we do 'up'?
[fantasy music]
The flying, like probably everything else in the concert,
was evolutionary.
It started as, "What if we?..."
and then, whatever the next line was.
[audience cheering]
It started from those kind of things.
We rigged a bicycle so I could ride the length of the floor
over the audience.
And that was
fairly well safety-ed,
but only from the standpoint of the bicycle.
I had to hold on to it, and there was no safety belt.
And we rigged it, and I did it. [chuckles]
[cheers and applause] Because it was different,
everybody liked it.
So, we just kept adding, adding, and things.
And then,
the problem was it became too much fun.
* ["Space Badgers"]
I enjoyed doing it too much
so we just kept it in the show,
and it became sort of a trademark.
[cymbals clang dramatically]
Are you ready to have a good time this evening?
Are you ready?
- Trademarks,
traditions,
and tricky moves...
all part of building
the Mike Leckrone Big Ten legacy.
- One of the reasons
the marching band's traditions
have been established
is because there was a point
in our history where the football team
wasn't as successful as it is now.
[crowd cheers, then groans]
Mike was trying to find ways to keep the fans
engaged and involved,
really, for the team.
[crowd cheers, then groans]
What he knew he could influence was
what the band does,
and how the band interacts with the crowd,
and what the band does during the game.
- Very gently,
I started adding crowd participation things.
And the first one, I remember very distinctly.
The first one we added was the "Beer Barrel Polka."
* ["Beer Barrel Polka"] We're in Wisconsin.
Everybody knows the "Beer Barrel Polka."
- Janice Stone: It's something
that keeps the audience involved,
and it makes that connection.
You're not just sitting there
passively as an audience member.
You are expected to get up and dance.
You are expected to yell, "Hey!"
You are expected to do the "Chicken Dance."
That interaction, I think, is really unique.
- Adding the "Beer Barrel Polka" engaged the crowd,
but fans wanted even more.
Hockey games were filled with cheers of,
"We want a polka!" [stadium crowd hollering]
- Announcer: [inaudible] for Cornell, lining the shot, look at those lines--
A rebound-- a shot and a goal!
[cheering]
- When we'd get to the Coliseum, people would say,
"We want a polka!"
A little bit later, I told the band,
I said, "They want a polka."
I said,
"If you take this song, change the drum part a little bit."
I said, "It will sound like a polka.
They'll shut up and leave us alone."
[hockey players shouting]
But when they got to the spot in "You've Said It All,"
where the crowd is supposed to say
when you say, "Nah, dah, duh," which is the name of a product,
they hollered out the name of the product.
And so, I told the band, "Look,
next time we come to that, you stand up,
turn around, and holler out
"When you say Wis-con-sin,
you've said it all!"
[fans singing] - * When you say Wis-con-sin
* You've said it all! [roaring cheers]
- Playing "You've Said It All" carried over
into the football season.
The crowd sang along.
They were up on their feet, dancing in the stands.
It was a hit!
...maybe too big of a hit.
- And as we did it--
it was a very exciting game--
reports came back to me that when we did it,
the upper deck was swaying up and down.
Elroy Hirsch, the athletic director, called me in.
He said, "Mike, we're getting a lot of complaints."
He said, "Can you cut out "You've Said It All"?
'Cause people are
very concerned about their safety."
I said,
"Why don't we make an announcement?
"Due to safety concerns,
"the band will not play "You've Said It All"
"until five minutes after the final gun
to allow people to leave the stadium."
Well, as soon as you make an announcement like that,
nobody leaves, everybody's curious.
- The curiosity from Mike's lively post-game performance
kept drawing crowds
game after game.
[crowd cheering]
- Mike: A local sportswriter
named Glenn Miller
picked up on what was happening,
and he started referring to it, in press as,
"The band did a Fifth Quarter, again,"
and kept using this term.
It became part of our language
that this is what we're doing.
We're doing "The Fifth Quarter" now.
- Badger Fans, make sure to stick around
after the game for The Fifth Quarter!
- The Fifth Quarter was born,
and for decades, audiences and the band
celebrated together-- win or lose.
The tradition soon cemented its place
among collegiate lore.
*["If You Want to Be a Badger"] - Gary Ciepluch: The band
created all this
incredible energy and excitement.
- Mike: It was a phenomenon.
[cheering]
[background chatter]
[warming up instruments]
Pace yourself.
Don't overplay.
Remember, we gotta do this tonight.
We gotta do it tomorrow night.
We gotta do it the night after that,
and the night after that.
1, 2, 3.
*
- Bringing out the best
in his students and leading them
to a higher level of performance.
For Mike Leckrone,
the role of band director was a combination
of a passion for music,
some innovation and flash,
and a lot of coaching.
- Is that tempo alright for you guys?
- Band: Yeah. Oh, yeah.
- Mike: Right at E.
- Barry Alvarez: Mike's very unique.
You see the passion.
He takes great pride in his band
and how they represent us.
When you're a leader,
when you're an educator, it's about
trying to build young people.
I was fortunate
to have great coaches
throughout my entire tenure,
from the time I started playing.
And they had such an impact
on my life, and I wanted to do the same thing for others.
It's the exact same way with Mike.
- Mike: I came under the influence of people
who were really good coaches.
And my basketball coach in high school was
just a terrific coach.
He made you love playing,
and he was one of those kind of coaches that
when you got done playing,
you really felt good about yourself,
whether you'd won or not.
It influenced me so much
that when I got to be ready to think about a career,
coaching was one of those things that I thought,
"I liked the effect these men had on me,
and I could see myself doing it."
1, 2, beginning, 2, ready, and...
DIG! DIG! Dig! Dig! Dig!
How bad do you want it?
When people make
a comparison to me,
"I've heard that what you do is like coaching,"
I don't deny it.
I think it's a flattering comparison.
[snapping on snare drums] Mike yelling: I want more desire than that!
You work on physical attributes,
you work on the mental part of the game.
The main difference is that musical part of it,
which you don't necessarily see
if you're a basketball player or baseball player.
I've heard baseball players
talk about the rhythm of the swing,
and I've heard basketball players talk about,
you know, that rhythm that they get into,
that synchronization that they get into.
[cheering, whistling]
There is kind of a Wisconsin spirit that I encountered
when I first got here.
There was a different feeling in the air,
and I can't really describe it
other than to say,
I caught it, I caught the feeling.
- Barry Alvarez: That's part of our package.
You don't come just to a football game.
You don't come just to a basketball game.
Part of that experience is the band.
We have 23 sports, and they're
at most of the games that we play.
They're there.
[percussion plays solo, crowd cheers]
- Barry Alvarez: I found out about the band
as I started going around the state
trying to sell the program,
but every place I went,
someone wanted to talk about the band.
Really upset me, quite frankly.
I don't wanna talk about the band.
I'm the football coach.
And finally, someone said to me, "You know,
I hope you build a football program
that the band could be proud of."
[laughs] I think that sent a strong message to me.
[fans cheering]
[players tackling]
- Gary Ciepluch: We've all had peaks and valleys,
but the one constant was the band.
No matter win, lose, or draw,
they were there to entertain, to have fun,
[fan blows vuvuzela horn] and to give spirit to the
student athletes that were trying their hardest.
[cheering]
[funky music]
- Bob Miller: The Wisconsin hockey team has caught the imagination
of thousands of fans.
What do you like about Badger hockey?
