WMRE Exec Staff - Emory University

WMRE Exec Staff
‘Zine Administrator
Nalini Abhiraman
General Manager
David Ogles
Programming Director
Trish Harris
Treasurer
Gopi Ukani
Technical Director
Larry Oji
Personnel Director
Erica Davis
Music Director
Lis Koehnemann
Publicity Director
Rachel Gottschalk
Business Manager
Jon Schwartz
Hey Zinesters !
In the spirit of our springtime landscape full of lush
flowers and bright green leaves, this issue of Listen is
stuffed with spirited stories: advertising in song lyrics-the new way to sell out, Hanson redefined as an
indie band, show and new release reviews, and more.
And don’t miss The Fiery Furnaces April 15.
Our current editor, Nalini Abhiraman, is graduating,
taking from us her incredible art and editing talent.
However, a new editor, Valerie Gaimon, aka me,
(and hopefully some new Zine staff—if interested, LL
vgaimon) will continue Listen next year.
Valerie
Oh my little violets,
I’ll miss you all so. This zine has been, if not my life’s
blood, at least my Thursday night twice a semester’sblood, and it will be quite sad to leave it. It’s in
excellent, capable hands, though, so at least I’m not
sad and afraid. That’s a tragic cereal I don’t care to
eat. I’m not entirely gone yet, as we have a summer
issue to do, but this is, like spring, a transitional time
for us all. So goodbyes will start now, and beginnings
will too.Enough sap. Someone buy me some shots.
XO, Nalini
Social Chair
Leuwam Tesfai
Webmaster
Joseph Sabado
Member At Large
Spencer Koch
Chris Daresta
Lauren Baker
Eric Stein
Spring
Highlights
3 True Confessions of a Hanson Skeptic
6,9 Show Reviews
WMRE Upcoming Events:
Fiery Furnaces - April 15
Media Council Awards - April 11
DJ Awards Show/WMRE Semiformal - TBA
5 Mini Reviews
12 Centerfold
7-9 Feature Article: The Rise of
Commercialism in Popular Music
10 Zine Poll: Best Hair in Rock
Confessions
of a Hanson Skeptic
I’m not gonna lie, when I first heard that
Hanson wanted to do a special interview/surprise
show with WMRE, I laughed and mockingly sang
“Mmm..bop” with a few people who shall remain
nameless. I even volunteered to do the interview for
the pure novelty of the situation. I mean, come on,
it’s Hanson. When Hanson first burst onto the scene
eight years ago, I was listening to such “badass”
bands as Silverchair and Nine Inch Nails, feeling
the grunge influence of Nirvana, and maybe mixing
it up with a little Goldfinger or Mr. Mirainga. What
about that repertoire would suggest that I would listen
to Hanson? Right off the bat, I had tons of tough
questions for the band (namely Taylor), like ‘How does
it make you feel that my guy friends in middle school
had crushes on you…until they found out you were a
dude?’ or ‘Have you ever seen that episode of Family Guy
where Quagmire admits that he’s always had a crush on
you…and then finds out that you’re a dude?’ Oh man, I
was going to be relentless.
After the pure hilarity of the situation wore off and
I admitted to myself that I never would be the jerk to ask
such questions, I began researching their work. Unhappy
with the direction their record label was trying to pursue,
Hanson was “strong enough to break” away and form their
own label, 3CG Records. Now billing themselves as indie
rock, Hanson started from scratch with the support of loyal
fans such as Michelle Branch, who was a member of their
fan club as a tyke and had previously opened for them
on tour. Avril Lavigne lists Hanson as one of her favorite
bands. Avril Lavigne? She’s so hard. I guess it makes
sense, Avril Lavigne is to punk what Hanson is to indie,
quipped Spencer Koch.
As it turns out, Hanson’s sophomore effort, This
Time Around, included collaborations with artists I actually
admire, such as Jonny Lang and John Popper (of Blues
Traveler). The newest album, Underneath, includes
collaborations with Matthew Sweet, Gregg Alexander of the
New Radicals, and Sam Farrar of Phantom Planet. If these
musicians saw promise in the sandy-haired boys from
Tulsa, was it possible there was something I was missing?
The first time I listened to the new album, I don’t
think I made it through a single track with out skipping to
the next song. I mean, by the second line of the first song,
they’d compared life to a Monopoly game. But in the
days before the interview, that began to change. In order
to be familiar with what I was talking about, I listened to
Underneath on repeat. About the fourth time through, as I
was taking notes on the band’s Electronic Press Kit, I found
myself enjoying what I was hearing. Describing Hanson’s
music as infectious is hitting the nail on the head.
