#the donny nova band

[the-river-rix]

Happy anniversary to the Donny Nova Band

[johnnysdrums]

Bandstand Headcanon

Johnny loves the movies. It’s one of the few things he can remember stuff about besides music. He knows the names of a bunch of stars and remembers movie quotes. He annoys the band by constantly quoting movies. He also has the biggest crush on Gene Kelly which him and Julia both gush about and see every new movie with him in it together (also Judy Garland because Johnny is an OG friend of Dorothy).

[the-cryptid-finch]

Me trying to explain Bandstand to anyone: A family isn't always your blood. It isn't just a mother and a father. Sometimes a family is a depressed bisexual war veteran, the widow of his best friend, an alcoholic double bass player who likes Shakespeare, a drummer with memory problems, a gay lawyer who likes checkered trousers, a divorced dad of two who has OCD and a trumpet player with anger issues.

Literally anyone else:...what?

[joyfulsoda]

THE EPILOGUE FOR BANDSTAND GOES OVER A SPAN OF AT LEAST FOUR YEARS? HELLO?

The beginning scene takes place a year after the events of the radio contest. We know Act One and the majority of Act Two (everything but the Epilogue) take place in 1945, so that means the Epilogue starts in '46 (see image below).

But we suddenly jump forward FOUR YEARS to not only when The Rainbow Room has opened again, but they've ALREADY PERFORMED THERE?

That's it. That's the post. The band is still together after, like, five+ years. This is fine. This didn't make me almost start crying out of happiness. (<- complete and utter sarcasm.)

The band is so happy together... Oh, they're such a found family...

[followingthefanfiction]

I love how Donny Nova is just constantly looking a step away from sobbing he really is a pathetic wet cat of a man isn’t he but he’s being so brave about it

[baura-bear]

I love the idea of The Donny Nova band getting black listed in the 50s during the red scare for being supposed communists

Jimmy and Davy are both like “I mean, we are communists”

Julia and Donny are shitting their pants thinking it’s the end of the world

Nick and Wayne are pissed off because they “didn’t sign up for this”

And Johnny has no clue what the fuck is going on

[anyashappytobehere]

it is finally up!!! i promise i didn’t forget!!!! welcome to at last!!!!

[followingthefanfiction]

Donald “Donny Nova” Novitski would be proud of these numbers.

Propaganda

Peter Falk (The Great Race, Robin and the 7 Hoods)—let me just quote Frank Capra: "the entire production was agony ... except for Peter Falk. He was my joy, my anchor to reality. Introducing that remarkable talent to the techniques of comedy made me forget pains, tired blood, and maniacal hankerings to murder Glenn Ford (the film's star)." i also just find scrungly little guys to be the peak of attraction.

Frank Sinatra (On the Town, The Manchurian Candidate, Robin and the 7 Hoods)—no propaganda submitted

This is round 2 of the bracket. All other polls in this bracket can be found here. Please reblog with further support of your beloved hot sexy vintage man.

[additional propaganda submitted under the cut.]

"listen Peter Falk saved the day for me in robin in the 7 hoods. he saved me in it's a mad mad mad mad world. he damn right resuscitated me in the great race. every movie this man is in is made better by his presence and he should eat the competition alive."

Submitted: "1:56:30 on for Peter Falk's ass in It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. yes he falls off a building yes he drives a cab yes he hates the cops"

[the-river-rix]

I’m constantly haunted by Julia having particular sensitivity towards Wayne because he’s trying so hard to be a good dad but he can’t be what his family needs because of factors outside of his control and her father was terrible and chose to abandon her and her mother

[the-cryptid-finch]

Have I mentioned how much I love Jimmy Campbell recently

[joyfulsoda]

what are your thoughts on Johnny Simpson. Any thoughts. All of your thoughts.

I have. Many thoughts on him. He's probably one of the more complex members of the band, in my mind. There are obviously the more apparent parts of his character, the stuff we see and hear on the surface, but I personally think that he's got a lot more going on under the surface.

I'm still working on my character study for him, as medical issues and brain injuries tend to have a lot of variation. To me, his back symptoms largely reflect high-grade spondylolisthesis, something that can be caused by car accidents and of which the surgical procedures (spinal fusion in this case) had high post-operation complaints according to an article I read based on a survey done in 1944. (Granted, the article was about a different physical disability, not spondylolisthesis, but the procedure itself is still spinal fusion). This, of course, gives him back pain, as well as making him more cautious when sitting and squatting down. He also tends to stand with a straight back and, interestingly enough, opts for bending at the knees rather than leaning over (something you can see when he's fixing Donny up during A Band in New York City). The only times we see him slouch a significant amount are when he's sitting (during Breathe, after First Steps First, etc.) Additionally, even when Donny is slouched over when turning the piano during Breathe, Johnny remains upright. I think that's neat. Furthermore, even when Johnny gets to his feet after the first section of Breathe, he gets up with a straight back, has to support himself with his hands, and does it much slower than Davy, who gets up in the same way (he's holding a flask, so it makes sense for him to get up this way). The pattern is the same after First Steps First when Julia leaves- straight back, both hands helping him up, and slowly.

