#464 Playing With Choir

·1 hr 19 min·5 clips

A Canadian man finally sees himself in a 1995 Domino's deep dish pizza commercial after 30 years, thanks to a podcast's YouTube upload.

The episode begins with hosts Andrew and Genevieve introducing the topic of TV commercials, specifically focusing on a 1995 Domino's deep dish pizza ad featuring a boys' choir singing 'The 12 Days of Christmas.' They reveal that a listener named Justin Morissette contacted them after finding the commercial on their YouTube channel, as he was one of the choir boys in it but had never seen it broadcast. Justin joins the show to share his story. He explains he was in the B.C. Boys Choir as a child and was cast in the commercial, which filmed at St. Andrew's Wesley Cathedral in Vancouver. Justin discusses the awkwardness of being in a boys' choir, including performing at his own school, and the mixed feelings of shame and unique opportunities like traveling to Europe. He details the commercial shoot, recalling that Domino's pizza was served on set and that the main child actor had a Nintendo Virtual Boy, which fascinated the other kids. The conversation shifts to Justin's adult life; he works in radio broadcasting in Canada and is pursuing voice acting, and he hosts a podcast called ADHD DVD about unwatched DVDs. The hosts and Justin then review and grade several other commercials featuring choirs, including a 2016 Honda Odyssey ad, a 2018 Seventh Generation spot with Maya Rudolph, a 2017 Gap commercial with Janelle Monáe, a 1970 BOAC airline ad with the Vienna Boys Choir, and a recent Behr paint commercial. They critique the confusing premises, performances, and dated elements, with Justin assigning letter grades. The episode concludes with Justin grading his own Domino's commercial an A+ and promoting his podcast before the hosts sign off.

As heard by us

A choir sting turns commercial-break chat into a sharp grading session.

After These Messages opens with a boys choir sting and quickly turns commercial-break chatter into a tidy grading game. Andrew Walsh and Genevieve Haas bring in Justin to score the spots and unpack why the Vienna Boys' Choir lands so strongly in the mix, while the conversation…

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Why you'd press play

A boys' choir sting drops you into a commercial-break deep cut and a very specific grading game.

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