The Horn Man Blows
So frequent Bog commenter Wise Girls-DC sent me to interview this guy at last night's Caps game who spends much of the game tooting on a long black horn, which doesn't look exactly like this or these, but pretty close. The approximate sound is BRRREMP!!! BRRREMP!!! BRRREMP!!!, which is followed by the entire arena shouting "LET'S GO CAPS!" Or at least, that portion of the arena whose ear drums haven't exploded.
Silly blogger that I am, I wandered down to interview Sam Wolk, not realizing that the experience would cause permanent hearing loss and possibly bleeding of the brain. Sam, who shares the hockey fan's typical obsession with the slightly odd facial hair (in his case a Scott Ian-esque long-and-skinny goatee), actually has a fascinating horn history, which he shared with Caps fans last year via a Super Fan feature on the scoreboard. In case you missed it....
The Horn Man bought his first horn at George Bush the Elder's inauguration, when 14-year-old Wootton-High-attending Sam and his brother were allowed to skip school if they had a parental note promising that they'd go down to the glorious festivities. So they did, and they encountered a plastic horn salesman selling blue plastic horns for something like $5. So Sam bought one, and in the late '90s he began regularly BRRREMPing from Caps games. He's not exactly a musician, but he did take one year of trumpet lessons when he was nine.
(You know, speaking of music, how 'bout that super-hype pre-game big band mix playing in the phone booth last night. Dear sports marketers: If you wanna fire up your crowd, make sure you play the pre-game compilation of "Satin Doll," "Take the 'A' Train" and "In the Mood." The crowd goes nuts. Trust me. Or ask anyone who was there last night. Insane.)
(Speaking of people who were there last night, Canadian blogger Prairie Fire claims last night's game was the most sparsely attended professional sporting event he's ever attended, and also that a Caps game might be the whitest place in D.C., with the possible exception of the U.S. Senate.)
(Speaking of hockey blogs, OnFrozenBlog does NOT like the new Sabres logo, despite the promising sales figures.)
Anyhow, Sam The Horn Man. So he had this plastic horn that he would toot at Caps games, but then, as happens in any good sports feature, especially the kind that win awards, tragedy reared its ugly head. After a win over the Penguins, Sam was celebrating the victory and chanting "Go Home Pens" on the concourse, and the horn somehow fell out of his bag, and some Penguins fans did a little tap dance routine on top of his blue plastic love.
"It was never the same after that," Sam said. "It was heartbreaking."
I'll bet.
Friends told Sam he could get those horns at RFK Stadium during DCU games, and so he went there soon after Horn One's demise and got a whole bunch of black plastic horns, which, all those years later, still were retailing for about $5.
"Inflation," he said, "apparently doesn't cover plastic horns, so that's good."
And gradually, his celebrity grew. Now, when Sam walks through the concourse, parents point and whisper to their kids, "there goes The Horn Man." Once, a boy came up and asked to hug him. Last night, for the first time, a fan asked him for his autograph. He's friends with fellow Super Fan (and Bog commenter) Goat, who sits on a lower level but helps lead the "LET'S GO CAPS!" chants. Others told me that the horn can be heard on the concourse, and in the lower levels; it can also be heard during radio and TV broadcasts, home and away.
I asked Caps newcomer Rico Fata whether the players can hear the horn; "now that you mention it, yeah, I actually heard it in the third period," said Fata, while eating a postgame slice of pizza. "I thought it was coming from the speakers."
Which brings us to the noise level. It's loud. It's deafening. Conversation is impossible when the horn sounds. Sam aims toward the roof, so as not to actually puncture ear drums. When kids are seated nearby, Sam and his friends warn the parents to cover their children's ears. Season ticket holder (and RoadkillRampage proprietor) Andrew Mickert asked for his seats to be moved because he found the aural onslaught "annoying as hell."
"Then I was like, 'Ah, hell, this isn't that bad,'" Mickert said, and asked to be moved back. Others who sit nearby have come to similar conclusions; "that ear drum's already popped," as Andrea Neuman put it. Some fans have actually requested to be in The Horn Man's section.
"I chose to sit behind him," Brian Bean said. [Previously misspelled as Dean, apologies.]
"The key word there: behind," his friend, Peggy, said.
Visiting arenas aren't always as welcoming. In Atlanta, they told him he was too loud. Madison Square Garden officials threatened to kick him out. So did people in Pittsburgh. At Flyers and Islanders games, he was told he wouldn't be allowed in with his horn. In Montreal, he had to put the horn inside a locker.
Other Caps horn blowers have gone and gone, and newcomers still pop up around the building. One guy struggles to reach the high notes and instead slums around the horn's lower, dying-moose range; Sam and his friends chant "Kill the Moose" when this happens.
Finally I bid The Horn Man and his friends goodbye, and promised I'd be back.
"Wear ear plugs next time," Peggy said.
By Dan Steinberg |
October 19, 2006; 12:52 PM ET
| Category:
Caps
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Posted by: ketih | October 19, 2006 01:08 PM
I've been wondering what Sam Horn had been up to.
