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Post by the3penguins on Oct 23, 2007 5:14:28 GMT -5
Bob Dylan's Cadillac Ads Are a Gas
By Edna Gundersen, USA TODAY
On 2001's Summer Days, Bob Dylan sang, "I'm drivin' in the flats in a Cadillac car," a lyric that comes to life today in the debut of a multiplatform ad campaign for Cadillac. In a 30-second TV spot, the music legend, sporting a cowboy hat and shades, steers a black 2008 Escalade across California's Antelope Valley before stepping out to survey the desert landscape.
He utters one line: "What's life without taking a detour?" The ad also plugs XM satellite radio, a standard feature in the luxury SUV and home to Dylan's weekly Theme Time Radio Hour, which this Wednesday finds the bard spotlighting songs about the iconic auto.
In a long-form online vignette (viewable now at xmradio.com and starting Wednesday at cadillac.com and mycadillacstory.com), Dylan cracks, "You know what's even better than a great road tune? Not having some DJ talking all over it. Unless, of course, that DJ's me." Print and online ads begin in November.
It's not Dylan's first commercial venture; he has appeared in ads for iPod and Victoria's Secret. ==========
Post by the3penguins on Oct 23, 2007 8:59:48 GMT -5
My opinion exactly. The fact that so many people are pissed about this is surprising, given that he's done TWO high-profile ads in the past few years already. I thinks it's the fact that's it's an SUV that is making most people mad. I can see that I suppose.
Well the thing is the first ad he did was a Victoria Secret ad, and in interviews he had always joked that he wanted to be in a Victoria Secret ad, and I guess as a joke he did one. The other one was an iTunes ad, but I can't really get upset over him advertising his music.
But this one is kind of ridiculous, does he really need the money by doing this ad? I mean really?
John: We don't even understand our own music Spider: It doesn't, does it matter whether we understand it? At least it'll give us . . . strength John: I know but maybe we could get into it more if we understood it
Post by Jazzmaster on Oct 23, 2007 14:43:54 GMT -5
juggernaut said:
Wah wah wah. Get over it. The man's paid his dues - he's earned the right to do whatever the f**k he wants without a bunch of self-righteous music fans getting all over him for it.
TOTALLY AGREED.
Oh, and have any of you considered that the commercial was in conjunction with XM radio, so maybe this advertisement was a term of his contract for his radio show.
People are overreacting way too quickly about this ad, I don't see what is so upsetting.
Post by stallion pt. 2 on Oct 23, 2007 14:47:32 GMT -5
zdlr said:
People are overreacting way too quickly about this ad, I don't see what is so upsetting.
Because people want to believe the myth that the artists who are the most valid (i.e. good) are those who don't want to make a good living off of what they do. Dylan is almost universally respected as an artist, so when he does an ad like this he's seen as a "shill" or a "sellout." Some people only want to support an artist if they think he/she doesn't want their money.
John: We don't even understand our own music Spider: It doesn't, does it matter whether we understand it? At least it'll give us . . . strength John: I know but maybe we could get into it more if we understood it
Post by sparklybecca on Oct 23, 2007 14:50:03 GMT -5
did anyone mention yet (i admit i didnt read this entire thread) the Flaming Lips car commercial? i forget which car its for - but ive seen it a few times and i think Meg mentioned it too a week ago or so... that one bugged me more than the dylan thing.
Post by oatmealschnappz on Oct 23, 2007 14:56:54 GMT -5
stallion said:
Because people want to believe the myth that the artists who are the most valid (i.e. good) are those who don't want to make a good living off of what they do.
I think that is where the outrage is coming from. Dylan has already made more money than god. I think that's what seems so odd to some people. Is it selling-out...or giving up?
I'm not trying to argue. (I've not been a Dylan fan in a long time.) I'm just trying to add to the discussion.
Last Edit: Oct 23, 2007 15:01:45 GMT -5 by oatmealschnappz - Back to Top
alyroo
Bonnafunky Dirtyroo Princess of Blinkytown and moonpie expert
Dylan gave in to "The Man" a long time ago. It's OK. It keeps him busy and out of trouble
seriously tho, I think the outrage comes from an iconic figure being reduced to a ad-man. Like when Nike used "Revolution" It hits you in a sensitive spot... I was shopping once and heard "Heavy Things"- Phish... I had mixed emotions... I was glad the boys were gitting a check but it was weird knowing that something so special to me was being used to entertain housewives while they looked for bargain sheets
Post by augustwest on Oct 23, 2007 15:35:54 GMT -5
People have been accusing Dylan of selling out since he went electric. He got really badly screwed by some record deals in the 60's, and has a right to get paid well, however the hell he wants to.
did anyone mention yet (i admit i didnt read this entire thread) the Flaming Lips car commercial? i forget which car its for - but ive seen it a few times and i think Meg mentioned it too a week ago or so... that one bugged me more than the dylan thing.
