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January 30, 2009

Bob Dylan And Will.I.Am Are Pepsi Pals

thubmnail icon: Bob Dylan And Will.I.Am Are Pepsi Pals

Will.i.am is a hilarious addition to any television broadcast, whether he's ruining CNN's election coverage or condensing 50 years of Grammys into 90 unbearable seconds. And Bob Dylan is Bob Dylan, he could sell us bras and panties. So when we heard will and Dyl recorded a new song for a Pepsi commercial premiering during the Super Bowl, we were like, "Perfect."

Turns out Bob appears only via archival footage, along with Gumby and John Belushi. Will.i.am and Shrek and Jack Black cameo as their modern-day counterparts. But the music is new as promised -- a remix of "Forever Young" featuring a rap from the Black Eyed Pea. The tagline? "Every generation refreshes the world."

The spot was created by TBWA\Chiat\Day. When you see it Sunday, act surprised because it cost $6 million just for the airtime. When you factor in Dylan's fee and the free soda for will.i.am's entourage, that is one expensive commercial.

Of course I prefer the original:

Posted at 5:36 PM by Scott in ,
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39 Comments

wow. will.i.am is SOOOOO our generation's bob dylan

Posted by: kurt at 01/30/09 6:00 PM  | Reply
Score = 23 Vote up Vote down

hell no, kurt. have you been smoking your socks?

Posted by: ace  in reply to kurt's comment at 02/05/09 10:37 AM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

yet another reason to get out of the house on sunday.

Posted by: vim at 01/30/09 6:15 PM  | Reply
Score = 13 Vote up Vote down

Despite will.i.am's existence in this ad, I dug it. The whole concept of our generation doing the same things as last generation, I can get behind.

will.i.am is no Dylan, though.

Posted by: TalbainJ profile link at 01/30/09 6:24 PM  | Reply
Score = 2 Vote up Vote down

what's refreshing about doing the same thing as the last generation?

Posted by: Eric  in reply to TalbainJ's comment at 01/30/09 7:10 PM  | Reply
Score = 12 Vote up Vote down

Good call - I thought we were supposed to think up new and better things to advance our civilization, not just repeat the same things with fresh noo remiks beetz. Wat a sec... *thinks*... man, we really ARE screwed as a culture!

Posted by: agrokrag profile link  in reply to Eric's comment at 01/30/09 11:23 PM  | Reply
Score = 3 Vote up Vote down

Yeah! We, too, can leave our kids with an enormous national debt, a credit crisis, an impending depression, and a consumer culture totally bereft of any redeeming values! And then we can make an ad for a high-fructose-stoked soda that makes us look even better!

Posted by: Huph profile link  in reply to TalbainJ's comment at 01/31/09 12:07 PM  | Reply
Score = 6 Vote up Vote down

I was a fan of this commercial until _____.

Posted by: Alan Knut at 01/30/09 6:27 PM  | Reply
Score = 2 Vote up Vote down

no no no pepsi ...wyclef is this generation's dylan (or maybe gen x's or y's)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17cmBnziQw4

Posted by: owencafe at 01/30/09 7:09 PM  | Reply
Score = -2 Vote up Vote down

This idea probably sounded SO good on paper! "His name is Poochie!"

Posted by: crazy Burger King Guy at 01/30/09 7:41 PM  | Reply
Score = 6 Vote up Vote down

william having a career is the most confounding thing ever

Posted by: grover profile link at 01/30/09 8:08 PM  | Reply
Score = 14 Vote up Vote down

Just when Obama brought hope into the hearts of Americans, Will.i.am takes it away.

Posted by: Voyno profile link at 01/30/09 8:15 PM  | Reply
Score = 21 Vote up Vote down

sweeeeeeeeeeeeet.

Posted by: Charles profile link at 01/30/09 10:49 PM  | Reply
Score = -1 Vote up Vote down

what confuses me most is...do people really consider Will this generation's Bob Dylan?

Bob Dylan is one and only. and that's a fact.

Posted by: stranger at 01/30/09 11:06 PM  | Reply
Score = 11 Vote up Vote down

Really, I think equating Will.i.am with Bob Dylan is on par with some of the war crimes committed at Guantanamo.

Posted by: noisysignal profile link at 01/30/09 11:16 PM  | Reply
Score = 9 Vote up Vote down

will.i.am with Dylan... is Oprah behind this?

Posted by: agrokrag profile link at 01/30/09 11:24 PM  | Reply
Score = 5 Vote up Vote down

One more reason that Coke is WAAAY better.

Posted by: haha at 01/31/09 1:40 AM  | Reply
Score = 12 Vote up Vote down

William and Bob Dylan are both pieces of shit.

Posted by: I should know at 01/31/09 2:36 AM  | Reply
Score = -24 Vote up Vote down

oh, we're always at war. cool

Posted by: choo choo at 01/31/09 3:56 AM  | Reply
Score = 7 Vote up Vote down

The use of cellphones instead of lighters at concerts ... I really don't like that shit.

