Everyone has dreams, and everyone has ambitions, and everyone wants to be true to those dreams and ambitions but there comes a time when you have to question how likely you achieving those dreams and ambitions are.
For example, if you’ve dreamt all your life of being an actor but have had relatively little success – then the sign that you’ll never make it is when you find yourself playing an opera singer singing about a car insurance website.
Seriously. Give up. The dream is over. You’re a fucking joke and a disgrace to your profession. Even if you were to be offered a lead role in a major motion picture this is the one thing that will come back to haunt you, and it will be curse your career.
You’re never going to be a proper actor, you’ll never be rewarded by applause and you’ll never have fans. No-one will ever think you brilliant and Heat magazine will never interview you. Give up. Get a job at a charity and work hard repaying the debt you owe society for inflicting this shit on us.
I’ll come on to the rest of these awful price comparison site adverts in due time, but I don’t mind saying that I would gladly pay on average £250 extra for my car insurance if it meant that I never had to sit through one of these goddamn things again.
UPDATE
It turns out that this hideous creation is performed by bona fide opera singer Wynne Evans which makes it even sadder – before it was just some washed-up ham actor, but now he’s a guy of allegedly some repute. Quite why you’d sell yourself, your integrity and your artform up the river to advertise a fucking car insurance website is beyond me, but I guess he felt he wasn’t being laughed at enough by the operatic world and really needed something to drive home that image of mediocrity, stupidity and counter-productive cliche.
“Hey Wynne, you’re a classically trained and highly respected opera singer who (according to your website) has performed all over the globe with most of the leading figures from the opera world… fancy losing that image in one fell swoop by adhering to all the cliches of your art form and rerecording an operatic classic as a fleeting plug for another fucking useless website? There’s a little bit of cash in it for you.“
“Yeah, alright. I had a load of respect as an artist before – but fuck it. Do I get to wear a stupid moustache, annoy the public and further the impression of opera as a hackneyed and irritating art form to the general non-opera going public?”
“Of course.”
“Count me in.”
Of course this advert isn’t helped by the fact it’s produced by Sian Vickers and Chris Wilkins – the same people who made the Sheila’s Wheels xenathons – clearly continuing their ‘theme’ of lazy national stereotypes. What next, a William Tell lookalike doing a comedy song about Zurich Pensions, perhaps, or maybe some ghetto kids r-r-rapping about how good it feels to be insured by Aviva…?
Learn to spell!
You’re not from Go Compare or a friend of Wynne Evans, are you Me? Just wondering what with all three of you coming from Wales and all that.
Oh, and I added the ‘n’ to goddamn for you, sorry about my lousy spelling – it’s good to know you’re paying attention though.
Your Go Compare ad is so annoying stop playing it :@
Good god, what sort of sad individual actually takes the time to write this shite? Do you have othing better to do than this? Wynne is a friend and a colleague of mine, he is loved and respected in our industry, and this advert has helped reinforce that opinion.
You should turn your bitter vitriol into something more productive. But then on the net you can be whatever you want to be, you big and important man/woman you!
Sad. Oh, and this song he sings isn’t an operatic aria-but of course you knew that. You know EVERYTHING.
Tell you what Mike, if you can write me 200 words on how a classically trained opera singer utilising his talent and ability to hawk an awful (and it is awful) website will further his respect within an industry known for artistry, creativity and personal expression then I’ll gladly apologise.
Unless, that is, ‘your industry’ is advertising or insurance, in which case it’s already explained as he’s making you money.
I’m sure Wynne is a very nice person and I cast no aspersions on his character, but I fail to understand – wholly and completely – how this is anything but a detriment to opera and a mark against a career which, I gather, is going very well.
And you know what, I do have better things to do with my time – but since Go Compare feel they have a right to bombard our senses with aural pollution as often as they like – I feel I also have a right to point out how utterly fucking terrible it is. The only difference is that you have to hunt my comments out while Go Compare can filter it into my living room anytime they see fit.
You’re right about one thing though, this isn’t an operatic aria – it’s originally a powerful and moving anti-war song from the First World War, which is much better. After all, what says class and style better than taking a song which stood for all manner of decent human notions and shifting it to sell another car insurance comparison website – the one thing the world needs less than war.
Finally, I understand that you’re annoyed with my post – knowing the performer as you do. It makes perfect sense, and I’d be offended if someone wrote something about someone I knew too. However, I don’t know the man – I’m just one of the 60million people in the UK who has to put up with an industry that will gladly butcher, dissect, rewrite, pester, annoy, infiltrate and further fuck up our understandings of art and communication in order to make a handful of already wealthy people a little bit more money.
