Ratt have now officially joined the few, the proud, the 80’s hard rock bands used in commercials. The most recent Geico commercial to be exact. And it’s a perfect reference that frankly, I have a hard time wondering how the Geico commercial writers haven’t thought of it before.
I mean, it’s right there. The commercial writes itself. And it’s a pretty damn funny 40 seconds. We see our two homeowners in their living room, explaining how much they love the house they’ve just moved into. The go on to describe some specific aesthetics that they are particularly fond of. But there’s one caveat. The house has a ‘Ratt’ problem, which of course refers to the successful 80’s Sunset Strip band. Excellent job gen x writer. We then see the band, or what’s left of it, jamming to their mega-hit ‘Round and Round’ in various rooms of the house. Frustrating the owners and impairing their ability to get house work done.
Unfortunately, for as good as the commercial is, it’s not the truest form of Ratt. Yes, Stephen Pearcy and Juan Crucier are in the band as original members. But the rest is the replacement members. There’s no Warren DeMartini or Bobby Blotzer. And it’s just a little reminder of what a mess the whole situation has been for Ratt in the past several years. But it doesn’t take away from the enjoyment of the commercial.
What’s cool about using bands like Ratt for these types of forums is that it creates a lot of exposure. I mean, it’s not going to turn them into an arena act again by any means. But I’m sure there’s a number of Gen X’ers that are going to dive into their old Ratt discography. And there’s probably a couple of young kids who saw it and were like, ‘what was that song? That was awesome!’ It’s fun to see Ratt get some recognition. They certainly were among the top bands of the era. Great songs, endless riffage, authenticity and a great live show. Right up there with the Crue and others. And frankly, I don’t think they were big enough.