Posted by: Unsilent Majority | October 19, 2006 01:16 PM
I love the horn dude. Horn dude, I love you man.
anything that makes my team (in this case the Caps) unique and distinguishable from all the other teams in the league is a good thing.
it sets your fan experience apart from the rest of the cookie cutter league.
it's what makes the Dog Pound in Cleveland, the Hogs in old D.C. (before Snyder ruined the team) so much fun.
God bless the horn guy for making the Caps experience that much better for the fans. Lord knows the home games need as much excitement as they can get given the sparse crowds.
One day the Caps will be good again and the place will fill up and we can say, I remember coming to games where it was just me and the horn guy in the stands.
Posted by: DCDireWolf | October 19, 2006 01:23 PM
Great post... my wife even asked about The Horn Man during the last pre-season game.
Oh, and many thanks for the stream of conciousness reference to our blog.
You continue to be entertaining, informative, and one of the few to talk about the Caps.
Cheers,
Gustafsson
www.onfrozenblog.com
Posted by: Gustafsson | October 19, 2006 01:31 PM
Went to my first Cap game of the season last night, always nice to see a win. Yeah, the crowd was pretty sparse (but if you didn't have a plan ticket why would you have been there, FLA is awful!) God bless the horn guy. We're not huge fans of the plastic horns at RFK for United games (too many kids have them and don't know how to use properly) but the guy at the Caps games does.
Posted by: SEKim | October 19, 2006 01:36 PM
"The Horn Man" and "Goat" (or as I like to think of them, "The Horn" and "The Voice") are what makes Caps games unique in a charming, it-could-only-happen-in-hockey sort of way . . . folks in these parts just don't know what they're missing -- the fastest sport on earth, with a soundtrack.
Posted by: fjc33 | October 19, 2006 01:39 PM
Ah, Horn Man. And there's truth to the statement that you can hear him anywhere in the arena; our seats are about as far away as you can get, and we hear the horn loud and clear. As for the imposters: I like their new trick of trying to play in unison with Horn Man. Fools--let the pro go about his work!
Thanks for finding time to write about the Caps in between your cheese coverage.
Posted by: Shrak | October 19, 2006 01:54 PM
The Horn Guy RULES!! And, you can find the Super Fan video here - go to the Caps web site and in the "Fan Central" drop down, choose the first seleciton (Capital Vision Media Player) then choose telescreen features from the drop down window and scroll to "The Horn Guy." Just that simple, huh?
This was a great piece - as was the write up about Road Kill Rampage. Gotta love hockey fans!!
Posted by: | October 19, 2006 02:06 PM
First: Thanks for the shout out, gang.
Second: Right on, Sam! Thanks for holdin' it down (as the kids say) while I was certainly having an off night last night. ("We Want Campbell" wasn't quite as easy as I thought when I was bellowing it on Sunday.) It wouldn't be quite the same without you. I remember when "Old Blue" met an untimely demise and I had a (very) temporary replacement for you. Was it really THAT long ago?
Posted by: ketih | October 19, 2006 01:08 PM
"i remember the used to be a guy who would yell "lets go caps" and it was so freakin loud, you could even hear it on the tv...."
Sounds like I have some work to do. Heh!
Used to be the emptier nights were the ones where I would try my best to be as loud as possible (the echo was entertaining), but last night was just kinda depressingly barren, even for the Caps. Hopefully a Saturday and a bit of residual grudge against Tampa can help out a bit.
Posted by: Goat | October 19, 2006 02:09 PM
Oh yeah, and I think it might be Brian Bean that chose to sit behind him.
Posted by: Goat | October 19, 2006 02:12 PM
Sam is also very well known at the RBC Center in Raleigh (where they apparently let him and his horn in with no problem.) At the draft in 2004, a large group of Caps fans went down to witness and celebrate the drafting of Alexander Ovechkin. When Bettman announced that the Capitals were on the clock, Sam let go with his horn, the rest of us started chanting, and one Hurricanes fan was heard to mutter dispiritedly to his companion, "Aw, crap, the Caps fans are here."
Posted by: norske | October 19, 2006 02:18 PM
I loved seeing another story about Sam. He is probably the only thing that seems right about going to Caps games lately. No outside food, and the in game entertainment is pretty pathetic (you want to make the sled race better? Three words...Release the Hounds!). Sam brings it home, though. Isn't it about time for Smokin Al to go up and interview him?
Posted by: SamisGod | October 19, 2006 02:59 PM
Wait, is Smokin Al a bigger deal than me? Really? That sux. Also, that play-by-play thing was one of the biggest abominations I've ever witnessed in my life. Yikes. I would have rathered watch the play-by-play accompanied only by staccato blasts from Sam's Horn.
Posted by: SportsBog | October 19, 2006 03:33 PM
Word on the play-by-play thing. Couldn't have been worse. Horn guy is great.
Posted by: MosesGuthrie | October 19, 2006 03:44 PM
As for the play-by-play thing:
It's a VERY good thing I was already in the bathroom when that was being conducted. I believe certain muscle control issues may have arisen had I stayed in my seat.