Then came the interview. Like I said before, I
never really paid attention to the precocious trio when I was
younger, so I was not as shocked as some by the fact that,
despite popular belief, they actually age. They seemed to
enjoy the low profile set-up of the station and gushed (a
little too much) about how they loved the intimacy of college
radio. They seemed intent on playing tracks from other
musicians like the Hero Factor, Vast, and Adam Green to
name a few, as well as encouraging listeners to make an
effort to seek out unknown artists and support them. What
do ya know. Zac even referred to the band as indie, in airquotes. Before the interview, I was worried that we would
never have enough material to fill a two-hour interview, but
once the brothers Hanson got started, it was not a problem.
I think my favorite part of the interview is when Taylor
made an off-air
comment to my cointerviewer Melissa
and me about
“You see, it’s a metaphor, some unattractive
fans that had been
but I guess you wouldn’t
waiting outside
get that without a whole lot when the band
arrived (all I can
of explaining.”
say about them
is that they were
-Taylor Hansondefinitely not
Emory students
and definitely from outside the perimeter).
I was shocked at the size of the crowd that had
gathered for the surprise performance in the DUC. I think it
went well despite the lack of microphones, by their request
(“Oh, we don’t do equipment. No, no, this is indie. Just the
guys and their guitars. It’s gonna be indie, you know, raw.”)
We actually may have benefited from that, because I don’t
think the people are quite ready for Taylor’s ardent use of
the f-bomb.
Would I now call myself Hanson’s biggest fan?
That’d be a stretch. Do I buy into their new “indie” image?
Not quite. Will I check out their next album? Yes. All
things considered, you can’t blame me. After all, how
could you not support a guy who says to you, “You know,
you really remind me of my good friend Michelle…Michelle
Branch…I mean, not only do you have the same look,
but the same real chill vibe, too.” She’s hot, I’m not
complaining, and he won my vote. - Erica Davis
Apes -- Baba
Mountain
The organ grind
and bass bomp
of the Apes is a
sexual psychedelic
masterpiece.
The vocalist is quite possibly the
embodiment of sexual rock. When I
saw Apes play, the lead was wearing
a pair of tight white pants (which did
not leave much to the imagination)
that were held up by a belt of duct
tape. The record does not hold up to
the live show, but it’s still amazing.Chris Daresta
Slits -- Cut
The finally reissued
Slits’ Cut is a postpunk masterpiece,
sloppy dub
influenced punk.
Absurdly cute and
dancy, this is up there with The
Raincoat’s first album. See where
the riot grrl movement got their
inspiration. The day this record finally
came back out I heard it at a dance
party that same night. Buy it despite
the high price. You go to Emory, you
can afford it!-Chris Daresta
Homosexuals -Astral Glamour
The most diy of the
late 70s punk and
post punk bands
complete works are
now collected in
a three-CD set. This thing has 81
songs. The price is worth it for the
first CD alone. When you hear the
title track, you will promptly break your
Franz Ferdinand record in half and
wish they’d play this at MJQ instead.Chris Daresta
Gossip/Tracy and
the Plastics -- Real
Damage EP
Gossip play two
tracks of bluesy riot
punk. Hotness is the
only way to describe
Nathan’s guitar-playing. Tracy and
the Plastics’ tracks can only be
described as pure cuteness. When
Tracy whines “you didn’t give a shit
about my bad haircut,” boys and girls
swoon. I wish I was a lesbian so I
could stand a chance with her.-Chris
Daresta
Airoes -- My Zipper
Got Stuck!
The one-man electro
violence dance party
from Atlanta has
put out one of the
best dance records
in years. Drum machine beats and
vocals are all Atlanta’s “God of Love”
needs to decimate the dance floor.
There are two kinds of kids in Atlanta
those who know and love Airoes and
those who don’t. Actually there is only
one kind of kid out there. Those who
love Airoes. The rest of you might as
well be DEAD!-Chris Daresta
MINI
(reviews, that is)
Chris Daresta & David Ogles
Deer Hunter -- Turn
it Up Faggot
Deerhunter started
as a sloppy Fall
rip-off but recently
their live shows
have shown how
strong they’ve become. “Adorno” and
“Techschool” are the hot stand-out
tracks. They figured out how to take
post punk and make it sound new.
