Off the top of my head, I can think of a few things that defined early 2000’s Australiana. Saturday Disney. Dial-up internet. The Nokia ringtone.
And, of course, Are You Gonna Be My Girl blasting out of tinny old iPod headphones while you frantically tried to scroll with that little circle wheel thing.
In a new interview with Blunt Magazine, Jet’s Cam Muncey reflected on that now-iconic iPod commercial. To my great surprise though, Muncey revealed the band was actually deeply reluctant about pursuing the commercial at the time.
“We did that commercial really reluctantly,” he laughed. “Like we were dragged into it kicking and screaming. We just wanted to be a rock band on the road. Now, doing something like that is just common practice.”
It’s a pretty perfect snapshot of a simpler time. The early 2000’s. Back when the idea of selling your song to an ad was still seen as selling out, rather than just paying rent. Jet, in true rock form, wanted to crank amps, not flog gadgets. And yet, there they were, unknowingly signing their music up for an ad that people still talk about today. Some twenty two years later.
Still, Muncey’s earned the right to laugh about it now. Jet went on to become one of Australia’s biggest rock exports. They’ve got three massive albums, a lifetime’s worth of tours, and an ARIA Hall of Fame induction under their belt. And, let’s be real, even if you weren’t the proud owner of a chunky silver iPod Mini, you definitely sang Are You Gonna Be My Girl into the TV whilst watching the ads for Neighbours.
If anything, the ad ended up doing exactly what great rock music is supposed to do: it invaded your life without permission and embedded itself into your brain. So here’s to Jet. Accidental marketing geniuses, whether they liked it or not.
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