"I’m attorney Jamie Casino, and I don’t represent villains anymore."
February 1, 2024 11:18 PM Subscribe
TEN YEARS AGO TODAY: What advertising do you recall from watching Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014 (where Seattle humiliated Denver 43-8)? If you lived in the Savannah, Georgia area, your answer probably would be a personal injury attorney who purchased an entire commercial block for 120 glorious seconds of melodrama and myth-making.
(The awesome country-rock banger track from that ad is "Devil Gets Your Soul" by Nick Nolan, who might be the same Nick Nolan that, along with his brothers Sam and Simon Nolan, formed Aussie indie rock band Loon Lake back in the early Tens.)
The ad went pretty viral, getting write-ups at the time from SBNation ("On this day, most of us regret not being Georgians.") and DeadSpin. The NY Daily News took a closer look at the claims made in the advertisement about Savannah's maligned police chief, as did Esquire Magazine, revealing that the sledghammer-wielding counselor was born Jamie Biancosino in Philadelphia. Lowering The Bar did some quick analysis on whether the claims made in the ad could get Casino in trouble.
Casino followed up his big debut with a sequel that aired during the 2015 Super Bowl (Seattle narrowly losing to Tom Brady and the Patriots) which posited that his trademark sledgehammer was forged by an Alice-Cooper-lookalike archangel to help him rid the world of bullies, with an epilogue that got the last word on police corruption in Savannah. It took another three years for the series to become a trilogy in the ads for Super Bowl LII (Nick Foles and the Eagles finally beating the Patriots), with Casino now focusing his ire on "predatory TV injury lawyers seeking to cash out on injured victims" while rocking out to "Renegade" by "The Biggest Band in the World" -- an alias for session guitar virtuoso Blues Saraceno and the Extreme Music licensing team.
BONUS FACT: It was actually against the law in the U.S. for attorneys to advertise their services until 1977's Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, when the Supreme Court narrowly decided in a 5-4 split that that lawyer advertising was commercial speech entitled to protection under the First Amendment.
(The awesome country-rock banger track from that ad is "Devil Gets Your Soul" by Nick Nolan, who might be the same Nick Nolan that, along with his brothers Sam and Simon Nolan, formed Aussie indie rock band Loon Lake back in the early Tens.)
The ad went pretty viral, getting write-ups at the time from SBNation ("On this day, most of us regret not being Georgians.") and DeadSpin. The NY Daily News took a closer look at the claims made in the advertisement about Savannah's maligned police chief, as did Esquire Magazine, revealing that the sledghammer-wielding counselor was born Jamie Biancosino in Philadelphia. Lowering The Bar did some quick analysis on whether the claims made in the ad could get Casino in trouble.
Casino followed up his big debut with a sequel that aired during the 2015 Super Bowl (Seattle narrowly losing to Tom Brady and the Patriots) which posited that his trademark sledgehammer was forged by an Alice-Cooper-lookalike archangel to help him rid the world of bullies, with an epilogue that got the last word on police corruption in Savannah. It took another three years for the series to become a trilogy in the ads for Super Bowl LII (Nick Foles and the Eagles finally beating the Patriots), with Casino now focusing his ire on "predatory TV injury lawyers seeking to cash out on injured victims" while rocking out to "Renegade" by "The Biggest Band in the World" -- an alias for session guitar virtuoso Blues Saraceno and the Extreme Music licensing team.
BONUS FACT: It was actually against the law in the U.S. for attorneys to advertise their services until 1977's Bates v. State Bar of Arizona, when the Supreme Court narrowly decided in a 5-4 split that that lawyer advertising was commercial speech entitled to protection under the First Amendment.
And they say Americans can't do irony.
posted by Paul Slade at 12:05 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]
posted by Paul Slade at 12:05 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]
But wait, there's more!
In this year's installment to his Super Bowl commercial franchise, Jamie Casino addresses an epidemic which has plagued commercial breaks for years - predatory TV injury lawyers seeking to cash out on injured victims.
posted by TedW at 1:37 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]
In this year's installment to his Super Bowl commercial franchise, Jamie Casino addresses an epidemic which has plagued commercial breaks for years - predatory TV injury lawyers seeking to cash out on injured victims.
posted by TedW at 1:37 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]
Never mind; didn't finish reading the "more inside" before I went down the rabbit hole of videos on his website.
posted by TedW at 1:38 AM on February 2
posted by TedW at 1:38 AM on February 2
Man, I see his billboards all the time but didn't realize there was a story attached. That first commercial...is he...is he destroying his brother's gravestone?
posted by mittens at 4:54 AM on February 2 [4 favorites]
posted by mittens at 4:54 AM on February 2 [4 favorites]
smashing the gravestone is an interesting finisher. does it imply he is battling death itself, waging a war on mortality? the grim reaper comes for everyone, even you jamie casino (can’t be his real name!)
posted by dis_integration at 5:35 AM on February 2 [3 favorites]
posted by dis_integration at 5:35 AM on February 2 [3 favorites]
Well, if he ever gets disbarred he can pivot to making WWE promos.
