Here we go...
So after much chat, and even more beer, here is Caledonia Calling.
The name comes from a Dougie MacLean song, which was used as a either a Tennants (good) or McEwans (bad) lager commerical way back in 1991 or sommat.
The basic idea of the site is that it serves as a portal for all things Scottish - Scottish news, Scottish humour, Scottish football, Scottish food and hospitality, Scottish tourism, Scottish writing and probably most importantly Scottish drink. I'd use that Mike Myers gag here but it's so hackneyed that I just can't force myself.
The primary audience is, er Scottish, and aimed primarily at ex-pats - resident Scots presumably get more than enough of Scottish stuff everyday and probably want to read about Antigua or somewhere the sun shines ocassionally.
There are plenty of other Scottish sites out there so how will this one be different? Well frankly that's pretty much up to me. I'll present what I personally find interesting and hopefully you'll find it interesting too. If you don't then I'm fucked , and this will suffer a death which will be slower and more lingering that its birth.
I'm looking for something that is a cross between the Drudge Report and Fark.
So, here we go...
The name comes from a Dougie MacLean song, which was used as a either a Tennants (good) or McEwans (bad) lager commerical way back in 1991 or sommat.
The basic idea of the site is that it serves as a portal for all things Scottish - Scottish news, Scottish humour, Scottish football, Scottish food and hospitality, Scottish tourism, Scottish writing and probably most importantly Scottish drink. I'd use that Mike Myers gag here but it's so hackneyed that I just can't force myself.
The primary audience is, er Scottish, and aimed primarily at ex-pats - resident Scots presumably get more than enough of Scottish stuff everyday and probably want to read about Antigua or somewhere the sun shines ocassionally.
There are plenty of other Scottish sites out there so how will this one be different? Well frankly that's pretty much up to me. I'll present what I personally find interesting and hopefully you'll find it interesting too. If you don't then I'm fucked , and this will suffer a death which will be slower and more lingering that its birth.
I'm looking for something that is a cross between the Drudge Report and Fark.
So, here we go...
posted by Digbeth D'Marriotti at 8:33 PM
7 Comments:
It was an ad for the T...
In the late eighties McEwans employed a sub-Love and Money mob called "Win" ("I've got the power..." etc etc) to promote their bilious brew. Lots of Kafka-sque footage of skinny blokes pushing heavy rocks up a bloody steep hill. A bit like drinking McEwans lager then - feckin' hard work with nothing but a nasty sweat to show for it.
McEwans also employed the slightly more prolific talents of "Hipsway" in an advert from the same era - the song was called "The Broken Years" and wasn't half bad; "Outside the hotel, on the balcony...asking where's the fire?... etc etc. If you happened to be sold on the deadly Maccy L the answer to that pyromanical question was likely to be "In the heid, about 5 hours later".
Ah happy days.
By the way, how come you can't buy Harp on draught these days?
A wee cup of T defo represents the pinacle of weak lager experience.
Forget about draft Harp - how come cans of T no longer have the burds in swimsuits on them?
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What cemented Caledonia’s popularity at home was its rendition by gravel-voiced Glasgow rocker Frankie Miller, for a 1992 Tennents Lager advertisement. "I said there was no way my song was going to be used in a beer ad," MacLean recalls, "but when I saw the video, with the guy chucking his briefcase in the bin and coming home, I thought, ‘This isn’t a beer ad, this is an advert about Scottish self-confidence.’"
In response to "The Scarf's" message, for what it's worth, the Hipsway song was "Tinder", not "The Broken Years".
As far as "prolific" goes, both Hipsway and Win released two albums; Hipsway released "Hipsway" in 1986 and "Scratch The Surface" in 1989, whereas Win released "Uh! Tears Baby" in 1987 and "Freaky Trigger" in 1989.
As for "sub-Love and Money mob", I'd give that title to Hipsway; the similarities between them are significant and Skin and James Grant had even played in bands together before that. Win were far more imaginative and use wild lyrics and arrangements.
As for McEwans Lager, well, yes it was pretty dire!
All the best.
The Caledonia advert is available online again :-)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX9h558Tz1E
Clips of "The Corries" on YouTube
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