- I like winning. [laughs]
- The excitement.
- I like a fight now and then. [laughs]
- Bob Miller: The story of the acceptance
of Wisconsin hockey in Madison is unique.
And this is that story...
- One of the things that gave the band the biggest boost
in my earliest years,
was the fact that we were,
we became a staple at hockey games.
Bob Johnson, our hockey coach,
legendary figure in Wisconsin history,
came to me one day, and he said,
"Can you get a band to play at a hockey game?"
I don't even remember if I'd ever seen a hockey game before.
But Bob was one of those guys that you didn't say 'no' to.
- So, Badger Bob Johnson and Mike Leckrone teamed up.
And the hockey coach and the band director
soon discovered that joining forces
brought the games to a new level.
* ["Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight"] * [hockey buzzer]
- Growing popularity and excitement
for the hockey program
and creating an opportunity
for the band to further establish
its unique reputation.
- Ray Luick: To be the first athletic endeavor
during Leckrone's existence here
that took off is so ironic because
it's the sport he knew the least about.
But then, the relationship
he developed
with the coach, Bob Johnson,
is just absolutely marvelous.
- Johnson was the same way. *["Wisconsin Forward Forever"]
He was trying to get people interested in hockey
like Mike was with the band.
So, the two of them said,
"What can we do to help each other?"
- John Berg: The band was a huge part.
You know, you have to make new ice,
and you have those delays between
first and second, and second and third periods.
And who filled that space?
Mike and the band.
- Mike: The band established a personality.
In a lot of ways,
there were big signs.
They had "Leckrone Legionnaires."
In the meantime, the hockey team got really good.
- Announcer: Picked up, score!!!
On the rebound!! - Mike: It was wild.
Wisconsin had just won the national championship
in Detroit.
Obviously, a great deal of celebrating was going on.
People were wild.
The band was performing everywhere you could imagine.
All this celebration going on,
and there's no Bucky Badger.
Bucky Badger had left
his uniform, his suit,
with the band.
So, I happened to know
where the suit was located under one of the buses.
So, I said, "Wouldn't it be fun
if I got to be Bucky Badger?"
*["If You Want to be a Badger"]
Just a short period of time.
Make an appearance,
do everything that Bucky Badger does.
And so, I put on the suit, and I made an appearance
as the band was playing.
Everybody was happy.
I disappeared quickly back into the crowd.
No one has ever known.
'Til now. [chortles]
It was one of those things
that you can put on your bucket list,
say, I did it, but I don't know that
I can tell anybody I did it.
* ["If You Want to be a Badger"] *
- Stepping into the role of Bucky Badger,
being a part of a national hockey championship:
two big career highlights for Mike Leckrone.
And yet,
after 25 years at UW-Madison,
there would be even more great moments to come.
>> HI.
I'M JON MISKOWSKI, DIRECTOR OF
PBS WISCONSIN.
WE'RE ENJOYING THIS BIOGRAPHY
AND EXPOSE OF MIKE LECKRONE, ALL
HIS DIRTY LAUNDRY, INCLUDING
PLAYING BUCKY.
I WANT TO ENCOURAGE YOU, WITH A
GIFT OF $8 A MONTH, WE HAVE THE
PROGRAM DVD.
WITH A GIFT OF $15 A MONTH, WE
HAVE TWO DVDs, THE 2019 BAND
SHOW DVD AND THE BOBBLEHEAD.
SO YOU CAN CALL.
THOSE ARE THE THANK YOU GIFTS.
MIKE, YOU PUT THE BUCKY UNIFORM
ON.
A DANGEROUS THING THERE.
>> DANGEROUS FROM MANY ASPECTS.
NOBODY REALLY KNEW IT UNTIL THIS
SHOW CAME ON.
BUT YOUR PRODUCER WEASLED IT OUT
OF ME.
IT'S SOMETHING I HAVE MIXED
FEELINGS ABOUT.
I DON'T WANT ANYBODY TO FEEL I
WAS PLAYING DOWN THE IMPORTANCE
OF BUCKY BADGER, BUT THE
OPPORTUNITY AVAILED ITSELF AND I
TOOK ADVANTAGE OF IT.
>> THAT REALLY SHOWS THE WORK
INVOLVED, NOT WHAT YOU WERE
DOING RIGHT THERE.
I DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOUR
RETIREMENT.
YOU COULD LOSE IT WITH THIS
STORY.
>> I MAY HAVE TO LOOK AT THAT
PENSION AGAIN.
>> WELL, CALL RIGHT NOW.
WE'RE GOING TO ENJOY OUR EVENING
WITH MIKE AND MORE WONDERFUL
STORIES, BUT YOU CAN ADD TO THE
LEGACY WITH YOUR PLEDGE TO
1-800-236-3636.
>> HI.
I'M DAVID HOFFERT, A VOLUNTEER
WITH PBS WISCONSIN.
THE PHONES ARE ALREADY RINGING
OFF THE HOOK, AND I HAVEN'T EVEN
TOLD YOU YET THAT THIS IS A
CHALLENGE BREAK.
WHEN YOU CALL DURING THIS BREAK,
YOUR PLEDGE WILL BE DOUBLED.
WE'RE GOING FOR A GOAL OF 50 TO
CELEBRATE THE 50 YEARS OF MIKE
LECKRONE AS THE COLLECTOR OF THE
UW BAND.
SO PLEASE CALL IN.
AND IF YOU ARE GETTING A BUSY
SIGNAL, WELL, YOU'LL BE ON HOLD,
JUST HOLD ON.
WE'LL ANSWER YOU AS SOON AS WE
CAN.
WHEN YOU CALL AND MAKE THAT
PLEDGE OF SUPPORT AT
1-800-236-3636, AGAIN, THE THANK
YOU GIFTS THAT WE HAVE TO
THAWFOFFERYOU ARE FOR A CONTRIBUTION OF
A MONTH, THE DVD OF THE PROGRAM
YOU'RE SEEING TONIGHT WITH THAT
BIG REVEAL ABOUT BUCKY BADGER.
IT IS NOT IN PRINT, WHATEVER
THIS IS, IT'S ON YOUR DVD FOR
YOU TO KNOW FOREVER.
$LE 15$15 A MONTH, TWO COPIES OF THAT
DVD AND A TWO-DVD SET OF THE
2019 VARSITY BAND CONCERT.
AND OF COURSE THE BOBBLEHEAD.
THAT'S $15 A MONTH FOR ALL OF
THIS GREAT GIFT-GIVING
OPPORTUNITY.
GIVE US A CALL DURING THIS
CHALLENGE BREAK, WE'RE AT 29
CALLS.
WE KNOW WE CAN MAKE OUR GOAL OF
50.
IT'S VERY EASY WHEN YOU HAVE A
GREAT PROGRAM.
AND THAT'S WHAT PBS WISCONSIN IS
ABOUT, GREAT PROGRAMMING.
NOW, MIKE SAID THAT THERE WAS
THIS DIFFERENT FEELING IN THE
AIR AND HE CAUGHT IT.
THERE'S A FEELING IN THE AIR
RIGHT NOW HERE IN THE STUDIO.
IT'S VERY ELECTRIC.
IT'S WONDERFUL.
THE CALLS ARE COMING.
WE HAVE BAND ALUMNI ANSWERING
THE PHONE.
