La célebre marca de vaqueros americana ha tenido interesantes y curiosas incursiones en la publicidad. Los menos jóvenes recordamos el anuncio de la lavandería, dónde un joven modelo, Nick Kamen, entraba a lavar sus Levi’s quedándose únicamente en calzoncillos y en unos… sexys calcetines blancos.. ¡eran otros tiempos! Posteriormente el modelo se dedicó a la canción y quién no recuerda la célebre I promised my self, que aún hoy suena en las fiestas de los jóvenes de cuarenta.

Tambén el comercial Swimmer, inspirado en la película El nadador, protagonizada por Burt Lancaster en 1968. Y hasta Brad Pitt protagonizó un spot para Levi’s, contratado seguramente por la marca después del éxito de Thelma y Loiuse, y después de ver lo bien que le sentaban… y los movía.

Em uma época em que os locutores ainda podiam falar no FM  ( e nem foi há tanto tempo atrás… ) , eu costumava dizer:  Não é bem a música, e sim, o que ela desperta em cada um de nós… e aí eu falava alguma coisa que tinha a ver com a letra de uma determinada música antes de tocá-la.  Era uma forma de fazer o ouvinte pensar sobre o que ele estava ouvindo. E a música poderia despertar as mais distintas interpretações nos ouvintes, dependendo, em primeiro lugar, do estado de espírito de cada um deles. Eu usei muito essa música do Nick Kamen para abrir os meus programas em Juiz de Fora, nos  tempos de Solar FM. Ela dá um clima legal, levanta o astral e dá vontade de cantar junto. Vou postar aqui duas versões: a original de 1990 e uma reedição de 2004 que eu não conhecia e acabei de descobrir aqui. E nesta mais recente o locutor de uma estação de nova york dá o seu bom dia, fala da temperatura e ainda ´´pontua´´ a música ou seja, fala o que tem que ser dito na introdução e para quando o cantor começa. Coisa dos velhos e bons tempos.

No FM de hoje  é prudente falar apenas a hora certa. O bom dia ainda é tolerável. Agora, tudo o mais é excesso.  Lamentável…

Versão original:

Versão 2004:

Comentem aí!!!

Var inne på Dressman och en relativt vänlig ung säljaren. Förklarade att jag letade efter ett par så kallade boxer shorts i bomull, vi snackar kalsonger, och hon visade upp en ställning med kallingar i trikå.

Förklarade att det jag letade efter, boxer shorts, inte är i trikå. Det där var inte inte boxer shorts, förklarade jag kort.

Jo, det är det, svarade hon med ett syrligt leende och nickade mot förpackningen där det mycket riktigt stod “boxer shorts”.

Men inte fan är det boxer shorts inte. Det är boxer briefs.

Gick därifrån med två par strumpor och en t-shirt, ta tre betala för två. Men alltså inga boxer shorts.

Mer i det här högintressanta ämne hittar du här.

Här följer en liten videosnutt:

   Lo prometido es deuda y allá voy, mis cinco canciones inconfesables (aunque me temo que hay más y peores):

1.-Vanessa Paradis, “Be my Baby”

   No sé si se puede tener una voz más ñoña, pero pasé un verano en Francia por aquellos años y la canción tiene un “je ne sais pas quoi…”

2.-Jon Secada, “Just another Day”

   ¡Qué vergüenza¡¡, encima me acuerdo que me ofendí cuando sacó la versión en español porque ya no era lo mismo¡¡¡

3.-Nick Kamen, “I promise Myself”

   Aún me recuerdo bailándola en las discotecas en sesión vespertina y, oye, con sentimiento¡¡¡¡, me muero de la vergüenza.

4.-Álex Ubago, “Sin miedo a Nada”

   Eso sí, hay que tener en cuenta que no me gusta la verión en la que canta con Amaia Montero (ex-Oreja de Van Gogh). Algo es algo¿no? o es que lo mío no tiene solución?

