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Plan B And The Defamation Of Band T-Shirts
From Plan B inadvertently supporting skinheads to the Ramones on a Saturday night, how band t-shirts have lost their cool.
Last week, Plan B featured on the cover of Shortlist magazine wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with the name of the notoriously angry and right wing skinhead band, Skrewdriver.
This, for obvious reasons, sparked a fair bit of outrage from the more observant Shortlist readers and Plan B fans, who wondered whether or not this meant the singer-rapper-director polymath was a racist. Something that he claims he isn’t, which I can generally believe in that he obviously has far better outlets for his hate. Outlets like shouting at rich kids on behalf of ‘working-class’ society and completely forgetting the hypocrisy and excess of his last album. But, the faces of Plan B aside, what is more annoying to me about this entire debacle is the excuse he offered, which pathetically went something like this:
“I was ignorant to the existence of the band Skrewdriver… I don’t listen to music like that so I wouldn’t know the names of bands that make that music.”
A statement that obviously begs the question of why Mr Drew was wearing the t-shirt in the first place? Sure, Plan B lives in a fast world of stylists and industry folk and it’s quite possible that it was actually down to a shoddy stylist blindly raiding the nearest vintage boutique and not his own choice. But this is just the tip of the iceberg of what seems to be something of a modern sartorial epidemic. Quite simply, people raping band t-shirts for the sake of fashion and not genuine vested interest in the band or, more often than not, music itself.
I’m blaming the kit-clothing culture of the high street. The industry that has managed to bottle cool, duplicate it and then strip it of any real individuality
I’m not saying that it would be better if Plan B was a racist but I would certainly prefer it if he had a clue about the band he was unconsciously championing. Seeing self-ascribed fashionistas strutting their peroxide stuff in band t-shirts has become something of a pet hate of mine in recent years. Plan B might just be an extreme and somewhat unfortunate case of confusion but he is also the latest of a long spate of fashion band wagoners that serve only to eradicate the memories of formally prolific bands. Just look at the current tarnished legacy of a punk band like The Ramones, an act probably better known today for their logo rather than actual music. A sad thought for anyone that went through the punk phase of teenage rebellion or ever stayed up late to perfect a three chord progression. And don’t even get me started on the whole Northern fucking Soul movement.
Sure, many people will call me a music snob, say that I’m a hipstermatic who thinks he’s superior (the usual criticism based upon my wanky profile picture…) and they’re quite right in some respects. I am a snob, but only because I love music and I love to see bands appreciated for their art, not their fucking typography. If calling me a snob separates me from the rest of the Saturday night warriors out there, fine by me. Saves me choking on my humble pie when I spot you wearing an oversized Nirvana vest.
Would any of the people currently snapping up Blur t-shirts from the high street or Rolling Stones belts from practically-every-shop-on-the-planet, have ever taken the time to meticulously carve the aforementioned band names into a desk at school, or ink them to their satchel? Probably not. How many of them can even name a song by their brilliantly logoed band of choice? In a world where the likes of Jedward can hold record deals and Justin Bieber can have his own music documentary, I don’t think we’re erring on the side of caution by assuming that the answer is, ‘not many.’
But is it the fault of Joe Public? Not really, all that they’re essentially guilty of is having a generally horrific taste in music (I say this generally as I’m generalizing – based upon the shit state of the UK charts and the shitty quasi-iconic t-shirts swamping the highstreet), is it the fault of the bands? Maybe. There is an element of selling out to it but then again, it’s 2012 where the music industry as is all to often reported, makes fuck all. So it’s potentially both harsh and hasty to chastise bands for attempting to earn a bit of a living any which way they can. In this day and age it’s worth questioning if it even counts as selling out. In the slow painful demise of single sales and influence of radio, slapping your bands logo on a t-shirt or lending a tune to an advert is one of the few ways to guarantee exposure. It’s certainly not the organic industry of the 1960s anymore.
Rock and roll might be dead but that doesn’t mean that we should stamp on its grave and ruin everything it’s stood for.
Personally, I’m blaming the kit-clothing culture of the high street. The industry that has managed to bottle cool, duplicate it and then strip it of any real individuality for the great British public. They’ve pounced upon an image once celebrated as a badge of honour for the misfits and the fans and made it a fashion staple. Like a good pair of jeans or some decent trainers, it’s just another essential item made easy. A t-shirt that would be more apt if it said: “I didn’t collect any memories, queue in the rain, have a record collection or do any dancing but I did get this t-shirt.” In a similar vein I’ve also seen some shops stocking pre-worn, brand new Converse, potentially the most ridiculous idea I have ever seen.
Rock and roll might be dead but that doesn’t mean that we should stamp on its grave and ruin everything it’s stood for. Every band t-shirt is an ode to its subjects, it represents a body of work that they slaved to produce as a labour of love, and in the case of many, earned very little for it in the process. To be ignorant of this back catalogue of work is a complete disservice and slur on this toil and frankly, it makes me sick.
If you have no idea of the band you’re donning on your chest then it’s an embarrassment to even think about wearing it, no matter how good it looks with your 501s. Not only do you risk coming down with a serious case of ‘silly-bugger’ when questioned on your superficial ignorance but there’s also, like in Plan Bs case, the chance that you’re wearing a t-shirt that makes you look like a Nazi. And that, no matter how ‘sick’ the type or ‘mental’ the image is, is never ever cool.
Arturo Vega – The Man Behind The Ramones T Shirt
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COMMENTS
What he just said. That.