From where I’m standing, Mike, Wynne looks like a sell out. He’d have a lot more love and respect if he remained pure to his art and didn’t use those years of training and success to sell sell sell something that we don’t need.
Thanks for your comments, though, I appreciate the communication.
It isn’t a deeply moving anti war song at all, it was a song written to galvanise the American public to invest bonds in the first world war effort. It is a comic song really, recorded and sung by Enrico Caruso.
I won’t write your essay for you, why should I? You clearly are no fan or expert on opera. If you were and knew anything about comic opera, about G&S or the light opera/operetta tradition you would know that this performance is completely authentic and typical of the genre, albeit in a different media.
So Wynne has not in any way at all ‘sold out’. In this, the central tenor of your post you are utterly wrong. They wanted the best singer for this job, and Wynne obliged.
I know you have not commented on whether Wynne’s actual performance is good or not. And I can assure you that Wynne would never be offended or even bothered by your blog, were he to know about it.
We are entertainers-paid for hire. Whether we sing Schubert or Sondheim we try to entertain. If the constant repetition of a tv advert prompts you to do inelequently complain via the Internet-thus giving go compare even more publicity then the ad wins, and Wynne wins-we are talking about him aren’t we?
My final word, I suggest you go out today and find yourself two things-a remote control with a mute button, and a life.
Mike, I bow to your superior knowledge of opera – you’re right, I am no expert – although I have been known to enjoy a little G&S every now and then. Whether or not Wynne’s performance is accurate is of little or no interest to me, all I know is that an advert is an atrocious piece or work that makes me want to listen to the genre much less than I would normally.
But, you’re right. It’s not my forte so I shan’t argue with you about it anymore. I still find it very hard to believe that anyone – anyone! – with a serious love and interest in the musical form would ever think a lazy stereotype singing about car insurance is a progression, but I guess you know better than me. I’m glad that it drives more business your way and, you never know, maybe Wynne’s profile will be raised enough so that he’ll be invited to ITV2′s ‘An Audience With Paul Potts’ sometime in the near future.
Thanks for correcting me on the song, clearly my Googling led me to incorrect information – although if it is a ditty designed to sell war bonds it seems strangely appropriate as it’s been rewritten to sell something else utterly unnecessary.
As for selling out. Well you and I have to differ on that. I am under the belief that if you use a natural and beautiful talent to shift something crass and commercial then you’re selling out – whether or not it is the correct style for the period. As a great man once said –
“You do a commercial, you’re off the Artistic Roll Call forever. End of fucking story. You do a commercial, you’re another shill feeding at the corporate trough. There’s a price on your head, everything you say is suspect, and every word that comes out of your mouth is like a turd falling into my drink.”
Finally the argument about this post being further promotion for Go Compare is both lazy and stupid. By talking about anything you’re furthering a public discussion, but to use that as a reason not to criticise…? That’s too easy and I won’t let you get away with it. Debate about all things – be them big and important or small and trivial – is essential, especially when I’m one person objecting to a corporate and commercial assault on television. Put up and shut up is not an option.
Other than that, thanks for your time.
Hi,
I’ve read everything you had to say on the Go Compare advert, and while you are entitled to your opinions, I find I have to disagree to some extent.
When I heard the advert, I was so taken by the voice, that I had to Google, and try to find out who the singer was. That, in turn, led me here.
I had never heard of Wynne Evans before, and if it hadn’t been for an, albeit, daft advert, I might never have heard of him!
Has Wynne done himself any favours by doing the advert? Well, I know that my next search will be on Amazon, to see if I can find a CD by him, so in that respect, he may well have done himself a favour. I found his voice very reminiscent of Mario Lanza, and I’m sure I would enjoy his more “serious” work.
From the point of view of a retired entertainer, I can say that there is no bad publicity. Anything that gets people talking, or that brings your name to the fore, can only be a good thing.
I thought the use of the re-written “Over There” was quite a good idea, I realise you don’t agree, but the reason you can write here, and I can reply, just goes to prove, it really is a free country.
I’m agree with what was said earlier, when you’re a singer, you’re for hire, by anyone willing to pay the fee, and, in all honesty, my hat is off to a man who is obviously able to sing not only serious opera, but can also take the time out to do something just a bit crazy as well. It’s not good to take yourself too seriously all the time, and as someone once said, a change is as good as a rest.
I would say, that to me, Wynne Evans is not only an artiste, but also an entertainer. The two do not always go together.
