Comments on: Pity the Blowfish.

Pity the Blowfish.

gottabefunky — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 18:56:01 -0800

And you thought Hootie had sold out already. Onion hula-hoops, burgers growing on trees, and lots of suggestive sauce licking. [via]

By: jmgorman

jmgorman — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 19:07:41 -0800

Wow, is this really the first post about this. I'm sick of hearing about this ad, but it appears to be a novel post. 'impliedsexuality' - please tell me you didn't use that as a tag.

By: 40 Watt

40 Watt — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 19:08:00 -0800

Harry "Haywire Mac" McClintock is fucking SPINNING in his grave. That commercial makes me want to kill everybody in my neighborhood.

By: 40 Watt

40 Watt — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 19:08:47 -0800

Oh, and thanks for ruining my evening, gottabefunky.

By: shoepal

shoepal — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 19:10:57 -0800

I first saw that commercial in Columbia, SC (home of hootie) and the four of us watching were silent for a minute and then proceeded to laugh our asses off. Apparently they (Darius and gang) are "in the market" for new songs for their new album, as in they are going to BUY songs to record. Hilarious. That site reminds me of this classic Epinion. ("The day I peed on Hootie's soap")

By: Jart

Jart — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 19:13:55 -0800

Totally awesome. I can't stop watching it. Note the cameo appearance of the Subservient Chicken. That's what puts it over the top for me. That, and the nice caboose.

By: jonson

jonson — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 19:19:15 -0800

I was impressed to see Vida Guerra make an appearance (as "Caboose girl"). Seriously, one of the sexiest women alive.

By: Hankins

Hankins — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 19:27:45 -0800

Did FHM charter a new fraternity or something?

By: fleener

fleener — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 19:38:19 -0800

Notice those effeminate cowboys with burly fries rising behind them? My gay friend did. That's one sexed up hetero-homo commercial. You see what you want to see.

By: unsupervised

unsupervised — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 19:48:44 -0800

Burger King: Hobo Paradise (insert tired but apropos pepsi blue joke here)

By: scarymonsterrrr

scarymonsterrrr — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 19:50:11 -0800

I am almost positive this has already been linked, but I can't find anything via search. Hrmmm.

By: shoepal

shoepal — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 19:59:01 -0800

Thanks unsupervised! I knew it all sounded familiar.

By: lazymonster

lazymonster — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:12:00 -0800

Excuse me shoepal, you're in my spot.

By: frenetic

frenetic — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:13:58 -0800

This is great. If you're gonna sell out, go all the way, baby!

By: trharlan

trharlan — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:17:56 -0800

I applaud you, frenetic. I didn't know what to think until I saw your comment, and I think that I should think what you think.

By: rkent

rkent — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:20:36 -0800

Yeah, I could never for the life of me figure out why BK was using "big rock candy mountain" in a commercial. On a literal level, I can't imagine who on earth it's supposed to appeal to (the hobo demographic?), and if it's an ironic twist on... something, then I doubt many people get it, to say the least. Though the commercial does have an odd, Peewee's Playhouse kind of appeal. If you're into that kind of thing.

By: dhoyt

dhoyt — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:23:19 -0800

Okay, about a month ago I told my sister about this commercial and laughed about Hootie and about the girl with the 'nice caboose'. So last time she was over, the commercial came on and the Vida Guerra part was gone—censored(?). Has anyone else noticed multiple versions of the commercial? I'm wondering if some soccer mom thought it was too racy.

By: shoepal

shoepal — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:24:55 -0800

Sorry lazymonster. I should have waited 13 minutes. Next time, I'll be more patient. A thousand apologies.

By: BoringPostcards

BoringPostcards — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:27:24 -0800

Even when David Lynch does TV commercials, they aren't this David Lynch-ish. It's brilliant.

By: dougunderscorenelso

dougunderscorenelso — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:27:36 -0800

I hate to say I adore that ad. Creepy and bizarre and over-the-top, just like their other recent ads. I love the firm that works with them.

By: rkent

rkent — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:36:41 -0800

dhoyt: may not be that sinister; sometimes they cut back a 30 second ad to fit in a 15 second slot. Of course, I personally would not elect to cut out the caboose scene, but they didn't ask me.

By: bawanaal

bawanaal — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:41:09 -0800

I like it as well. It's odd, yet strangely soothing. Plus appearances by Brooke Burke and Vida Guerra never hurt. But the Burger King himself is just creepy...

By: unsupervised

unsupervised — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:42:55 -0800

I wasn't going to post this, but since Vida's ass is the talk of the town...Does anyone find this picture at all erotic? I don't know what to make of it, except that I find it funny.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:50:35 -0800

Fuckin' minstrel show bullshit.

By: shoepal

shoepal — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:51:00 -0800

By: If I Had An Anus

If I Had An Anus — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:54:55 -0800

Since when is a tv commercial best of the web? Sorry, maybe I'm just bitter because my town just spent $100,000 to bring these blowfishes here, and didn't leave any money leftover for a decent moon-bounce for my 6 y.o.

By: brownpau

brownpau — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:56:08 -0800

Speaking of the Burger King Guy, see "Return of the King" -- old Slate article about "Wake Up with the King," BK's latest viral ad campaign featuring the masked king greeting various morning people with breakfast burgers.

By: lazymonster

lazymonster — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:59:04 -0800

It's okay shoepal. I didn't have anything to say anyway. First Corey Feldman then Hootie. I was hopping around, clutching myself. Wasn't quite sure what to do in all my excitement. Didn't really intend for it to end up on you. Oh - that BK Mask. Here I go again.

