By Paige GuritzkyUSCRipsIt staff writer
We recently sat down for a Q&A with USC's newest drum major and face of Tommy Trojan, Kenny Morris. The fifth-year sociology major originates from Hawai'i and is thrilled to exchange his trombone for the Trojan sword. Check out some highlights from our interview, including his thoughts on what it takes to be drum major, how the experience at Washington was for him and how he is preparing for Saturday's match up against Washington State.
What does it mean to you to be drum major?
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"It's huge, huge deal. I've always kind of looked up to the drum major as being someone who is the spiritual center of the University. You know, being "that guy," the student leader of the band, in charge of the band's spirit, in charge of really keeping the band energetic and focused. You can't ever be less than always pumped up. Being that guy is something I've always wanted to do. I had a roommate who did it. We tried out together, he beat me our senior year and coming back it really means a lot to be Tommy Trojan and the leader of the band."
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How do you hype up yourself before you go on the field?
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"I really look up to Pete Carroll and he's got all these great mottos and stuff like "Win forever," "Always compete," things like that. So I decided I was going to come up with my own personal motto and kind of use that to push myself. I said, "Never tired." To uphold that, I made that promise to everyone during band camp. Knowing that everyone expects you not to be tired makes it so much easier."
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What is your time commitment to USC, the band and the football team?
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"It's a huge commitment. Being drum major, everyone calls me, everyone texts me saying, 'I saw you on TV' and stuff like that. You have to be the face of the university essentially, even though Traveler is our true mascot. When the camera is on me, trying to not break character is one of the hardest thing ever, because you just want to be like 'OH YEAH!!! GO USC!!!' But it's all about being Tommy Trojan.
"It's really funny how the team and the band interact. It means something when after the Ohio State game, most hostile environment ever, Matt Barkley comes up and we talked for a second and he's like, "We couldn't have done it without you guys." Then Damian Williams says, "This band is what kept us going." My response is, "That's what our job is. That's why we work as hard as we do." No matter what, the job of the band is to support the team. Especially after a tough weekend like this, it doesn't change anything. What we do is what we do. One thing that will never change is the band will always support the team -- it's something that I know they appreciate."
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What is your relationship with Pete Carroll?
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"I've never actually met him. But talk about a guy that leads by example. I hugely respect him for that. A lot of coaches can get so down on their players, but for such a successful, all-around talented, charming guy, he's so humble and he always remembers that and gives that to his players. He's always working hard and I really appreciate that. I would love to meet him face to face. He's a great guy."
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How was your experience at Washington and how are you prepping for Washington State?
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"Ugh, it was tough! The game of football is a funny thing. Anything can happen. That being said, the Trojan Marching Band is not a variable, it needs to be a constant. No matter what the team does, the band always supports the team. We live in such a charmed era with Pete Carroll. A loss is just a bump in the road. It's something that you learn from. Something that you grow from. Something that you move on from. It's in the past.
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"It's a new day, I told everyone after the game, I went on the buses, I said: 'This has been a tough weekend for the Trojans. It was cold up here, it was wet up here. We lost the game. But when it comes down to it. Everyone is going to go home and go to sleep tonight. The only difference is that we're gonna go home and go to sleep tonight, wake up tomorrow and we're still going to be Trojans.' That's the mindset we're taking. We know what we can do, we know how good we can be. We just gotta keep doing what we do."
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What is your favorite memory to date while being drum major?
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"My favorite memory to date, definitely after the Ohio State game, when Matt Barkley came up to me and was like, 'TOMMY!!! It's just the beginning, just the beginning.' That was awesome. It was so surreal, I have never see so many cameras surrounding me."
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If you could say one thing to the USC community, what would it be?
"This band and this team are the hardest working band and team in this nation. Support them!"
• Paige Gurtizky is a USCRipsIt staff writer. Be sure to check back next week for more inside information on what it's like to be drum major at USC.
Photo courtesy of Brett Padelford