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT THING IS
EVERYBODY IS SUPPORTING NOT JUST
PBS WISCONSIN, BUT THE BANDS AND
MIKE AND THAT'S PART OF OUR
WISCONSIN STORIES.
THIS IS A TRUE WISCONSIN LEGEND.
NOW, I KNOW I'M SURE MIKE HAS
HEARD THIS.
WHEN I WAS TALKING TO THE
CHANCELLOR, SHE GOES AROUND THE
STATE TALKING TO DIFFERENT
PEOPLE.
CHANCELLOR, WHERE EAST MIKE
LECKRONE?
HE'S THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON.
SO WE KNOW THAT.
SO IT'S A GREAT OPPORTUNITY FOR
YOU TO SHOW THAT WITH YOUR
PLEDGE OF SUPPORT.
YOU CAN GET THE DVD OF THE
PROGRAM YOU'RE WATCHING, ONE TO
CEERNTION OKEEP, ONE TO SHARE.
THE BAND CONCERT WAS FANTASTIC.
IT STARTS WITH YOUR CALL TO
1-800-236-3636.
>> WOW.
IT'S GREAT TO SEE THE RESPONSE.
I'M JON MISKOWSKI WITH PBS
WISCONSIN.
YOU MAY HAVE TO WORK A LITTLE
HARDER BECAUSE JUST ABOUT I
THINK EVERY PHONE IS BUSY.
REMEMBER, THE VIDEO, THE DVD, I
SHOULD SAY, IS AVAILABLE WITH A
GIFT OF $8 A MONTH AND THEN THE
COLLECTION IS AVAILABLE WITH A
GIFT OF $15 A MONTH.
NOW, YOU TALKED ABOUT THE KIDS
IN THE BAND, AND THAT
EXPERIENCE.
SOMETIMES PEOPLE THINK LIKE
THOSE ARE MUSIC MAJORS?
>> NO.
THE LARGEST SINGLE PERCENTAGE
ARE ENGINEERS.
ABOUT 40% OF THE BAND FOR YEARS
HAVE BEEN ENGINEERS.
IT REMAINS THAT WAY.
ABOUT 5% TO 7% ARE MUSIC MAJORS.
BUT THIS HAS BEEN OUR STRENGTH.
THESE KIDS JUST LOVE MAKING
MUSIC AND THEY DON'T FEEL ANY
OBLIGATION OTHER THAN THEY WANT
TO BE THERE TO BE A PART OF THIS
BAND PROGRAM.
AND THAT'S WHAT'S MADE MY JOB SO
EASY.
>> SO AS SOMEONE WHO LIVED FOR A
FEW YEARS ON BREEZE TERRACE, I
CAN TESTIFY TO THE EARLY
MORNINGS AND THE HARD WORK.
SO WE WERE CLOSE ENOUGH,
WHEREVER YOU WERE PRACTICING, WE
WERE CLOSE ENOUGH TO HEAR IT.
CERTAINLY SATURDAY MORNING
PRETTY EARLY TO HEAR THAT FIRST
TRUMPET CALL.
>> WE FIELDED MORE THAN ONE
COMPLAINT FROM NEIGHBORS, WHO
THOUGHT WHY ARE THEY UP THAT
EARLY?
BUT ONCE THEY STARTED PLAYING
AROUND GAME TIMES, WE WERE ALL
OVER THE PLACE.
>> I NEVER COMPLAINED.
IT WAS WONDERFUL TO SEE THAT
CONNECTION TO YOUR GRANDFATHER
HERE.
WE'VE HEARD FROM THE BAND
MEMBERS ON THE PHONE ABOUT ITA
ROCK.
YOU CAN SEE THAT CONNECTION OF
HARD WORK.
>> THAT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS
ENGRAINED IN ME, AS YOU SAID,
FROM THE TIME I WAS OLD ENOUGH
TO UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WAS
TALKING ABOUT.
AND IT BECAME A PART OF WHAT
I'VE TRIED TO ENGRAIN INTO THE
KIDS THAT ARE IN THE BAND.
>> THANKS FOR SHARING THAT WITH
US.
PLEASE GIVE YOUR SUPPORT TO PBS
WISCONSIN ONLINE OR CALL US AT
1-800-236-3636.
>> SO I DON'T GET TO INTERVIEW
MIKE, BUT I DO GET TO INTERVIEW
THIS MIKE, AND I WANT TO ASK
YOU, MIKE, SHOULD THEY CALL IN
AND DONATE RIGHT NOW?
OKAY.
HE SAID YES.
SO GIVE US A CALL,
1-800-236-3636.
REMEMBER, AT THAT $15 A MONTH
LEVEL, YOU GET THE TWO COPIES OF
TONIGHT'S PROGRAM, BUT YOU ALSO
GET THE TWO-DVD SET OF THE 2019
VARSITY BAND CONCERT, MIKE'S
FINAL CONCERT.
I THINK THEY'RE GOING TO ROLL A
CLIP OF ALL THE SONGS THAT ARE
IN THIS CONCERT.
SO TWO DVDs WORTH.
THINK ABOUT HOW LONG THAT
CONCERT WAS.
LOOK AT THE LIST THAT YOU'RE
SEEING.
YOU GET IT ALL.
AND THAT'S JUST ONE OF THE FOUR
GIFTS YOU GET AT THAT $15 A
MONTH LEVEL, THE TWO COPIES OF
TONIGHT'S PROGRAM, THE TWO-DVD
SET OF THE CONCERT AND THE
BOBBLEHEAD THAT TELLS YOU YOU
SHOULD GIVE TO PBS WISCONSIN
RIGHT NOW BY CALLING
1-800-236-3636 OR GOING ONLINE,
YEAH, GOING ONLINE TO
pbswisconsin.org.
WE ARE AT 45 CALLS.
OUR GOAL IS 50.
SO WE'RE GETTING THERE.
AND IF WE IMMEDIAT WE NEED TO, WE WILL
INCREASE THAT GOAL.
GIVE US A CALL RIGHT NOW,
1-800-236-3636.
>> SO WHEN YOU CALL AND PLEDGE
YOUR SUPPORT, NOT ONLY DO YOU
GET A WONDERFUL THANK YOU GIFT
WHEN YOU CALL IN, BUT YOU ALWAYS
GET OUR "AIRWAVES" MAGAZINE.
NOW, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT
BECAUSE IT TELLS YOU WHAT IS ON
PBS WISCONSIN.
WE HAVE THE PRIME TIME.
WE HAVE A LITTLE SNIPPET WHICH I
THINK IS GREAT.
AND THIS NEW PROGRAM, THE SEASON
FINALE OF SHETLAND.
THIS IS KIND OF LIKE YOUR GUIDE
TO WHAT'S ON OUR AIRWAVES.
AND THAT'S BEGINNING WITH EVERY
PLEDGE OF SUPPORT AT $35 AND
ABOVE.
REMEMBER, SUSTAINERS, WHEN YOU
CALL AT THE $60 LEVEL AND ABOVE,
WE HAVE PASSPORT.
THIS IS A WAY YOU CAN WATCH
PROGRAMS YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED,
EPISODES OF VICTORIA.
I DID THIS WITH FATHER BROWN.
WE MISSED AN EPISODE.
WE WERE ABLE TO FIND IT SO WE
WEREN'T LIKE WHO DID IT, WHAT
HAPPENED.
YOU CAN FIND IT THERE.
