I was told by a shop clerk, 'You're the first person I've seen buy a band T-shirt because of the band'

My husband's T-shirts were so worn out and pathetic that I decided to buy him a new one.

My husband, who loves British music, owns mostly what are known as “band T-shirts” from musicians. And perhaps because of his deep love for British music, or maybe because he just takes good care of things, they are all uniformly worn out.

Among them, this “Joy Division” one is particularly tattered. It was (supposedly) black originally, but now it's so faded that you have to ask, 'What color is this?' It's pathetic. However, there is a reason why this T-shirt is much more damaged than the others, which I'll talk about later, but first, let me tell you about when I bought the new T-shirt.

Being told, 'You're the first person I've seen buy a band T-shirt because of the band'

I bought the new T-shirt at a shop in Kyoto. There was a “THE SMITHS” T-shirt at the storefront, and I bought it on the spot. When I told the young male clerk, 'My husband loves The Smiths,' he said, “You're the first person I've seen buy a band T-shirt because of the band,” and I was surprised.

“If you don't buy them for the band, why else would you buy them?!”
is what I wanted to say, but apparently, young people just buy them for the design at a glance. He said, 'If it's a metal band T-shirt, sometimes a guy in his 50s will ask me, 'Do you like them?''

But he himself listens to music from that era quite a bit because his father loves music. From what he said, his father is probably the same generation as us. I guess that makes sense; he's probably about the same age as my son. When I checked with my son (19 years old),

“Of course I buy them for the design. I thought Metallica was a clothing brand,”
he said, odapeth-san. It seems that's really the case.

It's not even a matter of 'wearing Metallica without knowing Metallica,' it's now a world where 'you're the first person I've seen choose a band T-shirt because of the band.' Being young is free.

What is 'THE SMITHS'?

For those young people who don't know “THE SMITHS,” The Smiths (hereinafter Smiths) are a British rock band formed in 1982. The members are from the working class of the industrial city of Manchester. The vocalist, Morrissey, is apparently a literary youth. You just have to love them for that alone. (I have a huge weakness for literary youths.)

A cover version of this song is also used at the end of the movie “THIS IS ENGLAND.” This movie is about a young protagonist who connects with friends through fashion and music, which eventually leads to violence and hate crimes. I was shocked to think that a longing for fashion could lead to that, and I had very complicated feelings after watching it.

But I felt that by playing this song at the end, it expressed the boy's helpless feelings while simultaneously hinting at the end of one era and the beginning of a new one, making this song a great hope and salvation.

“The Smiths” also appear effectively in the meeting scene of the movie “500 Days of Summer.” If that's how you meet, of course you'd fall in love. If you were listening to The Smiths on your headphones and such a cute girl started singing, 'I like The Smiths too,' that would be it. Her fashion is cute, too.

Speaking of movies, there is also an autobiographical movie about The Smiths called “ENGLAND IS MINE.” I haven't seen it, so I asked my husband for his thoughts.

Me: 'How was it?'
Husband: 'He was drinking tea every chance he got.'
Well, he is British, after all.

But is that really your takeaway?

Here are the Smiths T-shirts I bought. A white Smiths and a black Smiths. I'm going to wear them until they're threadbare anyway, so I bought two.

Which Smiths do you prefer?

Threadbare T-shirt Collection

Now, I'd like to introduce his threadbare T-shirt collection and the musicians behind them.

Joy Division

The aforementioned Joy Division. I'm sure some of you have seen this wave design on a T-shirt before. There are definitely plenty of people who wear this shirt without ever having listened to 'Unknown Pleasures'.

It's said to be a design of the radio pulse waveform first discovered from a neutron star in the direction of the constellation Vulpecula. I have no idea what that actually means.

It's also on the cover of the latest issue of Rockin'on.

What is 'Joy Division'?

Joy Division is a rock band that was formed in Manchester, England, in 1976. After the death of vocalist Ian Curtis, they reformed as 'New Order'.

And among my husband's threadbare T-shirts, this one is the most severely damaged.

When I took a picture with my iPhone, the dual-camera effect made the radio pulse stand out, making it look kind of cool, but in reality, it's quite worn out. I recall it originally being black, but it has faded so much that it's hard to describe what color it is now. The reddish appearance from the 'Division' part down to the sleeve isn't due to lighting; it's actually faded in that specific area. Like this.