Plus, Josh Fauver is the sexiest man
to ever strap on a bass guitar. Atlanta
is the new NEW YORK. That’s right.
I said it.-Chris Daresta
Decemberists Picaresque
The Oklahoma
natives combine the
remorseful alt-country
of Castaways and
Cutouts with their
trademark witty (and sometimes silly)
lyrics to create a dynamic album.
Colin Melloy’s vocals still sound like
he is recovering from a cold, but
it’s difficult not to be touched by his
stories of wheelbarrow boys and old
seafarers.-David Ogles
Of Montreal – The
Sunlandic Twins
The eighties-retro
fad is getting old,
but these Elephant 6
products find a way
to keep it fresh. Think Brian Wilson
meets The Cure: neo-psychedelic
musings over a dance-like beat and
an amazingly full synthesizer. This is
their best album to date.-David Ogles
Die Monitr Batss
-- Girls of War
A no wave record in
2005? This is pretty
damn close. Minimal
guitar scraping,
saxophone, male and
female vocals, and drums that mimic
DNA, Slits, and Contortions. This
record is awesome. Standout tracks
“Gore Appeal” and “Catholic Guilt”
make it worthwhile.-Chris Daresta
Coachwhips
– Peanut Butter and
Jelly Live at the
Ginger Minge
Lofi garage trio’s
fourth length finishes
before you realize
how raunchy the title is! This is
a mini-dance party. Dwyer is the
Iceberg Slim of guitar, Val Tronic is the
Traci Lords of casiotone keyboards,
and Harlow plays the drums like that
porno you bought for $2 at Southern
Nights.-Chris Daresta
Final Fantasy – Has
A Good Home
One of the violinists
from the Arcade
Fire’s solo album.
Creative with lots of
layers. Sounds a
little bit like the Postal Service minus
the electronics. Littered with great
songs, but the album as a whole
grows stale after a while.-David Ogles
Whirlwind Heat -Flamingo Honey
This new record is ten
tracks, all a minute
apiece. This band has
matured into a real treat playing songs
that are really fun, especially “HO”
with its squiggly dance beat -- light
years better then that Jack Whiteproduced mess from last year.
-Chris Daresta
Ash @ the Loft, ATL
Two summers ago Ash at Echo Lounge was the sweatiest,
highest-energy, loudest, longest show I’d gladly lost my
hearing at. The band led by Tim Wheeler promised to rock
until dawn, vowing to break their record the previous year
of playing until four. They performed nonstop for two and
a half hours while indie kids and mohawked punk-rockers
danced and moshed around before I had to drag my ass
home to be able to wake up for work the next morning -pretty useless considering the speakers in the small tunnel
of a former concert space had echoed my eardrums into
oblivion.
I was recovered and psyched for this year’s act
at the new Loft venue above Earthlink Live. It was an
early show set to start at six (not exactly inducing all-nightrockage, but still I was expecting to rock until Cinderella
hour). By the time I arrived at twenty after six, unoriginal
openers The Bravery were already into their set, which
by my estimation lasted about thirty-five minutes. After a
prompt fifteen-minute break for the wrist-ban clad to get a
drink at one of the three uncrowded (yet fully-staffed) bars
in the space, Ash came onto the stage. The band played
a good mix of classic 1977 songs, a few from Free All
Angels and a few from a new release, which unfortunately
sounds more like The Bravery than their perfect punk-pop
selves. After exactly fifty minutes, Tim thanked the crowd,
the lights came on, and the band walked off. That was it.
No encore, no dancing, no excitement, just some headbopping and lyric mouthing. This show was twice the price
of Echo Lounge’s, and parking was seven to ten dollars
depending how far one was willing to walk. This “cool new
venue” was way too dark; the stage too cramped, and
without a platform for the drummer (the ceiling was so low
his sticks would have rammed the spotlights), very hard
to see, since the floor was not sloped. In the back was an
unloft-like additional room of neutral-colored chairs and
sofas blending with the beige walls and general monotonic
atmosphere.
