Pump Up The PSA
April 20, 2009 10:12 AM
Do you remember a late 80's anti-drug PSA that was a short film entirely set to the M/A/R/R/S song "Pump Up The Volume"? Was this a national ad? Can it be found anywhere online? More details inside...
In the late 80s (87-90) I lived in Cape Coral, Fl and would come home after school to watch TV on local channels there. I remember several times shows being pre-empted for a long (I'd say 10 minutes-ish) PSA which was dialogue-free but showed a guy in his late teens/early 20s with a junior high mustache going to a party, using drugs, and in the end he dies.
The ending was very memorable with the EMT trying to revive the guy, using shock paddles, and the shocks were timed to beats of the song. And when over the song just stopped and was replaced by the constant tone of a heart monitor reporting no heartbeat.
I have remembered this ad for 20 years but since leaving Florida have never seen it since. I don't know if it was a local ad or what, nor why it aired as often as it did (perhaps a sports game ran long and the local station needed filler until the top of the hour to resume normal programming?). But does anyone else know about this video? Can it be found online anywhere?
In the late 80s (87-90) I lived in Cape Coral, Fl and would come home after school to watch TV on local channels there. I remember several times shows being pre-empted for a long (I'd say 10 minutes-ish) PSA which was dialogue-free but showed a guy in his late teens/early 20s with a junior high mustache going to a party, using drugs, and in the end he dies.
The ending was very memorable with the EMT trying to revive the guy, using shock paddles, and the shocks were timed to beats of the song. And when over the song just stopped and was replaced by the constant tone of a heart monitor reporting no heartbeat.
I have remembered this ad for 20 years but since leaving Florida have never seen it since. I don't know if it was a local ad or what, nor why it aired as often as it did (perhaps a sports game ran long and the local station needed filler until the top of the hour to resume normal programming?). But does anyone else know about this video? Can it be found online anywhere?
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posted by MaryDellamorte at 4:27 PM on April 20, 2009