Month: August 2010

Musical Musings… Why Do Commercials Steal Artists Songs?

Posted on by sgottahurt

When I thought about making this image, I didn't really think about what it meant.

I once was going to write about how the Proactiv commercials ripped off a Bruce Hornsby riff, but I was sidelined into exploring the curse that product has had on its bevy of attractive hawkers.

But not this time.

Throughout the years, commercials have ruined many popular songs by using them to push products.  Not only do the songs get overplayed, but they also become synonymous with that product.

For example:

Well, there’s one thing I hate more than that.  It infuriates me to the bone in such a primal way that it makes me wonder if I truly am…

an Artist!

Anyspew, I can’t stand it when commercials rip-off song riffs.

As mentioned at this post’s start, Proactiv did this in their commercials.

Here are some others that I found (the articles about):

Or did they simply commit the act of liberal borrowing?

Want to know the source of this rage?  Budweiser has a couple of radio spots currently playing in which, I believe, this song is being ripped off:

I couldn’t find the spots anywhere on the TripleDoubleU, but one is about baseball being America’s pastime, and the other is about how there is 24 happy hours across the world.

If anyone can find those for me, I’d greatly appreciate it.   I have far more ripping and riffing to do…

BONUS STEALING!

I’ve remembered two more…

The answer for both is of course, yes.

BONUS FORGOTTEN POST!

I once wrote about Maybelline pulling this same crap…

JusWondering… Where Would I Rather Live?

Posted on by sgottahurt

My brother recently packed up and headed west to California.  He’s moving into the area known as Korean Town, and he was not too happy to find out that this show might be happening:

K-Town… Korean American’s answer to the biggest question mark in the world… Jersey Shore.

Considering either area might not be a viable living option for most, the third option could always be Detroit.

You could wait to watch the new ABC show called Detroit 187, or you could share my experience.  The following pictures were taken the other day on my way to the ballgame:

I was going to add something about the Detroit Tigers not being able to catch a break, but…

In My Brain While Sleeping… Snooki Sneaked Into My Dreams

Posted on by sgottahurt

Snooki, Snooki, Snooki.

It’s so much easier to say than Nicole Polizzi, Nicole Polizzi, Nicole Polizzi.

Anyguido, the pint-sized Jersey Shore star left the Miami shoreline to invade my slumber and host a party in South Africa.

The festivities were to occur during a lunar eclipse, but she thought that the sun would be out at night.  Nonetheless, this upset her greatly.  But it was the bumper stickers on the billboard announcing her celebration that upset her more:

(Fairly) Artistic Representation

On some of the billboards, the bumper stickers were placed right on the bathtub picture.

She ended up getting real drunk and arrested in the morning.  It kinda looked like this:

Realistic Representation

Coinkydink Or Coinkydonk? Time To Cash In On The Collective Unconscious

Posted on by sgottahurt

The other morning, I was waking up (as opposed to not waking up, which would be dying I guess… and digress), and I watched an infomercial for this:

The 30 Second Smile as it is known was an old idea of mine called The Teethbrush.  Well, it’s not exactly the same, but mine would be even easier/messier.  It would have been a retainer full of moving bristles on the end of a stick, and could have been even quicker than The 30 Second Smile.

(SIDENOTE: As a man who loves puns, I feel like they missed out on an opportunity.  “30 Second” sounds a lot – er, I mean, exactly like “32nd”… Grown adults have 32 teeth…  I don’t know what the punny slogan could have been.  I’m not paid to dream up their ad campaigns!)

So anytooth, this isn’t the first time my ideas have been plucked from the collective unconscious, and I think it’s time for the collective unconscious to pay!

Here’s a list of thoughts nabbed from my napping noggin in the past.

Most recently, it was in the form of an iPhone app I wished existed, and now finally does…

Does not provide directions to the actual border...

Oh, that app was out long before I wrote my post?

Time for me to start doing better research.

(SIDENOTE: I’m probably not really going to do better research.)

Happy Find… My Name’s Meaning (Plus Hero Rats!)

