Monday, November 30, 2009

Pioneers, Oh Pioneers Levi's "Go Forth" Campaign

There's definitely a lack of creative or moving advertising on the air, but Levi's new "Go Forth" commercial (directed by Ryan McGinley) is different and captivating. A strong-voiced recording of Walt Whitman's 'Pioneers O Pioneers' laid over empowering scenes of youthful wilderness stuck out from the usually mundane streak of the norm.

Levi's, a very historical brand, emerged from the whirlwind of pioneers heading West during the goldrush and manifest destiny, and continued onward to be popularly worn by figures such as James Dean and Jack Kerouac. It's a fitting commercial, although there will likely be cries of anguish about the commercialization of art by literature snobs.

Here is the full length commercial Go Forth "Pioneers Oh Pioneers" by Levi's



Here is the full length poem for those interested:
Pioneers! O Pioneers!

COME my tan-faced children,
Follow well in order, get your weapons ready,
Have you your pistols? have you your sharp-edged axes?
Pioneers! O pioneers!

For we cannot tarry here,
We must march my darlings, we must bear the brunt of danger,
We the youthful sinewy races, all the rest on us depend,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

O you youths, Western youths,
So impatient, full of action, full of manly pride and friendship,
Plain I see you Western youths, see you tramping with the foremost,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Have the elder races halted?
Do they droop and end their lesson, wearied over there beyond the
seas?
We take up the task eternal, and the burden and the lesson,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

All the past we leave behind,
We debouch upon a newer mightier world, varied world,
Fresh and strong the world we seize, world of labor and the march,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

We detachments steady throwing,
Down the edges, through the passes, up the mountains steep,
Conquering, holding, daring, venturing as we go the unknown ways,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

We primeval forests felling,
We the rivers stemming, vexing we and piercing deep the mines
within,
We the surface broad surveying, we the virgin soil upheaving,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Colorado men are we,
From the peaks gigantic, from the great sierras and the high
plateaus,
From the mine and from the gully, from the hunting trail we come,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

From Nebraska, from Arkansas,
Central inland race are we, from Missouri, with the continental
blood intervein'd,
All the hands of comrades clasping, all the Southern, all the
Northern,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

O resistless restless race!
O beloved race in all! O my breast aches with tender love for all!
O I mourn and yet exult, I am rapt with love for all,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Raise the mighty mother mistress,
Waving high the delicate mistress, over all the starry mistress,
(bend your heads all,)
Raise the fang'd and warlike mistress, stern, impassive, weapon'd
mistress,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

See my children, resolute children,
By those swarms upon our rear we must never yield or falter,
Ages back in ghostly millions frowning there behind us urging,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

On and on the compact ranks,
With accessions ever waiting, with the places of the dead quickly
fill'd,
Through the battle, through defeat, moving yet and never stopping,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

O to die advancing on!
Are there some of us to droop and die? has the hour come?
Then upon the march we fittest die, soon and sure the gap is fill'd.
Pioneers! O pioneers!

All the pulses of the world,
Falling in they beat for us, with the Western movement beat,
Holding single or together, steady moving to the front, all for us,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Life's involv'd and varied pageants,
All the forms and shows, all the workmen at their work,
All the seamen and the landsmen, all the masters with their slaves,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

All the hapless silent lovers,
All the prisoners in the prisons, all the righteous and the wicked,
All the joyous, all the sorrowing, all the living, all the dying,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

I too with my soul and body,
We, a curious trio, picking, wandering on our way,
Through these shores amid the shadows, with the apparitions
pressing,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Lo, the darting bowling orb!
Lo, the brother orbs around, all the clustering suns and planets,
All the dazzling days, all the mystic nights with dreams,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

These are of us, they are with us,
All for primal needed work, while the followers there in embryo wait
behind,
We to-day's procession heading, we the route for travel clearing,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

O you daughters of the West!
O you young and elder daughters! O you mothers and you wives!
Never must you be divided, in our ranks you move united,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Minstrels latent on the prairies!
(Shrouded bards of other lands, you may rest, you have done your
work,)
Soon I hear you coming warbling, soon you rise and tramp amid us,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Not for delectations sweet,
Not the cushion and the slipper, not the peaceful and the studious,
Not the riches safe and palling, not for us the tame enjoyment,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Do the feasters gluttonous feast?
Do the corpulent sleepers sleep? have they lock'd and bolted doors?
Still be ours the diet hard, and the blanket on the ground,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Has the night descended?
Was the road of late so toilsome? did we stop discouraged nodding
on our way?
Yet a passing hour I yield you in your tracks to pause oblivious,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Till with sound of trumpet,
Far, far off the daybreak call-hark! how loud and clear I hear it
wind,
Swift! to the head of the army!-swift! spring to your places,
Pioneers! O pioneers!