By: cali

cali — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 20:59:59 -0800

I guess viral campaigns still work. I'd suggest no more tv commercial links, but if that car company comes out with another dancing Transformer I'm counting on you guys to link it for me.

By: me3dia

me3dia — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 21:08:13 -0800

Once upon a time, there would have been pancakes. I liked pancakes. Anyone else like pancakes?

By: stavrosthewonderchicken

stavrosthewonderchicken — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 22:31:58 -0800

I still hate America.

By: AlexReynolds

AlexReynolds — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 22:47:59 -0800

Notice those effeminate cowboys with burly fries rising behind them? My gay friend did. That's one sexed up hetero-homo commercial. You see what you want to see. *insert hot beef injection joke here*

By: davidmsc

davidmsc — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 23:05:32 -0800

Hm. I've seen an abbreviated version of this commercial a few times -- but upon seeing the full-length version and actually reading the lyrics -- holy crap -- I'm kinda surprised that BK "got away" with some of this! I have no idea who any of the people are -- except the Hootie guy -- but they sure seem to register with some demographic. Bizarre, whimsical, and just plain weird. But the burgers are still good.

By: kirkaracha

kirkaracha — Thu, 07 Apr 2005 23:35:17 -0800

Very much like The Rock in Be Cool. And she does have a nice caboose. (Uh, NSFW.)

By: Djinh

Djinh — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 00:31:20 -0800

Wow! Awesome! David LaChapelle is the man!

By: shmegegge

shmegegge — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 01:22:30 -0800

I just want to say that the idea of Hootie and his band of blowfish having sold out is laughable. I really think that phrase should be reserved for people who had some artistic integrity in the first place. Then, when they trade it in for cash, market share, etc... you can say they sold out. It's like saying, "Yeah, Uwe Boll really sold out when he made Alone In The Dark." Selling out isn't the problem. Crap movies/music is the problem.

By: shmegegge

shmegegge — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 01:22:46 -0800

I mean, hell, that song is better than any hootie song ever was.

By: fixedgear

fixedgear — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 03:10:31 -0800

"The breasts, they grow on trees" is priceless.

By: LondonYank

LondonYank — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 03:42:36 -0800

I was in the Columbia music scene during the whole "ooh we're going to be the new Seattle" mass self-delusion that took place around about the time Cracked Rear View hit it big. MTV were in town, doing a special, a few other local bands seemed poised to ride Hootie's coattails into the national arena, and we all found ourselves thinking that Columbia actually had a reason to exist, after all. There was so much live music I even ran a succesful website (SCMusic.com) for 3 years off the back of gig listings and reviews. Then everyone got sick of Hootie. Columbia's music scene now? Hah. One venue still doing live music of any note when in the heydey there were ten.

By: klangklangston

klangklangston — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 05:42:20 -0800

This is the fucking SARS of viral marketting, and you all are carriers. What the fuck? "Oh my God! They have this commercial on the teevee and it is like weird and stuff!"

By: jonmc

jonmc — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 06:37:43 -0800

I actually had a Tendercrisp Bacon Cheddar Ranch the other day. It wasn't bad. Which is more than I can day for Hootie. Even though the lead vocalist had a good voice, the material was just waay too bland. I'm also a little stunned that Darius McCrary needs to do this to pay the bills. Didn't Cracked Rear Veiw outsell Dark Side Of The Moon or something? That's an awful lot of money to blow through. I'd also really like a breast tree. 44DD's preferably.

By: a_day_late

a_day_late — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 06:40:39 -0800

This is the fucking SARS of viral marketting, and you all are carriers. What the fuck? "Oh my God! They have this commercial on the teevee and it is like weird and stuff!" posted by klangklangston at 8:42 AM EST on April 8 [!] I didn't think much of the commercial but regarding viral marketing, it's OK ot get played if you know it's happening and you go along. I seriously doubt morons read metafilter (well, maybe a few), so it's not like we are spreading it to the general population.

By: a_day_late

a_day_late — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 06:43:13 -0800

Also, I now know who this Vida Guerra person is. That was worth it right there. It's tough being an old, senile fart.

By: cortex

cortex — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 06:51:59 -0800

Ten years ago no one said shit about viral marketing. They just rehashed (and poorly) their favorite scenes from funny TV commercials. Jesus.

By: spilon

spilon — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 06:58:04 -0800

Pity the blowfish? No way man -- that's the single best fucking Hootie song ever recorded! Thank you g.b.funky! Now I know what I'm having for lunch today.....

By: Optamystic

Optamystic — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 07:50:28 -0800

Well, you know...Cocaine ain't free.

By: gottabefunky

gottabefunky — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 08:37:42 -0800

Vida Guerra = "Life war"

By: jimmy

jimmy — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 11:01:31 -0800

By: malaprohibita

malaprohibita — Fri, 08 Apr 2005 13:26:02 -0800

Vida Guerra. Now that I know, I am happy.

By: nTeleKy

nTeleKy — Tue, 12 Apr 2005 10:11:22 -0800

First McDonlads with "I'd hit it" and now this? What's the deal with sex selling food lately? I don't really like the ad, but that's only because it's really effective. Everyone I know has paused at the end of seeing it the first time with a WTF? expression on their faces, usually followed by laughter/expressions of disbelief. So you've got the absurd nature of it, which makes it stick in your mind, and the sex, which makes it stick in your mind, which ends up making it really memorable. Plus, the food products are inseperable from the rest of the commercial content, guaranteeing that people will actually associate the product with the commercial, as opposed to ones with mostly unrelated subject matter and product placement at the end. And everyone that I mention it to (making it even more effective) remembers it almost instantaneously.