Life On Mars

I cannot explain how much I love David Bowie even though, back in the seventies, he looked like your average androgynous anime male, he still has a special place in my heart. I could stare into his mismatch eyes all the time and see the stars therein.

RikkiB (her dingo ate her baby) designed the shirt for Myke D, who runs In the Dryer, has this amalgamation of Ziggy Stardust and Marilyn Monroe. RikkiB also has another spankin' shirt for sale on Tee Fury. This has been a good week for her.

Monies: US$21 (In the Dryer), US$9 (Tee Fury)

Where is The Jaunty Scamp?

"Seriously. Where the fuck is he?"

I was occupied. My bad. I apologize profusely to the two readers that read this regularly.


Meanwhile, may I introduce you to Bad As Hell Clothing that has this shirt of Mack the Knife, who has such teeth dear, and it shows them pearly white...

Monies: US$17

The Queen is Dead

I love me some Morrissey.

Monies: US$15

PS: Does anybody still know what his sexual orientation is? They guy changes like a chameleon stuck in a rainbow.

What I Got - Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction

Let's rap about Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction (AAMR).


The Philadelphia store takes its namesake from German cultural critic Walter Benjamin's essay title. If you happen to be forced to take art criticism as a minor (like me), you'll know that Benjamin is concern with how mass reproduction could affect the "aura" of the art.

For example, is seeing a picture of the Mona Lisa the same as seeing the real McCoy in the Lourve? Do you still get the same experience? Does copying art change its "artfulness?"

So this was what I got, which I gathered, someone else out there already has.

They probably have the same press kits that I have...

... which contained the same CD of their catalogs or the same press releases or the same artists portfolio of Alex Lukas or Thom Lessner, whose shirt that I'll get into in a minute.


The only thing that was individualized was this lovely card addressed to me though someone did point out to me that the letters of GyroWorldWide (the marketing geniuses behind AAMR) logo is an anagram for ORGY. Sure I could have come up with ROY G. but that wouldn't be funny.

Where was I? Oh, yeah. The shirt.


This is it.

Some of you might be wondering what's the deal with the Rod Stewart tranny? Well, ignoramus, prepare to be schooled. This is an amalgamation of Patrick Nagel and Diamond Dave. It's Lessner's tribute to the 80's. Sure, I might get puzzled stares from the public eye and some might wrongly attribute the person to Axel Rose or a fat [insert any hair metal musician] but that doesn't take away the specialness of the shirt.


What I found weird was the tags of the shirt. You have the AAMR tag sewn onto an American Apparel shirt with the tag still attached... it doesn't seem to mesh. One of them needs to go.

In conclusion, I love the shirt design. Lessner makes pretty cool shit. And you can see from the rest of AAMR's lineup, that the artistic creativity is being pushed to new boundaries. I mean, have you not seen this and not want to punch a hole into space and time and just retrieve the shirt for your ownself?

Not only is AAMR prudent in who they get to design the shirts, they're also professional in terms of getting their name out. The press kit that I got from them tells me that they know what they're doing, it tells you that they're cool to do business with.

And in a time where t-shirt sites are a dime and a dozen, Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction is one of the few sites that manages to retain its "aura."

Thrill Her

You don't hear from Michael and then all of a sudden his Thriller album returns for a 25th anniversary hoorah.

Listening to the re-mastered album, I kinda miss the good old days of Michael back when he had a tan and was able to breathe out through a nose.

Even Zombie Michael from the Thriller music video looks better than Michael-of-now.

Monies: US$22

Lightning Beatman!

I have no idea how the musician Lightning Beatman sounds but making snap judgments on the t-shirt alone, I beat they rock so hard, they make your ears feel good and dirty.

Monies: €24,90 US$37

Rebus on a T-Shirt

T-Shirts can be puzzles too! Take this little neat rebus from ohno clothing in Sweden. Do you know what catchy tune it's displaying?

Monies: €23 or US$34

What I Got - Tasty Tees' Radiohead

Did I mention that I got this in the mail from Tasty Tees?


Did I also mention Tasty Tee have an offer where you mail them your own t-shirt and choose any of their designs to be printed on said t-shirt for only US$7, which includes shipping and handling?

Didn't think so.

What I Got - Dance Party Massacre

A while back, I did a post on Alex Dakoulas' new line Dance Party Massacre (DPM) and he was so nice and filled with the joy of Christmas that he sent me a little something something.


Within were...


... badges, t-shirt, stickers and a bunch of cards.


The front of said card...


... and the back. Isn't it nice that you immediately get the gist of the company's manifesto as well as the line-up of what he have to offer.


There are also buttons.


Now I can't get enough of the t-shirt. You don't get to see that kind of blood splatter that often and I'm glad Dakoulas is bringing it back.

I wore that t-shirt in public and someone asked me if that's a band, which it's understandable. Dance Party Massacre does sound like a band. An emo band, if any.

On the inside of the t-shirt is the logo for DPM.

Wait a minute! Zoom in!


Arrgh! There's... still... tag... remnants... must adhere to... new year's resolution... and not be a... bitch about every... little... thing... ack!

Okay. So, overlooking the slight tag remains, this entire package feels so professionally put together, even though the company was launched las Halloween. There's a really nice theme going on. The advertisement doesn't seem in-your-face. You can also see the little details put into this like the card tag attached to the t-shirt....


And for the curious, here's the back...


... and here's the front. Doesn't it look similar? The image of the Gonzo Fist symbol of Hunter S. Thompson immediately comes to mind.

