by Dan Perkins

No other story published on this website has generated more sustained interest than our article on Vaughn Lowery, the Joe Boxer Boogie guy who struts his stuff for Kmart.  As kids head back to school, Kmart's boogie-dance-tune is filling the airwaves, and Vaughn Lowery is once again stepping out in his Joe Boxer briefs.  We decided to catch up with Vaughn to see how he has handled boogie-mania and some of the controversy it has inspired. 

dib:  What have you been doing since we last saw you in the Christmas Boogie commercials?

VL:  I recently did a co-starring role on the NBC-sitcom, Scrubs. I also did a Dasani Water billboard campaign.  One of the major billboards is on Sunset Boulevard, at the Hyatt Hotel.  And, of course, I also just did the Back-to-School campaign for Kmart. 

dib:  There's a Joe Boxer Boogie game on the Kmart website.  It appears that you've maintained a good relationship with the company?

VL: The Joe Boxer Boogie game is a adver-game that came out in January.  It was produced by Yah-Yah Productions, out of Los Angeles.  They teamed up with Kmart and produced the video game.  Despite a soft launch, the game had a million players its first month.  It makes me feel really good to know that people are embracing me and having fun and being entertained.  I love working with Kmart.  They're based out of Detroit, Michigan, and that's where I was born and raised. I've been shopping at Kmart since I was a little kid.

dib:  I'm sure you've heard or read some of the negative remarks about the ad.  How have you handled the criticism, and what do you say to those critics?

VL:  I've only heard a little bit of criticism.  I think 95 percent of the people that have seen the commercials support them.  Anyone who sees some negative symbolism is taking it way too seriously.  It's just a commercial.  The boogie was something that came out of dancing in the living room with my little cousins.  At no time did Kmart, Joe Boxer or the ad agency ever have a breakdown for Black guy dancing in his underwear.  It was a multi-ethnic spot.  I went in, did my thing and won them over.  It's just a spot about having fun.  It's about losing your self in the moment and having a ton of fun.  Nothing else.

dib:  The current back-to-school commercials has many diverse actors and your presence is considerably less than in the two previous campaigns.  Do you think that might be a reaction to some of the controversy, or was it simply a creative decision?

VL:  You can only dance around in a commercial for so long.  You have to constantly up the ante.  You have to do something different.  You have bring something new to the picture.  The creative director, Patrick O'Neal of TBWA/Chiat/Day, wanted to give the Back-to-School campaign the feel of a Broadway production, to give it a Moulin Rouge, or Chicago feel.  You see me swing into frame, then swing out.  Then I jump down with the rest of the dancers.  I think Patrick did a great job.

dib:  You've been Kmart's Boogie guy for the past year, how has the exposure and the experience affected you and your life?

VL:  My life has stayed the same.  I still try to be with friends and family who keep me grounded.  I like to stay humble, because I came from humble beginnings, and that's important.  My life has changed because people now recognize me on the street, or while I'm working out at the gym.  People will see me in my car and they'll laugh.  That's really cool because most people are fans.  It's the kind of affirmation I look for from God.  I pray for direction and clarity everyday and when I get it I just feel like, wow, that's a great thing.  My life has moved into a more recognizable phase, and hopefully I will be able to segue that into some major things.  

dib:  Have you been able to continue to work on other projects that were important to you?  For example, have you been able to continue your work as a mentor?

VL:  The young man I was working with, Leo, has graduated from high school and will be going to UC-Irvine.  We stay in touch by phone.  I would like to mentor other children, but I really don't have time for that right now.  I'm steadily meeting with producers and network executives for possible projects.

dib:  What's the biggest misperception about you, and what do you want your fans to know about the real Vaughn Lowery?

VL:  The biggest misperception is that I'm really silly, but there are so many different sides to me that people will hopefully get to know.  ABC Primetime did an interview with me that was suppose to air the day of the black out, so it got bumped.  But the producers followed me on a couple of special appearances for Kmart.  We went to the March of Dimes and Fox Morning News.  They even went to my old stomping grounds in Detroit and talked with my family and neighbors.  It will be good when they air that piece because it will show a lot more of what I'm all about.  I was a struggling youth, like a lot of other African Americans.  I grew up in an urban area, not the suburbs.  I worked my way through high school and college, and I'm still working my way through life.  Life has its ups and downs, but you just have to keep pushing on.  But, the one thing that I really want my fans to know is that I really appreciate their support.

The End