Thursday, October 1, 2009

jeff dunham sucks



I've heard his name dropped for years now, and finally he caught up to me. He came on comedy central and I've been eavesdropping for about 10 minutes.

He's performing at the Pabst theater in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. At the beginning of the performance, he remarked "I knew I'd come back here to do my special" Why? One can only guess.

After hearing him go on a 5 minute long diatribe using grossly antiquated black slang phrases (through his dummies), I got the picture immediately. Slang from the hood gets absorbed into white culture, first on the cutting edge among younger people, then to the more "hip" TV shows and movies, and finally to middle-aged white suburbanites - but only after years have passed. When the phrase "bling bling" came into vogue among white kids back in 1999, one wouldn't even fathom that just now in 2009, a decade later, you hear it finally filtered through the various camps of society to a brazenly out of touch marketing team that put together a car commercial.

The point I'm trying to make is he picked his audience very carefully. A group of aging Midwestern suburbanite hicks who aren't particularly adept to relevant humor.

Well done Jeff Dunham. Keep on trucking - pending the rest of this special you might creep into the ballpark of Brian Regan suckiness.

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Who is the best cat in the united states?



Champion...

It's time for cat massage

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros




I just heard Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros for the first time a few days ago. Based on their warm, indie-folk sounding song "Home", they are similar in sound to a more folked out american version of Peter Bjorn and John, and similar in appearance to a more stripped down organic American version of Arcade Fire (Edward Sharpe and the MZ boast 11+ members on stage). Either way I have a hunch that this band (based out of LA) is going to blow up soon. They've already been featured as song of the day by NPR and are getting good press from all over the place.

Here's a free streaming link to "Home" on Hypem
http://hypem.com/track/885431/Edward%20Sharpe%20The%20Magnetic%20Zeros%20-%20Home

Here's Home played live at the troubador in LA on youtube. If you can get past the poor quality of the camera's mic they sound nearly flawless live:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWKXAMPdpXQ

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Michael Jackson Dies



Michael Jackson, Born August 29th 1958, passed away today, June 25th 2009, in Los Angeles after suffering from cardiac arrest and a subsequent coma. His death is both shocking and entirely unforeseen.

With best selling records Off The Wall, Thriller, Bad, Dangerous, and HIStory, Michael Jackson is the best-selling recording artist of all time. His hit single and video for thriller changed music videos into an art form and much higher stakes promotional tool. He was the first black artist that accomplished mass cross-over appeal in America. He has won an unparalleled 13 grammies, has had 13 number one singles, and has sold over 750 million albums worldwide.

For more information:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

iran election 2009 - shit is blowing up



In Iran's 2009 presidential election, incumbent President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was projected by analysts to have severe trouble overcoming the surge of support surrounding rival (former PM) Moussavi. After a seemingly unrealistic end result of 62% for Ahmadinejad, the country has been engulfed in unrest and even violent protest - both things outlawed under Iranian law. Nearly 60% of Iran's population is youthful and overwhelmingly supports Moussavi. Additionally, the claim that rural areas staunchly support Ahmadinejad is thought to be a lie by many Iranians. The end result is as feeling of staggering injustice and confusion, and the populace has taken to the streets in defiance of the government.

Click photos to enlarge and expand, some may be cut off.









Monday, June 15, 2009

Mount Everest Deaths



Mount Everest, also refered to as "Sagarmatha" in Nepalese, is an extremely deadly climb. Out of 2700 individuals that have climbed mount everest, there have been 210 deaths. Due to the immense difficulty of transporting even a few pounds of extra weight, bringing down bodies is nearly impossible. Even rescue attempts are a trial - In many cases more than a dozen climbers and sherpas are required to assist just one person down. It's said that past a certain point, corpses are littered everywhere. They can easily be seen from popularly established climbing trails.

Although Everest isn't an especially technical climb, the oftentimes unpredictable weather and low-oxygen "death zone" pose serious risks. Above 8000 meters (a little over 26,000 feet), oxygen levels are too low to support life. Without supplementary oxygen, body tissues begin to break down to keep the body alive. The death zone is the most perilous part of the journey, especially on the descent when oxygen levels are low.

More information about mount everest:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Everest
http://www.mounteverest.net/