Tonight David and I watched some television together. We started with an episode of Who's the Boss, starring the lovable Tony Danza. We tried to remember what the deal was between Tony and his employer, Angela, but we couldn't remember whether all the playful flirting and loaded banter ever came to anything (Wikipedia confirms they did hook up in the 6th season and apparently got married after the last episode1).
Then we watched that dude who does the sketch about Hot Pockets.
And then, just when we thought there would be nothing else worth watching, TimeLife came to our rescue by devoting an entire half-hour to selling us on their Soft Rock anthology. It was an infomercial hosted by none other than Air Supply! We watched clip after clip of hits like Hall and Oates's "Sara Smile," Gary Wright's "Dreamweaver," and Toto's "Rosanna." David had to grab his laptop to look up other songs that these songs were reminding him of, and I of course was singing along with every song.
If they were trying to create nostalgia, they were absolutely successful.2
If they were trying to get us to open our wallets to buy that nostalgia, they were sorely mistaken. David had the brains to hit record on our DVR, so now we can relive the soft rock hits of the 70s, 80s, and early 90s anytime we want—not for 5 easy payments of $29.95, but for free. Yesss!3
As if that wasn't enough, the infomercial was followed by another one, this time for Ulitmate Rock Ballads, starring Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon.
1After the last episode? Does that even count? Do worlds of fiction exist beyond their last episode? Have we wandered into the Neverending Story?4
2But, as David pointed out, is it nostalgia if it isn't for anything you were really around for? Or does that make it camp?
3They kept assuring us that you "could never assemble this collection on your own" and that "these songs are getting harder and harder to find." Have they never heard of the internet? Is this not the very thing for which it was invented, so that hopeless nerds and obsessive weirdos could document and tribute every last thing that ever occured? I submit Evidence A, and rest my case.
4And that said, what's the deal with J. K. Rowling backdating Dumbledore? Isn't there some kind of ex post ficto law against that kind of thing?
1 comment:
Ulitmate Rock Ballads!? Dad and I watched some of that.
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