That's My Jam: Product Placement

I'll never, ever apologize for loving Cheap Trick. Sure they're horribly cheesy and at this point most their best hits seem dated -- but they wrote one of the greatest songs ever, and are a hell of a lot of fun to see live (or at least they used to be back in the day).
Plus, they're probably my all-time #1 band who writes songs that don't rhyme.
Granted, most of their lyrics follow standard rhyming logic -- but once you get into the second or third verses, they always seem to throw in one or two lines that phonetically had absolutely nothing to do with each other.
And yet it still worked on me every time.
The other thing that was important about Cheap Trick was guitarist Rick Nielsen, who aside from being a really underrated soloist -- always had the coolest looking custom guitars. Half the reason you saw Cheap Trick live was to see what he'd be playing next.
And that was all before the video for this song came out.
The 5-neck guitar is something of a legend among guitar aficionados, so much that Nielsen apparently keeps the thing sealed up in a locked vault at his house so that it won't get damaged between tours. He didn't even bring it out when he performed the theme for "The Colbert Report" (which he wrote) live on the show.

Guitarists in general are big on copycatting, so it's no surprise that half the guitars that you see in the stores look like the ones the stars play, or that as soon as one band gets really popular there are literally hundreds of others out there looking to rip off their style -- but it got me to thinking about the other things that happen when music and video get into peoples heads.

Have you ever adopted a fashion style or accessory or even something like a hairstyle just because of a singer/artist you really liked (you know, like when I bought all that Union Jack gear, or the time I got really mad that I couldn't find a decent FRANKIE SAY RELAX shirt back in the day)? And if so, what was it (and what was the song that made it seem like a good idea)?
"Mommy's all right, Daddy's all right -- They just seem a little weird.."

[Listening To:  Nada Surf"Popular" ]

Comments

Satorical said…
Not sure. There was a time when it seemed like every shirt I owned was from a concert.

I still miss the damn Primus shirt I lost.

I guess Peter Gabriel made me think that a completely buttoned-up white dress shirt and dark blazer was a good fashion move in the late 80s. It wasn't a conscious thing.

Actually, one thing worked against a fashion style I had: once Metallica's Jason Newsted had the long hair with the shaved sides and back, the days of my having the same hairstyle were numbered.
Monster said…
I bought little round glasses with flip-up tinted lenses in an effort to seem intellectual yet also funky like the front man from Arrested Development.

I'm looking for a picture, though, and I can't find one... which makes me think maybe I had him confused all along.
http://hamptons.guestofaguest.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/kadeem-hardison-as-dwayne-wayne-247x300.jpg

:::sigh:::
Anonymous said…
Who wears Body Glove?

J/K. I'm a rip curl man inspite of LC.

Of course. Fender Basses with square fret markers, Rickenbacker Basses courtesy of Geddy Lee. I even wanted a Wal briefly until I woke up. Long hair because of all the rock bands.

Fashion specifically? Yeah- in my teens and 20s almost every shirt was a concert shirt. Ripped clothing, trenchcoats, boots.

Chain wallet? Thanks social D. Although it was damn handy, I can't get away with it now.
Anonymous said…
oh and Cheap Trick is underrated.

Good pop songs. Some are great songs. Power pop before there was a name for it.

The guitar sound was amazing. LIVE AT BUDOKAN is one of the par exemplar live albums. I actually went to the budokan to see what it was like.
Werdna said…
And (hat trick post):

Cheap Trick going on tour with Whosits and Whatsits:

http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/02/26/def-leppard-poison-cheap-trick-to-tour-together-this-summer/
Heff said…
Dude, I STILL dig Cheap Trick, and listen to Dream Police on ocassion.
Anonymous said…
Long story short, that microphone from the video for Bullet with Butterfly Wings.
Anonymous said…
Um, I had a tee shirt that said CHOOSE LIFE across the front in huge fluorescent pink letters because of Wham!

She's tight is an essential tune on my iPod running mix.

jaeme
I think I've only heard of cheap trick from a mention in a movie, that's it.

I got my nose pierced when I was 15 because tupac and mya had theirs.Oh well, it turned out to be a good thing...