Yes, this is an ad. Photo: Instagram
Chris Cote is a lot of things. According to his site, he is a “Freelance Writer, Commercial Writer/Director, Creative Director, Script Writer, Music Supervisor, DJ, Ordained Minister, Husband, and Father of two young boys.” The Ordained Minister should really add “Commercial Model” to the resume; Cote recently took to Instagram and shared a throwback shot of one of the gnarlier print ads I’ve ever seen (shown above) — one he happens to be the featured person in. To give it context, he wrote in the caption:
You asked for it. Found by @marcelo_bengoechea ! This was an ad in a local zine produced by@taylorsteele and I think Betty Steele? (Someone correct me on that). It was around 1998/99. The ad was a surprise to me and caused many people to vomit. The photo was taken backstage at a @blink182 show in Alaska. @tomdelonge and @markhoppus had an interview set up with a newspaper and thought it would be funny to lay me on the ground naked and cover me with chips, salsa, beans, etc. and offer the journalists some nachos when they came in. I think I also got paid extra to work the show in righty-whitey underpants as well. I may a lot of extra side money doing this kind of stuff, a few months later @bigdummyjam sent this photo to everyone, including Payl Gomez and Bob Hurley who made it their first ever Hurley ad, and grossest too. Ah … Memories.
I was confused. It made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me nauseous. And, ultimately, it made me want Mexican for dinner. Anyway, I figured I would reach out and catch up with the man about, well, that time in his life.
Michael Woodsmall: What the hell happened? How did that ever make it to print as the ad?
Chris Cote: I was in the mode of “finding myself,” and as a young 20 something, that meant doing whatever I could to have fun, and not work a real job. I was done being a b-grade pro surfer. My friend was the manager for Blink 182 and I became friends with the band. I took a job as the band’s drum tech — first for Scott, then for Travis. I didn’t know how to do that job at all, but they still paid me and took me on tour. While on tour we had a lot of time to do silly shit. I was a bit younger and down for whatever, so I became sort of the band mascot: I’d jump on grenades, let the band dress me up in ridiculous outfits, and do gross things — it was like truth or dare, where I’d make up most of the dares.
In this case, I knew there were reporters coming in to the backstage room, so I said, “Let’s freak them out, for $100 I’ll lay down naked and put nachos and cheese and beans all over my body and not move.” The reporters were tripping, we all just acted like it was totally normal. We did shit like this all the time. A photo was taken, I think by Rick Devoe or Chris Georggin. The magazine was called The Show, Taylor Steele made it. It had a bunch of mock ads in it. This was one of them.
You were a drum tech for Blink 182 at the time? How did being a roadie turn into having your face pissed on (with what looks like food covering your body)?
Nobody ever pissed on me, what the fuck? I was the roadie/mascot/instigator of hijinks.
Could’ve sworn that was piss…
If not this, what was the weirdest thing you did while touring for Blink 182? While we’re at it, what is the weirdest thing you’ve done for money or product?
Uh, I couldn’t really say the worst things I ever did or saw now that we’re all adults with kids and shit. Let’s just say Blink 182 and the road crew were no Motley Crue or G&R, but we did our fair share of weird shit. I got a lot of benefits for being the only guy around the tour with no girlfriend; groupies were sent my way, which was pretty awesome, at the time. Personally, I did some very weird things to myself and to others, a lot of times with a small viewing audience. Also, in looking back, the outfits I used to wear would be considered quite ridiculous by today’s standards: big long tan Dickie’s shorts, high socks, wife beaters under thin button up shirts, chain wallet, white sunglasses — just your standard 909 kit.
Have any thoughts on ads then and ads now?
It wasn’t a “real” magazine and all the ads were pretty much mock ads in that zine. For the most part back then, all the surf ads were shot with a fish eye and the surfer in the ad would be eating food, like a burrito or cereal — why was everybody eating tacos in sunglasses ads? Now, I don’t know, they seem like white noise. At this point, my dream is to someday be a in a Rainbow Sandals ad; I’m working my way through my first real pair and they’re almost ad worthy.
If you were asked by Annie Leibovitz to recreate the scene, what would be your updated version of the ad? What would replace the food?
Let me reiterate, there was no piss — not that I’m some anti-piss person or take issue with folks who enjoy golden showers or water sports — but I’m more of a beans and cheese all over my body type of guy. But with that being said, I think I’d be nude intertwined amongst a robust pile of writhing male and female models, also nude, covered with edible golden flakes and a smattering of white and dark chocolate chips. Tasteful, yet sensual.
