All right, the cat is out of the bag. The late Ziad Rahbani has graced us with two ads - Almaza and Bankers Insurance. That he was a natural born copywriter is not even a question, and - judging by the amount of people seeing any of his television appearances - the man could be extremely present, has brilliant zingers, and incredible comebacks. The problem? You cannot bring an alcoholic to a beer ad.
And yes, the man himself admitted on television, that his liver processes alcohol like water, which is why he was able to consume gigantic quantities - once more, I have an OCD memory, and I can quote snippets of discussions I have seen on television. So when the man himself admits he is an alcoholic... how is he a spokesperson for a beer brand.
Please note, one's genius with words - and being someone who appreciates his songs' texts - does not negate the other. And if this is an unpopular opinion so be it. One should not speak bad of the dead. All right, Bette Davis being an exception - her own lyrical genius deserves it (When Joan Crawford died, Bette Davis famously quipped, "You should never say bad things about the dead, only good. Joan Crawford is dead. Good.")
Long live the legacy of Ziad Rahbani. The man who was larger than life, but sadly, smaller than death. But I stand by every word in this post.