The only FLips commercial I have seen is the Dell commercial with The W.A.N.D, which bothered me alot.
Post by lordrockinhood on Oct 23, 2007 15:48:32 GMT -5
sparklybecca said:
did anyone mention yet (i admit i didnt read this entire thread) the Flaming Lips car commercial? i forget which car its for - but ive seen it a few times and i think Meg mentioned it too a week ago or so... that one bugged me more than the dylan thing.
It is for Mitsubishi, using "Do You Realize" That song is beautiful poetry describing a great way to look at life and death... and it does not deserve to be used in a commercial way... any commercial way at all. I don't care how much they paid them... that was a faux pas in my opinion. They've used Lips music in a lot of commercials... Dell, ipod, even Kim's Watermellon Gun in a beer commercial a looong time ago, and probably more. None of that bothered me, and actually kind've made me happy to see. But this one... this song in a car commercial? For some reason this feels different... and I cringe everytime it is on
Post by Jazzmaster on Oct 23, 2007 15:49:17 GMT -5
lerxst said:
sparklybecca said:
did anyone mention yet (i admit i didnt read this entire thread) the Flaming Lips car commercial? i forget which car its for - but ive seen it a few times and i think Meg mentioned it too a week ago or so... that one bugged me more than the dylan thing.
The only FLips commercial I have seen is the Dell commercial with The W.A.N.D, which bothered me alot.
Really? Wayne Coyne worked at Long John Silvers for 11 years, can you really blame him for wanting to make a living off his music?
Post by stallion pt. 2 on Oct 23, 2007 15:51:53 GMT -5
lerxst said:
sparklybecca said:
did anyone mention yet (i admit i didnt read this entire thread) the Flaming Lips car commercial? i forget which car its for - but ive seen it a few times and i think Meg mentioned it too a week ago or so... that one bugged me more than the dylan thing.
The only FLips commercial I have seen is the Dell commercial with The W.A.N.D, which bothered me alot.
Yeah, they're not the only ones. Modest Mouse was used in a car commercial. Frank Black and They Might Be Giants have been in commercials too. I'm sure there's more.
My point is artists are often very well compensated for these commercials, so why should we, as fans, care. A friend's brother and local musician I know was offered $15,000 to sell one of his songs for a truck commercial. He didn't need to think about it. That's probably more than he'll ever get for 1 song and I'm glad he got it. He didn't care if folks associate his song w/ Dodge Trucks, so why should fans. Likewise, If the Lips want to sell their songs to Dell or Mitsubishi, why should you care? They get paid, and that cash goes towards making more music for you.
I can understand complaints like the Nike "Instant Karma" commercial a lot more b/c Lennon was dead when that ad came out, so there's no way he could have approved of it. Also the "All you need is Luvs" diaper ads because they changed the lyrics to include their dumb name, or the Doritos ad that stole Tom Waits' "Step Right Up" withut paying him for it. But Dylan shilling for Cadillac? That's really not that surprising. Corperations are everywhere, and that includes the music business. If you don't have a problem w/ corperations pressing, distributing and marketing Dylan CDs, why should have a problem w/ corperations liscencing a song for an add. The Music industry is not so pure as we wish it were.
John: We don't even understand our own music Spider: It doesn't, does it matter whether we understand it? At least it'll give us . . . strength John: I know but maybe we could get into it more if we understood it
Post by stallion pt. 2 on Oct 23, 2007 15:53:23 GMT -5
alyroo said:
I was shopping once and heard "Heavy Things"- Phish... I had mixed emotions... I was glad the boys were gitting a check but it was weird knowing that something so special to me was being used to entertain housewives while they looked for bargain sheets
Everyone deserves music, even bargain-hunting housewives
John: We don't even understand our own music Spider: It doesn't, does it matter whether we understand it? At least it'll give us . . . strength John: I know but maybe we could get into it more if we understood it
Post by oatmealschnappz on Oct 23, 2007 15:53:55 GMT -5
zdlr said:
lerxst said:
The only FLips commercial I have seen is the Dell commercial with The W.A.N.D, which bothered me alot.
Really? Wayne Coyne worked at Long John Silvers for 11 years, can you really blame him for wanting to make a living off his music?
I could be wrong but, isn't he already making a decent living from his music without licensing his art to sale other people's products? And there's a HUGE difference between working in an hourly, service position to pay yout rent and becoming a paid celebrity endorser to pad your bank account.....especially when you consider that Long John's never used one of his songs to promote their newest fish sandwich.