Posted on by sgottahurt

Even though it’s been around, like forever, which according to itself means:

forever is until you find something better…

…I’ve only recently discovered what my name means via the Urban Dictionary.  Take a gander for yourself:

used to define huge sarcastic assholes, that end up becoming amazingly sweet. Seans know exactly how to piss you off and then five seconds later have you cracking up. Huge jerks, but gotta love 'em.

I can live with that.  And I need to find out who funwithamber is… Either she’s a fun girl named Amber, or a scientist from Jurassic Park.  So in other words, a win either way.

Also from the TripleDoubleU archives, I present to you a new Parry Gripp song.  I’ve written about him before, so for more of that, click here.  Otherwise, enjoy the heartwarming tale of the Hero Rats…

*sniff* The part about “saving us from ourselves” gets me every time.

Drunken Recollection… Why Men Do Anything (Plus Swamping!)

Posted on by sgottahurt

While camping last weekend, this happened:

Why is the song "Lump" suddenly stuck in my head?

That is my cousin Steve, whom most recently discovered this for me, or should I say us.  He put on his waders and decided to go swamping, which in other words means…

Hunting for frogs.

Passersby were confused at us boggy marsh gawkers, until they realized we were watching Steve mucking through the muck.  Every last one of them smiled.  Only one of them rubbed my shoulders.

In other Drunken Recollecting, while around the campfire, I proposed that there are only three reasons men do anything in this world (in no particular order):

Oh, and there is the unofficial fourth reason – survival.

So the question that remains – why did Steve go swamping?

I already told you it was to hunt for frogs!

A Handful Of… Michigan Artists That Are Cooler Than Mike Posner

Posted on by sgottahurt

I don’t like this guy.  At all.  My reason is to quickly follow.

The way he sings in a whisper makes me imagine a man holding his cat’s front paws and making it dance, while he cooed much to the feline’s dismay, “You think you’re cooler than me.”

Anymeow, Mike Posner is from Southfield, Michigan, and as much as I seek to support local performers making it big, this guy – not so much.

To be honest, I originally thought his name was Mike Poser, and in a way under that belief, I appreciated his irony.  Now he’s ironic in another way.

So here is A Handful Of local acts done good (not counting Motown, to make a point)… after the jump… Read More

InASense, Lost… If At First You Did Exist, Try, Triceratops

Posted on by sgottahurt

(From "Art of My Mind" - click image for link)

I don’t get this discovery.

Apparently, Scientists! (my sarcastic pronouncement in honor of Actors!) have determined that this…

Of course it's the Triceratops.

…didn’t exist.  “They” (wait – we know it’s the Scientists!) say that Triceratops are really just the baby version of this:

This is the... Torosaursus?

Nobody knows what a Torosaurus is!  Why not say that the Torosaurus didn’t exist, and it’s the grown up version of a Triceratops!?

(SIDENOTE: I know I’m not supposed to capitalize the terrible-lizards-that-may-be-terrible-birds’ names, but they have a special place in my heart… a place that’s apparently German and capitalizes nouns.)

This is tantamount to Twix calling their original candy bars Caramel, and their peanut butter versions Twix!

Or the drawing at the post’s start.

Worth 1002 Words… This Is Real Edition

Posted on by sgottahurt

'Nuff Said

(SIDENOTE: Do not be fooled.  This is not doctored.  This is not taken from off the web.  I took this photograph myself, and did some investigating.  Choka U. Johnson is in fact real, and really did run for State Representative in the 9th District of Michigan.  I don’t think he won, but I have heard he tends to finish last… courtesy of lots and lots of practice, of course.)

A Hibbidy-Wah?! Toss-Up For Making Me Say “Hibbidy-Wah?!”

Posted on by sgottahurt

I’ve written about the Insane Clown Posse before (<—you must check this link out), and I hoped it’d be the last.

Nope.

Rapper (?) Violent J’s 5 year-old son, Violent JJ (of course), is now a rapper (?)… and apparently a wrestler, too.

(SIDENOTE: For more Violent J fun, check out Violent J is John Goodman.)

That was going to be my Hibbidy-Wah?! of the day, but then I saw this:

You're welcome.

(via Screen Junkies)