Now is the time for you to recognize brilliance

There’s a time for everything.

Many people learned this initially in Kevin Bacon‘s Footloose back in the day. Remember the Bible verse he read during the town council meeting from Ecclesiastes 3? “… (there is) a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance …”

Well, it goes without saying (whether you agree with me or not) there’s even a time for a commercial such as this one, regardless of which side of the fence you might stand on concerning Speedos.

The commercial itself is “old” as far as advertisements go; it hails from July of last year. But as far as I’m concerned it stands out as one of the best and most unique ads still blazing out a cathode ray tube and into a living room near you.

Now … as a guy, I can fully appreciate why the ladies out there might vilify this little ditty. Speedos — no matter who might be wearing them — “shouldn’t be worn in public.” Not even by the svelte who have the physique (and the cojones) to slip’em on and parade’em about, Olympian Ryan Lochte, Michael Phelps and Mark Spitz notwithstanding. That statement has been voiced time and again. Common complaints? Too much exposure … too little material … too “out there” for the general public. “Keep’em in The Mediterranean!” some might say. And that goes double for a lot of the dudes among us as well.

I may (or may not) be of a rare camp: If you’ve got the chops to pull’em off, go for it … more power to you. I’m not talking anything crude, lewd or rude — it’s just if you’ve got it, flaunt it.

That being said, I have to tell you: The swagger and confidence of the turtle shell-bespecaled, porn-stache sporting “Curly Locks” displays in this ad is genuinely awe-inspiring. There’s no way in a hundred years he’s the perfect specimen to parade around in those burgundy beauts. But he’s got it going on 9 ways to Sunday, right down to the dip he tosses the girl who’s checking him out. When you’ve got it goin’ on, you’ve got it goin’ on.

Curly Locks? He’s got it goin’ on.

Look: I’m a comfortable guy. I like to think I’ve got it goin’ on. But I haven’t got so much going on I would be comfortable strolling about in a swatch of “barely there” material for reclining beach goers minding their own business to snicker at. I’m goofy … but I’m not that goofy.

But that’s not the point. The point is the brilliant Wieden + Kennedy New York advertising agency had the savvy and wherewithal to put together this little gem of a piece for everyone to enjoy, complete with the classic Odetta-penned “Hit Or Miss” from the swingin’ 1970s. Add to that Curly Locks as the icing on the cake (so to speak) and << BOOM >> … classic.

The Bible says there’s a time for everything. And right now, as you gloss over these final words, it’s time for you to appreciate this ad for what it is:

Simply brilliant.