Last Edit: Oct 23, 2007 15:55:26 GMT -5 by oatmealschnappz - Back to Top
alyroo
Bonnafunky Dirtyroo Princess of Blinkytown and moonpie expert
I was shopping once and heard "Heavy Things"- Phish... I had mixed emotions... I was glad the boys were gitting a check but it was weird knowing that something so special to me was being used to entertain housewives while they looked for bargain sheets
Everyone deserves music, even bargain-hunting housewives
Post by lordrockinhood on Oct 23, 2007 19:44:06 GMT -5
For me, it's only 'Do You realize...' no other commercials with rock songs have ever really bothered me. The meaning I get from that song is the same way I've tried to see my life always, but especially lately. Everyone probably has a song in their life that means a lot in a certain way, but then one day they too see it in a commercial that tries to seriously water down that meaning on them. But it is not the Lips fault that it bothers me. Just bad timing and coincidence is all. One way to see it in a better light... when these people wrote these songs, that is not the reason they were writing them for. Then later on, well, it just happened to become a bankable property in unexpected ways for them. If someone said one of my rockin' photographs from Bonnaroo would make the perfect, oh I don't know, Wallmart music store ad? Yuck... Walmart music store ... yet I'd be the first on line to cash the check. But then again, I am a pretty week to week kind of guy financially... I would love to break free of that. And even after I did... more money is never really a bad thing in getting through life, no? It doesn't grow on trees after all. I can't fault the Lips (or any artist I love.) I just take comfort in believing that... for every Mitsubishi a person buys based on that commercial... at least one different person goes out to buy Yoshimi... and then he starts his journey down the road to Liphead Mania... really hard for me to have a problem with that.
I'd like to think that if I somehow was rich and famous for some creative endeavor that, at a certain point, I'd have my beliefs outweighing my bank account
but until I reached that point I'd cash every check I could get
Post by oatmealschnappz on Oct 23, 2007 19:54:55 GMT -5
I don't think that anyone here is saying that is wrong for a musician to profit from his/her work. I think that the outrage/contempt/disgust comes into the picture when artists allow their life's work to become nothing more than a commercial jingle. A jingle that often becomes more recognizable for the product it sells than for the artist that recorded it. I mean, will anyone here ever be able to hear Bob Seger's "Like A Rock" without thinking about pick-up trucks? If someone wants to write commercial jingles, that's one thing. I'm more than cool with that. When an "artist" sells his work to huge corporations becoming a car/insurance/fast food/bank/lingerie salesman and essentially betraying the trust of loyal fans to needlessly inflate their net worth, that's when it becomes an issue for people like me.
If shameless pandering and ridiculous greed don't bother you, that's cool. It does bother me and I will continue to call these "artists" complete sell-outs.
Last Edit: Oct 23, 2007 19:56:52 GMT -5 by oatmealschnappz - Back to Top
Post by lordrockinhood on Oct 23, 2007 20:13:58 GMT -5
There is so much gray area here. I can see it from every way I can think of, all I have to do is think that way. What is the tipping point??? So much gray area, the shade seems to really depend on your view at the moment. Hey, Sweet Evil... your post count is 4220... close enough, I'm taking a hit... of corn on the cob
Post by oatmealschnappz on Oct 23, 2007 21:00:59 GMT -5
lordrockinhood said:
There is so much gray area here. I can see it from every way I can think of, all I have to do is think that way. What is the tipping point??? So much gray area, the shade seems to really depend on your view at the moment. Hey, Sweet Evil... your post count is 4220... close enough, I'm taking a hit... of corn on the cob
I can usually see it from different angles too but, when I really think about it, I always end-up at the same place. I think it's wrong and disrespectful, to the fans and to the artform it's self. Regardless, I don't think that I'm going to change anyone's mind. I just want to make sure that my viewpoint is out there.
As far as my post count goes, rockinhood: I'd love to celebrate this momentous occasion myself, but my crops failed this year. Maybe this weekend. (Maybe you could have another ear...in my honor.)
They are his songs, he can do what he wants with them. Cadillacs are great cars, i'd endorse them anyday. I watched his response to the people who boo'd him for playing an electric set and i imagine his response to this little roadbump in his life is similar.
Wah wah wah. Get over it. The man's paid his dues - he's earned the right to do whatever the f**k he wants without a bunch of self-righteous music fans getting all over him for it.
I couldn't have said that better myself....
It's Dylan, and the man deserves to be backed 100% by his fans in whatever he ventures out to do.
I actually thought it was put together well... I mean, it's better than 25 cent, or TI rollin' around with a bunch of hookers on 35 inch wheels... Eh? I am not knocking hip-hop, just saying that its a little more tasteful presented like this.... Also, maybe a few kids out there will get turned on to his music/history ..... ?
;D
