So, lately, the new, hip, millennial Radio Shack that sells groovy stuff like them newfangled ipod walkman gadgets has this ad on TV in which a John-Cusack-in-High-Fidelity, presumably barely-employed slacker-type guy has his records strewn all over the apartment as his tight-lipped, skirt-suited presumably live-in girlfriend (ripping off/paying homage to the film right down to the last detail) is peeved about the mess and seemingly nearly sick of him in general as she storms out and off on what is presumably a business trip. The background music, from his cherished old turntable, is rockin’, with lyrics something along the lines of "I done somethin’ wrong."
As soon as she’s gone, our hero goes to work – we see him moving records around, reorganizing. Is he making her a mix tape? Has she moved out, as in HF, and he’s making that perfect farewell break up tape, staying true to himself and his music, if disappointing her for the last time?
Nosirree Bob.
Cut to prim girlfriend returning home from her trip, hearing the same song playing from the other side of the door, rolling her eyes before she enters to find . . . a pristine apartment, no records at all, anywhere, just a tiny little ipod with a tiny little docking station and tiny little speakers playing his song of apology and regret. She smiles, and we see him, in the background, leaning in the kitchen doorway. I wonder if he cleaned the kitchen too. (Must’ve been a mighty long trip for him to have digitized 5,000 records while she was gone).
Now this ad’s not the most objectionable thing in the world . . . unless you’re that High Fidelity guy (and if you haven’t seen High Fidelity or read the book and don’t know what I’m talking about here, well, jeez, see the damn movie and/or read the book! It’s the only book I’ve really liked and then found myself enjoying the film even more.), Where was I? Oh, yeah, so, don’t get me wrong, the ad isn’t reprehensible or nuthin’. In fact, I have to admit, on first view, I found it kind of cute, as much as I didn’t want to.
But then, as is often my undoing, I got to thinking. For starters, our man totally emasculates himself, castrates his thousands of beautiful, scruffy, beloved albums into a tiny little clit of an ipod. Miss Priss, in turn, is defeminized from the start, as the frigid, uptight, anal-retentive career girl. Only a tidy house loosens her up, bucko.
But beyond that, and more a propos to this forum, wouldn’t it be refreshing if it were not a John but a Joan Cusack type, slackin’ at home in her sweats with her scattered LPs, her buttoned-down nebish of a husband angrily stomping off to work. Wouldn’t it be funnier, subtler, cuter when he returns home and gets all moist when he sees how pretty the house looks? How about a little surprise, a little subtlety, a little role reversal, Mad Ave?!
A boy can dream, can’t he?
I tried to find the ad to post here for you to see, but to no avail. Something, it seems, actually isn’t readily available on the interweb. Kind of fits the old-school Radio Shack identity, really, totally unconnected to current technology. But start watching the NBA playoffs and you’ll see it plenty.
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Because I coudn’t find the Radio Shack ad, and because both Dan and I are still enthralled with our newfound ability to now embed youtube stuff, I offer you, above, a much better commercial. At times, I must admit, I question our alliegence to Charles Barkley. He can be such an absolute buffoon at times, especially when he said last week that the Golden State Warriors wouldn’t win a game after they lost game two of their series with Dallas (The W’s are currently up 3-2, and can close out one of the biggest upsets in NBA playoff history with a win at home on Friday). But Chuck can also be funny as heck, and so lovingly vulnerable, especially in the ad above, although the actress really steals the show here, I think.
