Might as well jump!

I'm no fan of Van Halen , but it seems to me that the band's tight-trousered, synth-propelled, long-hair-on-fire 1984 hit Jump has something interesting to say about fear.

Near as I can figure from the lyrics, which feature the word "jump" 19 times, is that it's about having the courage to go for it: "Might as well jump!"

David Lee Roth, who wrote it, has offered multiple explanations. One was something about a stripper. Another was about a man standing on the ledge of a building considering suicide. I lean in a more hopeful direction, that it's about putting fear aside in life — which also means in writing.

Not to disparage Mr. Roth (others have already cleared that path) but when I'm looking for more literate guidance on fear, confidence and writing, I sometimes refer to two of my favorite authors, Henry David Thoreau and Hunter S. Thompson. I like to imagine them together in Las Vegas. Thompson would be tripping and drinking Jack Daniels and skinny dipping at the Bellagio fountain. Thoreau would be quietly contemplating the naked truth before coming up with his famous line, "It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see."

Anyway, on life (and therefore writing), Thoreau said, "If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."

That's inspirational, but I think Thompson had a better take: "Never turn your back on fear. It should always be in front of you, like a thing that might have to be killed."

When I was younger, fear made too many decisions. As I've aged, I've tried to do as Thompson suggested. Sometimes I gather enough gumption to advance toward my fears like the reborn Francis going into the African brush to confront a wounded lion — the pivotal moment in Hemingway's "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber."

The meaning of all this? Rule NOTHING out in that first draft. Take a wild-eyed walk all the way out to crazyland. What have you got to lose, besides a few hours in revision, your sanity and your job?

It sure as hell worked for Hunter Thompson and it also works on the marketing side. Look at Death Wish Coffee ("Dig yourself out of your tomb of a to-do list"); Velocity Partners ("Meaning, Metrics & Mojo"); and the Abnormal Beauty Company ("We are abnormal. No, seriously, we are not kidding.")

I know I am missing hundreds of better examples and would love to hear about more. But the point is, I seriously believe a lot of great campaigns and first paragraphs have been preceded by Somebody Important saying, "We CANNOT do that," followed by Somebody Courageous, thinking back to some hazy days in the early 80s, yelling, "Hey, might as well jump. Let's see what happens."

The best example I can summon at the moment is Apple's "1984" Super Bowl commercial , which was heretically different and of course opposed by some smart people at the company.

Disclaimer: If you jump and get fired, blame Roth or Thompson or Thoreau, not me, but also remember one other line in Jump: "You got to roll with the punches to get to what's real."

See you next Thursday, or did I go too far? If I didn't go too far and you enjoyed this rant, please feel free to share, and I will try to push it more next time.

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