Here’s three vintage Levi’s print ads from the 70’s. The one on the right is from Salvador Dali’s brief, unpublicized performance art piece where he worked as commercial artist in various ad agencies. Yes, I am making this up.

Levis wants in on skateboarding. They’ve got a skateboarding collection, a collaboration with Thrasher, and a half baked campaign called Make Your Mark or possibly What’s your approach that features Natas Kaupas. I’ve got nothing against Levi’s. It’s a privately owned company that still makes (a small percentage) some clothing in the USA. Their sweatshop labor controversy is well behind them. They’ve used the Clash in commercials, why not Natas? OK, I do have a beef. If you’re going to post an “interview” with Natas, at least make sure it has a little substance. If you check out the accompanying video, it makes even less sense. I hear him talking, but it’s all chopped up, and in the end it’s like he’s not saying anything.

I have a vague recollection of this style of Levis commercial. This one dates back to 1977 and briefly features some kids and possibly even a gorilla on a skateboard. It’s hard to tell compressed and small, plus the psychedelic nature of the animation doesn’t help any. – Thanks to Eric Shea for the tip.

FedEx, Gatorade Propel, and Levis Dockers all have commercials currently airing using skateboards. They range from pretty good to average. Decode my cryptic title with video links and commentary after the jump.