The Levi's "O Pioneers" Commercial - Why do I hate it so much?

[fletcher munson]

Hi. I've seen this commerical 3 times. It was on again tonight during 30 Rock, and it just enraged me. I would like (hopefully, with your help) to figure out why the F I might feel so negatively towards this particular piece of media.

Is it:

A) The Obvious reason: Hey, here is a commercial full of attractive young people doing things that are so free and enjoying nature and living a seemingly artful and rich life. You are just jealous of this sitting there with your workaday job and meaningless existence.

or (what I have been leaning towards)

B) This commercial is obviously the work of a 2009 Don Draper. Substitute the Cadillac and brylcream for the L train and an ipod synced to a Pitchfork RSS feed. Whomever is behind it is probably someone within the same age bracket and knows how to push buttons (music, visual aesthetic - in this case the Artsy Flicker Etsy Twee deal). This threatens you on some level because now 'we' have become 'them' (underground> mainstream, rebellion>establishment, art>pop culture).


You decide:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HG8tqEUTlvs[/youtube]

either way, it illicits a response from me. The last commercial to have done this was this commercial. It is the only time within memory where I (consciously) sought out a product via a commercial. It took around 15 plays of it before I went and bought the sandwich. it was shitty and I never bought one again.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBNMjpDmrFc[/youtube]

any thoughts are greatly appreciated.

Ew, that commercial is brutal. 
Doesn't it also maybe vaguely tie in with that New weird American pioneer aesthetic/freak folk scene that was happening there for awhile.  You know, it was all over Arthur Magazine.  Maybe it was the poem, or the gun shot.  Anything?

[buffcoat]

Copycat.

You think you invented this?

[Sarah]

Hell, no.  I just think I got there before you did, kid.  An accident of birth.

[B_Buster]

I just found out that a recording of Walt Whitman's actual voice is used in the black & white America ad. That's pretty cool. He sounds a little like William Burroughs. Weird.

[fletcher munson]

The Beats were really into Whitman, especially Kerouac.

[Sarah]

What?!

[cutout]

Ginsberg definitely owed a lot to him.

[JonFromMaplewood]

I am already 40.

Why is this forum so loud?

[senorcorazon]

I am already 40.

Why is this forum so loud?

Take it outside, gramps. This is a place for cooling off after kickball and blow, not icing your knees and listening to Bill Moyers. Young people are full of life and ready to buy stuff!

[hugman]

I never saw that Burger King commercial. I kinda love it. Another Crispin Porter & Bogusky classic.

The levi's spot was directed by Cary Fukunaga, writer director of Sin Nombre, this year's City of God.

And Grote, I appreciated the YOT reference immensely.

[Shaggy 2 Grote]

Thanks, but Emma got there first.  I am but a vessel!

[JonFromMaplewood]

I am already 40.

Why is this forum so loud?

Take it outside, gramps. This is a place for cooling off after kickball and blow, not icing your knees and listening to Bill Moyers. Young people are full of life and ready to buy stuff!

That's it. I'm going inside and calling the police.

But back to the topic of this thread: The thing about the Levi's ad that bothers me is that it is full of people who put a higher value on looks rather than brains. Yet the audio is Walt Whitman.  Sorry if I am pre-judging these young models, but I feel relatively confident that the vast majority of them have no idea who Whitman was.  If the audio was a mindless dance track, I would not have a problem with the ad at all.  That disconnect, and the weak attempt at intellectualism is what makes me want to never stop throwing up.

I am not saying that I am any kind of English professor; I don't even know much about Whitman. But I am also not running around on TV with a Whitman poem playing.  If I were running around on TV, I would have the writings of Dan Dennett or the music of King Crimson playing.

Aaaaaand that is why no one is asking me to sell their jeans.

[nec13]

Although, I think it is just a tad bit pretentious, I will say that it is probably the most aesthetically pleasing commercial I have seen in a while. But will it compel an individual to go out and buy a pair of Levi's? I don't know.

EDIT: Here is a link to Slate's review of the "America (Go Forth)" ad. I think it's a pretty interesting read.

http://www.slate.com/toolbar.aspx?action=print&id=2233597

[fletcher munson]

Wow, that wax cylinder recording for the first spot sounds pretty damn amazing, I'd like to see that ad.  Thanks, nec13.

http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/20157

[Kim Kelly]

If memory serves, that Burger King commercial was directed by David LaChapelle:



Also, this douchebag is responsible for all of those awful Burger King commercials, especially the creepy Wake Up with the King series:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWzGB3QBRUk