The Clash & the Jaguar (1 Viewer)

[BrettB]

Has anyone seen this commercial? Jaguar has a promotion/ad campaign going on now called London Calling in which they use the song London Calling by The Clash to sell their automobiles. This has got to be one of the strangest product/song pairings in history.
The mental image of Joe Strummer tooling around in an XKR Coupe is hilarious.

 

[Michael Warner]

Wow, glad I haven't seen it. Once they started using the Smiths' "How Soon Is Now" to push Nissans I knew all hope was lost but this is just pure blasphemy.

 

[DanaA]

Hendrix, The Beatles, The Who - The list goes on and on. I often wonder, "What are they thinking???" when I see commercials. These people are getting paid very big bucks for coming up with these concepts.

 

[Grant B]

Hendrix, The Beatles, The Who

Yeah, but they were not so political as the clash.
A Band that puts out a 3 album set called Sandinista! is not your average band.

I saw Strummer with his band a couple of weeks ago. He was signing autographs outside the authograph booth. Very decent nice person.

 

[MickeS]

"I saw a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac"... pretty much sums it up, I think. Maybe it wasn't The Clash's decision to make, but even if it was, I can't blame them. It's probably a good car at least.
/Mike

 

[Seth Paxton]

First of all, when I was 20 I thought this sort of "selling out" was a crime against nature. But now I have no problem with a band selling their music, that's what they do for a living. Plus, I've found that there is a lot of music that gets out to the masses that normally wouldn't. Just think of all the Mitsu commercials lately, or the great VW one featuring Nick Drake's "Pink Moon". It made me go buy some of his work which I had never had the chance to hear before.
Something to think about before your next tirade about this being the end of all things holy, etc.
Now, as for odd pairings where the PRODUCT might not be getting the image it thought it was, what about IGGY POP's "Lust for Life" for one of the Cruise Lines?
Yes, come on our Caribbean cruise where you stay high on heroine all day long.
Great song but a funny message for the advertiser to be putting out. Not unlike the wholesome family YMCA sing-alongs at every baseball game. YI-IKES!

 

[Craig Robertson]

The mental image of Joe Strummer tooling around in an XKR Coupe is hilarious.

a rich musician in a Jag? yeah, that's unusual.:rolleyes

 

[BrettB]

Damn, I hate it when I get one of these ->
Oh well, I'll get over it. You're probably right, Joe Strummer is most likely no different than any other "rich musician". He's probably hanging out with Leno at this very moment comparing collections.
I never (not even @ 20) believed that success, in and of itself, equaled "selling out". The idea that someone automatically sucks or has sold out because they sold more than 5000 copies of their latest album and are actually being heard by more than myself and the guy down the street has always been alien to me.
I really doubt Joe or Mick even had a say in this. But if they did, I say, more power to them.
a snippet from Koka Kola (from the LP London Calling)
Elevator! Going up!
In the gleaming corridors of the 51st floor
The money can be made if you really want some more
Executive decision-a clinical precision
Jumping from the windows-filled with indecision
I get good advice from the advertising world
Treat me nice says the party girl
Koke adds life where there isn't any
So freeze, man, freeze