It’s quite doubtful any hopeful up-and-coming
band like The Bravery was eager to take the stage for a
few youngsters who actually showed up when the doors
opened at six. And it’s even harder to believe that a band
who in its past Atlanta visits played a parking lot when a
show at the Masquerade was cancelled and consistently
rocked their fans until sunrise wanted to play a fifty-minute
set and call it a night. Either Ash has lost momentum and
gotten tired of actually playing a rock concert where people
get into their music, or this new Loft is telling bands when
to get on and off stage, totally not conducive to good live
music. Maybe people weren’t loosened up at sundown, but
by the last two songs dancing was beginning to ignite the
crowd, soon squelched by lights in what I can only assume
was an attempt by the venue to promote “hanging out” in
this boring space or the ever-unexciting Park Bench below,
buying more drinks and all in all maximizing profit for a wellpublicized fifty-minute set. I do not recommend this lofty
venue. I recommend supporting The Earl, The Drunken
Unicorn, Variety Playhouse, even The Roxy or a bar of your
choice, but avoid the high-priced über-modern Loft. I for
one will not be going up that ratty staircase again.- ValerieG
Above: Ash
Left: Slint
Slint @ Irving Plaza, NYC.
After recently becoming a victim of larceny (fancy way of
saying my check card number was stolen and used for
several fraudulent purchases), I thought my trip to New
York City for the College Media Advisor’s Conference
would not only be stressful, but lacking in excitement due
to a deficiency of funds. Lucky for me New York held many
thrifty surprises including seeing Slint, live for their reunion
tour. Slint originated in Louisville, Kentucky and released
two LPs: Tweez and Spiderland, and have since gone on
to start Tortoise and Gastr del Sol. I have been bitching for
months over their lack of tour dates in the South, yet failed
to put together that I would be enjoying a free trip to the
City That Never Sleeps during Slint’s three-show stop. After
a visit to Union Square’s bustling Whole Foods, my more
observant companions noticed a flyer for Slint’s show. The
large $25 ticket price usually deters me, but how often can
you see a band that disbanded over ten years ago? Slint
is easily one of the most innovative and influential indie/
post-rock bands of the 90’s, and this was clearly evidenced
by the full house on Saint Patrick’s Day at Irving Plaza.
The faces of the crowd were mostly in their twenties, and
everyone from the pit to the balcony was captivated. The
performance drew from all over the country, and I even ran
into someone who flew from Atlanta that week for the show.
The performance featured almost all of the songs from the
band’s swan song album Spiderland, including my personal
favorites, “Washer” and “Breadcrumb Trail,” also sprinkled
with songs off the chilling Tweez and the self-titled album,
and appropriately closed with “Good Morning Captain.” I
did not visit the merchandise table, because of my recent
loss of funds, but the paper ticket was enough souvenir for
me. A decade later, Slint still harnesses the loud, hectic,
complex math rock they helped establish. -Leuwam Tesfai
What’s Your Favorite
Rock and Roll Brand?
The Rise of
Commercialism in
Popular
Music Part I
CALEB WARREN gives the straight story
Rock and roll has endured because of its ability to combine
meaningful art with marketable mass entertainment.
Because the value of art comes from a singular vision of
the artist and the value of entertainment comes from the
wants and desires of a mass audience, rock and roll1 has
always struggled to maintain its balance between artistic
validity and commercial appeal. This article investigates
two emerging commercial trends that potentially threaten
the artistic integrity of music in advertisements. The
second section (appearing in the next issue) discusses the
infiltration of brand names and commercial messages into
the lyrical content of songs.
Today it’s sometimes tough to tell where a song
ends and a marketing campaign begins. Advertisements
look like music videos, and songs sound like
advertisements. Musicians, particularly rappers, enamored
with the excesses of commercial culture, are dropping
brand references from Cool Whip to Cadillac in their lyrics
at an alarming rate. Corporations encourage and often use
these references as starting blocks for entire promotional
campaigns. Adding to the confusion, advertisements, now
more than ever before, resemble fifteen and thirty-second
music videos. In an ironic reversal, musicians have started
leveraging these advertisements as an alternative media
outlet for their songs. The increasing interdependence
of marketing and rock and roll yields a pressing question:
does the rise of commercialism in popular music spell the
end of rock and roll as a critical societal institution, or does
cooperation with corporate brands provide musicians with
an opportunity to expand their uncompromised messages
to an even broader audience?
Marketers love using popular music in television
advertisements. In the 60s, R&B acts such as the Four
Seasons and The Supremes appeared in ads for CocaCola. Even the counter-cultural band Jefferson Airplane
appeared in an ad for Levi’s at the height of flower power
rocktopia. Marketers quickly learned that a popular
rock and roll ditty could translate into additional sales of
dungarees or soft drinks. As a result, you’re much more
likely to hear your favorite song in a SUV ad than on
“music” channels like MTV or VH1.
