HAIL TO THE CHEAP

Fine article by Geoff Hutchison about Nine's scamorabilia and its Commander & Chief or "Commander IN Chief" as Tawny repeatedly called it in Melbourne:

Pride of place above your bar

Do they think we're mugs? Clearly yes. Take this offering, curiously entitled "Commander and Chief" a framed print that commemorates "The 43 captains that have carried the distinction of leading the national cricket team onto the field of battle".

Yours for $299 plus $45.00 postage and handling. Bad "that instead of who" grammar at no extra cost.

It comes, reassuringly with a certificate of authenticity. From whom I wonder? What is the least bit authentic about a collection of scanned photographs you've surely seen in any book Jack Pollard wrote exploring the history of Australian cricket? As much as Barry Jarman and Graham Yallop will be chuffed to get a mention alongside The Don and Punter - what actually matters about this piece of memorabilia?

And the title, Commander and Chief - from where in the history of cricket does that come? Are we celebrating the long list of US presidents who have proudly captained Australia? Or perhaps incredibly, both Barry Jarman and Graham Yallop are among those Aussie skippers who have led the United States into war?

What we are seeing is a mashed up, misappropriation of ideas and history.

Comments

[Tony]

Thanks, Gaz.

[via collins]

terrific whistle-blowing by Geoff there.

i particularly like "limited edition versions of things you could have cut out of the newspaper yourself" line.

mind, if you cut it out yourself, could you think up a title as inappropriate as "commander & chief"?

i mean, who develops this crap? joe the segway rider? actually.....

[Tony]

So "Commander & Chief" has been replaced by "Test Cricket Captains". Surely, SURELY, they are just taking the piss, the cynical c**ts.

[Tony]

Maybe they belatedly realised Commander & Chief was a stupid name. As if any sensible marketer should not have spotted it on the planning table. And belatedly? Did they sell out C&C? Did it tank sales-wise? Did they suddenly panic and decide to change horses in mid print-run? So many questions.

[Tony]

For the record:

[Professor Rosseforp]

While we're bagging out kitsch memorabilia, could we also include the bloody awful copperart statues of cricketers (and Yabba) that seem to pop up everywhere? I don't know much about art* but I've hung around enough galleries to recognise crap when I see it, and these statues are crap. It would almost be worth having another war where all metal needed to be melted down for scrap, just to get rid of them.
Subtext of this post is that I don't like the commemorative statues.

*origin uncertain

[bruce]

Perhaps they ran out the first print run and needed to do some more with a title change?

This is more shonky than usual in that they are "facsimile signatures" - so anyone with some desktop publishing skills and some time could knock one out.

[Tony]

At least they did not trot out their risible "authentic replica" line.

[via collins]

so if i was to start a web-site selling "authentic replicas" of Tawny's "authentic replicas'...?

oh, the circularity of it all.

[Tony]

Layer, upon layer, upon layer...