Hey man, I'm all for indie bands getting exposure in any way they can, but for the love of Christ, the new Outback jingle that uses the tune from "Wraith Pinned To The Mist And Other Games" but changes the words to "Let's Go Outback Tonight" makes me want to hurt someone. First of all, "Let's Go Outback Tonight"?! What the fuck does that mean? They couldn't fit the word "to" in there? It sounds suspiciously like some sort of bareback innuendo. Secondly, selling your song to a commercial is one thing, but letting them change your lyrics to stuff about twice baked potatoes and the all-you-can-eat salad bar is quite another. Fuck off, Of Montreal.

splitting hairs at this point.

"Hey would you like a shitload of money to use one of your songs in a commercial? It would mean changing some of the lyrics but it means you could live comfortably for a year or so, continue touring, make more records & get a ton of exposure.

If not would you be interested in coming to work for us in the warehouse? We will pay 7 bucks an hour. 9-5 Monday to Friday with a few weekend working at time & a half."

nobody, in my mind, has ever said it better than this:

"Songs carry emotional information and some transport us back to a poignant time, place or event in our lives. It's no wonder a corporation would want to hitch a ride on the spell these songs cast and encourage you to buy soft drinks, underwear or automobiles while you're in the trance. Artists who take money for ads poison and pervert their songs. It reduces them to the level of a jingle, a word that describes the sound of change in your pocket, which is what your songs become. Remember, when you sell your songs for commercials, you are selling your audience as well."

-Tom Waits

I love that. Sounds fucking cool, but this is Of Montreal.

I heard this ad this morning and immediately thought, "Those bastards at Outback are ripping off Of Montreal!!!" Then, I realized it's actually pretty cool that they have taste that good. Much better than ripping off Black Eyed Peas or some shit like that.

I was shocked when I heard that too. When I saw them in August Kevin Barnes did talk about "selling out" but he said it in reference to their upcoming release.

Anyway, I wrote something about music in commercials last autumn:

http://crenellation.blogspot.com/2005/0 ... ditor.html

You can read Yo La Tengo's take on the business of selling out here:

http://www.yolatengo.com/sellout1.html

http://www.yolatengo.com/sellout2.html

http://www.yolatengo.com/sellout3.html

as opposed to the sound of a bull frog croaking into a megaphone?

but oh yeah, that's art...

I've got to agree with this rather than what Tom Waits said but if they ever do a song for Pizza Hut I'm throwing bricks of cheese at them.

Actually, I don't like Of Montreal at all so this is just to address the spirit of things here.

All of a sudden I hate the Outback.

If the best restaurant in the world is across the street and Outback is on my side of the street, I am choosing Outback, Dubya on SNL.

didnt this band have a song for pontiac cars as well?

I think they've a commercial for either Staples or OfficeMax, too. I'm not really familiar with their output, but lead singer's pipes are somewhat easy to discern.