Sunday, February 25, 2007

Loathing Dial


I remember well over a year ago when the manfix was taking over pop culture. It was humorous at first. Talking about a guy’s manthong or referring to the shaving of certain parts of a guy as manscaping would normally lead to a chuckle or two. It could get really funny with some of the more creative uses but normally it just became lazy humor. I would dare say that my friend Steve Miller was one of the innovators and even originators of the manfix. He was throwing the terms around right on the cusp of pop culture’s adoption. When Steve did it I thought it was funny and his enthusiasm for the jokes was down right endearing. But now I’m just annoyed.

I saw a commercial. Being a budding advertiser I pay a lot of attention to commercials, their messaging, who they are targeting and why. I saw a disgrace of a commercial for Dial Men’s Bodywash. You know those terrible commercials with overweight white men in white shirts and ties and the annoying tuba. Well it got even worse. Dial’s new tagline is “Maintenance for your Mansuit.” That’s right, “Mansuit.” I could handle the Man laws for Bud Light. That was a good use of the manfix and they were funny. Dial and their ad agency are not only behind on the pop culture man quip, but they just killed it. Not that I use Dial, but I most definitely now never will. I wish that some marketers didn’t pump out such crap. It affects my mansanity.

Sunday, January 7, 2007



Take a look at the specimen on the right. Dirk is a true man. Dirk is man. He's averaging 24 and 9 a night while shooting 90% from the line, 40% from the arc, and just under 50% from the field. He gives forwards fits while he posts them up or drops bombs over them and just about every center in the league is too slow to handle him off the dribble. Moving past the numbers are five other reasons Dirk is man.

1) He loves Hasselhoff and not afraid to admit it. That takes a pair.

2) He has no upper lip. It's fascinating. Don't forget there was another NBA great with no upper lip: Larry Bird.

3) Best friend is Steve Nash. Nash's nashiness and Dirk's dirtiness (i.e. sick fade away jumpers off one foot without even a glance toward the basket) is a combination that can't be topped.

4) Did you happen to see Dirk on Punk'd? He was cool, calm, and collected. The man wasn't even phased.

5) The mane. That is one beautiful mane.