Gerald Ford

[porrick]

Wow...

On the positive (personal) side: I'm still on my chanter, and yet to get my first pipes, but even I could hear that piping was terrible - and I wouldn't be worse than that on my chanter...

[McClef]

The BBC News 24 only covered the National Cathedral ceremony.

In the clip I am sure I saw Betty Ford wince at the notes, I know I did.

[Barclay]

He played far better than I could.

Every piper I know can play Amazing Grace in their sleep with one hand tied behind their back.

You would think that this was true, but I can attest that good funeral pipers are sometimes in short supply. It seems that, too often, anyone with a set of pipes and a business card can solicit funeral homes and many funeral homes have learned, too late, that they should have auditioned the piper beforehand. Even worse, some families have supplied their own pipers that end up being a friend-of-a-neighbor's-cousin that "plays the pipes". Yeah, those can be reeeeeeaaaaal painful to hear.

[Erisianmonkey]

More than wince. If looks could kill, that piper would be pushin' up the daisies right now.

[Julie]

The piper indeed was very poor. I am sure he knows he performed badly but there may be a reason why he was not at his best.
thanks Beloitpiper for pointing this out.
Julian

[JackK]

Well one can't blame it on the cold weather, was about 45 F yesterday (way to warm for January). I'm sure it was the emotions, with all the prep. done for the affair I doubt the organizers would have gotten a 'hack' player. I have a couple of friends that play for funerals who both said there was no way they could play for Jerry. Mr Ford was so loved in Grand Rapids, not because he was the Pres. or a congressman, more it was his love for the town and that he worked for us.

Jack

[wgority]

Sure, it wasn't the best version of AG that's ever been played at a presidential funeral, but does this guy have to get slagged everywhere? Give the man a frickin' break and let it drop.

Factors noone seems to be taking into consideration is how long was he compelled to stand in a single spot on a cold day in a cold state after warming up and tuning his pipes, was he pushed to do this by someone else?

I'd like to see this line of "I could have done it so much better" *CRAP* end.

Give him some props for at least getting out there and trying!

[Warlock]

Here, here. Let us be better men for it.

[JackK]

A friend here in Grand Rapids, said one of the local news broadcasts (I didn't see it) was saying last night that it was the piper being out in the cold weather that messed up the instrument. He is a police officer and plays for all the police funerals. They say now it was a mistake and the powers that be should have had him indoors.

Jack

[Splash_4]

I could not imagine any piper chosen for this honor not being one of the best available. I suspected it had to be something silly like a protocol officer thinking they knew what was best.