I’m kinda loathe to admit it, but adverts are a such a hugely potent record of all sorts of social/cultural/technological markers. Something about the brutally raw distillation of prevailing pop culture, rather than being an actual part of the artistic narrative and myth-making.
Which is not a new insight. But it’s easily overlooked.
Recently sorted through (and punted most of) my unwieldy stash of old 90s/early 00s magazines. The adverts were every bit as interesting to rediscover as the main content.
Have got a box of VHS tapes of 90s MTV, late night C4, etc. The incidental stuff of TV logos, adverts, voiceover intros and announcements are sure to be every bit as evocative as the actual programmes on them. Had notions of having them all transferred to digital, like I did for all our family camcorder stuff, but it ain’t cheap, and YT inevitably has enough of it all these days to scratch the itch.