5.-Tom Jones, “It’s not unusual”

   !!!Pero tiene que ser mientras Carlton el hemano pijo del Príncipe de Bel-Air la baila¡¡¡ ME ENCANTA, es tan divertido…

Anche io, come Chiara ed Hom, ho avuto i miei grandi amori immaginari. Sono solo quattro. Sono una persona seria, io.

Il mio primo grande amore immaginario fu, a 13 anni, Nick Kamen. Ricordo che ascoltavo Loving you is sweeter than ever (non capendoci francamente un’h), mentre rischiavamo di morire all’uscita di una galleria sulla SA-RC. Il fatto che io sia ancora qui passò come una grazia della madonna di Pompei, mentre io non riuscivo a pensare ad altro che al ciuffo alla Elvis del mai dimenticato Nick. Come ben altre volte sarebbe accaduto nella mia vita, entrare in fissa con i ragazzi avrebbe costituito una valida alternativa alle preoccupazioni della vita.

Il mio secondo grande amore immaginario fu Bono degli U2. Mi innamorai della sua voce possente e della sua aura mistica, dei suoi modi risoluti da vero maschio e, purtroppo, anche del suo clone versione casereccia. Com’è probabile, ogni paesino gode della presenza di un certo numero di fenomeni da baraccone: matti che girano con le rose ficcate nel naso e vecchietti che toccano il culo alle minorenni o cloni di personaggi famosi. Bene, noi avevamo tutto questo (e molto altro) e anche il clone di Amedeo Minghi e… Quello di Bono Vox, si faceva chiamare “Tonino Bono Vox”. Durante la Fiera di primavera di quell’anno avevo fatto di tutto per riuscire a parlarci e con tutto l’entusiasmo dei miei 18 anni avevo sorvolato su alcune faccenduole: il fatto che mi passasse 10 anni, il fatto che questo coincidesse il numero esatto di anni di fidanzamento con una tipa per niente socievole soprannominata parrucca e degna di un film di Tarantino. L’ho scampata per un pelo.

Quando ebbi il mio terzo grande amore immaginario, ero già a Roma e il sottopassaggio su via dello scalo di San Lorenzo con i suoi graffiti e le bottiglie di birra rotte era quanto di più vicino al lontano mondo dell’ambiguo, dell’insano e del crepuscolare impersonato dal giovane Renton, protagonista di Trainspotting. Con l’entusiasmo dei miei 21 anni, per mesi, andai in giro cercando qualcuno che indossasse una sporca felpa dell’Adidas e fosse così fatto da chiedermi di uscire, qualcuno che conoscesse, come me, i versi della canzoncina dei New Order che Dianne cantava a Renton e che mi ripetevo come fanno le bambine con alcune formule magiche. Ad oggi, mi basta passare sul ponte della Casilina e guardare sfilare i treni con i piedi nella monnezza romana per ritornare alla realtà.

Il quarto, ed ultimo, amore immaginario fu Alex Kapranos dei Franz Ferdinand, sempre uno scozzese. Si vede che, tutto sommato, il puzzo di birra ed il tanfo di moquette mi attirano in misura maggiore che quello del Cirò e della nduja.

]]> http://dirtymartini.wordpress.com/2007/10/21/more-songs-to-turn-down-on-your-ipod-guilty-pleasures/ Sun, 21 Oct 2007 21:47:05 +0000 dirtymartini http://dirtymartini.wordpress.com/2007/10/21/more-songs-to-turn-down-on-your-ipod-guilty-pleasures/

 do sound isolating earbuds also mask what you’re listening to?

i can barely be bothered to create an illusion of cool whilst i’m sat on the tube at 8am. lets face it, if i was that concerned then i probably would apply my makeup at home. after my last post – songs you turn down on your ipod - i realised that i have quite a lot of bad taste.

if you like something, why wouldn’t you listen to it? i don’t care what some suit with his legs wide open and a paper in my face thinks anyway. so these days i turn up my more embarrassing selections. at the very least someone will get a laugh out of it and god knows there’s not much to smile about if you commute into london.

