Nov. 19, 2002
Marching to the Off-Beat Rhythm of the “Daily
Show”
GW Pep Band Appears on Comedy Central
By Brian
Krause
The musicians of the GW Pep Band proved they were triple threats last
week when they made a guest appearance on the hit Comedy Central television
series “The Daily Show with Jon Stewart.”
Known for its distinctive satire, “The Daily Show” reviews
the day’s news headlines with a tongue-in-cheek approach popular
among college students and political pundits. Presented in a format
mocking the major network’s nightly news programs, the New York
City-based show presents segments featuring its witty correspondents
covering actual events.
“The Daily Show’s” anchor, quirky stand-up comedian Jon
Stewart, is most famous for being the host of the Grammy’s, and
even once performed his routine for a sold-out crowd at Lisner Auditorium.
“Everybody watches “The Daily Show,” says Andy Compton,
Pep Band treasurer. “I think Jon Stewart is hysterical.”
It was while working in the band’s office that Compton, a junior,
first received a phone call from one of the show’s associate producers.
As part of its “Indecision 2002” coverage, “The Daily
Show” would be filming on location in DC during election week and
needed a marching band to appear in a sketch called “Welcome to
Washington.”
“People were very excited,” says Compton. “Unfortunately
they limited us to only 20 people for the filming and we had 35 to 40
that wanted to go. But it was great that they chose us over other local
schools like American and Georgetown.”
The filming itself took about three hours, beginning in the Washington
Historical Society’s offices where the band got to meet Daily Show
correspondent Rob Corddry.
In the segment, Corddry takes viewers on a skewed tour of the city,
visiting DC locations such as the “Exorcist” stairs in Georgetown
and the White House, which he called “a life-sized replica of the
set of the ‘West Wing’.”
The band was invited to watch the taping, where they met Stewart and
the rest of “The Daily Show” cast.
“Even the security guards joked around with us,” says Compton.
“They saw us and announced the ‘band geeks’ were there.”
The segment is available for viewing on Comedy Central’s Web site
at www.comedycentral.com.
Send feedback to: bygeorge@gwu.edu
