POWER TOWEL WOOOOOOOOO: K-STATE’S HORRIBLE PREGAME VIDEO
Ron Prince is a man with plans. For example, he only recruits running backs who can fit in suitcases, a kind of Kenny Irons in reverse situation. He also likes red post-it notes because they convey urgency.
He’s also been reading up on his Douglas Adams and watching his South Park, because he wants you to remember one simple lesson: bring your towel.
Willie the Wildcat, the worst mascot in America, still appears to be a guy just wearing a head. And not even a proper mascot head, made from synthetic fibers, chicken wire, some felt and a bit of professional stitchwitchery. No, Willie’s head is something different and more hideous. Perhaps you had an eccentric great uncle: world traveler, bon vivant, holder of seven dubious diplomas and one obvious fake.
Ah, yes. Da Mao of Lijiang! Great guy, even once the syphilis took hold? You found an actual tiger head in his basement once. He explained to you that it came off a beast he shot with Joseph Rock in Yunnan in 1933 “that was feasting on Chinamen like they were dumplings, mind you!.” It was dessicated, poorly taxidermed, and smelled like death’s jock strap, and so old the color had leached from the fur completely.
That same head is what this poor man wears on his head to football games. We suspect he’s a work-release inmate from a county in Kansas with a wacky judge with a penchant for creative sentencing. It’s the only possible explanation.
Power Towel. We think Ron Prince has a very low opinion of the opposition if he believes waving towels will do anything besides start brawls in the stands when one whirling towel catches a trashed K-State fan in the eye. (Towel corners can remove eyeballs. We learned this because we have a brother and an extremely immature father.) It will increase the cleanliness of the stadium, most likely, as fans bored with Ron Prince’s stagnant offense will begin polishing the bleachers.
The only other time we can think of this working–at all–as a massive fan-participation widget was in Pittsburgh in the NFL, where sausage-leadened Steeler fans, immobile from binge drinking and orgiastic eat consumption, waved them during games. Prince is missing out on the basic cause/effect, here: the real homefield advantage for the Steelers are the clouds of aerosolized alcohol that roll onto the field in the third quarter off the fans, which killed Tommy Maddox on the field in 2005.
Still, the gimmick affords the opportunity to give Ron Prince the nickname we’ve been looking to hang on him like a rotting albatross: Towelie, who is forever asking you if you want to get high and asking you if you brought a towel. DON’T FORGET TO BRING A TOWEL!!!
Chumbawumba: Back in Business, Bitches! If you thought KLF and Chumbawumba had fallen into the same abyss with the Primitive Radio Gods and the Baha Men, you are totally mistaken. They made this song for K-State, which sounds like Adam Ant ate “Dr. Who” with a side of “Tubthumping,” topped it with a cocktail of Florida State Fake Injun War Chant, and then shat it fresh onto a purple platter for your…um..consumption?
It’s also 1.) totally scoreboard driven, and not cued by the band or the crowd. We hate this didactic zombie fan shit no matter where it is, including the AC/DC “Thunderstruck” kick they’ve gotten on at Florida, and 2.) kind of complex for a stadium chant. A pair of ten-beered brains in the stands will likely only get it together by the last bit successfully.
Fan1: Dude, seriously. Freeman’s 280 easy.
Fan2: That’s not Gatorade he’s drinking. That’s au jus.
Fan1: Should someone tell Ron Prince that the goatee is the mustache of the ’00s? And, like, not in that ironic Seth Rogen in Superbad way?
Fan2: Shit, I get lost when they play this thing. There’s a lot of whoas here.
Fan1: No shit. Whoa..whoa…nope. Totally lost, dude.
Fan2: Wait, I think I know this part…STATE! STATE!!!
Fan1: STATE! STATE! STATE! STATE! STATE!!!
Fan2: You should stop now. They’re not even playing the music.
Fan1: STATE! STATE! STATE! STATE! STATE! STATE STATE! STATE!
Fan2: (Attempts to stuff Power Towel in Fan1’s mouth. Eyeball-killing violence ensues.)
There’ll be problems, we guarantee. But there’s no stopping Towelie here. Rock on, K-State. You get knocked down, then you get up again. They ain’t ever gonna keep you down.









1
jebushchrist says:
I was going to say something nasty about Manhattan, KS but I’ll just let Pete do it in …3 …2 …
September 6th, 2007 at 11:41 am
2
Scalz1 says:
dude, that Cat needs a band. I know talent when I see it, and that ‘cat has “IT”.
September 6th, 2007 at 11:41 am
3
Palouse says:
Another ‘tomahawk chop’ chant. And they’re not even indians. huzzah!
September 6th, 2007 at 11:42 am
4
HFS says:
That alone is justification for Auburn to cancel the return visit to K State. No penalty.
September 6th, 2007 at 11:43 am
5
PJ from NU in SF says:
God, that song is awful. I mean, truly awful. The sort of awful that makes John Blutarsky smash the guitar against a wall.
On another thought, K-state’s Willie the Wildcat is even lamer than Northwestern’s…. at least ours wears a fur suit, which comes in handy around November.