unless sweat, delays and idiotic tourists with backpacks the size of a small shed are your thing, in which case…this playlist will seem tame by your standards.

download here

abba – that’s me

think ‘dancing queen’ is cheesy? have you heard the rest of ’arrival’? the campest (best) abba album, dealing with such pressing subjects as kissing your teacher, your boyfriend preferring his violin to you, and being a tiger. and this – about being a bit of an old slapper and not someone to take home to the parents.

barry manilow – copacabana

the first line gives it away. ‘her name was lola. she was a showgirl.’ this camp classic by the hook nosed one actually wasn’t a big hit, but everyone knows it anyway.

betty boo – 24 hours

in 1990, betty was not cheesy and her west london twanged rapping was not ludicrous. i think world cup euphoria must have addled our brains…and this is the most credible track i could find on boomania. ‘doin’ the do’ and ‘where are you baby’ are so bad even i don’t listen to them.

billy ocean – get outta my dreams

if billy had been a poor man’s lionel richie to date, this track didn’t change much.  actual car noises at the start of any track mentioning a car should give you a sorry indication of what’s to follow.

deacon blue – chocolate girl

deacon blue are late 80s scot pop-rock and do not fit in my collection. they now inhabit the MOR scrapheaps of capital and virgin radio. probably. i never listen to either. i might be tempted if i thought this would be played…

gloria estefan – get on your feet

latin numbers are party and party equals cheese. the ’sort your life out’ lyrics add to the worthiness of the proceedings but somehow this is still an enjoyable listen. or is it just me?

janet jackson and cliff richard – two to the power of love

no that isn’t a typing error and no i’m not pissed. in 1984, janet recorded a duet with the pop dinosaur (even then) that only ever saw the light of day on her ‘dream street’ album. of course, if she was pregnant at the time as claimed, we can put it all down to hormones.

kylie minogue – shocked

preteen girls are fickle and after ’better the devil you know’, most of kylie’s fanbase had delusions of adulthood that led them to aspire to an appreciation of such musical luminaries as er, color me badd. SAW was over. but you taped this off the radio, just in case.

nick kamen – each time you break my heart

levi’s model nick was a bit too pretty. but pretty boys worked in the late 80s, and his madonna association didn’t hurt much either.

paula abdul – opposites attract

the cartoon cat – mc skat kat for those that care, top cat with a cigar basically  - actually sang better than paula. i looooved this, and ant and dec turning up to an american idol audition and singing this to a confused paula, simon and randy was genius.

toto – hold the line

oh god, if ‘africa’ wasn’t bad enough, once my mum heard this, toto was firmly entrenched in her playlist. and now it’s got to me as well.

wilson phillips – you’re in love

big hair? check. record deal via nepotism? check. singing in unison as voices not strong enough individually? check. gratuitous use of white chiffon? check. for all that it should have been a disaster. and oh, it was.

it doesn’t end here…

or even there…

looking at the picture above, i wonder exactly why we ever thought george michael was straight? i was too young to know the difference, but i did always prefer andrew ridgeley…

80s fans were fiercely loyal to their band. a brosette would never admit liking a song by wet wet wet, or vice versa. this was tantamount to betrayal. i was too young to participate but i liked watching older girls argue about the relative merits of wham and duran duran. the first boy band i liked was a-ha, and morten harket kind of looked like patrick swayze.