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 5:36 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]
posted by Bulgaroktonos at 5:36 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]
Ok but that first video is incredible. My husband and I have been trying to decide between a few cities for our annual summer Trip To A Cool US City, and Savannah is definitely on the short list...between this guy and the Savannah Bananas I feel like the final decision has now been made for me. Off to watch the rest and not get any work done today.
posted by deep thought sunstar at 5:37 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]
posted by deep thought sunstar at 5:37 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]
As a Euro, you think Saul Goodman's commercials are exaggerated to the point of absurdity.
And then you learn Saul's act is actually pretty pedestrian.
posted by uncle harold at 7:17 AM on February 2 [2 favorites]
And then you learn Saul's act is actually pretty pedestrian.
posted by uncle harold at 7:17 AM on February 2 [2 favorites]
God damn. Those were some good commercials.
posted by May Kasahara at 7:56 AM on February 2
posted by May Kasahara at 7:56 AM on February 2
I've been on MetaFilter for nearly two decades. I now realize everything was building to this moment, watching these videos. My life now has meaning.
posted by bacalao_y_betun at 8:30 AM on February 2 [8 favorites]
posted by bacalao_y_betun at 8:30 AM on February 2 [8 favorites]
So he buys the roses, and apparently a sledge hammer, hides the sledge hammer under the roses, waits for the roses to rot, gets bored before the last one can rot and crushes it, picks up the sledge hammer, which it turns out is a Hammer of Fire (+1d2 at best, but guaranteed to ignite soil) and smashes the grave stone, which I assume he had also paid for (and which I would guess his mum is going to be put out about). Truly a tormented soul.
posted by biffa at 8:57 AM on February 2 [3 favorites]
posted by biffa at 8:57 AM on February 2 [3 favorites]
feels like a high-end Michael Scott production
posted by daisystomper at 9:12 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]
posted by daisystomper at 9:12 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]
jamie casino (can’t be his real name!)
According to news reports about his brother’s murder (which sounds truly tragic, by the way) his brother’s name was Biancosino, so that might be true. I live in the area where he advertises, but tend to tune his commercials out along with all the other lawyer ads (including the ones for the lawyer who was kidnapped by a disgruntled client). They are so pervasive here I actually look forward to election season when political ads drive at least some of them off the airways.
posted by TedW at 9:25 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]
According to news reports about his brother’s murder (which sounds truly tragic, by the way) his brother’s name was Biancosino, so that might be true. I live in the area where he advertises, but tend to tune his commercials out along with all the other lawyer ads (including the ones for the lawyer who was kidnapped by a disgruntled client). They are so pervasive here I actually look forward to election season when political ads drive at least some of them off the airways.
posted by TedW at 9:25 AM on February 2 [1 favorite]
The particulars of this case aside, I've always had a bit of a soft spot for local businesspeople who put on these kinds of elaborate local commercials. It's like inside of various personal injury lawyers or insurance agents or car dealers lives the soul of a theater kid who just needs to put his own personal Threat Level Midnight out there.
posted by mhum at 9:41 AM on February 2 [2 favorites]
posted by mhum at 9:41 AM on February 2 [2 favorites]
Before clicking anything I was going to snarkily predict that it was going to be Jamie "THE HAMMER" Casino
I'm highly gratified to see there is in fact a sledge involved.
posted by tigrrrlily at 9:54 PM on February 2
I'm highly gratified to see there is in fact a sledge involved.
posted by tigrrrlily at 9:54 PM on February 2
It's like if Better Call Saul was a comic book by Todd McFarlane.
posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:08 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]
posted by kittens for breakfast at 6:08 AM on February 3 [1 favorite]
Waiting for a team-up with Bryan Wilson: The Texas Law Hawk!
posted by xedrik at 8:30 AM on February 3
posted by xedrik at 8:30 AM on February 3
Here in Seattle, we had Vern Fonk
Others in the car ads category as well, but, I digress. Vern Fonk used one guy in all their late night TV ads. Rob Thielke, manager of the Fonk agency office in Everett. I think everyone who saw those ads assumed that was Vern. The Fonk lives on, but not Vern nor Rob. And Carl Weathers... Time to come to terms with mortality I guess.
posted by Windopaene at 4:01 PM on February 3
Others in the car ads category as well, but, I digress. Vern Fonk used one guy in all their late night TV ads. Rob Thielke, manager of the Fonk agency office in Everett. I think everyone who saw those ads assumed that was Vern. The Fonk lives on, but not Vern nor Rob. And Carl Weathers... Time to come to terms with mortality I guess.
posted by Windopaene at 4:01 PM on February 3
Sorry, thought this was the free thread, similar, but not on topic...
Metafilter: Similar, but not on topic.
posted by Windopaene at 8:13 PM on February 3
Metafilter: Similar, but not on topic.
posted by Windopaene at 8:13 PM on February 3
Waiting for a team-up with Bryan Wilson: The Texas Law Hawk!
When I was in the D/FW area, I was always partial to the simple, direct screaming of Jim Adler, the Texas Hammer. Also El Martillo Tejano when that hat fit better.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 5:28 AM on February 4
When I was in the D/FW area, I was always partial to the simple, direct screaming of Jim Adler, the Texas Hammer. Also El Martillo Tejano when that hat fit better.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 5:28 AM on February 4
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