Members of musical group, Supwitchugirl, reflect on fifteen years of loving their Ducks

It has been fifteen years since musical group Supwitchugirl released their first hit song, and Michael Bishop, BA ’10 (magazine journalism), Brian McAndrew, BS ’10 (electronic media production), and Jamie Slade, BA ’10 (advertising), still love their Ducks.

It all started with a one-credit journalism course McAndrew enrolled in called Duck U, which gave students the opportunity to produce video content for a local public access channel. McAndrew had the idea to produce Lonely Island style videos and recruited his roommates, Bishop, and Slade, to get involved. The trio called themselves Supwitchugirl—a musical group name they admit they may have put more thought into if they’d known millions of people would witness it.

Supwitchugirl created a variety of music videos over the 2009 fall term and decided to focus on Oregon football’s stellar season for their last musical production. While all three friends contributed to the writing of “I Love My Ducks (I Smell Roses),” the idea originated from a phrase Slade coined. 

“I remember sitting in the student section with Michael and Brian and the rest of our friends . . . and just kind of organically saying ‘I love my Ducks,’ and attaching myself to that slogan and loving it,” Slade said. 

The group’s production cycle—including writing lyrics, composing music, shooting a music video, and editing—was about one week for all their Duck U pieces. Bishop said the timeline for “I Love My Ducks” was even tighter, but they made it happen with McAndrew at the helm. 

“Brian is extremely talented. He makes the music, and he’s extremely talented in video production. If there is anyone that can put together a viral music video in five days, it’s Brian McAndrew,” Bishop said. 

“I think [the quick turnaround] was part of the success, because it was just us having fun and a legitimate energy around the Ducks,” McAndrew said. “The production cycle was so quick we didn’t overthink it.” 

Overnight, the song went viral on YouTube. Within days though, the Supwitchugirl members were contacted by a university representative demanding they remove the video from their channel. The group had used the Duck’s image without permission—calling up a friend who donned the Duck suit to get involved in the music video.

“At the same time, we were getting so many people around the university community sending us so much praise. It was a tough time for us to be getting such positive feedback, but the university that we love so much—obviously, hence the song—wants us to take it down,” Slade said. 

Bishop, McAndrew, and Slade complied with the university’s request and removed the video from the Supwitchugirl YouTube channel. The viral music video had already captivated the campus community though—and it wasn’t long before the group was approached by The Duck Store about a partnership for “I Love My Ducks” t-shirts. After meeting with UO leadership, they struck an agreement, and The Duck Store began printing the shirts in time for the Rose Bowl on January 1, 2010.

“We were already having a good, normal senior year, and this happened, and it [became] the best senior year maybe anyone has ever had at the University of Oregon,” Bishop said. “You made this fun song with your best friends, you’re going out and hearing your own song playing, and The Duck Store across the street is selling thousands of your t-shirts.” 

Supwitchugirl performed at bars across Eugene, Nike headquarters, and even the UO Alumni Association’s Rose Bowl tailgate.

The following year, they produced another music video, “I Love My Ducks (Return of the Quack)”—this time with the permission of the university. The video featured the Duck, Oregon Cheer, and Supwitchugirl in Autzen Stadium. Over its lifetime, it has garnered 2.6 million views on YouTube.

The 2010 football season was another great success, with Oregon appearing in the BCS National Championship Game against Auburn. Supwitchugirl performed at the tailgate ahead of the championship, as well—the ultimate post-commencement celebration. Following graduation, all three Supwitchugirl members used the momentum of “I Love My Ducks” to explore new ventures and launch their careers. 

Slade leveraged connections he had made at the UO to land an internship with an advertising agency in Colorado, which led to a career as a video producer. Today, he works as executive producer for the post-production studio 11 Dollar Bill, where he contributes to national advertising campaigns. Slade didn’t anticipate living in Colorado for more than three months when he moved as an intern, but he’s stuck around, building his life and career in the Mountain state. Today, he is based in Boulder. 

McAndrew decided to travel to West Africa post-graduation, using profits he had made from Supwitchugirl’s t-shirt sales. During one of his many trips to Sierra Leone, he met his wife—a match he says wouldn’t have happened without the opportunity to travel abroad that “I Love My Ducks” afforded him. McAndrew later moved to Los Angeles, where he landed a job with 72andSunny, an advertising agency co-founded by UO alumni John Boiler, BA ’87 (fine and applied arts), and Glenn Cole, BA ’94 (advertising). McAndrew now lives in Vancouver, Washington, and works as a Video Production Specialist for Primal Kitchen, among other professional endeavors. 

Bishop secured an internship with Nike during the summer after graduation, thanks to a connection he made through Supwitchugirl. After the group took down their first “I Love My Ducks” music video, an executive assistant at Nike reached out to the group, requesting a copy of the song for his boss to give his wife for Christmas. Bishop burned a DVD to send to the executive, and some months later, reached out about opportunities at Nike. That connection turned into an interview, which turned into an internship and a successful career. He became the voice of Nike on social media as their senior writer. Today, he is back in Eugene running his own freelance writing business. 

With Oregon football’s recent success, the “I Love My Ducks” songs have again been circulated on social media and even national television. Bishop, McAndrew, and Slade said they are happy to see new generations of Ducks fans enjoying something they so enjoyed creating. 

“I had this crazy moment this fall when we were watching the [Oregon vs. Oregon State game] . . . and it was just me and my kids. They went to TV break, and ‘I Love My Ducks’ came on, and [my kids] just looked at me like ‘are you hearing what I’m hearing,’” Bishop said. “It’s fun to share those moments with old fans and new fans and our kids now. I think it’s fun that people still get a kick out of it.” 

—By April Miller, UO Alumni Association assistant director of marketing and communications