Bwog Sousaphone bureau chief Peter Krawzcyk stood on some poor first-year’s desk in 209 to attend this fall’s Orgo Night extravaganza.

This may come as a surprise to anyone of the several hundred that packed into a sweaty Butler 209 at midnight last night, but not everyone attended the fall iteration of the Marching Band’s semiannual Orgo Night performance on Wednesday. If you were too dedicated to studying, writing papers, your grades, your career, your sanity, and/or yourself to take an hour-long break in the name of Columbia spirit and comedy, you probably made the utility-maximizing decision (you econ major you) but you still missed a sometimes funny, if perhaps overly long show.

The show officially began just after 12:00 with the band marching into to the obligatory “Roar, Lion, Roar,” but the comedy started about half an hour earlier, when the Butler 209 began filling with boisterous expectant revelers, bewildering would-be diligent Literature Humanities studiers uninformed of the Orgo Night tradition, who desperately turned up their headphones as loud as they could before leaving to find shelter from the crowd. Post-fight song, the band kicked off the jokes by targeting PrezBo’s salary (“Do you know how hard it is to wake up in the morning knowing the President of the University of Tulsa makes more money than you?”) and recent 125^th st.-Toast bar brawler Lionel McIntyre (His favorite building is Harmony, because “he likes having a building named after his baby mama.”). Read more…

Those who did not crowd Butler 209 on Thursday night can now see the whole show over on CUMB’s blog. We’ve embedded the first joke (about Ann Coulter) below as a preview.

- An eager crowd awaits the band’s entrance

If you missed Orgo Night, fret not – the show was recorded and will be available tomorrow on CUMB’s blog. Now, the Bwog review:

After entering to the usual “Roar Lion Roar,” the Columbia University Marching Band noted that, due to the recession, this year’s show would be sponsored by the Columbia University Show. “We also thank the Varsity Show,” a band member opined, “for lowering expectations for the past 35 years.” As the Hillel-distributed stress balls flew in the air over the spectators (one eventually landing in a tuba sousaphone), many were still looking for seats, but the band told them not to worry: “if you can’t hear the jokes, there’ll be plenty seats open by intermission.”

Thus began one of the best Orgo Nights in recent memory, though, in typical marching band fashion, some of the jokes skirted the edge of tastefulness. Surprisingly, the end of the election and the departure did not dampen the band’s taste for political humor- the first two segments focused on Ann Coulter (simply described as “fucking crazy” and Fox News respectively (with “Beat It” and “More Than A Feeling” mixed in), and mostly had fun at “Coultergeist’s” expense, including asking “If she thinks kindergartners are being taught fisting in kindergarten, what are they being taught in high school? Read more…

More specifically, join the Columbia Marching Band at midnight in Butler 209 for loud music and hilarity at Orgo Night.

To procrastination!

UPDATE (11:37 p.m.): Students have trickle in, and a Public Safety officer is standing ominously in the corner. Also, Hillel’s handing out stress balls.

UPDATE (11:50 p.m.): 9 minutes before start time, people have begun climbing on desks, and the Hillel stress balls are flying through the air. Bwog’s not sure that was their intended use.

UPDATE (12:45 p.m.): Show’s over folks – recap to follow shortly, followed by video tomorrow.

It was a dark and stormy night — and o! the rain, did it pour — but a fair number of umbrella’d visitors came to Butler tonight for this semester’s Orgo Night. Hm, what had happened this semester? Bwog wondered, who or what will find itself or themselves at the butt of the Marching Band’s jokes?  Well, quite frankly, we expected it to be the penis that CUMB brought along, it of Giant Inflatable Penis-Gate-fame, but it just bopped around in the background (see video), evidently the strong and silent type.

Most jokes actually revolved around Obama. According to CUMB, due in large part to his success (coupled with that of Attorney General to be Eric Holder and New York Governor David Paterson), Columbia is now the nation’s “foremost elite black college.” From there on in, things progressed, for the most part, chronologically. Bwog even received a shout-out when talked turned to Obamacain, September’s debate about the merits of service between Obama and “a trusty old white guy with funny arms.”

Read more…

It was just 11:35 PM when studiers started drifting into Butler 209 and perching themselves on ledges and chairs. 209ers, futility be damned, started Shh-ing the newcomers. One such 209er was one-half of Chromeo (the half that attends Columbia), though he soon made a quick exit. At midnight exactly, the spirited Columbia University Marching Band made their entrance as they played the CU fight song. Butlerites, amazingly, not only knew the words, but sung along.

Read more…

Overheard on College Walk, late last night: 

Guy: Well YOU go to Columbia! Shouldn’t YOU know where all the parties are?

Girl: Yeah. But it’s just a shame you’re not here on Orgo Night.

Guy: What is it? Wait- doesn’t matter. I wouldn’t want to go.

Girl: (angrily) Well its not like you would have a choice. You don’t go to Orgo Night. (pause) It’s more like Orgo Night goes to you.

 Tonight at 11:59 pm in El Butler. Be there, or don’t be there.

Ah, Orgo Night, that which pisses off many a disgruntled grad student and brings a little cheer to many a CC or LitHum studier. This year, an avidly procrastinating Bwog strives to chronicle the fun as it happens. Bear with us as we try to get (most-likely superfluous) pictures and funny overheards up as soon as possible for you people who missed out. Photos courtesy of correspondent Maryam Parhizkar

11:44 – Security are stationed around the Butler entrance, and one of the wrought iron gates is closed. Overheard: “Hah, maybe FoxNews will do a story on this to show how much Columbia kids don’t study.”

11:59 - CUMB has arrived! Calling themselves the ”Columbia pussies.” Bwog can’t help but notice- there’s a violinist?

12:02 – Minutemen bit! “CTV threw a raging kegger with the royalties they received from their video clip… and at least one student got a kick out of the event.”

12:06 – A little awkward dancing here and there.

12:07 – Zvi Galil bit! Nominate him for president of Iraq. “He would remedy the Shiite hegemony by offering a drawing for three iPods.” Somehow segues into Shakira’s “Hips Don’t Lie.” Saxophonist pulls it out for that Eastern flair.

12:11 - Vladimir Putin bit? Revelers are puzzled. And Putin bit turns into… E.Coli bit! And… “Fly Like an Eagle”! We’re still puzzled.

12:14 – Gay Jews bit! “I knew my boy was a fagela since he was the best-dressed boy at his bar mitzvah.” Mary Cheney, John Kerry, Mark Foley, and Karl Rove get implicated. “Sweet Child O’Mine” in honor of Cheney’s “immaculate lesbian conception.”

12:20 – Crazy sex at Columbia bit! “Surfaces and Knots teaches us about rope bondage… Organic Chemistry is a masochistic class.” Anal sex on CTV! Miriam D. bit! “[Anal] Way You Want It.”

12:24 – Core bit! The other schools are pissed at the College’s elitism, so Quigley answers, “You don’t have to read Solon to understand we have a categorical imperative… [insert other CC references].” Barnard/HomeEc joke. Somehow… “Shaft.”

12:28 – The Grand Litany of Orgo Sex Jokes.

12:29 – And they’re off to cavort around the grounds. Read more…