Catching Looks

This pretty rad Monster Retro Qi Wireless Charging Bluetooth Speaker really makes us wonder: why does some retro stuff look so cool, while other retro stuff looks so stupid?

Like, have you ever seen a McMansion with ramparts and a heavy, arched wooden door? Or huge Greek columns? Because we have. And wow, is it tacky as hell!

Now, obviously, there’s some historical stuff at play here. This Monster speaker is aiming to look like something from, what? The 1970s or 80s? I.e. the recent past. Whereas the aforementioned home design choices harken back to times long ago. It would stand to reason that things from those eras, with which we are only familiar through scholarship, would be harder to emulate.

But then how do you explain the un-coolness of something like the PT Cruiser?

You might say these things are lame because they’re too over-the-top. But we actually think it’s the opposite: they’re not over-the-top enough. A castle-like or Greek-style suburban home? Ostentatious and goofy. A modern home actually built from stone? Honestly, pretty dope. A faux beach mobile that doesn’t want to look too out-of-place in a mall parking lot? There’s no way to thread that needle. A faux beach mobile that over-accentuates every classic beach mobile design element to the point of absurdity? It would be so ridiculous it’s cool!

In other words, there’s no use toeing the line. No one is going to believe your new retro product is actually old, so you might as well lean into the bit.

Which is exactly what Monster did with this thing: the knobs, the FM line, the old-school display, the weathered wood finish–it’s all silly, yes. But because it’s not afraid of being a little silly, it’s actually awesome.

Oh, and it’ll wirelessly charge your Qi-enabled devices and wirefully (???) charge other stuff via a USB port. Plus, it’s actually a really good speaker, with 30 watts of power.

Huh. We probably should’ve mentioned that stuff first. It’s actually pretty important.

Anyway, maybe buy one! It’ll look good and sound even better!