Seen from behind, it looks just like a tie-dye T-shirt with a mottled finish.

The reason this T-shirt is so tattered isn't just because my husband has an exceptionally deep attachment to Joy Division. Actually, it's my fault.

One day, there was a sudden rain shower, and I rushed to bring in the laundry from the balcony. I think I must have forgotten to bring in this T-shirt at that time. It seems it was blown away by the wind and ended up in a blind spot. A few months later, the T-shirt was discovered crumpled in a corner of the balcony. After being exposed to the wind, rain, and sunlight while folded, it had faded in patches, looking almost like tie-dye.

It was a miserable sight, but knowing my husband loved this T-shirt, I rescued it from the balcony, gently washed it again, and secretly returned it to his wardrobe.

My husband, who generally doesn't worry about small details, started wearing the T-shirt again as if nothing had happened. (I'm confessing this here for the first time. I'm sorry.)

With that sense of guilt, whenever I see a T-shirt of a band or musician my husband likes, I diligently buy it as a way to make amends.

David Bowie 'Blackstar'

A T-shirt for the album 'Blackstar,' which was released two days before David Bowie passed away.

I'm not very knowledgeable about David Bowie's music, but his beautiful visuals and fashion are captivating.

This outfit was designed by Kansai Yamamoto. (The photo was taken with permission at the event venue.)

I bought the Blackstar T-shirt at this pop-up shop. Even now, the fashion and visual design look incredibly cool.

David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed

From the left: David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Lou Reed.

I bought this at a shop around Nakazakicho in Osaka. It looks nice when blurred in a photo, but actually, this one also has a hole in the shoulder. The ribbing around the neckline is also tattered. But this one is also still in active rotation.

Iggy Pop

Iggy Pop, in the center of the T-shirt, is a rock musician born in 1947 in the United States.

He sings the song that plays when Renton is running in Trainspotting, 'Lust for Life'. Whenever I hear this song, the image of Ewan McGregor running automatically comes to mind.

Ewan McGregor is so cool. He was also cool in T2 (Trainspotting 2).

Lou Reed

Lou Reed, on the far right, was a musician born in New York in 1942. Formerly of The Velvet Underground.

Lou Reed's "Perfect Day", produced by Bowie, is also used in an impressive scene in the movie Trainspotting.

"Perfect Day" is also covered in the Princess Diana movie "SPENCER". Combined with the music, it's just so sad and beautiful. The luxurious fashion and beautiful dresses are stunning. But that only emphasizes her loneliness.

This Lou Reed is said to have influenced the peaceful revolution in Czechoslovakia known as the "Velvet Revolution". Velvet is a type of fabric. In Japanese, it's called 'bet-chin'. It was named that because the revolution was carried out as smoothly, softly, and peacefully as this fabric.

Music influences people and sometimes changes the world. It was a heart-stirring documentary.

It's totally fine not to buy a band T-shirt at a band's concert

As you can see, the bands and musicians featured in T-shirt designs have enough influence that their songs are repeatedly used in important movie scenes, influence fashion, and sometimes even move society.

By wearing that as a T-shirt, something might be born within your own feelings, or maybe not.

You might confirm your love for the musician, gain a little courage, or sometimes it might be a conversation starter when someone asks, 'Oh, you like them?' Perhaps, like in (500) Days of Summer, you might have an unexpected encounter.

That is why I think it's totally fine not to buy a band T-shirt at a band's concert. Starting from the design or appearance, or starting from the form, is totally fine. Because I believe that is the fun and the role of fashion.

Bonus: My favorite T-shirts

Well, finally, let me introduce my favorite T-shirts.

Just as music lovers wear T-shirts with record jackets, why shouldn't university students studying literature wear the covers of their favorite books? That's the idea.

I bought this T-shirt at the Osamu Dazai Salon because I really liked it, but for some reason, my family hates it. That's strange. If I saw a literary youth wearing a T-shirt like this, I would definitely fall for them.

But something almost miraculous and funny happened while I was wearing this T-shirt, so I'll save that for another time.

▼ The story of when I went to the Osamu Dazai Salon

Even so, T-shirts are interesting, aren't they? They've become communication tools. I'm going to wear them a lot this summer too.

▼ Related note