Doc Martens ad
Thirtysomethings with an overdeveloped sense of their own importance across the land rejoice: Kurt Cobain did not die in vain. Yes, the man who once bleated, "I hate myself and I want to die" and duly achieved that ambition did not do so just to express the collective pain of 90s adolescents around the world but rather to prove the durability of Doc Marten boots.
And prove it he does. In the new advertising campaign for DM boots, the favoured footwear of those desirous of expressing their deep angst through their footwear, Cobain is pictured wearing his undeniably durable looking boots. 'Cause, y'see, that's the message for the campaign and the excuse for having photos of Cobain, alongside Sid Vicious, Joey Ramone and - you can almost hear his heart burst with pride from beyond the grave - Joe Strummer floating around amongst the clouds in their boots, looking like they're en route to a toga party:
"We wanted to communicate that Dr. Martens boots are 'made to last,' and we discovered that these idolized musicians wore them. Showing them still wearing their Docs in heaven dramatized the boots' durability perfectly. And, as images, they feel very iconic," so quoth a Doc Martens writer, justifying his living.
Surprisingly, Courtney Love, the modern pieta, does not seem to have been involved in this little wheeze. Even more surprising is that American customers are assumed to be far too sensitive to accept this campaign because so far it is only to run in Britain. Um, excuse me? We're still the country that recently manufactured a doll of Diana "how she would look now." - our sensitivity about the dead runs deep, you know.
Anyway, quite how Sid Vicious ended up in heaven is not for us to query but, it's good to know that killing your girlfriend won't keep you out of heaven, according to Doctor Marten
