3rd July; T-Shirts and Stones

The first conversation to arise this morning was on the subject of T-shirt wearing cool kids: those 16-19 year olds who wear the shirts of iconic bands from the 1970’s and 1980’s. 

The names that instantly spring to mind for this strangest of ‘trying to look cool in front of your friends’ pursuits would include Joy Division, Iggy Pop, and the more obscure (to some) Alien Sex Fiend.
In the midst of our conversation, my friend Ian informed me that one more than one occasion he has been the exponent of such a ritual whilst attending a gig.  He informed me that the last time this happened; he was on his way to a gig in London. On arriving at the venue he was stood in line in front of a guy wearing a Black Flag T-shirt.  Some of you may remember this band as an introduction to the singer/poet Henry Rollins. My friend began to make polite conversation with this lad and asked him which albums he had of the band, to which he replied ‘I don’t have any, and never heard any of their songs’
Of course the reaction to this by my friend was of astonishment.  The only explanation I can think as to why you would wear a T-shirt of a band you have never heard before is irony. For some inexplicable reason kids of 16-19 seem to only ever explain the reasons behind this kind of fashion statement by insisting it is for ‘ironic’ purposes.  Not only does it seem odd to me, as a fan of bands, whose T-shirts I own out of pure love for their art, but also because I have invested my time and money to buy the genuine article at the time of the gigs.  What a strange new concept!

While on the subject of bands, the same friend moved onto to ask me what the fuss is all about The Stone Roses reunion, and especially the amount of money they are being paid to perform their shows. I could only agree with his lack of understanding.  I had a few friends towards the end of the eighties that were fans, but I dismissed the concept of ‘Baggy’ music, as it was known in Britain.  Other exponents of this musical sub-genre included the Inspiral Carpets, Happy Mondays, and Charlatans.
As an Indie kid (still am in my heart, even though my music tastes are much broader now) I couldn’t understand their popularity at the time;  I was only interested in music released through the independent record labels of the time: Beggars Banquet (Gene Loves Jezebel), Fiction (The Cure), and Probe Plus (Half Man Half Biscuit) to name but a few.  Technically Probe Plus was and still is the only real independent record label of those three.
I made a quick joke in relation to The Stone Roses song ‘I am The Resurrection’ by saying “I’m the resurrection and so is my wife”, thank you Monty Python, and good night!