TOAST: The Origin Story
It was late last year when I first noticed an ever-so-subtle trend in musician photography. No, I'm not talking about the overnight sideburn revolution, or the ever cringe-worthy stock image of 4 washed-up 20-somethings on a couch drinking beer, I'm talking about the snap, crunch, spread, chew, sizzle, slurp of musicians enjoying breakfast. Yes, breakfast. The universally loved, better half of the word "brunch", and the mother-approved most important meal of the day.
I've stumbled upon these photos time and time again, and they are magnetic. They depict a young Bowie, enjoying a fat cigar over the morning paper, a dapper Elvis Presley, hand-in-mouth with his American Gothic grandmother serving pastries table-side, and a stoic Kim Gordon and Thurston Moore calmly cohabiting a kitchen as Kim ignites the pilot light of an old gas stove.
To my knowledge, this photographic trend of musicians eating breakfast hasn't been formally written about, or even acknowledged before. Admittedly, the photos may be nothing more than a reluctant surrender to pesky paparazzi; the grainy end product of an exasperated, "fine you can take my photo, but only if there's food in it for me!" Whatever the case, I find these images to be perfect.
Through innocent early morning sunlight and a steaming heap of flapjacks, iconic musicians are humanized; stripped, as the innocence of sleep dissolves with a sadistic, slap-in-the-face cup of joe. Musicians that appear larger-than-life on stage are momentarily seen as they are: Humans who also like to eat waffles in the morning. Their facial expressions are raw, as the bright flash of the camera extracts unguarded emotions, some of which imply nothing more than a dry and unimpressive, “my bacon is getting cold”.
The name TOAST was imagined out of my fascination with these photographs, and the emotions they provoke.
Toast is the most neutral of all breakfast foods, a blank slate with infinite possibilities. It is strong, yet unassuming. It's the unnoticed cornerstone of any all-American 1960s sitcom, the tasty sidekick that accompanies breakfast, and the unsung hero of the best Croque-Madame you've ever tasted.
Toast is not defined by its own existence, it's defined by its contents, and so are we.
TOAST is a small, creative content agency based out of Seattle, WA. We design custom content that caters to your industry needs and echoes your brand voice. We write meaningful blogs that catalyze your company goals, educate your target audience, and keep everyone coming back for second helpings.
Like its breakfast namesake, TOAST represents the novelty of an early morning, the humanization of a shared meal, and the invention that a blank slate inspires.
So when we ask, "What's for breakfast?" What we really mean is, "How can we help?"
