VintageGent’s Menswear Daily

Instead of “Must See” Tv It’s “Did You See” Tv

I am looking forward to seeing the first episodes of Black Gold, but in my research, I have found out that there is such a thing as the the truTV effect. Instead of just sitting there and complacently having the television on in the background, the network is devoted to grabbing your attention with true life stores. I call it the phone call effect.  I have a brother who has to call you when something real cool just happened on television.  He has to describe the blow by blow, distracting you from actually turning it on and seeing it for yourself.  Once, I received a phone call at 3:00 A.M.  That is the time I would usually just get horrific news, especially since my brother lived 1200 miles away at the time.

To be honest, it WAS horrific news.  It didn’t involve a relative dying, but involved someone on television falling into a rapids, and then having to eat bugs to survive.  It probably could have waited, right?  But he’s THAT GUY, the guy that needs to share all the exciting details in the moment.  It was akin to the time he called me at 2:00 A.M. from a bar to let me know that “my” team won.  I really had to think for a minute about who was on the other end in my groggy state of affairs.  Now that we live close to each other, he gets in the car, bursts through the door and tells me to “hurry up and change the channel” as I might be missing the most “awesome thing” ever.

Of course, I am a bit impervious to such things. I will admit to being a jumper when it comes to a sudden and shocking crescendo in mood music, followed by a sudden lunge by some falling structure at the screen. You didn’t hear that from me, though.

I wonder what will happen once my brother sees Man vs Cartoon. It’s the show where they test things that happened on the Road Runner cartoons and others to see if they would really work. Grandpa, who is a big fan going back to the 1940s, probably can’t wait for the phone call urging him to turn it on.

Come Fly with Me on Twitter

I have been on Twitter for a bit now. Some of you have already discovered me there, through following people in your address book. Perhaps some of you have merely searched the name of this blog, and found me that way.  You might have also tried out one of those services that gives you a list of people who have certain words in their descriptions.

I have decided to officially come out of the shadows. I can be followed @vintagegent on Twitter. For those of you not up on the Twitter short hand yet, that translates to http://twitter.com/vintagegent.  Come fly with me. I would like to see what’s on your mind. If you follow me, you’ll get updates from the “Daily” as soon as they are published, as well as other random thoughts that are on my mind. If you have something interesting to say, or have some cool duds for sale, I might even retweet you.

If Twitter had sound, what would I sound like? Would I be a songbird? Would I have the scream of an eagle? That is something to ponder. I do know that I can’t match the velocity of an African swallow, but I can carry a coconut in my claws very easy.

“Oil That is, Black Gold, Texas Tea”

I am not much for reality shows because they are not really “reality” at all. The shows that rely on auditions as their format are more akin to variety shows or game shows. The type of shows that hole a mishmash of individuals in a house or on an island is not really “reality” but more of a pit match. Lately, there have been a few shows that actually are going to deliver on their promise, it seems, of portraying real life. Well, it is not really “real life” as in my life, because that would be boring. TV has been taking us on journeys that are far removed from our lives so that we can live vicariously in some way.

I have to admit that I do love some of the competition shows like the Amazing Race, American Idol, and Project Runway, but they feature people that are insanely talented and who you would probably never be like, or at least most of us won’t.  The exception is the Amazing Race, which featured regular, everyday people for the most part.

The latest is truTV’s Black Gold .  It may be the best thing to happen to Texas Tea since Jed Clampett was shooting at some food.  Just like The Deadliest Catch and Ice Road Truckers before it, it offers a look into actual lives and gives you an appreciation for some of the most difficult, dangerous, and dirtiest jobs on the planet.  I don’t know if reality shows started it, but the interest sure got a boost from the popularity of Mike Rowe’s show. Only this time, things are not so neighborly. In Black Gold, we follow the trials of folks working in the Texas oil fields. The challenge is that they must drill four holes in a 50 day period.

First, you will experience the rigors of on the job training.  Could this be the Gordon Ramsey of oil drilling?  If so, I am sure it is a guaranteed hit.  The exception, of course, is that a mistake could be the difference between life and death versus just a fallen souffle.

Of course, being under such duress, the creative language just flies.  Imagine if you could “tell it like it is” on your job? I will have to tune in to see what “dumb” thing was done.

The show premieres tonight, and new episodes appear Wednesdays at 10p/9c. There is more of truTV’s Black Gold trailer on Youtube if you want to check it out. So, will the show be so popular that the “Labor Chic” fashion statements of work boots and flannel will get a boost? I call it “clean grunge,” as it features similar footwear and patterns as in the early 90s, but plus showers. Or, perhaps five year olds across the nation will turn in their red firefighter’s hats and stethoscopes and decide they want to be Roughnecks when they grow up instead after watching this?  Naw, they are supposed to be in bed.  If they do, you know who was sneaking around the house well past their bedtime.