NOW, THIS IS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY
TO CALL AND RENEW YOUR
MEMBERSHIP, EXTEND IT FOR
ANOTHER YEAR.
YOU GET THE WONDERFUL THANK YOU
GIFTS.
BUT, AGAIN, IT ALL BEGINS WITH
YOUR CALL DURING THIS CHALLENGE
BREAK AT 1-800-236-3636.
AND LOOK AT MIKE'S JACKET, BY
THE WAY.
>> NICE.
NICE.
SO WE'RE -- WE HAVE REACHED THE
BEGINNING OF OUR GOAL, EXCEEDING
51, 52 CALLS.
WE CAN GO WELL BEYOND THAT.
WE CHOSE 50 TO CELEBRATE 50
YEARS.
>> I FIGURED THAT OUT.
>> I WANT TO MENTION TWO THINGS
THAT ARE COMING UP IN THE NEXT
SEGMENT.
ONE, ME AND BOBBY MCGEE.
>> PART OF THE FAMILY.
>> YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN THAT A
LITTLE BIT?
>> WELL, THE SONG ITSELF IS
IMPORTANT TO MY FAMILY BECAUSE
WHEN WE FIRST MOVED TO
WISCONSIN, THAT WAS THE SONG
THAT WAS THE SONG EVERYBODY WAS
PLAYING.
IT WAS 50 YEARS AGO.
IT WAS AT A TIME WHEN ALL THE
UNREST.
EVERYBODY RELATED TO IT,
INCLUDING ME.
THERE'S ANOTHER SONG "YOU ARE MY
SUNSHINE," WHICH IS VERYO
IMPORTANT T MY WIFE BECAUSE IT
WAS A PART OF OUR KIDS GROWING
UP.
THAT WAS THE SONG SHE SANG TO
TRY TO MAKE THEM FORGET ABOUT
THEIR HEADACHES AND THE STOMACH
STOMACHACHES.
THOSE TWO SONGS WERE VERY
IMPORTANT AND I FOUND A WAY TO
MAKE THEM WORK TOGETHER.
>> ANOTHER SCENE THAT'S IN HERE,
WHICH IS -- THERE ARE CLIPS OF
THE ROSE BOWL, THE '94 ROSE
BOWL.
BUT THE ONE THAT'S REALLY
POWERFUL TO ME IS SINGING
"VARSITY" AFTER THE GAME.
THAT'S A POWERFUL MOMENT.
>> IT IS.
I CAN'T TELL YOU HOW MANY TIMES
I'VE SEEN IT.
EVERY TIME I SEE IT, I STILL GET
THE GOOSEBUMPS, CHILLS UP MY
BACK.
IT'S A MOMENT THAT WILL LIVE
WITH ME FOREVER.
>> FOR SPORTS FANS, WE REMEMBER
THE LEGACY OF DESPAIR, IF YOU
WILL, THAT PRECEDED THAT AND HOW
MEANINGFUL THAT WAS.
THANKS FOR CALLING.
WHAT A GREAT RESPONSE.
THANKS FOR CALLING PBS WISCONSIN
AT 1-800-236-3636.
>> WE HAVE JUST OVER TWO MINUTES
LEFT IN THIS BREAK, THIS
CHALLENGE BREAK, WHERE YOUR
MONEY IS DOUBLED.
WE HAVE PASSED THAT GOAL OF 50.
MIKE CAME TO UW IN 69.
LET'S GO FOR 69 CALLS.
I THINK WE CAN DEFINITELY DO IT.
REMEMBER, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS
CALL IN BY THE TIME WE END THE
BREAK.
IF YOU ARE THEN ON HOLD, STAY ON
THE LINE, THE VOLUNTEERS ARE
GOING TO STAY IN HERE EVEN AFTER
THE PROGRAM COMES BACK ON AND
YOU'LL BE COUNTED TOWARDS THAT
CHALLENGE SO LONG AS YOU HAD
CALLED IN INITIALLY DURING THIS
BREAK.
SO WHEN YOU CALL IN, OF COURSE,
ASK FOR YOUR THANK YOU GIFT.
$8 A MONTH, THAT PROGRAM DVD.
OR $5 $15 A MONTH, TWO COPIES OF
THE PROGRAM, THE VARSITY BAND
CONCERT AND THE BOBBLEHEAD THAT,
YES, DOES PLAY "ON WISCONSIN."
NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO CALL AND
HAVE YOUR MONEY DOUBLED.
GIVE US A CALL, 1-800-236-3636.
>> THANK YOU.
WELL, I HAD THE GREAT PLEASURE
OF SOMETHING I WAS REALLY HAPPY
TO DO, TO CALL YOU.
I THINK IT'S LIKE TWO YEARS AGO
NOW.
AND TO ASK YOU IF YOU WOULD
PARTICIPATE IN THE MAKING OF
THIS.
AND I KNOW I REMEMBERED YOU SAID
I DON'T KNOW WHY YOU'D WANT TO
DO THAT.
>> I STILL THINK THAT.
I'M JUST DELIGHTED SO MANY
PEOPLE ARE CALLING THAT PAYS
ATTENTION TO IT.
>> AND I SAID IT DOESN'T MATTER
IF YOU KNOW.
I KNOW.
WE KNOW.
WISCONSIN KNOWS.
THIS IS A WONDERFUL STORY.
AND IT WILL CONTINUE.
BUT IT'S YOUR PERSONAL STORY.
BUT SO MANY OF US ARE SO
CONNECTED TO THESE MOMENTS.
SO THANK YOU.
>> WELL, I'VE BEEN CONNECTED TO
WHAT EVERYBODY DOES.
SO IT'S BEEN A WONDERFUL
RELATIONSHIP.
I CAN'T EXPLAIN IT.
>> YEAH.
AND I HAVE TO SAY AS A FOOTBALL
FAN WHO SAT IN A LOT OF BAD
GAMES AND JUST FELT SO WONDERFUL
IN THAT FIFTH QUARTER, IT IS
HARD TO EXPLAIN.
BUT I THINK WE'RE GETTING AT IT
FOR FOLKS WHO DON'T KNOW THE
STORY.
BUT SO MANY OF US LIVED THROUGH
IT AND ENJOYED IT.
A LOT OF GREAT MEMORIES TONIGHT.
AND THANKS.
A LOT OF WONDERFUL PHONE CALLS.
THANK YOU.
[birds chirping, traffic sounds]
- Mike: Good morning, Breese Terrace!
[blows whistle sharply] - Wake up!
[percussion]
I had been here twenty-five years.
After 25 years,
you think, "That's it."
I mean, "This is as good as it's gonna get."
It has to look like this.
You have to have equal sight on both sides.
Otherwise, it looks wrong.
- I do remember Mike telling me,
early on in my tenure,
his goal was to someday march in the Rose Parade and be
a part of the Rose Bowl.
- Mike: I thought it would never happen.
The football team hadn't been very good.
And then, out of nowhere,
suddenly they started winning games
and winning games and winning games
and then, you started to see that,
and it was like
this thing coming down the road.
[crowd cheering]
Could it happen? - Announcer: Wisconsin Badgers
are going to the Rose Bowl.
- Mika Mitmoen: People just went wild that
we're finally getting to go to the Rose Bowl.
It was so exciting.
[airplane engine purrs]
- A trip to the 1994 Rose Bowl.