Because of music’s ability to capture viewer
attention, alter viewer mood, and communicate nonverbally, advertisers salivate over songs. Marketers use
songs in to transfer people’s associations (such as attitudes
and beliefs) for a song to their brand, or to transfer people’s
liking of a song to liking their brand. Here’s a simplified
model of an ad attempting to transfer associations from
band to brand: Modest Mouse = hip; Nissan = Modest
Mouse; therefore, Nissan = hip. Or: I like “Start Me Up”
by the Stones; “Start Me Up” = Microsoft’s Windows 95;
therefore, I will like Windows ’95.
But the sword of association transfer cuts both
ways. Just as a song can become a vehicle for association
transfer from music to brand, a brand can become a vehicle
for association transfer from brand to music. In other
words, after seeing your favorite song in a Skittles ad, you
may begin to associate the song with Skittles or with candy
or with rainbows or with fruity, and then before you know it,
you’re convinced your favorite band is gay.
That may be a bit extreme, so here’s a more
realistic example. In 2002 Jaguar began using “London
Calling” by the Clash in a number of advertisements. When
written, “London Calling” spoke of rebellion and lower-class
uprising and became one of the key songs in the British
Punk movement. After repeatedly hearing it in association
with Jaguar, people, especially those not previously
exposed to the song, likely begin to associate “London
Calling” with Jaguar and its attributes such luxury, status,
upper class, and old-money snobbery.
Partially because of this phenomenon and the fear
of being stigmatized a sell-out, musicians have historically
been hesitant to license their songs to advertisers. Less
than twenty years ago, licensing songs to advertisers was
still considered taboo. In 1987 both Nike and Michael
Jackson, who owned the rights to the song, received a
furious backlash when the Beatles’ “Revolution” appeared
in a 1987 television advertisement. Today, either no one
seems to care about or is quite sure what selling out
constitutes. Led Zeppelin, Iggy Pop, and even Bob Dylan
are all currently licensing their music to advertisers. Only
a handful of established artists persist in non-commercial
stoicism. Neil Young, James Taylor, Harry Connick Jr.,
John Mellencamp, John Hiatt, and Bruce Springsteen
represent the stubborn few that refuse to cave to
commercial pressure. Springsteen even turned away a bid
of $12 million for the use of “Born in the USA.”
Yet general acceptance has increased, because
many musicians have learned that ads with good music
can have the unintended side effect of selling records (in
addition to just the products). Sting was having trouble
getting his 2000 single “This Desert Rose” played on the
radio until the track appeared in a Jaguar ad. Once the ad
aired, the song quickly became a hit. In 2002, Maroon 5
gained exposure when “This Love” appeared in an ad for
Mavi Jeans. Over a year later the song went on to become
a number one hit2. And ads can boost sales of older songs
as well. In the mid 90s, both K.C. and the Sunshine Band
and The Gipsy Kings saw significant increases in sales
after their songs “Get Down Tonight” and “Bamboleo”
were used in Budweiser and Burger King ads respectively.
Because most radio stations play the same five songs in a
tortuous loop, all kinds of artists (much to the delight of their
record companies) have started to accept advertisements
as an alternative outlet for their music.
The first frequently-documented occasion of
a brand advertisement leading to increased record
sales occurred in 1993 when Volkswagon used “Harry’s
Game,” a song by Irish new-age/folk ensemble Clannad,
in an ad for the Passat GLX. The ad resulted in VW
receiving a plethora of callers seeking information about
the song, Clannad breaking into the US market, and a
new advertising strategy that has sustained auto brands
and labels of struggling artists alike ever since. VW has
continued to lift the careers of other obscure musicians.
After a Cabrio ad sampled “Pink Moon,” relatively unknown
Nick Drake went from being forgotten and thirty years
pushing daisies to a godfather and revered icon of indie
music. German pop band Trio saw a similar jump in
popularity after their song “Da Da Da” was used in a VW
Golf ad. Trio sold 250,000 records in the months following
the ad exposure, pretty good considering their record was
previously out of print, more than a decade old, and had
never been produced as a CD.
Inspired in part by the success of musicians in VW
ads, many indie artists, have enthusiastically embraced
advertisements. Struggling indie bands offered advertiser
money for a song have two options: 1- refuse on principal
and keep playing to your half-dozen fans that take pride in
being the only people who care about your music just so
long as you don’t raise your concert tickets to more than
$7 a pop; or 2- accept, earn money for doing no additional
work, and gain a much larger fan base who actually likes
you for your music and not just because they can take
pride in being one of the fifteen people cool enough to have
heard of you before you “sold-out to the man.”
