• by Larry Dobrow , Featured Columnist, November 12, 2015

I like things. I do! There’s this assumption that “Internet writers” like “me” are “keen” to “go negative,” to jump at the chance “to” rip someone/something “a” “new” “one” in the interest of generating easy clicks. While I can’t speak for anyone else, with the exception of the entire male gender and select past/future members of Destiny’s Child, that’s not what it’s all about.

Me, I like to be entertained. I like to be happy. I appreciate effort and competence. Nothing thrills me more than encountering delight in an unexpected place. Possibly related: The doctor upped my dosage today and the sun is singing and birds are shining and la la la hugs rainbow cupcake daydreams. And so, as I attempt to silence the possibly imaginary major-key soundtrack blipping in the background, I’d like throw a little love towards a handful of brands and individuals that I dig - all of which, in a column-facilitating coincidence, have done some neat-o stuff in the video arena in recent weeks.

It may surprise you to learn that not only do I wear undergarments on a regular basis, but that I prefer they don’t chafe, constrict or otherwise rain distress on places that demand a more gentle touch. To that end, I am a big fan of Mack Weldon, a clothing brand with comfort at its core. I have no idea whether Mack Weldon knows something about the peculiarities of the male anatomy that Jockey and Calvin Klein don’t, but the company’s wares fit in a way that makes me want to throw money in its general direction. If Mack Weldon tells me that its under-technicians have developed a magical new fabric that’s “just like cotton but different” and prices it at $325 per cubic inch, I will not arch an eyebrow or press for details. I will buy. I will luxuriate.

Beyond the cheapo ads that trail me around the Internet, however, Mack Weldon hadn’t done a lot of marketing before the debut of its “Customer Emails with Matt” series late last month. The videos are exactly what their name implies: A guy named Matt, the company’s faux CEO (customer experience officer - hoy-o!), reads customer emails off his phone and reacts to them with a mixture of befuddlement and disdain. He mines the missives for all their overwrought and not-as-clever-as-they-think-they-are glory, managing to stay impressively stone-faced even as phrases like “I will no longer need to imagine what it would feel like to receive a wedgie while my testicles are being gripped by a gold-medal-winning arm wrestler” roll off his tongue (he suggests that the writer try boxers instead).

While I presume that the hoodie and t-shirt Matt wears in the clips are of Mack Weldon provenance, the company’s wares otherwise go undisplayed. For most fashion brands, that’s a recipe for disaster - but it works just fine here, given the obvious challenges that come with depicting undergarments in their natural environment. What can I say? I’m plumb tickled that I appreciate the Mack Weldon sensibility as much as I do Mack Weldon products. I’m going to go order 46 undershirts now.

The connective tissue between objects-of-Larry-love #1 and #2 in this column is running. Mack Weldon underthings, unlike most other daily-wear brands, double quite nicely as running undergarments. The challenge over the years, then, has been finding a sneaker that does for my feet what Mack Weldon does for my bathing-suit region.

I’ve been fortunate enough to happen upon two: Asics’ Gel-Kayano and Saucony’s Grid 9000, which was only recently brought back from the dead. As best I can tell, Asics’ marketing hasn’t reached too far beyond the running community, but Saucony has kind of haphazardly jumped among audiences. Oh, our shoes are great for sneaker-mongering hipsters! They’re great for casual runners! They’re great for ultramarathon diehards! IF YOU HAVE PARTIALLY TO MODERATELY OPERATIONAL FEET THEY’RE JUST FANTASTIC FOR YOU. Etc.

Matthew Inman, the ce-web-rity (sorry) creator of The Oatmeal, may be a member of the ultramarathon group, but he’s done more to reorient notions of the traditional runner’s mindset in recent years than almost anyone - more than apparel manufacturers, more than Ebenezer Nike, more than your junior-high gym teacher, you name it. I admire the guy’s high-mindedness, his sense of justice, even his pet peeves. But mostly I admire his take on running and how, in a way, it challenged me to reconsider my own.

To Inman, running is something one does to stave off something else. In his case, it’s the “Blerch,” which he describes in Saucony’s “Runner. Cartoonist. Cake Lover. - A Seeker Story” brand video as an “overweight, sad version of myself… my spirit animal of sorts.” Inman debuted the Blerch in a comic a few years back; he’s since blown out the concept into a series of races around the country. It goes without saying, then, that the pairing of Inman and Saucony makes sense on about 32,000 different levels.

In the clip, Inman shares photos and drawings from his past, weaving through them the narrative of his transformation from an overweight kid into a Yoda for runners with sensibilities similar to his own. He dispenses with stereotypes about runners - that we’re all fitness nuts, as opposed to tormented sandwich enthusiasts - and instead personalizes the pursuit (“I run so that I can eat birthday cake” - which, it should be mentioned, is apportioned in great quantities at all Blerch-branded races). It’s a hugely appealing outlook, both for Saucony and the sport itself. Add it to the list of Inman-related creations that are impossible not to admire.

So, in conclusion: Yay for things and people I like! Yay for the video-riffic components of Mack Weldon’s and Saucony’s marketing plans! Yay for oatmeal and The Oatmeal! Keep on keepin’ on, y’all.