HEADBANGER HEADPHONES

Tuesday, January 13th, 2009 at 12:15pm by

When I was a teenager I used to spend my summer and winter vacations working in my dad’s guitar store, where a motley crew of whacky sales people inevitably shaped my taste in music. There were the usual assortment of characters that would come into the store regularly, among them a man we lovingly referred to as “Dudeman” because he’d begin every sentence with “Dude, maaaan…” like an aging Pauly Shore. Dudeman was a balding, skullet-donning man in his 40s who always wore a Wayne’s World baseball cap that was two sizes too big and a stone-washed denim jacket that was two sizes too small. Dudeman was constantly stoned and always had on those cheap Sony headphones, the kind that came with every Walkman, with the adjustable metal bracket arched over his head and bent into an upside-down “V” on top to compensate for his hat and enormous, shiny dome.

ANYWAY, MetalSucks Maniac Mark Schenkel sent in this commercial for NYC electronics/music retail mainstay J&R in which all of the dudes therein remind me of Dudeman. Dudeman, wherever you are, I hope you’re well and still rockin’ out. Long live the dudemans of the world.

  • slice two

    shenkel’s a tool bag!

    just kidding… he knows i love him.

    that spot is hilarious.

  • Knotism

    What song is this?

  • http://www.myspace.com/orchids Daisy May Tinklepants

    schenkel is a total tool bag, but i love him too

  • Jesse

    I had 2 dudemans at the music shop here. Both of which sport the skullet. One is fat and is usually sweaty for no apparent reason. The other skinny, lanky, wears glasses, and has a speech impediment. Both of them could shred like there was no tomorrow though which is always nice when you don’t know much and you want to test a guitar out.

    I like to think every music shop has it’s own dudeman.

  • Nick

    They all do.

  • Sammy

    Vinnie, I’ve been visiting your site almost since its infancy and this is the first I recall you ever stating your dad owned a guitar store. Dude, maaaan, this is fucking awesome! You better not suck at guitar….