Before The Shins became cooler than ice cold,
front man James Mercer was broke and looking for a day
job. Some employee at McDonald’s advertising agency
liked “New Slang” and approached the band about using
the song in a commercial. Instead of turning the deal
down, Mercer says the band asked for “a preposterous
amount of money.” McDonald’s accepted, using “New
Slang” in an advertisement that aired during the Olympics
and helped catapult The Shins to mainstream success.
The Shins are by no means an anomaly. The
last five years has seen bands from Badly Drawn Boy,
Deathcab for Cutie, The Dandy Warhols, Massive Attack,
Modest Mouse, and The Flaming Lips to Stereolab, The
Walkmen, My Morning Jacket, Alexi Murdoch, Gomez,
and Beulah gain exposure through licensing songs to
advertisers. These bands decided reaching a larger
number of people through their music is worth a slight
moral compromise.
For many artists, selling their music to
advertisements is not a compromise at all. When asked
about the advertisements he made for Diet Pepsi in the
early 90’s, Ray Charles responded, “I liked doing them… I
don’t see how any of it’s degrading… To me commercialism
means I’m getting more people to listen to my music.”
Licensing music to advertisers can definitely
increase an artist’s fan base; the trade-off is people
who view your song in an advertisement are likely to
begin associating the song with images from the ad, the
advertised brand, or even characteristics of the advertised
brand. This is especially pertinent to indie bands or other
musicians who aren’t well known. If your first exposure to
a song is an advertisement, you may have a difficult time
disassociating the song from the ad. For example, I had to
listen to Richard Buckner’s “Ariel Ramirez” about fifty times
before I could stop thinking of the song as a VW ad and
start appreciating it alone.
There is almost always a trade-off between
producing meaningful art and making a living. As long
as musicians retain final say in how their song is used,
they can prevent gross misapplications of their music and
reach new listeners with their own messages somewhat
intact. Licensing music to advertisers seems a fairly tame
sacrifice of integrity compared to the other rising trend of
commercialism in popular music, namely integrating brand
messages into songs.
The second part of this article in the next issue of Listen will
examine the rise of commercialism within the lyrical content
of songs as well as discuss the impact of the growing
integration of marketing and popular music.
The GagMe Awards (Part 1)
The GagMe awards are intended to honor and ridicule the
best, worst, and most prevalent branded bands and banded
brands. This issue presents GagMe Awards concerning
popular music and advertising. The next issue will award
GagMe’s to brands and bands that have exceeded all
rationale and bounds for good taste by integrating brand
names into the lyrical content of songs.
Brand Using the Best Music: Levi’s Jeans
Levi’s advertisements pay homage to the history of
rock and roll: Sam Cooke, Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Eddie
Cochraine, Screaming Jay Hawkins. Levi’s also mixes in a
few newer, more esoteric acts, such as Air and The Zutons.
Check out the Levi’s “Walk” ad featuring Willie Nelson’s
“Always on my Mind”.
Musician Friendliest Brand: Volkswagon
Volkswagon is a modern Louisiana Hayride for indie
acts. Volkswagon began the trend of popularizing obscure
musicians through ads, and they continue to do so today.
A few of the many acts that have graduated from a VW ad
with a greater fan base include: Clannad, Trio, Nick Drake,
The Roots, Stereolab, Son Volt, The Orb, Spiritualized,
Hooverphonic, Bent, and Richard Buckner. VW has even
inspired other car brands (Honda, Mitsubishi, Nissan,
Saturn) to use similar underground musicians in their ads.
Most Anti-brand Musician: Neil Young
In addition to repeatedly refusing to license his
music in advertisements, Young bluntly attacks the rise of
commercialism in music in his song “This Note’s For You,”
“Ain’t singin’ for Pepsi/ Ain’t singin for Coke/ I don’t sing for
nobody/ Makes me look like a joke/ This note’s for you.”
While most contemporary musicians dismiss Young’s anticommercial high ground as archaic, a few still follow his
lead.
“The Chilli Peppers get offers all the time to sell songs for
commercials and tour sponsorships…But I always think,
‘Would Neil Young do this?’ And the answer is no. Neil
Young wouldn’t fucking do it.” - Flea
Brand Using the Worst Music: Dr. Pepper
One word: Garth Brooks. Add Reba McIntyre, Fountains
of Wayne, and Meatloaf and it’s enough to make your
stomach churn at the thought of the soft drink. I understand
Dr. Pepper’s trying to market to the rural, Bush-supporting
demographic, but they should be able to do so without
revolting the rest of the civilized world. Why not use
something like the version of “Lonestar” performed by Willie
Nelson and Norah Jones. Everybody loves them.
