AndyMarquisLIVE
New Member
Sept. 24, 2007 - On a trip back to my childhood home in rural Virginia not too long ago, I pulled over at a truck stop in the Shenandoah Valley and saw a piece of black velvet art called “The Holy Trinity.” It was a painting of Jesus, Elvis and Dale Earnhardt Sr., and not necessarily in that order.
That’s funny, but it’s also shocking, because that campy cult image, also available on mouse pads as “The Three Kings,” until recently included no less a Southern deity than Gen. Robert E. Lee in the Dale Senior slot. Perhaps that’s a sign of progress down South, depending on whether you call the Civil War the “Civil War” or the “War of Northern Aggression.” Considering I saw this just a few miles from a theme park where giant fiberglass dinosaurs are depicted eating “Yankees” and “bluecoats,” I’m not holding my breath.
For me it was the precise moment when I realized that NASCAR had finally and officially managed to brand everything. If you don’t believe it, think of a product and then Google it along with the word “NASCAR” and see what you get. Let’s start with “fruit.” I’ll wait here. Done? You proved my point. Not because of the NASCAR-approved mangoes you found—which really do exist—but because you also found a three-pack of NASCAR briefs by Fruit of the Loom. NASCAR cologne?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20957208/site/newsweek/page/0/
That’s funny, but it’s also shocking, because that campy cult image, also available on mouse pads as “The Three Kings,” until recently included no less a Southern deity than Gen. Robert E. Lee in the Dale Senior slot. Perhaps that’s a sign of progress down South, depending on whether you call the Civil War the “Civil War” or the “War of Northern Aggression.” Considering I saw this just a few miles from a theme park where giant fiberglass dinosaurs are depicted eating “Yankees” and “bluecoats,” I’m not holding my breath.
For me it was the precise moment when I realized that NASCAR had finally and officially managed to brand everything. If you don’t believe it, think of a product and then Google it along with the word “NASCAR” and see what you get. Let’s start with “fruit.” I’ll wait here. Done? You proved my point. Not because of the NASCAR-approved mangoes you found—which really do exist—but because you also found a three-pack of NASCAR briefs by Fruit of the Loom. NASCAR cologne?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20957208/site/newsweek/page/0/