Daddy Needs A New Pair of Shoes!

It’s not really a gamble to pick up new Brooks running shoes when your old pair is about to be retired. For the entire year of 2024, I’ve trained and competed in the Brooks Hyperion Tempo shoes and I’ll be honest, the beginning of our relationship had some growing pains. So much that I wasn’t sure I’d keep them. Tightening the laces caused more pain than I expected in the first few weeks. After adjustments (new insoles, swapping laces out), the yellow shoes and I were inseparable. I feel connected to them after all the training and racing we’ve done together… totaling over 450 miles.

But…. it’s time for a new pair.

I loved these shoes. So light. So fast. If I were to change one thing, I’d add more cushion in the sole and thickness in the upper material. Well, lo and behold, Brooks actually makes other styles that have more cushion in the sold and thickness in the upper material. Who knew!? As the life of this pair is coming to an end (or maybe it ended weeks ago), it’s time for something new.

Naturally, I spent way too much time recently researching on the Brooks Amazon page for what I want next. At this point, I’ve narrowed it down to 2 styles: Ghost 16 and Glycerin 21.

The three things at the top of my list are comfort, weight, and color. I’m not really one to want attention and while most running shoes you’re probably thinking of are neon green or so bright yellow you need sunglasses, there ARE more modest color schemes. Black, white, dark blue, etc. I actually enjoyed the mentality my yellow shoes ignited for me. I sometimes think about those professional athletes who have gold shoes (runner Michael Johnson, for instance, and a few in the NFL). If you’re wearing gold shoes, you better back it up with elite athleticism because people are watching. So while my shoes weren’t super bright, I still felt a responsibility to be worthy of them.

My next pair probably won’t stand out quite as much because I’m focusing more on comfort. But if they happen to be as bright as the surface of the sun, I guess I’ll have to keep trying to be as fast as the speed of light.

-Out of the Wilderness

Santa Sleighs in New Target Christmas Commercial – The Actor, the Music, and More

We can’t all be born wild. We can’t all be born hot. Fortunately for Santa Claus in 2024, he’s both! That’s according to comments on social media to the tune of: “I’m glad I’m on the nice list” and “here for hot Santa” and “Love these commercials. Ho, Ho, Hottttt!!!!” Check out Santa’s second job (this economy, am I right??) as a customer care specialist at whatever Target is closest to the North Pole. Then scroll down for the name of the actor, the song info, and more!

The Actor. Playing the part of Kris Kringle is actor Brent Bailey, who you might recognize from his recent appearance on the show “The Lincoln Lawyer.” His faux silver hair disguises him pretty well in the Target spot but you’ve definitely seen him in other stuff, too. Trust me, you have. Take a look at a long list of other projects he’s been part of in his IMDb biography. Also be sure to follow him on Instagram – @BrentMBailey. I reached out to him to find out what his experience was like for this shoot, recalling my days working in television and I thought it would be fun to talk about a favorite on shoot days– craft service. There’s nothing better than a great meal on 12+ hour shoots, let me tell ya! Here was his response…

It was honestly one of my favorite jobs without a doubt. The spots were so clever and the whole team behind it all is amazing. It’s funny you mention the food, because I posted constantly about how delicious the catering was. It was one of those jobs where all aspects of it were perfect. I can’t wait to see the rest of the spots we shot and I really hope we make more of them!

Congrats to Brent and the rest of the cast and crew, and Target for a charming, funny commercial that doesn’t overdo it. Just goes to show that when you have good idea, it doesn’t have to be super complicated. A job well done!

The Music. If you don’t know this song by now, where ya been? From 1968 it’s “Born To Be Wild” by Steppenwolf. Check out the whole track below…

I like that Santa trades in his reindeer for some horsepower, riding through town in a Ford Bronco. And not a new one (which are cool, too), he’s in a classic. Do you like the commercial? Chime in below!

-Out of the Wilderness

Benjamin Tod Does It Again

The Country Music Association had its annual awards show this past Wednesday. Although I’m no longer working in the country music industry, I still get a kick of out following along and seeing who’s getting the awards and who gets the performance slots on the shows. Unless you live under a rock, you’re aware of Post Malone’s alliance with country artists so it makes sense that he’d have a duet to kick off the show.

If I had to write a summary of the show (and I didn’t watch all of it), I’d say it this way: Country music is gravitating back towards the traditional sound. That’s why Chris Stapleton was a multiple award winner. Other winners were Lainey Wilson, Riley Green & Ella Langley, all of whom are pretty far from pop country.

It’s refreshing to finally see the pendulum swinging back towards country music that cares about instrumentation, leans less on a signature pop sound, and lyrics matter. The era of bro country (which has been over for awhile, of course) and the superficial lyrics that came along with it are taking a backseat to songs and artists with more heartfelt and poetic offerings. There will always be artists clinging to tired formulas (example with link) but then there are artists like Benjamin Tod, who continue to restore my hope in country music.