As for his brain, I personally think that a coup-contrecoup injury fits best. It's caused from one's brain hitting the inside of the skull at various places, and this causes symptoms that reflect Johnny's behavior if his frontal and temporal lobes were the ones impacted by the Jeep crash. Coup-contrecoup injuries to those two places have symptoms such as memory loss (anterograde amnesia), difficulty concentrating, and dysarthria, or slowness of speech. I think Johnny is a BRILLIANT man when it comes to numbers, though, which would make sense considering that the parietal lobe is where calculations take place; it's just that he may have difficulty remembering numbers just as a lot of other things due to damage to the frontal lobe. Additionally, although the frontal lobe does have jurisdiction on music-related processes, it is entirely possible that the trauma only impacted the dominant part of his frontal lobe, as the non-dominant part of the brain is the one responsible for musical and creative endeavors.

As for his personality, I really, really do think it's interesting. Johnny goes through chronic pain day after day, and despite all of that, he is still an incredibly kind person. And not only that, but he's pretty quiet, relatively speaking. He tends to watch things happen, but pipes up when he has something important to say or a joke to tell. This could just be due to the show's writing, but I really do think it's a semi-intended part of his character. It's a little difficult for me to articulate, but there are moments in the show when other things will be going on and as opposed to talking with the other guys, Johnny will just be watching something else happening. One moment I noticed this happening was during Donny's phone call to Ms. Adams just before Everything Happens- while we can see the other guys in the background, talking, Johnny is simply standing and watching Donny. Waiting for an update on Julia, presumably, and this would make sense considering how good of friends Johnny and Julia seem to be. Davy and Nick join him, but only after Wayne and Jimmy break off to go and talk to the Lakewood Supper Club lady. There's the moment in Breathe, too, where he's watching Julia and Donny whilst leaning on the piano, but I figured I would bring up another point in the show for the sake of supporting my theory that he demonstrates quietness throughout the show. Again, of course he talks, and of course he makes jokes, but he does tend to just... watch things sometimes. And I think that's neat, because usually when I think of drumset players, they are loud as HELL, and it's kind of a common trope I see throughout media where the percussionist in a band will be the loud, rowdy one- something I think I've only seen broken with Kim from SPVTW.

I probably have a lot more to say about him, but I can't think of what it might be right now. If you'd like to know a few things I think about him specifically, feel free to ask! :) I'm just bad at thinking of stuff to say on a broad topic, even if it's just about one person/character.

[the-river-rix]

THEY DESERVED TO SAY FUCK AND SHIT THEY DESERVED IT!!

I can’t believe the Bandstand production team deprived us of the swears in Nobody

[lonelylittledot]

great things about Bandstand (feel free to add your own)

"it's radio, what does it matter?

Laura's high notes

"consider that an order, you screwy nutcase"

Davy's jokes

"sing because you just need to sing"

literally every second Beth Leavel is on stage

"don't. teach."

Jimmy's little glasses

"No, that’s shitty. Irksome is your use of the word irksome"

Corey's awkward little laugh

"wait... I gotta transpose"

Julia clutching Donny's jacket in This Is Life

"...what day of the week is Sunday?"

Donny's continuous disdain for Frank Sinatra

"it's a good thing you're one of the best, because putting up with you is an endurance test"

Johnny dancing with Julia

"and I'm never allowed to admit there is nothing remotely heroic about it"

all of Julia's waredrobe

"And stop picking up my clothes! If I wanted them in the drawer, I'd put them in the drawer!" (bonus: Wayne trying to hide his smile)

"dO i NoT kNoW TeLL mE tHE niGhT"

Wayne being a Donny x Julia shipper

"it's a solo, it's selfish by definiton!"

"you know, there’s a fine line between jazz and bad"

"this is life with the craziness of, the reality of, the necessity of being madly in love with you"

[redaccacia]

i realised today that the beat on the drums that's in welcome home is also in parts of just like it was before

and its just so well thought of because welcome home is all about their struggles which you can also see in just like it was before - everyone wanted it to be just like it was before but the veterans were still very much traumatised and ignoring their problems was just going to make it worse

[baura-bear]

Why isn’t the bandstand fandom bigger :( the proshot is literally free on YouTube plz join me in reviving this fandom I want people to talk about my fave fictional veterans with

[the-river-rix]

I cant stop laughing holy shit

has,,,, has this been done??