2:30 A.M.
True story that really happened: I wasn't going to post anything tonight. When I came home I was going to work on a design experiment and watch Law And Order: SVU. Now that I don't have cable (I'm not paying $50 a month so I can watch one SVU a day!) I only get the brilliant comedy duo of Ice-T and Richard Belzer once a week. So I was all set to watch some TV and maybe have a snack.
And then I checked my email.
Subject: Rocksnobs vs. Television
Once again, it is entirely possible that the will of the Rocksnobs is affecting television. The new Jaguar commercial features "I'm in Love With My Car".
Thought you should know,
S.
What?
I hope the truck that delivered the money to Roger Taylor's house was really large. As in, semi truck large. I hope a caravan of semi trucks dropped off the money.
I'm not going to scream sellout. I don't think I can say Queen and sellout in the same sentence. You know, unless I am saying, "I like how Let Me Entertain You starts out with Freddie announcing it's a sellout! because that's just fun." That is fun. I'm trying to take the Iggy Pop attitude. In Iggy's Behind The Music he was really unconcerned with people who thought he sold out because Lust For Life was being used in commercials.
Iggy was of the opinion that it wasn't written for commercial purposes but if someone wanted to use it, go ahead. I think at that time Lust For Life was actually in two or three commercials, which may have been why it came up in the first place. I loved his reasoning then, and I still think it makes good sense. But...Queen.
I'm not opposed to Roger (or any surviving members of Queen) making more money. Semi truck caravans full of money. I just wish they were doing it a different way. Can't they license the logo and make some neato t-shirts? Posters? Action figures? Queen action figures would be so fun! Since their looks changed so much over time they could put out a set of figures for each year! It would be even better than the Dave Pirner Doll.
I once read in Mojo (I think it was Mojo) that there are a few other BBC sessions that had never been released, why can't they dip into the vaults and release some live albums? Queen At The Beeb is really, really good. I know I would like to hear more from that era. But instead of interesting rock related items, we are instead treated to commercials and musicals.
It's just not very grand. The fact that We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions were long ago snagged for sporting events has indeed contributed to overkill of the two songs, but at least it's on a grand (stadium sized) scale. This just makes me sad.
I should mention that the other day Megala told me that her friend in Florida said that a car dealer in Hialeah was using I'm In Love With My Car. That didn't bother me because it was a local commercial, and local advertisers aren't always the most diligent about getting permission to use songs. I figured it was just a fluke, a commercial that had slipped in under the radar. But Jaguar, that is a different story. I hope the semi trucks that arrived at Roger's house were full of free Jaguars stuffed with money.
I'm think going to have to console myself with a Bruce Dickinson solo album. Not only does he look better in leather pants than Roger Taylor does, I actually like his bad solo albums. And make no mistake about it, his solo albums are bad. Well, the ones I like are commonly referred to as bad. Did I say that out loud? Now I'm never going to get Iron Maiden to send me Bruce's Stranger In A Strange Land costume. I like Tattooed Millionaire and Balls To Picasso! Now make with the swashbuckling shirt and ugly pants!
I sure do like ugly pants. I also like kitties and bunnies. I like thinking about ugly pants and kitties and bunnies because they make me forget that Jaguar is using I'm In Love With My Car. I was just kidding when I suggested selling off the catalog. As it turns out, the joke is on me.