Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Do we think that Paul is actually the pitch man? I'm thinking Paul had one and was screwing around with it and someone snapped the shot. Now they have a photo and a way to sell a few of these things. Who uses a gig bag anyway? Certainly not Paul.

Ya'll are some confused young persons...

Selling musical product is not 'selling out', unless the product is purposefully dumbed down in order to sell more of it...then you're a sellout: live with the label, baby. Same thing for product endorsements...if it's a great product with benefits to the buyer and the society at large without damaging the ecology we all depend on, endorse away! But that damn sure isn't what's going on here...if you're being paid an obscene amount of money to pimp sugar water in aluminum cans, or luxury cars, screw you, piggy...

Dane, you are in FINE form today! Batting 1000, too!

And I am quickly becoming aploplectic.

Where's my Inderal? D**n drug companies...I feel glaucoma setting in...HELP!

So aploplectic that I kant spel "apoplectic"...Grrrr....

So it's "sugar water" that's the issue here.

Could Macca sell Rickenbackers using one of his songs without being a sell out?

I don't see how it's a big deal that he is selling luxury cars. Would it be ok if he pushing economy cars or something? Wouldn't that be more of a "sell out" because we all know he wouldn't be driving one of those?

And by your own definition, it doesn't seem like he dumbed down his song to have it in the car ad, it's just the background music, so I guess that's not a "sell out" then?

Yeah, John, it would be okay if he pushed economy cars...or something. It would be even better if we knew he was driving one, along with the accompanying news of the next Winter Olympics taking place in Hell...

He dumbed down his song to sell more copies of it, which will undoubtedly happen...having the Lexus people call him with their brilliant marketing idea is just the gravy on the cake...

Macca will also be appearing in new commercials for Fidelity Investments. Heard that on CBS News today.

Dane, here are some questions...

How did he dumb down his song? Did he add lyrics about how lovely the leather seats are or something? Did you hear some way more complicated version of "fine line", that he had to simplify, or make more commercial for Lexus?

If someone plays a piece of classical music in the background of an ad, does that "dumb it down"?

How would economy cars be less of a sell out? Where's the logic in that?

If I can try to state it more clearly...the song, like all of his work since 1969, is dumbed down when compared to the work he had previously shown himself capable of. And I believe he has done that ever since strictly for the purposes of selling more units to more consumers, having nothing at all to do with other associated marketing which may have brought him additional zillions of dollars.

How much really good classical music have you heard in ad backgrounds? Stravinsky and Varese are not the top choices of Madison Avenue or Muzak...

What I heard from 'Macca', a long time ago, was a 'way more' complicated version of 'reality' that he had to simplify...presumably because living like a baron wasn't good enough compared to living like an incarnated God (which he gets treated like far too often in this Forum and elsewhere)...

As to your last question(s)...I would need a chalkboard and more time than we can spend on it here...

I'd like also to point out that I've personally pushed economy cars at every stage of my career...

Usually just to get them out of the intersection...

Dumbed down from Maxwell's Silver Hammer?

Though it hurts me to say it: yes.

Well Dale, we'll just have to agree to disagree on all sorts of points.

Is the song "run devil run" dumber somehow than his 50's styled beatles rockers?

Is "ebony and ivory" dumber than "yellow submarine"? (I personally think "E&I" is a great children's tune)

I just don't see that at all. After all, something that seems simple isn't always dumb.

The whole consumer goods thing, if you are doing an ad for an expensive product, or an inexpensive product, saying that one is more morally responsible than another, I'm sorry, it just doesn't make sense.

And as for classical music, just because Stravinsky or Varese are not used as much as Mozart, I guess that makes Mozart "dumber"?

Right on, John...we can say we disagree and leave it at that...

But just for the record, in my opinion: compared to works by Stravinsky and Varese, the Mozart catalog is dumb. Really dumb....