September 6th, 2007 at 11:46 am
6
Nick says:
Willie the Wildcat’s reply, “No, you’re a towel”
September 6th, 2007 at 11:46 am
7
Gator03 says:
Towelie should become the mascot, since he’s the worst character ever.
September 6th, 2007 at 11:47 am
8
PW says:
I’m pretty sure you meant orgiastic meat consumption, but I think eat consumption actually works better.
September 6th, 2007 at 11:48 am
9
Kernel says:
‘Ol Drippy loves this new tradition
September 6th, 2007 at 11:49 am
10
Unhappy Monkey says:
Most bizarre mascot ever. That’s no wildcat, it is some type of minotaur creature, head of a wildcat on body of a man. A Minofeline.
It is scary though. I wish it would stop pointing at me.
September 6th, 2007 at 11:49 am
11
Gurn says:
While that video is hideous, it’s not nearly as gay as this one:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=pVENWl8uBeg
which I hope has flooded Ann Arbor-based message boards incessantly.
It’s gayer than 8 guys blowing nine guys.
September 6th, 2007 at 11:50 am
12
celeste says:
Ron Prince = Appstate alum
Appstate alums = rock-climbing, tree-hugging potheads, so I’ve heard
Thus, Ron Prince = the same.
Soooo, the Towelie nickname is more than apt. It’s downright syllogistic.
September 6th, 2007 at 11:50 am
13
panhandler says:
The girls in the Robert Palmer videos played better air guitar.
September 6th, 2007 at 11:50 am
14
spartymike says:
That’s SENATOR Blutarsky to you, PJ.
September 6th, 2007 at 11:53 am
15
jon says:
to paraphrase Real Ultimate Power:
1. KSU mascots are mammals.
2. KSU mascots fight ALL the time.
3. The purpose of the Mascot is to flip out and kill people (and wave a towel)
September 6th, 2007 at 11:53 am
16
ToddlyKSU says:
Yeah, there is no way to defend that shit. If I try, I’ll feel like a Michigan fan defending losing to a 1-AA team.
Since I saw that yesterday I’ve been waiting for this post on EDSBS…thanks Orson…fucking thanks. What did Ron Prince ever do to you? You have become petejayhawk’s lapdog!
We do however contend that Willie is in no way inferior the fetus looking blowup doll that passes for Nebraska’s Mascot.
September 6th, 2007 at 11:58 am
17
Land of Os(borne) says:
None of this would have happened if Bill Snyder were still alive.
Also, Toddly – Lil’ Red can walk on his head. Can your mascot walk on his head? No, he cannot. Good day, sir!
September 6th, 2007 at 12:03 pm
18
Brian says:
Most HS’s have better mascots than that abomination.
1+1=3 when you take the Hawaii player’s story about some girl wanting him to bang her with his gear on and add banging a girl with nothing but the KSU head and you get a whole much much larger than the sum of its parts.
September 6th, 2007 at 12:05 pm
19
stapler says:
oh fuck *wipes tears from eyes* I think this one is funnier than the App State one. A “power towel”? That’s original, rofl! And where is the rest of the Cat costume? OMGWTFBBQ!!!!!!!!!!! Nice music too. fuck this is too funny.
The opening 5 seconds of this video is the lamest 5 seconds in sports, the dude acts like he’s not even sure where the camera is. oh, the humanity
September 6th, 2007 at 12:06 pm
20
Erik says:
Worse than “Hot, Hot, Hot”. I’m serious.
September 6th, 2007 at 12:07 pm
21
Sabanite says:
Prince should have given his left tackle the cat’s head AND a towel…maybe that would have slowed Groves down a tad…
September 6th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
22
PeteJayhawk says:
Jebus, just check the video description and associated tags for my feelings on KSU.
September 6th, 2007 at 12:08 pm
23
ToddlyKSU says:
“None of this would have happened if Bill Snyder were still alive.”
I think Bill Snyder is technically alive, but he’s been dead inside since about 1998: and you’re probably right.
You can also order your own Lil’ red out of the advertisement section of a Hustler magazine…which is pretty cool I guess. Kansas State has devoted significant research funds to giant paper machet head technology hence our giant paper machet head is the most advanced in the extensive giant paper machet head world.
September 6th, 2007 at 12:11 pm
24
Jorgé the Bass Player says:
Fucking sad.
September 6th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
25
Stockman says:
Now that’s how you create tradition.
September 6th, 2007 at 12:26 pm
26
Tim says:
Maybe I’m in a crabby mood today, but why don’t any of the damn pictures have line breaks before the caption?
September 6th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
27
immikfefazz says:
Don’t mess with the Justified Ancients of MuMu, bitches!
September 6th, 2007 at 12:32 pm
28
JohnInHuntsville says:
I laughed so hard I just farted blood.
Tommy “Jug’Ears” Tuberville already tried this schtick when he tried to make Jordan-Hare “The Jungle”. He even had the same bumper music.
If only he had thought of the “power towel”.
(Yet another obligatory Bama – Auburn threadjack)
September 6th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
29
jebushchrist says:
#26
Lighten up, Francis, there’s football on tonight.