I can’t see the advert doing his career any harm whatsoever, and I’m sure Wynne is secure enough in his talent to know that, or he would never have taken the job, and that is the bottom line, the man took a job, and I’m sorry, but I think he does his job rather well.
Do I like Go Compare? Do I hell as like!!
That shouldn’t, and for me, doesn’t, take away from the fact that, even in a comic situation, Wynne’s got one helluva voice!
So, decry me by all means, but always remember, to each thier own, and just because you, or I for that matter, think a certain way, it doesn’t make either of us right or wrong…….it’s only an opinion.
Thanks for the opportunity to voice mine.
The singer sounded to me like Bonaventura Bottone.
[...] with no brand awareness and pushing a product that is dwarfed in the advertising world by meercats, opera singers, talking telephones and a Dragon on a [...]
Theis ad is fucking awful, along with all the others claiming to save you money. If they all save you money, then I expect to reach a point where I am being PAID to get car insurance…
Isn’t it ironic that now all the bankers and underwriters have pissed our hard earned cash up the wall, we are being bombarded by ads for cheaper groceries, cheaper insurance, begging requests for us to save with unscrupulors bankers, suggestions that we should sell our jewellery, the list goes on.
I am bored to death with this shit! I would happily double my TV licence payments if they would stop bombarding us with it!!!
this advert has generated frustration and anger inside me each time i hear this pathetic advert that i have to turn the channel each time it comes on. i completely agree with everything written in this rant, a guy who has sold out and a desperate company who are tryin to compete against a meercat puppet! i shall never use go compare just on the basis of this advert and as a means of torture, the creaters of the ad, Sian Vickers and Chris Wilkins, should be locked in a room an made listen to this dribble for an hour, that should do it!
In what way is the website truly awful? I’m involved in it (no involvement in the advert) and geniuinely would like it to be the best that it can be.
Any proper constructive critism would be greatly appreciated and taken on board! Send me an email!
David
Thanks for your comment. I hope you didn’t take offence at what I wrote – the main focus of my ire is on the advert and sometimes I let the force of my irritance run into criticising people who perhaps don’t deserve it.
To be honest I don’t think Go Compare is a “truly awful” website – at least not in terms of construction and design. I do think that it is unnecessary and complicated, but that it is a criticism of the comparison website market as a whole and not of one specific site.
I am currently planning another Go Compare post now that they’ve put out another awful advert and I’ll address some of my issues with the website in that, and I’ll email you to notify of it.
I’ll also reassess my comments about the products I discuss and be more considerate to those who don’t deserve to be tarnished by atrocious advertising. After all, it’s not your fault they chose some horrible hackneyed character to promote the product you helped build.
I’ll get back to you in due course.
Thanks again
Quincy
[...] in terms of reaching the targets of my oft-rage. A friend of Gio Compario got in touch to tell me how much he disliked my critique of his mates advert a while ago (you should read the whole exchange if you haven’t already), [...]
I hate that fat coont……..GTF go compare!!!!!.
That ad is driving me up the wall, what a pile of crap it is. The last plave on earth i will ever go to for insurance is that site after the crap they forced us to hear for months on end.
I thought the T.V. ad was bad but the radio one is 1000 times worse.
Go Compare are guilty of dumbing down the UK, believing that repeating their company name will force us to think “go compare” instead of “insurance”. Personally, I did use their comparison service PRIOR to the latest adverts, not any more, because there’s other companies with exactly the same services who do NOT see the need to ram their service down our throats.
Instead of Go Compare – try Go Complain:
http://www.asa.org.uk/Complaints-and-ASA-action/How-to-complain/Online-Form.aspx
What a pity that most of you cannot express yourselves without using expletives, when all said and done it is only one small item on thousands of hours of TV time.
By the way who sings “Tomorrow” on the Barclays ad.???
Rimac
What a shame that you limit your vocabulary by ruling out expletives – you should give them a try, they’re really very expressive and quite a bit of fun.
After all, they’re just a few letters put together in a certain order on a language with thousands of combinations.
And who sings the Barclays advert? A giant pile of money. That’s who. A giant pile of money tinged with the blood of all the people who’ve died as a result of their arms trading.
Brilliant answer!!
Absolute top drawer!!
Far from the truth Quincy use of expletives shows a total lack of vocabulary when it is far easier to insert F…….
etc to convey your true feelings. Very sad
[...] all stems from a comment left on the Go Compare article which asked: By the way who sings “Tomorrow” on the Barclays [...]
