Jack White may well have just directed the single greatest t-shirt advertisement ever. You may think I am exaggerating – after all, Rivers have had some cracker ads over the years. But sincerely, this ad is bordering on the ridiculous – actually it probably is just ridiculous.
Before you ask, yes, it actually is an ad for a t-shirt.
The video, directed by the Dead Weather, Raconteurs and White Stripes artist, tells the story of David James Swanson, who is the artist behind the new t-shirts at Jack White’s Third Man Records. The clip follows David’s intensely dedicated quest to incorporate the pocket square into his T-shirts – but on the way to success he faces all manner of obstacles. This includes a mother who believes he is destined to be a lowlife failure like his father, (and his father’s father, and his father’s father’s father, you get the point), a deep depression fuelled by being “misunderstood”, designers who thought the pocket should feature under the armpit and to top it all off, an even more bizarre encounter with some train tracks. Seriously, there’s only so much explaining that’s possible before you simply have to watch it to understand.
The actual finalised shirts can finally be bought now with a complementary cardboard drink cut-out to put in your practical new pocket, and the shirts are available in white, black and grey. There’s also a felxi-disk that comes with it containing two Hawaiian covers of Whirlwind Heat songs, just to add another odd incentive. Plus there’s a limited edition shirt embossed with a hidden golden chain imprint and golden logo.
You can buy them here.
Even if you don’t like TMR or wanna buy the t-shirt, watch this anyway. Honestly, it’s better than some in the cinemas at the moment.