Dylan in on Victoria’s Secret

NEW YORK: Singer Bob Dylan appears in a new series of commercials for lingerie maker Victoria’s Secret, his grizzled face intercut with shots of model Adriana Lima cavorting though Venice in a bra, panties and spike heels. Don’t worry. The 62-year-old Dylan keeps his clothes on.Dylan’s song “Love Sick”, from his Grammy-winning 1997 album ‘Time Out of Mind’, provides the musical backdrop for the spot, which airs in 15-, 30- and 60-second versions.

It promotes the ‘Angels’ lingerie collection — which explains the wings on Lima’s back as she prances across a palazzo near a Venetian canal. The commercials began airing a week ago and will run for the next two weeks, said Ed Razek, chief creative officer for Victoria’s Secret.

Dylan was not a hard sell when approached about the campaign, Razek said. The company had already decided to use the song when its corporate boss, Les Wexner, suggested inviting Dylan himself.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer quickly agreed, although no one’s quite sure why. It’s the first time in his 40-plus years as an international star that Dylan has appeared in an ad campaign, although his “The Times They Are a Changin”’ was used in a Bank of Montreal commercial in 1996.

Back then Dylan was ripped for selling out. His association with ladies in lingerie, as opposed to some corporate entity, failed to produce much antipathy — particularly in an era where Led Zeppelin, Peter Gabriel and Sting recently licensed songs for commercials. — Associated Press