The Wisconsin spirit was on
the national stage in Pasadena,
with Wisconsin's showman
leading the big parade. * ["On, Wisconsin!"]
- Mike: That whole week was so filled
with life-remembering moments.
Oh, it was, it was amazing.
- Mike achieved his dream of marching in the Rose Parade,
and leading his band at halftime.
But it was the football team
and the final play of the game
that put Wisconsin, and Mike,
on top of the world.
- Just 5 seconds. - Hooray!
- YAY! - IT'S ALL OVER!!
Wisconsin has won!!
Wisconsin wins the Rose Bowl!
- John Berg: That place literally...
shook.
- Mika Mitmoen: Dad was just elated.
You'd have thought he had won the game.
I mean, he was so excited about it.
- John Berg: The Rose Bowl is magical.
[rapturous cheers and applause]
* ["Varsity"] - Fans sing: * Varsity
* Varsity
- John Berg: I don't think the smile
ever went off Mike's face.
- * Praise to thee, Wisconsin *
- And you could just tell how,
how special it was, and it was infectious.
Mike is infectious.
- Fans sing: * Praise to thee, our alma mater!
- Mike: The Rose Bowl has to stand out as the most,
most important single thing I've done.
- * U-rah-rah * Wisconsin!
[overwhelmingly cheering]
[Mike blows "listen up" whistle, then four countdown whistles]
[percussion starts]
- Mike's years at the University of Wisconsin- Madison
were filled with happy moments.
Through all those years,
through all the games and rehearsals,
there was one constant in Mike's life:
his wife, Phyllis.
*
- Mike: I think
the only reason I was able to do
as much as I wanted to do,
and, boy, I would really stress that,
it was really Phyllis that made it work.
- She was very proud of
what Dad had accomplished
and of the band.
- She was just a reliable presence in the background.
You knew that if,
in the worst-case scenario, we still had one fan
who was always looking out for us,
and that was Phyllis, and Mike knew that, too.
- Mika Mitmoen: According to Dad,
they happened to be in the same homeroom,
and, he said, also band.
As my dad says, with a grin on his face,
she just couldn't leave him alone.
- Mike: Maybe the fact
that we were both trumpet players
and by the very nature of that
we were kind of thrown together.
But I do remember
almost right away that there was some,
some attraction that never really left. [laughs]
I asked her formally to marry me
Christmas Day in 1953.
We were both 17 years old.
We hadn't yet made our 18th birthday.
It was a very whirlwind wedding.
We were kids and didn't know any better.
And everything was an adventure.
- Mika Mitmoen: While we were young, she was
the person that kind of held down the fort
so that Dad was able to do the things that he did.
And we just understood, too,
that there were times that Dad wasn't gonna be available
because he had different commitments that he was doing.
- Scott Teeple: I think it was their 60th anniversary
and I said, "Now, Mike, I have to ask
what is your secret to 60 years of marriage?"
And then he said, "Well, I'll tell you, I'll tell you.
You wanna know what the secret is?" and without missing a beat,
Phyllis said, "Be quiet, Mike."
And Mike pointed to Phyllis and said,
"That's the secret!"
It was almost like they
had it set up.
It was brilliant.
[percussion]
- Mika Mitmoen: Every pre-game, dad knew exactly
where mom was sitting.
So, when he went up on his ladder, he would
turn around, put his hand
on the brim of his hat.
- Gary: ...And tipping his hat
thanking her for allowing him
to make this happen
for himself, for his family,
for his students, for the fans,
for the state of Wisconsin.
- Sarah Marty: Mike's wife Phyllis passed away
in August of 2017.
So, the 2018 concert was
the first year that she
wasn't there to give him notes
and to give us notes after the concert.
- Guys, the keyboard player is going
to end up right about here.
The challenge is going to be doing this in 30 seconds.
- The team behind the Spring Band Concert
knew they wanted to do something special
to honor Phyllis Leckrone
and came up with a heartfelt idea.
- Sarah Marty: We've been thinking
about how we might be able to honor her,
and we actually put together a family band.
A Leckrone Family Band.
So, we have his son,
and his grandson
and his granddaughter will be performing together
on this concert.
*
[Erik Leckrone drumming solo]
- Mike: We did the song "Me and Bobby McGee"
and I said at the time, it and another song were
very important to the family.
- * Feeling good that's good enough for me *
- It was a song that Phyllis liked.
One of those songs
that we sort of understood
was important to us .
I think there were members of the family who were surprised
when I said that's the song we're going to do.
*
- * Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee *
*
- Scott Teeple: If these are songs that are special to the family,
then certainly "You are My Sunshine"
is going to be one of these
because that is a song
that was one of Phyllis's favorites.
[Mike singing] - * You are my sunshine
* My only sunshine
Mike: When a kid was sick
or needed cheering up,
Phyllis would sing the song.
It became a very significant healing song for the family.
[trumpet flourish]
[cheering]
[drumming]
- Music has been at the center
of the Leckrone family through generations.
And sharing their musical talents on stage
has been a long family tradition, too.
- Mika Mitmoen: One of the things
that my dad and his dad would do
when he was in high school,
he and Grandpa would go around,
and they would perform similar to a vaudeville act.
- Mike: We worked out a trumpet duet,
a two-part harmony.
I would finger his instrument while he was playing,
and then he would bring his arm up and finger mine.
There was a certain amount of bit work, whose hand goes where.
We milked it for everything it was worth.
* [trumpet solo]
The most famous person I probably ever saw
was Louis Armstrong.
He made an impact on me.
It was just the joy of him making music.
You could just sense he was having fun
doing what he loved to do.
And that's a great lesson to learn.
*
[cheers and applause]
- That joy for making music and captivating an audience,
fueled Mike's natural ability as a showman.
- Gary Ciepluch: It's a gift.
He's able to work the magic
to get everybody to feel,
"I want to be like this guy."
- This is a... this is a showman.
- Gary Ciepluch: He was so charismatic.
But it was a way of connecting to your audience.
He has the ability to connect.
It's truly a gift.
*
[school bell rings]
- The Leckrone legacy reached far beyond
the marching band on the playing field.
- My goal in this class is to get you
to be better listeners.
- Musician and composer.
Arranger and music educator.
Mike's many talents have touched the lives
of scores of students and fellow artists.
- Sarah Marty: He's such a good teacher.
I took, like, everything he offered.
[tubas playing]
Then, often, he'd bring in a piece he had written himself.
And, for many of us, it was a surprise.
Like, "Oh, you direct the marching band,
and you also are a composer?!?"
*
- Scott Teeple: He's always teaching thousands of people
some little tidbit or some piece of history.
And that comes through in everything that he does.
[applause]
- Mike: I'd like to present to you,
Linda Franklin!
- Linda Franklin: Mike is nationally known
for his ability
to write incredible arrangements of songs.
*
* Amazing grace
* How sweet the sound
So, I did at least three UW Marching Band Concerts
with Mike.
He's someone who knows how
to manipulate music to the point
that it's supportive of the performer.
* But now I see
He's just
such a multifaceted musician.
[vocalizing] * I once
- Mike's work with thousands of musicians
over the past 50 years
created some unique personal connections...
- Mike: Those are some of our trumpets and trombones.
- ...including one family with three generations
of Mike Leckrone Marching Band members.
- We're the Rooney's.
