It's a little ditty about Target, the Minnesota chain store patronized by millions. I don't go to Target very often so I have nothing against them personally. I'm not boycotting them but I don't shop there anyway so it doesn't make any difference. What I like about the video is that it marries two disparate elements of my life that came to me separated by years of experience.
The first is Depeche Mode. Heaven knows I've riffed off Depeche Mode lyrics for years. Examples are buried in the Matrix archives for those willing to look. I still listen to the CDs in my collection and can sing along with every song. I followed Depeche Mode from the time I was graduating high school till after my career in the US Navy. There's some rare biographical information appearing in the Dot Matrix for those of you keeping track.
The second is brass bands. Before I moved to New Orleans, I learned to enjoy brass bands but rarely encountered them in person. I saw bands march through Boston's North End on Catholic feast days and I saw the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at a jazz club in Cambridge, Mass. but they weren't something that made up the fabric of my weekly experience. That's changed now that I live in New Orleans, of course. I'm not claiming to second line every week but I appreciate the form and the musicians more than I ever did before. In fact, I'm going to a brass band show tonight.
Also, there are umbrellas in the video. Umbrellas are traditional accessories when you are following a brass band in a second line parade. They are also a New Orleans necessity if you are walking about in summer. The umbrella serves two purposes. It shades you from the unbearably hot sun and it protects you from the inevitable short downpour that happens almost every day. What a city!
The closest Target outlet to my house is located in Metairie, naturally. There are no Target stores in New Orleans proper.
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