Musical Pandering

First, let me say how disturbing I find it that Wendy's chooses to advertise it's fast food with the guitar riff from "Blister in the Sun." Maybe it's just me, but I think it's a very strange decision. I hear that riff and my mind floods with lyrics like "I stained my sheets"... and, well... that really doesn't make me want to run out and get chili and a potato bathed in cheese.



But it's indicative of the musical pandering directed at people my age, more or less. Advertisers are aiming for the big fat wallets of peeps of a certain age, and they are trying awfully hard to lure us with nostalgic music. Wendy's went the wrong direction. A seriously wrong direction.

Just now, Ms. Insomnia saw another sad attempt to suck money out of 40-something pockets with a strange musical choice. This time, it was for, God help us, a Cadillac SUV. Perky rich couple (with ginormous house and nanny) and their school-uniformed perfect children ride through horsey country in their overpriced gas guzzler to the sounds of... The Pogues.

The Pogues?

I think The Pogues are the musical equivalent of the anti-Cadillac. They're like a musical beater-mobile, with rust and dents and no a/c, but lots of character, and someone trying to get high by sniffing the leaded fuel through its broken gas cap. But a Cadillac?



I don't even think that the 40-somethings that buy Cadillacs now listened to The Pogues back in the day. They probably spent all their time togged out in pastel Izods, madras shorts and Top Siders, white man dancing to "Rock Lobster." The Pogues may have popped up on someone's mix tape at the country club kids room, but that was likely long after Muffy and Chad passed out from all those G&Ts. Maybe some of it seeped into their subconscious minds. Who knows?

The Pogues played the spring dance at one of the University of London colleges while I was there. Holy moley, it was the most dangerous spring dance I've ever attended. Never before and never since have I seen so many broken bottles flying on the dance floor. Scary. Much like Shane McGowan's teeth. Damn! Hell of a thing.

Maybe the royalties from the Caddy ad will cover dental work for Shane. We can only hope there is a higher purpose in this particular pander-fest.

If I see anyone riding through Bethesda in one of these behemoths with "Rum, Sodomy and the Lash" pouring out the windows, I'll eat my hat.

(Frankly, I think my hat is pretty safe.)