Posted by: Goat | October 19, 2006 04:02 PM
Wow, great piece! Thanks for the kind words, folks. I just feel it gets too quiet sometimes. I gotta make some noise so others will join in. Goat has the same effect.
That play-by-play game was awful.
Posted by: The Horn Guy | October 19, 2006 04:08 PM
Luv the mention...thanx...
Will see what I can produce for you @ Wiz. Event tonite!
Posted by: Wise Girls DC- | October 19, 2006 04:25 PM
Sam and Goat - Don't need a scoreboard to tell them when to cheer and yes, they can be heard throughout the arena! Great to read that Fata knew what you were referring to when you asked him about the horn.
Thanks for the entertaining coverage of the Caps.
Posted by: sk84fun | October 19, 2006 05:42 PM
When someone asks if I know where my kid is on a night when there's a game, I can always say "Yeah, you can hear him on the radio or TV!" And his little red beard is a family tradition!
Love to the Horn Man,
from Horn Man Dad!
Posted by: Horn man's Dad | October 19, 2006 05:55 PM
Hey. I am that brother that they mentioned at the start of the article. I still have my blue horn somewhere, and a burgundy one we picked up at the Redskins playoff game in 1999. I am as rabid about the Redskins as my brother is about the Caps, and I lead cheers in my Section of the upper bowl at Fedex with a plastic megaphone an sometimes an airhorn. The 'Skins have these stupid rules abainst noismakers. Anyway, Sam, I could not be prouder of you. Keep up the good work.
Jon
Posted by: Evilboy | October 19, 2006 07:07 PM
Hey Goat, thanks for correcting him on my name. I guess after sitting next to Sam while he was blowing, Dan's eardrums got a little blown themselves. LOL ;)
Posted by: Bean | October 19, 2006 10:45 PM
Yo Bean, that was my bad. If you look at my notebook carefully, you can indeed note the slight dimple in the curved line, indicating a B and not a D. I was working quickly today to try to make it to my cheese pick-up on time. Old Bay-flavored cheese. Go figure. Thanks Goat.
Posted by: SportsBog | October 19, 2006 11:14 PM
No problem. Thanks for spotlighting some of my favorite people!
Posted by: Goat | October 19, 2006 11:24 PM
Great piece on Sam, although the truly great thing about his horn work is his timing. Sam has a terrific sense of when to blow the horn and how frequently.
As with jazz music, it's as much about the notes you DON'T play as it is about the notes you do. And Sam has his own personal rules about when to start up a cheer (after a successful penalty kill, after a goal, etc.) and when not to toot (during penalty kills and power plays).
Other horn blowers have not refined their blowing down to a science like this, which is why Sam is the best.
Also-- Dan, you may not care for the standard pre-game "Take The A-Train"/"In The Mood" medley from the Jordan Kitt's Music organist, but I find it so unbelievably cheesy that I can't help but smile. Somehow a hockey game at Verizon Center doesn't seem complete without walking through the halls after warmups and hearing "Daaaaaaa... Daaaaa dum, daa daa-dummmm..."
Posted by: Netsrak | October 20, 2006 02:05 AM
EA Sports should contact Sam in order to digitize his horn blowing for arena authenticity for their NHL '08 game.
Posted by: Zammy | October 20, 2006 11:41 PM
I'll never forget the first time the Horn made an away appearance. It was the first Caps Road Crew bus trip and we invaded Carolina. We had an amazing time.
Upon our return home, we checked the message boards to see what their take on the game was. This was back when not all games were on TV so fans could only listen on the internet.
As the game progressed, fans posted that they thought they could hear us cheering but nah, there's no way we could be so loud as to be heard on the broadcast.
"Olie, Olie" after one great save.....no, we must be hearing things.
"Let's Go Caps"......no, that must be folks cheering Let's Go Canes.
Then our Caps scored and the fans back home heard a blast from the Horn and they knew for sure that it was Caps fans causing all the ruckus that night.
It was many years ago but I still smile thinking about how proud and excited they were.
Carolina still hasn't recovered.
Posted by: zuco | October 21, 2006 08:01 AM
Good Job Sam!!!! Glad to see some mad props given where they are due!
EDF-
Posted by: EDF | October 22, 2006 04:15 PM
I sit in the upper section and shout til I'm blue when the horn starts, usually losing my voice the next morning. If nothing else, horn guy keeps me awake during those really slow or really bad moments of the game. Now there's horn guy and then there's trumpet guy. HG rules, but forgive me for saying so, trumpet guy just doesn't have what it takes to get the crowd (such as it is) going. I'm not sure if today's trumpet guy is the same guy who wore the "blue note" jersey at the old Caps Centre. That guy rocked, at least way back then he did.
Posted by: LuvdCaps | October 23, 2006 06:14 AM
The comments to this entry are closed.
i remember the used to be a guy who would yell "lets go caps" and it was so freakin loud, you could even hear it on the tv....
love the bog, its a great connection to home