John Oates' Mustache to the Rescue

Hairy Superhero Carries Back Catalog Into the Future

Posted by Mike Tunnicliffe in Advertising Age 'Songs For Soap" on 07.02.08 @ 11:33 AM

No sooner had we written about the need for artists' back catalogs to be marketed in more creative ways -- via tailored ideas and exploitation strategies -- than Primary Wave Music Publishing announced "J-Stache," a cartoon about John Oates' mustache.

According to Billboard, the formerly mustachioed half of Hall & Oates could appear in a new cartoon series that portrays him as a modern-day family man who finds himself enticed back to the rock-star life by his superhero facial hair.

The series has a twofold objective: to help portray Oates in a new modern-day light while reminding people of the great songs from his back catalog. As Oates says in Billboard: "Just as I'm represented as the John Oates of today, the mustache is the John Oates of yesterday. The focus of the music will be on the back catalog, but it's an open-ended situation."

"J-Stache" is the brainchild of Primary Wave Senior Creative Director Evan Duby, who commented: "I thought to myself that this guy could be a pop icon on a completely different level. I wanted to be part of bringing John Oates to a younger generation." Primary Wave -- which is quickly building a very cool collection of heritage-based music, including the songs of Steven Tyler, Kurt Cobain and Greg Allman -- is currently shopping the Oates concept to the networks.