- Aaron Rooney: With me being
in Mike's last band
and my grandpa being in Mike's first band,
it's literally the beginning and end
of his career at Madison.
- Bill Rooney: When Aaron decided to join the band,
I was thrilled as a parent.
I think that's a great thing
for him to do because it was
a very worthwhile experience for me.
Hopefully, he'll get that much joy
and work ethic out of it also.
- Mike: It's kind of like
watching your life pass by you as you can
visualize each one of those people, what they
brought to the band.
I'm very proud of that fact
that I was there to see three generations.
- Aaron Rooney: I just think
that's really special to be a part of.
- Mike: They saw something in it
that was worth continuing doing.
That, to me,
is the real compliment that I got.
It's just very gratifying to see all that happen.
- So, it's this little perfect lineage.
- Band reciting: Once a Badger,
always a Badger.
*
- Mike: Anybody who's
about to go on stage for any kind of performance,
[crowd chanting]
there's that moment
before the lights come on, and you say,
"Okay, I got to produce now."
One of those moments that I get a chance
to be reflective
is just before we go on stage.
I get a chance to think about a lot of things.
Sort of go over in my mind how I've got to proceed.
Making sure I've got
the first couple lines in my head
that I'm going to say so that I start some momentum.
But at the same time, just think about, "Here we go."
- Man: Okay, we're going out. - Guy: Alright, going out.
Here we go! - Mike: This past year,
it was, "Well, here we go one last time."
[ecstatic cheering]
- One last time...
Mike's final year leading the UW Band
was full of 'last times',
including one last Camp Randall football game
and a final salute. *
- Mika Mitmoen: After my mom's passing,
my dad continues to do his salute to mom.
We wanted to have her presence there for Dad.
We put together a flower with her picture on it, and then
one of the assistants would hang it on the fence
right in front of the band, in front of Dad's ladder,
so that he could see mom and she was with him during the games.
- Mike: It's never about the moments of unhappiness;
It's always about the moments of happiness.
- Mike Leckrone's unprecedented 50-year career
leading the UW Marching Band
was filled with memories and milestones
and countless moments of happiness.
And then,
one more turning point.
- Mika Mitmoen: I think he kind of had a goal in mind
of how far he would like to go in his career
before he retired,
and with Mom's passing,
and hitting a milestone of 50 years at this position,
I feel that that was just kind of a sign to him.
- John Berg: I don't think he wants to quit.
But I think there comes a time when you leave in the right way.
And I think he's totally doing that.
*
[crowd cheers enthusiastically]
- The big night arrives:
Mike's final Spring Band Concert.
[drumming] No more rehearsals.
No more second chances.
Just one last time to put on a show.
[cheering crescendos to a roar] - Announcer: Ladies and gentlemen,
the University of Wisconsin Varsity Band!
* ["On, Wisconsin!"] [audience cheering]
- Leckrone shouts: One more time?!? [audience cheers wildly]
- Mika Mitmoen: He knows how to put on his showmanship
and does such a fabulous job.
- Leckrone yelling: You want to do it one more time?!?
- It's just so exciting.
- Mike: Well, it's show business.
I can have fun with it.
- With the crowd on their feet,
Wisconsin's showman takes his final flight.
[jet engine whooshes]
- Mike: It's probably as close
to a sense of weightlessness
that I'll ever experience.
Oh, I loved it!
Oh, thank you!! [intense cheers and applause]
It's the last time.
It's a little intimidating, as well as being very exciting.
How about that?
You like that one, Lois?
I like this one a lot.
It's my last concert;
I'm gonna play what I like.
These are songs that
[speaking with emotion] are very important to my family.
[applause] Well, thank you.
* ["Me and Bobby McGee"]
[Raychel Wilson jangles tambourine, sings]
* Busted flat in Baton Rouge
* Headed for a train
* Feeling nearly faded as my jeans *
- Scott Teeple: That was a group of people on stage,
being very vulnerable.
- * Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee *
- Sharing their music
and their love for one another [Michael Mitmoen plays tuba]
in front of thousands. -Raychel:La da da da da da da--
[Mike belts out his song] Mike: *You are my sunshine
Mike: *My only sunshine - * La da da da da
- Teeple: And when Mike started singing "You Are My Sunshine"...
Mike: *When skies are GRAY - * Da da da da
[singing soulfully] Mike: *You'll never know dear
-Teeple:...in a style and manner that I never saw coming...
Mike: *How much I looooooove you - * La da da da da
Mike: *Please--don't--take - * La da da da Mike: *Please don't take
*My sunshine awaaaay
- And I thought that was a really special moment.
[trombone, keyboard, drums play closing notes]
[warm cheers and applause]
- It was a night
full of special moments for Mike Leckrone:
a last chance to entertain,
to connect with the audience,
to lead his band.
But before the final bow,
before the curtain lowers,
Wisconsin's showman took center stage.
* ["Funny How Time Slips Away" Willie Nelson ] *
[singing] - * We've had some good times
* More than I thought we ever would know *
[yelling] I want more desire THAN THAT!
* We went to places
* I never thought I'd get to go *
* [crowd singing "Varsity"] - * Praise to thee, Wisconsin
- * But now it's over
* And those good times
* Will still
* Stay in our minds and replay
- Announcer yelling: Wisconsin has won in overtime!!!
* But it sure is funny
* How all that time slipped away *
*
* People ask me
* What am I gonna miss most *
[yelling at Bucky] * about this?
Thank you again for everything.
You're looking at it.
[cheers and applause]
[drumming a distinct cadence]
[yelling] How bad do 'ya want it?
WELL, DIG! DIG! Dig! Dig! Dig!
* Those in the generations of people before *
* who made this band what it is *
* And I can't thank them enough *
*
* Sure is funny
* How time slips away
*
* But just remember
* What I told you
*
* And have some happy moments
* Each and every day
* But it's still funny
* How time has slipped away
All you fans, I can't thank you enough
for what you've meant to me, my family.
[getting choked up] Thank you so much. [swelling cheers and applause]
* Funny how time slipped away
* [Band singing "Varsity"]
* U-rah-rah!
* Wisconsin!
[cheers and applause billow]
*
- Mike: Well, I'm a badger.
I've been a badger for 50+ years.
It gets ingrained in you.
I think about what it was like 50 years ago quite often.
People have said we've changed some lives,
and that's great to think that might have happened
over the course of the time I've been here,
which is good because
that's the reason I've done it all these years
is it is to have those memories.
I don't think moments of happiness
should ever stop.
[chuckles]
>> HI.
I'M JON MISKOWSKI FROM PBS
WISCONSIN.
IF YOU HAVEN'T FIGURED IT OUT
YET, YOU ARE?
>> MIKE LECKRONE, AT LEAST I WAS
WHEN I GOT IN HERE.
>> YEAH.
WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT YOU A
LITTLE BIT.
IT WILL CONTINUE.
I DO WANT TO TELL YOU THAT YOU
HAVEN'T SEEN THE CREDITS FOR THE
SHOW.
YOU DO WANT TO SEE THAT.
THAT WAS PUT TOGETHER WITH GREAT
INSPIRATION AND LOVE AND CARE,
SOME REALLY, WILL BE SPECIAL
CERTAINLY FOR BAND ALUM NIERKS
LUMNI, THEMUSIC CHOICE THERE.
FOR $8 A MONTH WE HAVE THE DVD
OF THIS PROGRAM.