Hallelujah ! I thought it was just me and my teenage daughter having this rant against the world. She's taken the time to raid my vinyl and rips the p1ss out of girls her age in Ramones shirts and the like.
Yep. Exactly.
I see so much of this, for some reason the Stones are the worst offenders, with the Ramones a close second. It amazes me how teenage girls (and it's always teenage girls) who listen to Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj can walk around displaying the logos to classic bands they've never even listened to. Almost makes me ashamed to wear my Stones hoodie in case people think I'm just jumping on the classic rock fashion bandwagon.
Swearmeister and child - nice one! Keeo it up. Let's bring these plackies to book. The goths in South Park had the right idea when they burned down Hot Topic - in our case it's Urban Outfitters and H&M that are the worst offenders - though the Led Zep Kneboworth T-shirt in BHS for two quid in the January sales last year WAS tempting... Read that back and weep...
"To Buy A Ramones Top From Topman You Should Have To Name At Least 3 Of Their Songs" Ross Jarman- The Cribs I'm pretty sure he said that about 5 years ago - I agreed then, and I agree now, but you can drag this argument out to any length; I'm wearing Carhartt jeans today, but I'm not going to eith go skating or do some shop fitting in New Jersey...
I must admit to being tempted by the Ramones shirts - I saw them live back in the early 80s - but I too would feel like people would think I've jumped on the bandwagon. Has it really come to this? Middle aged fashion angst !
This article coming from the guy who describes himself as a 'bearded freelance journalist' in his profile...
John, I have a beard and I'm a freelance journalist. I'm not entirely sure what your point is? I see what you're getting at Luke and it is an argument that can be dragged out, although I do feel that with brands like Carhartt, regardless of initial focus, they are still essentially items of clothing. Band logo's weren't really created, or at least not originally I imagine, as fashion statements.
He writes like a Yorkshireman, too. "...it’s 2012 where the music industry as is all to often reported, makes fuck all."
Chill out, people talking about his t-shirt has probably spawned more young peoples' interest in proper punk than any snotty article has in tiiiiiime blud.
Quite possible Nobber. I'm not sure I'll be holding my breath though.
haters got to hate! seriously, who gives a fuck, i wouldnt be seen dead in a ramones t-shirt, purely on the grounds on how many hipster wanker celebs have worn the ass out it over the last 20 years!!! but a nice new cribs t-shirt always makes me happy!
Those that perceive the wearing of this T-Shirt and the image within the T-Shirt itself to be a symbol of Right wing thinking or Nazi thinking are seriously misguided; expect my alternative argument shortly via my own analysis here on ST -
Will look forward to reading it Marcella, although I'm not actually arguing that it is a Nazi symbol. It's the notion of band t-shirts as fashion first that has me irked. The Nazi connotations of Plan Bs t-shirt are just the catalyst for the piece really.
I was under the impression from Plan B's statement that he actually created the shirt himself from a photograph in a book? Where he gets the time to screenprint I don't know.
People buy 4x4's and never go off road, buy running shoes and never go running. Why should their choice of T-shirts be any diferent?
If I still had my original Ramones T shirt I would wear it. Sadly the last time I saw it, was covered in vomit in a french service station in 1982. A fitting epitaph I may add.
I wish I had seen this article sooner. Love it. I'm tired of approaching people and commenting on their shirts only to realize they have no idea what it's about. Brutal. I miss the days when people knew what they were representing and stood for it.
P.S. I've listened to Skrewdriver. I'm also not a Neo-Nazi. Their music is not too terrible. Pretty funny, actually.
Skrewdriver started off in the first wave of punk and split up in '79. The lead singer then joined the NF and reformed under the OI! banner, a genre of 'music' proselytised by that 'loveable rogue' Gary Bushell. Other OI! bands included the likes of the Four Skins and The Business who were playing the white power gig in Southall that kicked off the riots in '81. Bizarrely the OI! banner also covered committed socialist bands such as the Angelic Upstarts, and Bushell continued to claim that he was a socialist and not right wing. Whether he neglected to add the word 'national' to the epithet 'socialist' is debateable to this day given the continued far right following of bands under the OI! label, such as Skrewdriver. Who were/are shit by the way.
My Ramones T-Shirt is so washed out and light gray now that no one would mistake it for fashion and it also has some paint on it. I haven't seen any teenagers wearing a Sun Sid Vicious T shirt in probably 20 years or Peter and the Test Tube Babies for that matter
Is it any bigger a crime than wearing a tracksuit down the pub? Or trainers for that matter? Or work boots? Camouflage jackets? Down Parkas for the match rather than mountain climbing? It's all just fashion and, by definition, all unimportant. Ramones were shite too. Get a Clash T Shirt kids.
The main point of the article is that wearing a t-shirt by a band you don't listen to makes you an arsepiece. It's about posing. Empty gestures towards the ghost of an idea of coolness. Whether that band is shite NF/White Power punk or asinine MOR hair-metal doesn't matter. I hope that people nip Plan B's head about this for months to come as all he's managed to do is look like (more of) a cunt.
Oh and the Clash were rubbish, the high street dullards can have them.
This seems like a rant from someone who likes to think of themselves as some kind of musical connoisseur, one the 'I was there people'. Generally speaking the music industry is down the shitter, nothing is original anymore. But get off your high horse. People can wear what they without qualifaction. I wear Fred Perry... but never stepped foot on a tennis court.
