Rock! Fire! Gravel '08!
So sayeth Mike Gravel about his absolutely mind-blowingly insane campaign spots posted to YouTube. If you haven't seen them yet, start with "rock," in which Gravel stares at the camera for an uncomfortably long time, and then throws a rock in a lake and walks away. And then check "fire," which pyromaniacs will love for its seven-minute campfire close-up. (But watch out! According to one YouTube commenter, "if you watch this you will die in seven days.")
So, um, what's the deal then, Mike?
"The point of the spot is not the rock but the ripples it leaves in the water," Gravel told MSNBC. He is trying to "make a difference by doing something and it causes ripples in society."
And the other one?
"Branches are what people acquire in the way of wisdom," he said. "And then he reaches down and acquires a little more experience, a little more wisdom. Reaches down, picks up a little more wisdom. And then goes out and starts a fire. What does a fire represent? Fire represents light, heat, warmth. It's the sustenance of life."
"People older than 30," he said, just don't get it – though he admits he didn't get it either when he was shooting the spots, which were put together by a pair of California teachers.
The spots are creating the most buzz Gravel has seen thus far for his long shot presidential bid, so one could make a case they were a good move on his part. (Though he may have just added more sticks to the non-metaphorical "Gravel's a little out there" flame.) The media has started paying a touch more attention to a man some believe shouldn't even be included in the presidential debates, and that's probably a net positive. Although I'm not sure I would want my presidential run remembered for a pair of spots that could pass for outtakes from a David Lynch movie.