WITH A GIFT OF $15 A MONTH, WE
HAVE TWO OF THE DVDs.
WE HAVE THE BAND SHOW, THE 2019
BAND SHOW, THE WONDERFUL CLIPS
WE'VE BEEN SEEING, INCLUDING "ME
AND BOBBY MCGEE" AND "YOU ARE MY
SUNSHINE."
YOU'LL SEE THAT.
AND THE BOBBLEHEADS.
SO GET ON THE PHONES RIGHT NOW.
WE HAVE A LONG RELATIONSHIP WITH
MIKE AND WISCONSIN PUBLIC
TELEVISION AND I THINK ONE OF
OUR CONNECTIONS IS WE WERE
REALLY FOUNDED WITH THE
WISCONSIN IDEA AND YOU HAVE
REALLY LIVED THAT AS WELL AS
YOU'VE TAKEN THE BAND AROUND THE
STATE.
>> WELL, THAT'S ONE OF THE
THINGS I SAW AS IMPORTANT, EVEN
EARLY ON, IS TO GET THE BAND OUT
SO THE PEOPLE COULD SEE IT, SO
IT'S NOT THIS STAND OFFISH THING
THAT YOU HAVE.
WE DID CONCERTS ALL OVER THE
STATE OF WISCONSIN.
IT WAS GREAT TO MEET PEOPLE.
THEN I THINK WE ESTABLISHED SOME
BAND FANS AND AND SOME PUBLIC
TELEVISION FANS, TOO.
>> AND LEGACY ON WISCONSIN
PUBLIC RADIO, SHARING MUSIC,
CERTAINLY A GREAT REPRESENTATIVE
OF THE UNIVERSITY AND THAT IDEA
OF THE WISCONSIN IDEA.
SO WONDERFUL FOR US TO CELEBRATE
THAT.
WE'RE WORKING WITH UW
COMMUNICATIONS ON THIS PROJECT.
WE TO WANT THANK THEIR
PARTICIPATION AND WANT YOU TO
CALL AT 1-800-236-3636.
>> HI.
I'M DAVID HOFFERT.
I'M A VOLUNTEER WITH PBS
WISCONSIN.
I WANT TO GO OVER THOSE THANK
YOU GIFTS AGAIN THAT JON
MENTIONED.
IF YOU CALL TONIGHT AND GIVE A
GIFT OF $8 A MONTH, WE WILL SEND
YOU THE PROGRAM DVD OF THE PAM
THAT YOU'VE BEEN WATCHING THIS
EVENING.
FOR A GIFT OF $15 A MONTH, WE
WILL SEND YOU THAT SAME PROGRAM
DVD AND A SECOND COPY OF IT TO
GIVE TO A FRIEND, A BADGER FAN
IN YOUR LIFE, OR TO JUST KEEP
TWO COPIES AND HAVE IT QUEUED UP
ON BOTH TVs AT THE SAME TIME.
ALSO A TWO-DVD SET OF THE 2019
VARSITY CONCERT AND THE
BOBBLEHEAD.
ALL FOUR OF THOSE GIFTS COME
WITH THAT GIFT OF $15 A MONTH.
GIVE US A CALL RIGHT NOW,
1-800-236-3636.
>> I'M LINDA BERMAN, A VOLUNTEER
HERE AT PBS WISCONSIN, AND I AM
SO LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO WEAR ONE
OF MIKE'S JACKETS, WHICH YOU'VE
PROBABLY SEEN ON AIR.
IT'S FABULOUS.
BUT THE MOST IMPORTANT IS HE
TALKED ABOUT PRIDE AND I AM
PROUD TO BE WEARING THIS, BUT I
AM MOST PROUD OF PBS WISCONSIN
PROVIDING THIS AMAZING SHOWMAN,
MIKE LECKRONE, WHO IS SO
WONDERFUL, SO HUMBLE, AND HERE
WE ARE SELL BRAIGHT HIM, BUT
WE'RE CELEBRATING ALL THE PEOPLE
OF WISCONSIN.
IT'S OUR PRIDE HERE.
AND WHAT WE'RE SAYING IS THIS IS
A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BECOME A
MEMBER OF PBS WISCONSIN OR RENEW
YOUR MEMBERSHIP.
WE HAVE A GREAT PLAN CALLED
SUSTAINER IN WHICH THE MONEY
COMES OUT MONTHLY RIGHT NOUGHT OUT OF
YOUR CHECKING ACCOUNT OR CREDIT
CARD.
YOU DON'T HAVE TO DO ANYTHING
BUT ENJOY ALL OF THE WONDERFUL
PROGRAMS THAT ENTERTAIN,
INSPIRE, EDUCATE AND CONNECT YOU
TO THE REST OF WISCONSIN.
SO MAKE THE CALL RIGHT NOW TO
BECOME A SUPPORTER OF PBS
WISCONSIN AT 1-800-236-3636.
AND I WANT YOU TO SEE MIKE'S
JACKET, BECAUSE TAKE IT AWAY,
YOU GOT TO SEE THIS NOW.
>> YOU'RE NOT QUITE ON CAMERA.
YOU STAY STILL.
THEY'LL FIND YOU.
SO WE'LL TAKE A LOOK AT THAT.
WE GOT A LITTLE CLIP OF THE
MAKING OF THE JACKET.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
>> IN THE DOCUMENTARY.
THAT'S AVAILABLE WHEN YOU PLEDGE
TONIGHT.
WITH A GIFT OF $8 A MONTH, WE
HAVE THE PROGRAM DVD.
WITH $15 A MONTH, WE HAVE TWO
PROGRAM DVDs AND OTHER STUFF.
SO, YOU KNOW, IN THIS REFERENCE,
THAT WONDERFUL AFTERNOON IN
PASADENA AT THE ROSE BOWL, BUT
SOMEONE MENTIONED AT ONE OF OUR
SCREENINGS THAT YOU IN THAT
DRYER FOOTBALL PERIOD HAD GOT A
PARADE PERMIT.
TELL THEM ABOUT THAT.
>> IN '69 WE THOUGHT THE TEAM
WAS GOING TO START TO TURN
AROUND.
HIRSCH HAD A LOT OF SPIRIT.
HE SAID, MIKE, IF WE WIN,
THERE'S GOING TO BE A CELEBRATE.
YOU NEED TO GET A PARADE PERMIT.
I THINK THAT GAME WE GOT BEAT
52-0.
BUT THE NEXT WEEK I DUTIFULLY
GOT ANOTHER PARADE PERMIT.
ON THE FOURTH PERMIT WE FINALLY
BEAT IOWA.
I THOUGHT, BOY, THIS IS IT.
WE'RE GOING TO THE ROSE BOWL.
AND 50 YEARS LATER, WE DID.
[LAUGHTER]
>> SO, YOU KNOW, AS A NEWCOMER
TO WISCONSIN, ONLY BEEN HERE 50
YEARS, WHEN YOU TELL THAT STORY,
I REMEMBER ONE OF MY FAVORITE
BADGER GAMES, WAS '67, WHEN THEY
TIED IOWA.
WE WERE SO HAPPY THAT THEY
DIDN'T LOSE.
>> I'VE HEARD THAT, YEAH.
>> OKAY.
SO THAT LEGACY, TELL US ABOUT
BEING AT THE ROSE BOWL THEN AND
BEING IN THE PARADE.
