My Adidas (2000) – Versus

Richard Baluyut is a member of a copycat cult planning to emulate the Heaven’s Gate group suicide in 1997 that coincided with the appearance of the Hale-Bopp comet, whereby followers believed their souls would be transported to heaven via a rocketship hiding behind the comet. The 39 cult members committed suicide by ingesting a fatal solution; their bodies were discovered in bunk beds, covered with purple blankets and wearing identical pairs of Nike sneakers.

However, Baluyut’s cult, unable to score an endorsement deal with Nike, sports Adidas instead. Despite a song title that suggests a Run-DMC cover, “My Adidas” is more epitaph than parody. Baluyut steps into the shoes (pun intended, groans acknowledged) of an individual who believes that suicide will facilitate his entrance into heaven, tragically oblivious to the fact that he’s been hoodwinked. His anticipation of the journey is both naïve and jubilant. Amid guitar-drum starbursts and mellifluous background vocals by Fontaine Toups, Baluyut repeatedly announces the permanence of his decision, as if he hopes someone will stop him because he’s still unsure. To allay his doubts, he reassures himself that those left behind are the misguided ones. Unfortunately, he realizes too late his grievous mistake. As if to voice regret from beyond the grave, “My Adidas” finds empathy in the lives of those susceptible to being brainwashed—those in search of a deeper meaning to life, even if it’s to be found in death.

Listen to "My Adidas" and purchase from iTunes Music Store.