Dr. Bartner’s final ARTCAST recaps an unusual football season that had both nailbiters and blowouts, with USC remaining undefeated leading up to this weekend’s game against the bRuins. Dr. Bartner also answers your questions, and shares highlights of the Spirit of Troy performing with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars.

The year was 1970 when a 30-year-old high school band director came to USC to lead the Trojan Marching Band. And as they say, the rest is history.

“My first year, I couldn’t stand the uniforms,” Dr. Bartner recalls. “They had backpacks that amplified the music. And our helmets were on top of army helmets. I went to the dean and said, ‘We need new uniforms.’”

Easier said than done. Over the years, Dr. Bartner learned the art of fundraising, with today’s band looking like it just marched off the set of a Hollywood movie.

As Dr. Bartner steps into retirement, this week’s ARTCAST gets up close and personal as he answers questions from alums about the past and the future. He discusses what he would have changed back in 1970, knowing what he knows now. He also reveals his favorite memories and music. And in an insightful moment, he reveals his advice for his successor.

“Embrace the Trojan Family, he says. “And respect the great trojan traditions.”

And what will he miss: “The students. Their energy and enthusiasm. Our relationship with the football team. The jock rallies and the team coming over after the game. The star getting on the ladder, holding the sword and conducting ‘Conquest.’”

The ARTCAST begins with a look back at the 2020 season, short on games but long on excitement, beginning with the exciting finishes against the Arizona teams and concluding with the Trojans hitting their stride in the blowout of Washington State.

He concludes with a trip down memory lane, discussing the TMB’s role of rock stars, performing with Diana Ross, Fleetwood Mac, Jason Derulo and at the Grammy Awards.

This episode is the last before Dr. Bartner’s retirement. Be sure to watch it on the Trojan Marching Band’s YouTube page. Fight on! And beat the bRuins.