What's Up With That? #16: Hootie and the King
And you thought the spongmonkeys were creepy...
Has there ever been a weirder commercial than that Burger King spot with Darius Rucker, the lead vocalist of Hootie and the Blowfish, singing the praises of the King's new chicken sandwich (the Tendercrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch) while duded up like the love child of Cowboy Curtis from Pee Wee's Playhouse and the Cowboy from the Village People?
That's the stuff nightmares are made of.
The first time I saw this monstrosity, I felt as though I'd stepped into that scene in Undercover Brother in which the staff of The Brotherhood watches the offensive fried chicken commercial starring the Colin Powellesque character played by Billy Dee Williams. You remember that reaction shot where their jaws are hanging agape in disbelief? That was me, watching Darius Rucker croon about "(presumably chicken) breasts that grow on trees" and "a train of ladies comin' with a nice caboose."
Oh, my.
Working as I do in the advertising industry, I understand that a major part of the job is getting people's attention. Usually, though, it's helpful to get people's attention in a way that will make them want to buy your client's product or service, not stare at the screen in horror.
There are really only three ways the colorful singing cowboy bit works:
I rarely dine at Burger King anyway — maybe once or twice a year I'll cruise through for a BK Fish sandwich. But just the thought of Darius Rucker in rhinestone rodeo garb perverting the lyrics of "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" will keep my foot on the accelerator the next time I get the urge.
Has there ever been a weirder commercial than that Burger King spot with Darius Rucker, the lead vocalist of Hootie and the Blowfish, singing the praises of the King's new chicken sandwich (the Tendercrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch) while duded up like the love child of Cowboy Curtis from Pee Wee's Playhouse and the Cowboy from the Village People?
That's the stuff nightmares are made of.
The first time I saw this monstrosity, I felt as though I'd stepped into that scene in Undercover Brother in which the staff of The Brotherhood watches the offensive fried chicken commercial starring the Colin Powellesque character played by Billy Dee Williams. You remember that reaction shot where their jaws are hanging agape in disbelief? That was me, watching Darius Rucker croon about "(presumably chicken) breasts that grow on trees" and "a train of ladies comin' with a nice caboose."
Oh, my.
Working as I do in the advertising industry, I understand that a major part of the job is getting people's attention. Usually, though, it's helpful to get people's attention in a way that will make them want to buy your client's product or service, not stare at the screen in horror.
There are really only three ways the colorful singing cowboy bit works:
- You're the ghost of Roy Rogers or Gene Autry.
- You're one of the Riders in the Sky.
- You really are Cowboy Curtis from Pee Wee's Playhouse, or the Cowboy from the Village People.
I rarely dine at Burger King anyway — maybe once or twice a year I'll cruise through for a BK Fish sandwich. But just the thought of Darius Rucker in rhinestone rodeo garb perverting the lyrics of "The Big Rock Candy Mountain" will keep my foot on the accelerator the next time I get the urge.
Labels: Whats Up With That
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