Biggest Brand Sluts:
1- Moby: Before the CD was even released, every
track on his 1999 “Play” was licensed out to brands
such as Jaguar, Intel, American Express, Bailey’s
Irish Cream, Nissan, and Nordstrom.
2- The Who: licensed out “Bargain,” “Won’t Get Fooled
Again,” “Babba O’Reilly,” “Happy Jack,” “I Can
See for Miles,” “I Can’t Explain,” and “Let My Love
Open the Door3” to brands such as Nissan, Hewlett
Packard, Hummer, Sylvania, Ford, and JC Penny.
3- The Rolling Stones: typically receive over $10 million
dollars each time they license a song like “Start Me
Up,” “Jumpin’ Jack Flash,” “You Can’t Always Get
What You Want,” and “She’s A Rainbow” to brands
like Windows, Corvette, C2, and Apple.
Most Ironic Use of Music in an Ad:
1- Bob Dylan’s “Lovesick” for Victoria’s Secret: I’m not
really sure what this outspoken, ex-radical is doing
in a lingerie ad, but the aging singer and this song in
particular are the epitome of unsexy.
2- The Clash, “London Calling” for Jaguar: Advertises
a luxury/status product to high society using a battle
cry for lower-class revolution against the wealthy
establishment.
3- Creedence Clearwater Revival, “Fortunate Son”
for Wrangler Jeans: Fogerty couldn’t stop this 60s
anti-government tune from portraying the American
wholesomeness of Wrangler Jeans, because he
didn’t own the rights to his music.
Bands and their brands (Songs used in TV ads)
David Bowie: Fidelity Investments, “Young Americans”;
FTD, “Heroes”
Massive Attack: Smirnoff, “Future Proof”; Adidas, “Angel”;
Victoria’s Secret, “Inertia Creeps”
Dave Brubeck: Infinity, “Take Five”; Radioshack, “Blue
Rondo a la Turk”
Apples in Stereo: Sony, “Strawberry Fire”; JC Penny,
“Shine a Light”
Bobby Darin: Kohl’s, “More”; Kodak, “Beautiful Things”
Edith Piaf: Intel, “Non, Je Ne Regrette Rien”
Blur: Chrysler, “The Universal”; Mercedes Benz, “Song 2”
Nick Drake: Volkswagen, “Pink Moon”; Nike, “Know”
The Smiths: Nissan, “How Soon is Now?”
Air: L’Oreal, “La Femme D’Argent”; Levi’s, “Playground
Love”; Nissan, “Surfin’ On a Rocket”
Gomez: Philips, “Getting Better”; Mitsubishi, “Shot Shot”
Devo: Target, “Beautiful World”; Miller, “Freedom of
Choice”; Proctor and Gamble, “Whip It”
James: Tylenol, “One of Three”; Westin Hotels, “Born of
Frustration”
Handsome Boy Modeling School: NFL, “Rock and Roll
(Can Never Hip Hop Like This)”
James Brown: Reebok, “It’s a Man’s World”; Pontiac &
Gatorade, “Get Up”; Planters, “Hot Pants”
The Shins: McDonalds, “New Slang”; The Gap, “Whoa,
Trish”
Louis Armstrong: GMC, “They All Laughed”; Estee
Lauder, “What a Wonderful World”
Iggy Pop: Royal Caribbean, “Lust for Life”; FTD, “Real Wild
Child”; Guinness, “The Passenger”
Yonder Mountain String Band @ the Tabernacle, ATL
Once we fought through the sea of baseball-capped,
drawling college guys and blond pearl- and Coach-clad
sorority belles into the fantastically-painted and energyfilled Tabernacle, my boyfriend and I could finally hear
the screams of fans and the good ol’ bluegrass sounds
of Yonder Mountain String Band. That
February 18th, Jeff Austin took over on
the mandolin with his quick fingers in
harmonic accompaniment and fantastic
solos and improvisations.
The excitement of the band and
the crowd was palpable, people dancing wall-to-wall and
standing and singing both upstairs and down to the strong
stench of marijuana and PBR. Yonder Mountain played
mostly originals as well as a few covers. The crowd’s
emphatic singing filled the venue during the call-andresponse that the band initiated during a few of the pieces.
