Sunday, July 11, 2010

Thomas Jefferson Meets Timbaland (yes, more videos!)

Sunday, July 11, 2010

Susan reports:

When I first posted a link to the Horrible Histories version of Charles II's reign, I lamented that Americans didn't seem to generate the same kind of humor about their own history.

Well, my lamentations were premature. While not quite as riotous as the HH, this video clip (from the North Carolina-based web educators Soomo Publishing) does offer an entertaining mash-up of the American Founding Fathers with One Republic's Apologize –– and although it's full of important historical facts, it's also bound to stick in your head just as tenaciously as the original hit song did.

Of course, for a better idea of how many Americans view their own history, you have to consider what Madison Avenue does to it. This recent commercial from Dodge begins well enough (the mournful fiddle, 18th c. soldiers, and romantically bleak landscape certainly caught my interest) until it takes a very strange turn with George Washington chasing redcoats a la the Dukes of Hazzard. I always forget the part of the Constitution that guarantees every American's right to an awesome ride.

But if you really want to test how culturally low you can go, here's the Bud Light commercial currently in rotation for Independence Day, with the Founding Fathers whooping it up with plenty of brew and hot historical babes. Party on, T.J.


Many thanks to Darci Tucker of American Lives for sharing the Soomo video.

8 comments:

Finegan Antiques said...

I've seen this video before and its my all time favorite. Jefferson and Franklin really rock! The message of the song is just as timely then as it is now.

I also think it is a good way to make history more appealing to a younger generation.

Donna

Ronda said...

Fantastic!! I love it! Thanks for sharing!

Monica Burns said...

OMG I LOVED this!! Ya'll need a tweet button added to the blog so we can share your posts more easily!

Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, Ben Franklin and Abe Lincoln are my top four heroes. We could use more heroes like this today. And I don't think their politics would be quite as conservative as some thing. *grin*

GREAT, GREAT post!! LOVED it!

Vanessa Kelly said...

Wow! You guys hit it out of the park with this one!

Santa said...

That was utterly brilliant! Must share with my kids. Loved the Jefferson violin riff! Well, come now, if Franklin can rock out on guitar, Jefferson can rock it on violin!

Hellie Sinclair said...

This is hilarious!! OMG! The best! Very well done!!

And I've seen the a la Dukes of Hazzard Founding Fathers commercial. *eye roll* I did not care for that one.

Eileen Dreyer said...

Brilliant! A lovely companion piece to my favorite musical 1776.

Jan Burke said...

Love it. Thanks!

 
Two Nerdy History Girls. Design by Pocket