>> THE ROSE BOWL WAS LIKE
SOMETHING I CAN'T DESCRIBE WE
WAITED SO LONG.
I'D KIND OF GIVEN UP.
I'D BEEN HERE 25 YEARS.
WHEN IT FINALLY HAPPENED, THE
ENTIRE STATE WENT BERSERK.
EVERYBODY WAS A BADGER FAN.
ON THE BUS RIDE BACK FROM THE
AIRPORT WHEN WE BEAT MICHIGAN
STATE, WE RODE BACK AND PEOPLE
LINED ALONG THE HIGHWAYS
CHEERING THE BADGERS.
WE GOT TO THE STADIUM.
IT WAS AMAZING.
FIVE DAYS, ONE THING AFTER
ANOTHER CELEBRATING THAT
WONDERFUL GIFT OF US BEING AT
THE ROSE BOWL.
IT'S SOMETHING THAT WILL LIVE
WITH ME FOREVER.
I THINK IF ANYBODY WAS THERE,
THEY REMEMBER IT, TOO.
>> WHAT'S SO WONDERFUL ABOUT THE
DVD IS THAT ALL OUR STORIES IN
THERE, WE HAVE OUR OWN MEMORY
ARES.IES.
THOSE MEMORIES OF WHERE WE
WATCHED THE ROSE BOWL.
AGAIN, THAT INCREDIBLE STORY,
INCREDIBLE MOMENT OF VARSITY
AFTER THE GAME ON THE FIELD.
IT'S JUST, WELL, UNBELIEVABLE.
PHONE NUMBER TO CALL IS
1-800-236-3636.
THANKS.
>> SO JON WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT
MEMORIES AND SHARING STORIES.
WELL, TONIGHT YOU HAVE A CHANCE
TO BE A PART OF THAT, TO CAPTURE
THIS MEMORY AND TO SHARE THIS
STORY.
FOR $8 A MONTH, YOU CAN CAPTURE
THIS MEMORY WITH A DVD OF THE
PROGRAM YOU SAW TONIGHT.
AND FOR $15 A MONTH, YOU CAN
SHARE THAT STORY WITH YOUR
FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES, WITH THE
BADGER FANS IN YOUR LIFE.
AT $15 A MONTH, WE WILL SEND YOU
TWO COPIES OF TONIGHT'S PROGRAM
AS WELL AS THE COMPLETE TWO-DVD
SET OF THE 2019 VARSITY BAND
CONCERT, THE BIG FINALE, THE
FINAL CONCERT THAT MIKE PUT ON
ON, AS WELL AS THIS BEST GIFT OF
ALL, OF COURSE, IS THE MIKE
LECKRONE BOBBLEHEAD THAT IF I
PUSH THIS BUTTON WHICH I'LL DO
JUST BEFORE THEY TAKE ME OFF THE
MICROPHONE, WILL SING "ON
WISCONSIN" FOR YOU.
ALL OF THAT TO SUPPORT PBS
WISCONSIN, TO SUPPORT PROGRAMS
LIKE THIS BEING MADED.
GIVE US A CALL RIGHT NOW,
1-800-236-3636.
>> WELL, I'M OVER HERE HOLDING
THAT LECKRONES' LEGIONNAIRES.
THERE WE GO.
SHOWING YOU THE PRIDE AND
SUPPORT WE HAVE NOT JUST ON OUR
AIRWAVES, BUT HERE IN THE
STUDIO.
THIS WAS MADE BY?
>> A FORMER BAND MEMBERS.
>> FORMER BAND MEMBERS.
ONCE YOU'VE BEEN IN THE BAND,
YOU'VE ALWAYS BEEN IN THE BAND.
IT'S PART OF YOUR BLOOD.
WE'RE ASKING YOU AS PBS
WISCONSIN VIEWERS TO CONSIDER
THIS AS PART OF YOUR BLOOD, THAT
YOU BECOME A SUPPORTER AND
SUSTAINER OF PBS WISCONSIN.
YOU'LL GET OUR "AIRWAVES"
MAGAZINE.
THERE WE GO.
OUR "AIRWAVES" MAGAZINE TELLING
YOU WHAT IS ON OUR AIRWAVES.
COMING UP, WE HAVE BAND
PROGRAMS, KINKKY BOOTS IN RED,
THE KING AND I, BROADWAY COMING
UP.
IF YOU PLEDGE AT THE $60 LEVEL
AND ABOVE AS A SUSTAINER OR ANY
LEVEL $60 AND ABOVE, YOU CAN
ALSO GET OUR PASSPORT, AN ONLINE
ARCHIVE OF THE PROGRAMS WE'VE
BEEN SHOWING.
BUT IT ALL STARTS WITH YOUR
CALLS, 1-800-236-3636.
AND NOW, MIKE, YOU TAKE IT AWAY.
CAN YOU DIRECT US?
>> WELL, THEY'RE TELLING US
WE'RE GOING TO SHOW A CLIP.
AND THAT IS FROM "WE LOVE YOU,
MIKE."
SO THERE'S A LONG TRADITION
ABOUT WE LOVE YOU SENIORS.
>> RIGHT.
>> SO EXPLAIN TO THE AUDIENCE.
>> IT'S FROM AN OLD MUSICAL
THEATER PROGRAM PEOPLE ALWAYS
DID.
THE BAND PICKED IT UP EVEN
BEFORE I GOT THERE, WE LOVE YOU
SENIORS, BECAUSE THERE'S ALWAYS
THAT MOMENT WHEN THEY'RE DONE
AND IT'S A SPECIAL MOMENT THAT
THEY FINISH.
THEY SANG IT TO ME AT MY LAST
GAME AND IT HAD THAT SAME IMPACT
ON ME.
>> SO WE'RE GOING TO WATCH THAT
AND WE'RE GOING TO LISTEN.
* WE LOVE YOU, MIKE
* AND WE'LL BE TRUE
* WHEN YOU'RE NOT WITH US, WE'RE
BLUE *
* O, MIKE, WE LOVE YOU
>> IT'S A SPECIAL MOMENT.
>> YEAH.
>> IT STILL GETS TO ME.
>> THOSE BAND SHOWS, YEAR AFTER
YEAR AFTER YEAR, THOSE CLOSE UPS
OF THE KIDS ARE PRETTY POWERFUL.
>> IT MEANS A LOT.
>> THIS IS A WONDERFUL TRADITION
ON THE UW-MADISON CAMPUS.
WE'RE CELEBRATING THAT AND 530 350
YEAAND 50YEARS OF ALL YOUR CONTRIBUTIONS
TO THE STATE.
WE'RE GOING TO THE CREDITS.
THERE'S JUST A COUPLE THINGS TO
SAY FOR WISCONSIN.
THANK YOU, MIKE.
>> SEE YOU REAL SOON AND ON ON
WISCONSIN!
>> ON WISCONSIN!
THANK YOU FOR THE GREAT CALLS.
KEEP CALLING.
THANKS, MIKE.
* ["You've Said It All: Chorale"] *
* ["You've Said It All"]
- Funding for Mike Leckrone: Wisconsin's Showman
is brought to you by
Robert J. Lenz,
Greg and Carol Griffin,
Stanley J. Cottrill Fund,
with additional support from
Rawson S. & Mary L. Price,
Alumni of the University of Wisconsin Band,
Focus Funds for Wisconsin Programming,
and Friends of Wisconsin Public Television.
*