I've been enjoying watching Volkswagen struggle to introduce their new GTi variant of the Golf. They started with a very testosterone-fueled concept (boys only!) of a little metaphor called "your fast." The little robot/doll thing has a creepy robotic voice (some blogger compared it to a slasher-movie voice) whispering the urge to do fast things to motorists. Stupid, unappealing and downright unpleasant.

The good news for our friends at VW is the new ads are a much more entertaining. They've now introduced the funniest bits since the ancient Fahrvergnugen commercials ("Ausgezeichnet!"). These ads recall Michael Myers' dear old character, Dieter, from the "Sprockets" sketches on Saturday Night Live. A faux German engineer hosts a parody of MTVs "Pimp My Ride" cross-pollinated with a dollop of car tuner culture parody. Assisted by a pouty blonde Teutonic model-type, our slightly too enthusiastic engineer spouts slightly dated hipster phrases as he "helps" tuner enthusiasts lose the pretense of their heavily modified rides in favor of the new GTi. He even throws a fake gang sign for "VW" in each ad. Hopefully, this link won't go stale for a while. Enjoy the ads.

CDs listened to today:

• Ernst Bloch: Concerto Grosso No. 1
• Girls Against Boys: Freak*On*Ica
• Elliott Carter: The String Quartets
• Henry Cowell: Symphony No. 11
• H. Owen Reed: La Fiesta Mexicana (conducted by Frederick Fennell)
• Libertines: Up The Bracket