Marvel at the cutting edge of personal audio technology circa 1982, as presented in this magazine ad for "The Way," Panasonic's answer to the Sony Walkman:
Some things worth noting here:
1. Nine ounces is over half a pound.
2. The folks depicted in the ad were representative of the era's fashions, no matter what the rosy tint of media-driven consensual nostalgia would have you believe.
3. What's worse than either zombies or ski-bums? Zombie ski-bums. "Must have brains...and freshly packed powder...."
4. Seriously, what's up with that ski guy? His facial expression is one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen (and this is from a man who keeps a folder of war atrocity photos for archival/historical purposes).
5. The businessman in the last photo on the right is listening to Rick James' Street Songs.
6. The name "The Way" seems better suited for a cyptofascist new age cult than for a portable cassette player.
Violent Femmes - American Music (from Why Do Birds Sing? 1991) - Gano bless the Adenoidal States of America.
The Pulsars - Technology (from Pulsars, 1997) - It's all explained here, my children.
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6 comments:
is panasonic even around anymore?
I remember them getting made fun of on the simpsons
Indeed they are.
They support Blu-Ray.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panasonic
Was 'The Way' battered into submission before it even enjoyed a UK launch? I ask as it seems like another of those VHS-Betamax faceoffs - only I have never heard of The Way. But my wife and I still shake our heads at bus journeys made to each others house, during our early days of courting, listening to tapes on a Walkman - how primitive.
I have no idea, Highlander. I never heard of the device myself until I came across the ad. I suspect it succumbed to the fate of all the other Walkman knockoffs and lost any brand identity in the shadow of Sony's device.
I only wonder how we'll look back at Zune ads 25 years from now.
It's nice to know that, because of it's big buttons, you could use The Way by touch.
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