This advert pisses me off so much, and I will never, ever use the website just for that reason, the one on TV is bad enough, making me want to throw things at my TV every time it comes on, but the radio one is so much worse ! what the fucks all that bollocks about finding grizzly bears in your wardrobe, and what Florence Nightingale has on under her night clothes!?! what the fuck does that have to do with car insurance? The people who wrote this advert need to get a fucking life, and so does the guy who sings the pile of shite!
Christ on a bike, I’m so FUCKING (just for the expletive haters) happy that someone has actually wrote a pretty spot on piece about this useless pile of shite Wynn Evans!
Yes I understand marketing and the more annoying the ad the more it sticks in your head, however, air it long enough and people either turn the channel or mute the sound.
I along with many others will now not bother with GO COMPARE purely for the fact of this advert, just like I have with BOOTS the chemist as they batter my brain with ‘Here come the girls…..’ – another advert hat makes me want to kick the living crap out of the TV (hard to do with an inaminate object granted).
A message for Mike Dewis, if he is a friend or colleague of yours do him a favour, tell him that if he classes himself as a professional opera singer, to take of that fucking fake outfit and get some decency on board. He has now basterdized himself of any credibility. I for one, and I mean this whole heartedly would love to punch his fat cunting head in just for sheer annoyance that he brings into my living room. If you search the groups on Facebook and other forums you will see how loathed he actually is you will get a REAL understanding of what the general public are feeling.
HE IS WHAT WE CALL A USELESS PILE OF DRIED UP SPUNK THAT IS AS USEFUL AS STALE DIARRHOEA IN A NAPPY.
And shame on Go Compare to allow this advert to infest so many homes when knowing full well how the public feel about this fucking wash out.
Oh and Mike I actually searched for posts on how hated Wynn is and I’m glad to have stumbled upon this one.
I just hopefor his sake that once that annoying costume is taken of he is a decent human being, but I find that hard to fathom as he seems to pull the ‘character’ of far too easily for my liking.
Join the OFFICIAL “I Hate The Go Compare Ads!” Fanpage! Boycott Go Gompare, and vent your anger on the fanpage, and help get these infuriatingly annoying ads OFF OUR SCREENS!!!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/OFFICIAL-I-Hate-The-Go-Compare-Ads-Fanpage/112808742099981
There are SO many Charlie Brooker wannabes around these days aren’t there?
Aaaaaw. I think it’s really sweet how you read something critical of a media form and immediately assume it must be a Brooker rip off. That’s lovely. Is he the only columnist you’ve heard of or do you like Richard Littlejohn as well? One final question, do you know Brooker through his hilarious C4 TV quiz show or was it just because you read that the girl of Xtra Factor got married in the Mail? Thanks for your input.
haha this has really helped me, i had to write a colum on somthing that annoyed me, i chose go compare. I do hate the advert, but this is the perfect thing for me to read because its interesting to see both sides, even though it looks like most people hate it.
Thanks for the help. (: x
there is no ad in the past 30 years that had made me want to put my foot through my own TV than the excrutiating go compare ads. I HATE the ad, I HATE the fat b******d that sings it, and hence I now hate go compare – the business/website.
and by the way….sorry marketing experts….just because we talk about the ad, doesn’t mean, that we will use the site! I would deliberately avoid it, because you have abused my senses with this screaming idiot appearing in my living room every day
I would glady chip in to pay a hit man to blast the fat cretin with a sawn off shotgun. Is there anywhere I can donate money (along with others) to a hit man to silence him forever?
Hiya y’all.
I’ve wanted to come here and laugh at all you nasty people who have written such hateful comments about one of the nicest guys out there, a bloke who (before he was famous) has raised thousands for his charity and subsequently been decorated by the queen. Who is now number one in the classical charts for a beautiful CD that is giving real pleasure to so many-not just classical music lovers, but to those who would normally listen to pretend classical singers (Potts, Watson etc) and are discovering the joy of a proper voice.
And to all those who predicted the death of Wynne’s career, I wish to say this…
HA HA!!!!
I’ve got it down to just one “Go comp…” before the mute button gets hit… I am trying to hit it faster but that’s about as fast as I’ve got so far…
And if anyone from the Go Compare insurance company ever reads this, I’d like to tell you that I will NEVER EVER buy insurance from you simply because of those adverts.
I saw him talking on TV and he seems like a nice guy. I’m just sick and tired of hearing the bloody tune 200 times day. Have to mute my tv / radio now every time I hear it.
I blame ITV. It’s so disrespectful to their audience.