As I listened and watched his latest music video, it made me happy with the state of country music. Listen to his cover of the Randy Travis duet with George Jones.

Bring back the steel guitar as the featured instrument. Play a fiddle. Strum a banjo! I’m here for it.

-Out of the Wilderness

Bud Light Goes From Brat Summer to Frat Fall – The Shane Gillis Commercial

It starts off like a Bleu De Chanel commercial but when Shane Gillis’s quizzical face appears and not that of Timothée Chalamet, one knows a fragrance ad it is not. Take a look then scroll down for more about Bud Light embracing brat summer frat fall…

“We are all lost.” That could be the tagline of this short sitcom. Shane Gillis is in the wrong place and apparently Andre, the actor who’s supposed to be there, is lost also. This ad isn’t meant to be dissected but there are a few things I’d like to point out.

  1. The narrator says to Shane, “If you’re here, then Andre is [where Shane should be].” But why? Just because Shane is at the wrong location doesn’t mean Andre is, too. And even if Andre went to the wrong shoot location, why would it be the exact sports bar where Shane is supposed to be?
  2. The guitar player strums a chord then stops playing, yet the guitar sound continues in the music.
  3. What does any of this have to do with beer? It’s more like an ad for Buffalo Wild Wings.
  4. Shane says he “just ordered some wings in that other commercial”… This was a bad addition to the ad because even though it’s meant to be funny and not taken seriously, him ordering something from another commercial is just clunky and nonsensical.
  5. Bud Light having “Deez” graffiti so visible was 100% on purpose… because who makes “deez nuts” jokes? Fratty people. The kind of people Bud Light ditched in their effort to embrace the BLTGQ, as the late Phil Valentine used to say. This might be some sort of olive branch offered to the customer base that had a pretty successful boycott.

OK, my analyzing is done. It’s a funny commercial because of Shane in the unfamiliar setting. The spoof of a fragrance ad was great… because those ads are notoriously weird. Shane’s reactions to the snake and the sand are both such a normal, candid take on how most people would respond in a situation like that without a script (if not running away from the snake outright).

Bud Light has obviously distanced itself from its alliance with the softer side of manliness (*ahem* Dylan Mulvaney) and is now dancing with the one who brought them: Rowdy, football-watching folk. Hence all the Texas Longhorns gear. The UT logo is even on one of the Bud Light bottles.

Texas is currently ranked #3 in college football so they picked a relevant team to feature, that was a smart move. UT was just one of 26 different teams on the cans and bottles from a campaign Bud Light ran earlier this year. It’s a complete 180 from that one beer can no frat brother wants to remember.

Yikes.

-Out of the Wilderness

Coldplay Wax On, Wax Off with The Karate Kid – A Music Video

I started the morning off by watching a Gwen Stefani music video for her song “Somebody Else’s” and a lot of people commenting are so grateful to have an anthem to celebrate their TEXIT (exiting a toxic relationship). I love the editing of the video. Colorful, creative, it’s a pretty visual even if I don’t know exactly adore the song itself. Plus, and this is one of my pet peeves I guess, for a person claiming they’ve moved on and their ex is dead to them, the “you” in the song is aimed at the ‘ex’… so you’re over them but yet there’s a whole song written to (not just about them, but directly to…) them? Doesn’t exactly mesh with the sentiment of the song but I’m no songwriter! I’m also not a singer… and neither is Chris Martin, lead singer of Coldplay. In a brand new music video, Chris loses his voice and needs the help of a… karate champion? Yes, yes he does! Check out the Coldplay music video featuring the Karate Kid himself, Ralph Macchio.

The story isn’t anything new– someone is pursuing their passion but getting nowhere. Then out of the blue they have the chance of a lifetime and finally their rare talent is seen and appreciated. The reason the plot is often used is because all of us want that story. We want to know what our purpose is. We can relate to someone who’s down on their luck, hoping to find what makes them come alive. For that reason alone, the music video is awesome. What is The Karate Kid if not a story about being your best, finding your purpose, and overcoming adversity? Even though some conspiracy theorists think Johnny (Daniel-son’s arch nemesis) is the ACTUAL “karate kid” because he also overcomes the evil plans of John Kreese of the Cobra Kai dojo, that’s a rabbit trail we’re not going down today, class! The music video is nostalgic. Uplifting. Plus, it’s Daniel-son, so of course it’s great. Shot during a concert in Melbourne, Australia, I bet the audience loved the surprise. In fact, here’s the perspective of one fan who recorded the occasion…

How the video is presented reminds me of another music video that’s stuck with me since I first watched it a couple of years ago. It’s for a somewhat modern Christmas song (and actually, already one of my top favorites) by The Killers and it stars actor Owen Wilson. Watch the “Christmas In L.A.” video to see if it sort of has the same vibes as the Coldplay video.

-Out of the Wilderness