Posted by: Jay at 01/31/09 4:56 AM  | Reply
Score = 13 Vote up Vote down

I don't understand the Will I Am hate.

What has he done that's so bad. He just likes making feelgood music. Even outside of BEP, if you take a look at his producer credits, he's done a lot of great shit. Compton, off The Game's second album. American Boy. Hip-Hop is Dead. Common's I Want You.

nah, I have no qualms with Will.I.Am. Is he Dylan? No, damn it. Dylan is Dylan. But Fergalicious is still a damn jam.

Posted by: EmanuelV profile link at 01/31/09 1:02 PM  | Reply
Score = -9 Vote up Vote down

Nothing you mentioned was a "damn jam". Will.i.am is a bad man.

Posted by: Stephen profile link  in reply to EmanuelV's comment at 01/31/09 3:47 PM  | Reply
Score = 2 Vote up Vote down

It all makes sense now!!

1. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/06/25/barack-obamas-ipod-bob-dy_n_109093.html

2.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjXyqcx-mYY

3.http://www.odwyerpr.com/blog/index.php?/archives/365-Pepsis-New-Logo-Has-a-Familiar-Feel.html

Posted by: Noah profile link at 01/31/09 2:06 PM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

i already am a pepsi hater, now i have a solid reason.

Posted by: roscoe at 01/31/09 4:39 PM  | Reply
Score = 4 Vote up Vote down

83% of all Stereogum readers hate black people. The other 17% enjoy TV on the Radio in moderation.
Oh shit here comes a negative 35 score for me.

Posted by: Whitey Ford at 01/31/09 10:56 PM  | Reply
Score = 13 Vote up Vote down

Those statistics are made up. I call shenanigans.

Posted by: boo  in reply to Whitey Ford's comment at 01/31/09 11:22 PM  | Reply
Score = 4 Vote up Vote down

No, it's true. I totally hate black people.

Posted by: teepee  in reply to boo's comment at 02/01/09 3:37 AM  | Reply
Score = 3 Vote up Vote down

There is one thing Will.I.Am is very good at - getting attention. I wonder who his manager is... but more importantly who is Dylan's manager? Dylan in advertising just seems, well, sinful.

Posted by: Michael Chagnon at 02/01/09 10:50 AM  | Reply
Score = 1 Vote up Vote down

Dylan likes money and hates his fans. He's also awesome.

Posted by: well at 02/01/09 1:50 PM  | Reply
Score = 5 Vote up Vote down

Likes money and hates his fans? You're thinking of Billy Corgan.

Posted by: Erm  in reply to well's comment at 02/01/09 9:30 PM  | Reply
Score = 7 Vote up Vote down

beat generation > our generation

Posted by: austinjedwards profile link at 02/01/09 4:04 PM  | Reply
Score = -2 Vote up Vote down

i too am surprised at the hate for will.i.am

but then again, some of you find lil wayne talented.

Posted by: bearface profile link at 02/02/09 9:16 AM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

the dylan and will add was one of the best. eat it haters.

Posted by: so at 02/02/09 12:25 PM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Yeah nice nostalgic imagery and all but, NO!!! Bob is the voice of every generation, but with all due respect to Will.i.am, i don't think he is the Bob Dylan of our era( actually nobody is)!

Posted by: nadsat profile link at 02/02/09 1:40 PM  | Reply
Score = 2 Vote up Vote down

I guess writing "here comes a -25 score" always get you a positive score on thing

Posted by: sbw2dk at 02/02/09 1:56 PM  | Reply
Score = 0 Vote up Vote down

Maybe next year's commercial can parallel Lynyrd Skynyrd's plane crash and Black Eyed Peas' impending submarine accident.

Posted by: edog at 02/03/09 3:14 PM  | Reply
Score = 3 Vote up Vote down

Not sure why pepsi feels the need to make social commentary... just let us drink our soda in peace.

Posted by: EddieMat profile link at 02/03/09 9:01 PM  | Reply
Score = 1 Vote up Vote down

I'm 47 and this was my favorite.super.Bowl.ad.EVER. Even better than coke's "i'd like to teach the world to sing"

GO hope and CHANGE.

open your ears haters

Posted by: Bob Dylan's Rocks at 02/04/09 6:19 PM  | Reply
Score = -3 Vote up Vote down

When I heard this version of Forever Young, I was kind of into it. When I heard Will I am 's "Yo, Yo, Yo" I had to laugh. Not a bad idea for an ad, but a few criticisms:

Cell Phones as Lighters - kind of lame
Shrek? That was like 10 years ago? How about something a little more recent.

Posted by: mynameiscurt profile link at 02/08/09 5:43 PM  | Reply
Score = 3 Vote up Vote down

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