Though I had been to one Yonder Mountain
concert last fall, I still consider myself a relative bluegrass
virgin. That didn’t seem to be a problem, however,
because dancing with a beer in hand I had just as good a
time as the die-hards and the twelve-year-olds smoking
pot for two hours straight next to us. “Futureman” came
out to wail on the drums with the band, and they invited
other guests like Fareed Haque to come out on the banjo
and guitar. Bottom line? Keep track of their tour dates,
grab a dance partner (Southern, preferably) and get out to
see them even if you don’t know what bluegrass is or have
never gotten yourself out of the South! -Amy Schapiro
Inset: Yonder Mountain String Band
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Where Have You Gone,
Mayor McCheese?
I never liked, or for that matter, understood why McDonalds needed
all those big plush characters they had back in the 80s. You know what I’m
talking about. There was Grimace, Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, Fry Guy,
and that thing that kind of looked like a duck. I’m pretty sure she was the result
of a late night conquest by Ronald McDonald after one too many Shamrock
shakes on St. Patrick ’s Day, well after the store closed and security cameras
off. I looked online and there are dozens of websites devoted to what each
of the McDonalds characters represents, both physically and metaphysically.
There’s even one dissertation from a kid at Stanford about how the McDonalds
characters represent a utopian society. Hippies.
The point of this article is not to debate what the hell those characters
were, rather, a plea for us to move back towards those more simple times.
Each member of the McDonald’s crew has experienced a well-documented fall
from grace. Who can forget the plight of Fry Guy? After winning an Emmy for
his cameo in a very special episode of Family Ties in which he plays Alex P.
Keaton’s pot-smoking friend Barry, who ultimately gets run over by Alex’s potsmoking parents, Fry Guy seemed destined to be the next Pacino. Or maybe
Scott Baio. Only four months after accepting a People’s Choice award for Best
Actor in his role as Stanley Kowalski in the television adaptation of A Streetcar
Named Desire, Fry Guy was found on Los Angeles’ famed Sunset Strip, with
hooker Divine Brown. It is considered a Hollywood miracle that Fry Guy was
able to salvage his career by apologizing on the Tonight Show. He then went
on to land small but memorable roles in The Pelican Brief, and in Disney’s
straight-to-video offering: Pocahontas 2.
Of course, not all of the McDonalds characters were able to bounce back from tragedy. In 1991, Grimace had an
illicit affair with a Magnavox television set. The incident made international news, as the encounter was videotaped, and
it later surfaced that the television set was only sixteen years old. The affair cost the purple political upstart his candidacy
for President. Nine months later, the television gave birth to the worlds first Teletubby. Ironically, Grimace had to work at
a McDonalds to pay child support. He now resides in the mountains above Provo, Utah and only emerges once a year to
renew his subscription to US Weekly.
The rest of the McDonalds crew had notorious ups and downs to their careers as well. Who could forget Mayor
McCheese as host of the New Hollywood Squares, or Ronald McDonald’s miraculous incarnation into Liam Gallagher.
Like any of the power groups that have come before or after them—the Beatles, the Brat Pack, Bush’s cabinet—their
careers have been scrutinized, and they can never individually live up to the mark they set as a group. However, in the
case of the McDonalds crew, viewing their careers as a failure is a terrible mistake. It has caused the brass at McDonalds,
and other fast food restaurants, to shy away from having lovable mascots in their commercials. Where is the ‘Noid I ask
you? Show me Spuds MacKenzie! Hell, I’ll even take that little bear they used to have on the Snuggles commercials.
Because this crap with Justin Timberlake singing about Big Macs has got to stop. -Spencer Koch
ZINE POLL: Best Hair in Rock
Bob Marley (Caleb Warren)
and now David. (Lauren Baker)
Betty Marie Barnes from Saturday Looks Good to Me
(Leuwam Tesfai)
Any member of Dream Theater. (David Marek)
Robert Smith (David Ogles)
Rooney! Their hair is so shiny...like...like diamonds.
(Andrea Gunadi)
Chrissie Hynde (Nalini Abhiraman)
Someone has to say Cher. (Valerie Gaimon)
Ian “Ultimate Hipster” Sevonius and Michelle Mae of The
Make Up (Chris Daresta)
If we’re going down that route, Michael Bolton. (Sana
Mahmood)
Nalini, I hate your zine polls. First Chris steals my answer
Rod Stewart. (Roula Abisamra)