Going viral

As I have noted on several occasions, I'm not big on flattery. I don't give much. And I don't get much. Consequently, when I do, the hairs on the back on my neck start to curl up as if they were meant to be in a different part of my body. I leave the unpleasant imagery to you.

A few years ago, I was walking through my neighborhood. I walked by a yard that belonged to one of my advertising colleagues. Like all advertising colleagues he was significantly younger than me. He and his friends were in the middle of a front yard barbecue and so he invited me in for a beer. I obliged, but was sorry I did.

"Hey everybody, I want you to meet my neighbor, Rich Siegel. He also works in advertising. He's a legend."

I have a hard time even writing that out.

That is not a word I deserve or have even earned. Especially not for scrawling some funny wiseass lines on a piece of paper in service of rampant consumerism. This is not a humblebrag (that's coming later).

The legends in our business are the ones who parlayed whatever creative talent they had into something. They opened their own shops. They stewarded entire creative departments. They built something that would make a mark and create income for others.

I did nothing of the kind.

I chose a different, perhaps even more selfish, path. One that allowed me to do, and continue to do, what I love best -- write. Whether it be ads, books, movies, tv. Or, and here come the indulgent part, political memes.

Last weekend, as noted in Monday's post, I plied my wares in a new venue -- the streets. I also pimped my efforts on various social media sites, including the Facebook page of legendary newsman Dan Rather. With close to 5,000 likes on his page, it is by far the closest I have got going viral.

(update: this blog post was written before Sunday's twitter explosion (#CaptainOuchieFoot) that had close to 37 million hits. I can't vouch for that number, but these days nobody can.)

Even more rewarding however are the more than 300 comments, most from admiring young and not so young ladies, who for lack of a better word, want a piece of me. Allow me to share just a few of those:

Moreover, this has produced a flurry of new friend requests (all women) who just can't seem to get enough Rich Siegel.

As you might expect I am making the most of it, which is driving my wife and daughter bonkers.

"Rich, can you take out the garbage?"

"Yeah, I'm not sure that's something a Hero would do."

or

"Rich, can you empty the dishwasher?"

"I can, but I have other super patriot duties that are a bit more pressing."

Am I going to milk this for all it's worth?

This legend has every intention of doing so.