![]() | 1HundredPercent: RT - Better Breakfast: McDonald's, Burger King or Wendy's??? about 2 hours ago |
![]() | His_Beloved_One: @AmieShmamie YAY! and ps. chick-fil-a Polynesian sauce is pretty radically wonderful. or wendy's sweet n' sour. i vote for those two. about 3 hours ago |
![]() | theeppilepsyguy: @iamedic80 Sarah you left your hand bag here, or is it Tony's you both dress alike...Im sorry Wendy wrong person JUST KIDDING ABOUTH THAT about 7 hours ago |
![]() | jayreezy5880: @mallorystinson yes...btw, the azn boneless wings are good at wendy's! i like the buffalo tho especially wit some ranch or bleu cheesesauce about 7 hours ago |
![]() | MCDBOY1988: ok so we went to wendy's and got a bunch of stuff.im full now.I think the fame and i are gonna play the Wii here in a bit or watch a movie about 9 hours ago |
| By Andy Tarnoff Publisher E-mail author | Author bio More articles by Andy Tarnoff |
| Published Feb. 14, 2007 at 7:52 p.m. |
|
If you're like me (and I know you are), you did a double take
when you saw the new commercial for Wendy's. Actually, I didn't
even see the whole spot -- I was in another room at the time. But
when I heard the Violent Femmes' seminal hit, "Blister In The Sun" on
the TV, my ears perked up. Then my jaw dropped. Then my heart sank.
OK, I'm exaggerating a little bit. But I was really shocked to
hear the Femmes in a Wendy's commercial. In case that
statement didn't sink in, let me say that again: Milwaukee's own
Violent Femmes provided the soundtrack to a Wendy's fast food
commercial.
Gordon, Brian, Victor … come on. I know it's been a few years
since you've put out an album, and a few more since you've had a
hit. But you're still my favorite band, and I gotta say, I'm a
little bummed.
"Let me go on, big hands I know you're the one.
Body and heat I stain my sheets I don't even know why.
My girlfriend she's at the end and she is starting to cry."
Is this really an appropriate song to pitch chili? Apparently I'm
not the only one who finds this a little weird. I Googled "Blister in
the Sun + Wendy's commercial" and came up with 762 results. The
general consensus was puzzlement, as well as more than a few people
questioning why a vegetarian like Gano would be pitching meaty chili.
But hey, who am I to judge? I hope the trio got a fat royalty check for
lending their biggest hit to the fast food chain. And it gives me
a good excuse to call Vic and catch up, who last I checked, had a studio down
the street from the OMC headquarters. (Stay tuned for that.)
I can't imagine it'll do much for the band's street cred, but I'm
reminded of a story I heard about the Dandy Warhols, in which they
gained a ton of momentum from a song of theirs that was played in a
European cell phone commercial. The royalties and added CD sales
built them a new studio in Portland and funded their subsequent work.
Granted, the Femmes have already sold zillions of records to several
generations of surly teens, and their concerts still sell out
worldwide. So I'll reluctantly take the glass-full attitude here:
Let's hope this bizarre musical pairing gets Milwaukee's native sons
back into David Vartanian's studio, creating some fresh music -- that
won't find its way into a Wendy's ad for another 25 years.
|
2 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review. |
|
Wednesday A funny little thing happened last Thursday, as the editorial staff of OnMilwaukee.com ... |
|
Saturday Milwaukee's Bay Dariz is in a new band called Some Hear Explosions, and I knew it would ... |
|
June 25, 2009 When I heard about Michael Jackson's death this afternoon, I must admit I was neither ... |
|
June 24, 2009 When I came home from work today and stepped inside my house, it was as if I sat down ... |
|
June 24, 2009 Commercials make me laugh, even when that's not their intended purpose. I particularly ... |
| Top Clicks | Top Searches | Most Talkbacks |