If you were a swagger coach: bassoon quartet edition.

This is the most purely nerdy thing I have ever seen on the internet.  (Pure nerdiness lacks the repulsive desperation/shame factor commonly associated with nerds.)  I encourage everyone to watch the video, but if you don’t, this is what it contains:  a bassoon quartet playing selections of score from the Super Mario Bros. video game series.  This video is special because pretty much every aspect is nerdy to the hilt.  To wit:

• Bassoon quartet.  You have to be a very dedicated band geek to play the bassoon, because bassoons are not cheap.
• The music is from a series of video games, which someone obviously had to take the time to select and arrange.
• I didn’t realize until the musicians stood up to take their bows that the blonde on the left is female.
• Everyone in the quartet is wearing glasses.
• Everyone in the quartet has a dorky haircut.
• The Asian in the back stops playing and beatboxes unironically at two different times and occasionally makes sound effects noises.
• Everyone is wearing the same custom shirt, which features four bassoons and which I assume is their group outfit.
• Everyone is wearing stone-washed jeans that look like they came straight out of 1996.

If you were a swagger coach and were hired to prep these kids for a night of sarging cheerleaders, what would you advise?

OT: the cover that wasn’t.

Athol Kay has revealed the cover of his new book (which looks great, and a big congratulations for getting the book done!), but oh, what could have been!

(For what it’s worth, he also rejected my other idea.  Barbarian.)