With iconic garage-punk trio the Oblivians, with the Parting Gifts (his collaboration with the Ettes’ Coco Hames and Jem Cohen), with a legion of other one-offs and defunct projects, and, for the past 13 years with driving rock ‘n’ soul revue the Reigning Sound, Greg Cartwright has chased various traces of American rock and pop to arrive at something singularly his. Still, with his legacy perfectly well cemented among garage-rock aficionados and discerning vinyl-heads, Cartwright is still chasing the unexpected. The Reigning Sound’s latest album, Shattered, is the band’s sixth proper full-length, a follow-up to 2009’s Love And Curses, and its debut for Merge. Cartwright will be guest editing magnetmagazine.com all week. Read our brand new feature on him.
Cartwright: I’d like to tell you a little bit about my favorite kind of pop art, though it may not be the kind you usually think of. Lichtenstein and Warhol magnified the charm and style of commercial illustration by lifting it off of the page and putting it in a gallery. To my knowledge, no one has ever gone to this length for jingles, and they probably never will. Regardless, I’ve acquired a real taste for them over the years. As commercial radio has slowly circled the drain, local jingles have become the only bright spot for me. I guess you could argue that modern pop songs are thinly veiled jingles, but they lack the saccharin charm of straightforward advertising. Somehow, people telling me to buy tools at my small-town hardware store is less offensive to me than a pop country singer who’s telling me he loves living in a small town. Especially when I know he doesn’t actually live in a small town.
Sandwiched between Bieber and Beyoncé is the true pop gold that moldy American radio still offers. Regional jingles like Memphis’ “Looky, looky, looky, here comes Cookie! Cook’s pest control!” or New Orleans’ “Steve’s Bail Bond’s is gonna’ getcha’, getcha’, getcha’ outta’ jail!” I’m not talking about NASDAQ traded companies who license songs by hit artists to market their cars and blood thinners. I’m talking about local furniture stores and clothing chains with fewer than four locations. People on a budget. They need top notch jingles written by professionals. The kind of professionals who hone their craft in a home studio. Artists who have their finger on the pulse of a local market. They know how to make you laugh, cry and buy things you don’t need. They know because they’re your neighbors. Hell, they might also be the only local musicians you hear on your radio this year.
I moved away from my hometown more than 10 years ago. Strangely, the thing I miss most may very well be local advertisements. Luckily, when we moved to North Carolina, there was no shortage. I was driving around and listening to a local talk station when I heard a jingle for a chain of gas stations … “if you can’t find a citistop in 10 minutes … you’re lost!” Thank you jingle man, wherever you are.
Video after the jump.
