Amigo the Devil is taking corporate rejection into his own hands today. As part of the rollout for his latest single “The Mechanic” the acclaimed singer-songwriter created a parody commercial about the song that was set to roll out on Adult Swim and MTV. And at the 11th hour, it got the boot for moving the needle a little too much.
“The Mechanic” is a deeply introspective, self-effacingly honest song from Amigo the Devil’s forthcoming album Yours Until the War is Over (due Feb. 23 via Liars Club Records). Lyrics to the soft acoustic tune speak to doing too much to fix a relationship, when in reality the one that needs fixing is you.
I promise, I promise I’ll fix what you need
Just give me some time and you’ll see
I know it’s been years since the first time you heard this
This time I promise it’s real
In a world of stuck-in-the-mud marketing efforts, Amigo the Devil is one to push boundaries and keep it interesting for his fans. The commercial depicted the singer as a desperate car salesman manically trying to fix everything – lashing out at bullies by beating up an inflatable dealership tube-man and smashing office computers with a golf club. Always one to interact directly with fans, the commercial subtly included a direct phone number for the mechanic: (458) 867-1239. For fans who were curious and tried their luck at calling the number, it rings a phone in Amigo’s possession – sometimes he answers, sometimes he doesn’t – and the voicemail shares a link to watch a secret video of an unreleased song, “Once Upon A Time in Texaco.” A genius twist on a hilarious marketing campaign, those who took the time to call the number received an added bonus of hearing one of the key album tracks and accompanying video a month before its release.
As for the banned TV spot, it is now available online – watch it HERE. The response from network marketing executives after sending the final commercial asset up the flagpole? Equally hilarious. A week before it’s set to go live, executives replied with: “We feel no network will run the commercial based on the content being too violent… We cannot represent you to the Networks officially.” In other words, the backlash they would receive for the spot airing wasn’t worth the money they were getting for the airtime.
“It’s not the first time we’ve heard NO from major networks, and it def won’t be the last time,” Amigo the Devil shared on socials.
Unapologetically, he smiles in the face of the norm, continuing to weave his own story one lyric, one fan, one creative at a time… as only a true artist and storyteller can.