I don't really wear T-shirts.
I just don't really feel comfortable in them. Never have. Except when I'm painting a house or working out or just being lazy. My "house shirts" - the ones I wear around the house whilst "bumming around" are always button downs with the sleeves rolled up. The elbows may be worn through, but the sleeves are rolled up. Always.
I don't like slogans or labels or advertisements on my body either, and they seem to find their way onto T-shirts more often than not. So that's a reason too.
But I do see T-shirts sometimes and do I say to myself, "I'd wear that - that's a cool T-shirt."
I saw one about two years ago like that. Some dude in the East Village (or somewhere casual, i.e. NOT at a rock concert) and it said "LISTEN TO BLACK SABBATH" in white block letters on black fabric.
I told everyone I knew about it and the general consensus was "That's cool!" or "Figures you'd like that, James."
Black Sabbath isn’t even close to being my favorite band or anything, although, who can deny the absolute crushing mighty thunder and mystical heaviness of pre-1976 Osbourne, Butler, Iommi and Ward? Who? Who?? Who???
No one.
That's who.
And I like the gonzo-ness of it - the "why would anyone have a shirt that says that-ness" of it...
And the fact that it is a direct fucking order.
Last week I remembered the shirt in a fit of absolute corporate boredom and perhaps as an early birthday present to myself, or just a punk-rock reaction to what I was being paid to do, I Googled it.
"Listen to Black Sabbath"
It showed up today, and it kicks ass on me. It loves me WAY more than that dude that I saw in the East Village.
Because right now, I AM listening to Black Sabbath, recorded live in Asbury Park 20 days before my birthday, 1975.
Sweet.
3 comments:
dude... sweet.
Paranoid, back to front, is an absolute masterpiece.
sweet indeed. too bad they don't have that t-shirt in kids sizes. my son's favorite song lately is iron man. he can't get it out of his head. few things in the world are more precious than the sound of a 6-year-old stomping around the house growling, "has he lost his mind, can he see or is he blind!?"
I dont often reply to peoples blogs. I just read and then move on. But your post hit a chord with me. ROCK ON James! Nothing better than Ozzy before his glory. Congrats on the T-shirt. Maybe I will try a button down with the sleeves rolled up one day.
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