14 is the proper age for a boy band fan, i think. i was 13 when nkotb arrived and so jordan knight was my main boyband crush. he was infinitely more interesting than his brother jon who professed a liking for tea and cakes and was going out with tiffany, of the batwing jumpers and shopping mall performances.

the early 80s boy bands were operating alongside the new romantics and so looked, frankly, like big girls. flicked and highlighted hair, pastels, sometimes even makeup. later, the look became more masculine, with ripped jeans, doc martens and leather jackets.

you can also check out their predecessors in my 70s boyband post, or those that followed in the 90s and 00s.

download here

nkotb – valentine girl

four of the new kids enjoyed adoration from screaming teen girls the world over. the other one was danny wood. horse face inexplicably made it into this band despite having neither looks or talent. it was easy to believe danny when he said he didn’t have a girlfriend. at least dane bowers had a voice.

new edition – mr telephone man

the predecessors to nkotb and the first glimpse of bad boy bobby brown, who at the age of 16,in 1985, found himself a father during the height of their success. i don’t remember this being common knowledge when he went solo shortly after. this for me is the best boy band track of the 80s.

johnny hates jazz – shattered dreams

don’t remember much about this group, but the singer had a nice voice and they fitted well with the whole late 80s yuppy soul vibe. filed under 80s cocktail lounge listening.

duran duran – rio

simon le bon and co may actually be the perpetrators of the miami vice style, pastel suit with bright t shirt, rolled up sleeves and loafers combo. between them, the group had so much hair it was ridiculous. john taylor, my favourite, was involved with it girl amanda de cadenet. kind of like tamara beckwith but even more annoying.

wet wet wet – sweet little mystery

scottish blue eyed soul band who did well in the 80s, but really made their cash in the 90s with ‘love is all around’, which was no1 for so long that they had it withdrawn. were they mad? take the cash and run! have since admitted they barely needed to work again thanks to four weddings and a funeral.

musical youth – sixteen

british pop reggae group who would be seen in amusing locations such as the houses of parliament, terrorising stuffy old people. wore baseball caps well. had a certain cachet once it became known that ‘pass the dutchie’ was about smoking weed. ok, so admittedly i still didn’t get it at the time, but i was about six!

bros – chocolate box

south london twins matt and luke and their school friend craig started the ripped jeans and leather craze that defined the end of the 80s. also wore grolsch bottle tops on their shoes, which I had to persuade my dad to get for me despite the fact that he hated grolsch.

wham – credit card baby

probably the most iconic 80s boyband and certainly the campest. hair that defied gravity, hawaiian shirts, shorts, it was all there. battled with frankie goes to hollywood for biggest selling tshirt. in 1984 you could just print ‘choose life’ or ‘frankie says relax’ on a white tshirt and sell millions…

brother beyond – he ain’t no competition

played second fiddle to bros for the most part, but nathan moore had more screaming girls after him as he was fit in a nick kamen kind of way and matt and luke were blond which isn’t every woman’s cup of tea. then nathan shattered the illusion somewhat by becoming the latest in a long line of gullible popstars to get involved with 80s wannabe amanda de cadenet.

spandau ballet – true

the girliest of all the 80s boy bands, and its hilarious to think that martin kemp ended up as bad boy steve owen in eastenders. this song was an end-of-the-school-disco staple along with ‘crazy for you’ and ‘careless whisper’.

a-ha – you are the one

morten, mags and pal caused mass hysteria and filled the boyband shaped void left when wham split and duran duran started getting married and having kids. being from norway their music has a slightly melancholy feel to it, even their uptempo tunes like this one.

curiosity killed the cat – misfit

notable at the time for the lead singer having an odd name – ben voppliere-pierriot – and a slightly girly penchant for berets. smash hits, reliably, gave him a more memorable name of ben volauvent-pierrot-parrot-thingy.  not everyone will remember that they did the original version of ‘ring ring ring’ by de la soul, called ‘name and number’. i can’t remember how it goes now.

1. Cock Robin – When Your Heart Is Weak
2. Celtas Cortos – 20 de Abril
3. Europe – The final countdown
4. Kaoma – Lambada
5. Modern Talking – Brother Louie
6. Desireless – Voyage Voyage
7. A-Ah – Take On Me
8. Azul y negro – No tengo tiempo
9. Phil Collins – Another day in paradise
10. Nick Kamen – I promised Myself
11. Opus – Life Is Life