September 6th, 2007 at 12:41 pm
30
robert says:
So Orson, what did you think of Clemson’s “Zombie Nation” abomination?
September 6th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
31
Geaux Irish says:
Lloyd Carr needs to take the K-State kitten over to his garage to show him his buckets.
September 6th, 2007 at 12:42 pm
32
Will says:
Whose idea was it for the chant to be a rip-off of a segment from an 80s hair band show (take your pick from a number of bands, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of the guitarists from Britny Foxx under that head.)
Oh, and the beginning of the song/chant sloppiest sweep picking I’ve heard since I drank too much Rebel Yell and thought I was Yngwie Malmsteen.
September 6th, 2007 at 12:48 pm
33
Digital Headbutt says:
This might actually explain the fourth quarter against Auburn.
Ron: (listens to band) “It’s the melody to Funkytown!”
Ron, concentrate on the game.
“What game? I have no idea what’s goin’ on.”
September 6th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
34
Rival says:
It’s also 1.) totally scoreboard driven, and not cued by the band or the crowd.
Not true. They’ve actually hired Steve Buscemi from the Wedding Singer and he will take his cues from the drunkest of the drunkards in the student singer.
Best guitarist in the world!
That chant is embarrassing.
As a Georgia fan, I was also embarrassed last year when the athletics association came out with the “We Are Georgia” towels. It didn’t last.
Don’t white towels signify defeat?
September 6th, 2007 at 12:52 pm
35
jebushchrist says:
I believe it was Brittny Foxx (the t’s match the x’s), Will. If you’re going to drop Malmsteen you should know how to spell them as well.
You’re welcome.
I prefer Eric Johnson, myself.
September 6th, 2007 at 12:56 pm
36
Rob says:
I still contend that Ron Prince is an operative working undercover for some other Big 12 school whose sole objective is to completely decimate the Kansas State football program.
This video is proof positive.
September 6th, 2007 at 12:57 pm
37
PeteJayhawk says:
Ah Via Musicom ftw.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:02 pm
38
Run Up The Score says:
I suggest a towelie-ban.
And regarding “Hot Hot Hot”, I think ASU may as well embrace it at this point. It’s honestly become cool.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
39
John says:
Willie makes Hulk Hogan in the “Real American” video look like fucking Stevie Ray Vaughn.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:17 pm
40
Coop says:
Robert, while it is bad, it is in no way worse than the, “WE ARE… CAROLINA,” chant you are attempting to create.
Let’s think about the above for a second:
1. WE ARE.. Penn State! That has been done for years and years and years, and you are attempting to rip it off. Let’s try to be remotely original. At least that strangled chicken sound after every TD or FG, I forget b/c you people don’t score too often when I am at Death Valley East every other year, was original. The first down thing, “and that’s another…Carolina first down!” is also copied and unoriginal, but I forget where that came from, and is not as blatant as the, “WE ARE…” cheer.
2. You are not Carolina. Nobody in the other 49 states in the United States refers to you as Carolina. You don’t have a winning record against Carolina, you don’t have as many conference titles of any sort as Carolina, and your school, obviously, does not compare to Carolina. Again, you are not Carolina.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
41
jebushchrist says:
#37
While we’re (that’s the royal “we”) on the subject, I listened to Steve Vai’s Passion and Warfare last week for the first time in about 10 years and it made me weep like a little boy in a Henne jersey.
It plum blew mah mind all over again.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:25 pm
42
PeteJayhawk says:
JHC,
I can’t wait to get home…it’s going to be a guitar-heavy evening on the hi-fi.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
43
stapler says:
With the head of a cat and the body of a human, I guess their mascot is really more of a “Reverse Sphinx” than a wildcat.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
44
jebushchrist says:
Pete,
Purple Drank + Vai/Johnson = ethereal experience
September 6th, 2007 at 1:34 pm
45
gerry dorsey says:
i used to keep a “power towel” beside my bed in college. and sometimes it was a “power sock” or “power t shirt.”
September 6th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
46
War Eagle says:
I wish we had tradition at Auburn. All we’ve got is the Tiger walk – Bama copied it – and saying Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa Eagle, HEY at kickoffs – and Bama copied that too. All we got is the eagle anymore. We should get Tiger Towels. That would be unique. But if Bama copied that, would they call it the It’s Rollin Baby Towel?
September 6th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
47
Big 12 WarBlog says:
Rumor has it, if you slit Willie the Wildcat’s throat, he will start ejecting PEZ.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:35 pm
48
Warthen says:
I want to see Willie doing the ‘doggy bounce’.
And replace that GUI-tar with a KEY-tar.
September 6th, 2007 at 1:39 pm
49
Digital Headbutt says:
Willie is SO in my imaginary garage band.
http://weebls-stuff.com/wab/band/
September 6th, 2007 at 1:52 pm
50
Dr. StrangeCock says:
Please, please, please, someone tell me they have a link to Kentucky’s “We Believe!” football intro video from last year. It’s hip-hoptacular.
September 6th, 2007 at 2:05 pm