Disappointed
So Gogol Bordello sold out. Wonderlust King is now the soundtrack to a Sony console racing game commercial.
Maybe the song is part of the actual game instead, and that’s how it made it into the commercial?
Either way, I suppose it’s too easy to criticise. The money from such endorsements would likely be a retirement nest egg of its own, but when art becomes annoying due to constant repetition of an excerpt, that’s just plain disappointing.
Posted in Life by Arthur Brash at November 6th, 2008.
I’ve always wondered what the term selling out really means? Does it really means that a person/artist has not met your expectations? Maybe you believe that they are better then something that they have done.
I’ve never really understood that term. If we try to factor in all the possibilities about why Gogol did it we could be debating it for a long time.
On a more positive note if he hadn’t sold out I would never had read this article and never have heard his music. I think my life is a little more enriched with hearing him. It’s quite possible that the commercial can do the same for others.
To me “selling out” is doing something just for the money. And while it is true that they will gain a new audience with the commercial, it’s got to be the one of the crappier ways of getting publicity. Like I said, I just hope the song is in the game, and that I don’t hate it by the 1000th time I’ve seen it advertised.
I used to like Blondie’s “I’m Gonna Getcha”, and now Swiffer has buried it under so much dirt nothing will ever let me enjoy it again…
BTW, glad you are able to enjoy the song. A lot of their stuff is like a party in a song, totally insane and eye opening in terms of simply enjoying life.