I am not entirely sure why, but for a little while, I have been thinking about one particular commercial from MTV back in the better days (musically, at least) of late 1993 and early 1994. I know it was from that time, specifically, because at the time, we did not have cable, and my only real consistent access to MTV was when I spent some time at my grandparent's house. During those times, I would watch MTV, and often, would record it, as well when given the chance. For the most part, I still have those old VHS tapes, and was able to successfully transfer maybe about 12 hours worth onto three separate DVD's.
However, there was one commercial that I alluded to already that I could not find, and after running into it recently (just this past weekend, in fact), it dawned on me the reason why: it was from either December of 1993, or January of 1994, most likely. This was because they kind of referred to both 1992 and 1993 in the past tense, and referred to the then still upcoming year of 1994 in future terms.
The commercial basically advertised the upcoming year in music on MTV by giving a kind of preview of video and audio clips from Belive by Dig, Award Tour by A Tribe Called Quest, Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) by US3, Mother by Danzig, and Killing in the Name Of by Rage Against the Machine.
There are also two other commercials that came on right after this one, which I also decided to just keep in here, since they also reminded me rather intensely of that time period. The first of these is a strange guy who sneaks into NFL locker rooms, and usually does and says weird things. In this one, he finds Bruce Smith's locker and sniffs his shoes, and talks to the camera about the bad things that Smith does on the football field, as well as the bad things that he would do to him, personally, if he caught him with the shoe.
Finallt, the last of the three commercials is a preview of Tombstone, a movie that remains a kind of guilty pleasure for me. It is perhaps the best done western that I know of. It also reminds me of that time period, as well as just being an enjoyable movie.
So basically, this clip, which lasts a minute and a half or so, reminds me very much of a different time in my life, when I was in a very different place. In some respects, it was worse, and in other respects, it was better. I was younger and likely healthier physically. Also, let's face it: the world at large seemed a bit less troubled, and the future brighter, more promising. Maybe this was an illusion, but that is what it felt at the time.
In any case, it seemed worth sharing, and so that is what I am doing here.
The commercial basically advertised the upcoming year in music on MTV by giving a kind of preview of video and audio clips from Belive by Dig, Award Tour by A Tribe Called Quest, Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia) by US3, Mother by Danzig, and Killing in the Name Of by Rage Against the Machine.
There are also two other commercials that came on right after this one, which I also decided to just keep in here, since they also reminded me rather intensely of that time period. The first of these is a strange guy who sneaks into NFL locker rooms, and usually does and says weird things. In this one, he finds Bruce Smith's locker and sniffs his shoes, and talks to the camera about the bad things that Smith does on the football field, as well as the bad things that he would do to him, personally, if he caught him with the shoe.
Finallt, the last of the three commercials is a preview of Tombstone, a movie that remains a kind of guilty pleasure for me. It is perhaps the best done western that I know of. It also reminds me of that time period, as well as just being an enjoyable movie.
So basically, this clip, which lasts a minute and a half or so, reminds me very much of a different time in my life, when I was in a very different place. In some respects, it was worse, and in other respects, it was better. I was younger and likely healthier physically. Also, let's face it: the world at large seemed a bit less troubled, and the future brighter, more promising. Maybe this was an illusion, but that is what it felt at the time.
In any case, it seemed worth sharing, and so that is what I am doing here.
I'm surprised you neither recognized the face nor the voice of the weirdo in the Nike commercial. That's Dennis Hopper, arguably one of the more famous actors of the late 20th century. You may have seen him in films like "Waterworld", "Apocalypse Now", "Speed" or "Easy Rider".
ReplyDeleteNo, I actually had not recognized him, although admittedly, I was never really all that good at recognizing many faces or associating them with famous names. Everyone has different skills, but despite being capable in other areas, that was never one of them. I can also forget someone's name almost as soon as they tell me it, and can tear the place apart looking for my keys that I put down literally seconds earlier, if they happen to fall in between someplace. But, I can remember every Super Bowl score, and almost every capital of every nation in the world, neither of which make me a better man. But it is interesting that you mention who that is. At the time, I found those commercials kind of annoying, as I recall. Now, for some reason, it brought back pleasant memories of a different time in my life. Strange.
DeleteOnly vaguely related, but SNL had a funny sketch many years ago when he hosted the show. It was a spoof of "Easy Rider" – they had him doing all sorts of ridiculous stunts with his motorcycle, like hopping off and running alongside it before getting back on while it was still moving. Anyway, still preoccupied with the post about Basia having the virus, and the possibility that you could have it as well. I hope the two of you get lots of rest, and that this whole thing is reduced to nothing but a bad memory in the near future.
ReplyDelete