See?

This is the love of horror mixed with tongue set firmly in cheek. Dakoulas respects the genre but also knows how to have fun with it. Designs are printed on high-quality cotton (Dakoulas says it's AA but doesn't want to broadcast it). I'm keen to see the next line of designs he has.

I give this several (severed) thumbs up.

Happy New Year!

Thought I start the new year with a t-shirt-themed music video, which I found via Director File's top ten videos for 2007.


This is D.A.N.C.E by Justice. Video after the clicky.

The Radiohead Creed

How much did you pay for the latest Radiohead's album? Did you pay according to how awesome the band is or didja scrooge out? It's a fascinating experiment. Giving the consumer a choice. Tasty Tees is back, going the Radiohead route and letting you have a say in how much you wanna pay.

They are accepting orders up till December the 1st, then they'll print and send the tees out to you just in time for the holidays.

The minimum is US$1.00 (for the shipping and handling). And I think the offer is only applicable for US citizens.

Correction: Minimum you have to pay is US$5 and it's only valid for residents in the US. now available for both local and international, as long as your price is greater than US$11 to cover shipping costs.

Monies: It's up to you.

Back in the Day

Back in the day, we clubbed women on the head instead of flowers and roses.

Also...

Back in the day, Michael Jackson was black. And not weird.

Monies: US$28

Gangsta!

I believe that most conflicts can be easily solved by good dialogue. You know, a little sit down, talkie-talkie over dinner without the fear of a gun hidden in the water tank of the men's room. A few sessions of converse and it should be resolved.

If only Tupac and Biggie were to talk to one another and not rap about busting a cap in the other's ass.

BFF tee from Hot Pink Pistol.
Monies: US$22

Rotten to the Core

I'm glad the Sex Pistols are doing a reunion tour (though I wish they can dig up and reanimate Sid). I'm still gobsmacked from watching The Filth and the Fury, a documentary of the history of the Sex Pistols. Real riveting stuff.

Show your love for the grand-daddies of disestablishment by wearing a tribute from 57thirtythree.

The design isn't a screenprinting. Instead, it's hand stenciled and sprayed making each one as unique as a snowflake.

Sorry. I mean, a punk, rioting snowflake.

Monies: US$55

Dead Head

I got an e-mail about a little something-something from Fader magazine. Some of you hipsters would know Fader, being the repository of all things new and cool has Jerry Garcia on their latest issue 46 and to commemorate it, they're selling t-shirts for you Deadheads out there.

The t-shirt is designed by Si Scott, who does this mind-blowing calligraphy.

Monies: US$25

The Garfield Syndrome

Don't cut your wrists! Here's something to start chase them Monday blues away!

This is a t-shirt blog, where I chronicle stuff that are t-shirt-y in nature. Attus Apparel somewhat falls out of that jurisdiction (they're polo tees! oh my!) but a little deviation never hurt anyone.

If you're tired of seeing a laurel leaf or a crocodile on your polo tees Attus Apparel might have something for you. They are loud and snarky, the kind of logo your sainted mother would sternly advised against or disallow on the golf green.

Designs include The Hesher, The Jerk (nothing to do with Steve Martin) and me own personal favorite shown above, The Sid (RIP, you crazy punk bastard, you!)

Monies: US$54

And in other news...

I Love Waterloo has two new tees of The Who (above) and Trainspotting. And since this is a post about deviation, they also have short shorts for the ladies. Men are welcome to buy and wear it themselves.

Monies: US$24.95 (t-shirt) US$19.95

TheAnti has put out a new t-shirt (the maskman tee) by Noah Skillz from their contest where you can vote for your next favorite design. It's like American Idol but without an inebriated Paula.

Monies: US$15

Pinky is Dead

We like Huzzah Goods because a) we like saying "Huzzah" and b) they print out t-shirts like this.

That's right. According to certain people still living in their parents' basement, they purported that Pinky died and was replaced with a double.

Idiots.

And in other news in Huzzah Goods world, there's also a Image Stolen by Todd Goldman t-shirt.* The mind boggles when one asks if stealing somebody's schtick of stealing other people's artwork be immoral if you're donating 100% of the t-shirt profits to the Boston Arts Academy?

Huzzah Goods also have a competition where you send in your coolest original Nintendo-theme design. If they choose yours, you get a free t-shirt of your choice. Send designs to mailbag [at] 4colorrebellion.com

Deadline is April 27.... uh-oh. Get to it.

Monies: US$16


* If you're not in the know about Todd Goldman, I shake my head at you and direct you to the whole sordid mess.

I Predict a Riot

I have a deeper appreciation for people who have fun doing what they like. You don't see much of that now.

Now a days, you get people stuck in the rat race. Stuck in the cubicle, the fluorescent light flickering out secret Morse for ways you can kill yourself. They stare blankly at the computer screen wishing for a better job, a fun job, not this soul-sucking environ, they are stuck in until retirement.

So it doesn't matter what line of work you're in. Whether it be a fast food joint or jacking off horses (for Science!) as long as you love it, carry on working / playing. These are the small joys you get in life.

And just like the friendly people at Sub Urban Riot, it seems like their unending joy is spilled onto the canvas of their t-shirts. You can see the fun in their fabric. Wear their happy. God knows, you need it for your next Casual Friday or summer vacation.

Monies: US$15 - US39

Sly Rockets in Flight

Remember that Kanye West's rant at the MTV Europe Music Awards when his video, "Touch the Sky" didn't win best video? I think I would be mad too, if I pumped a million dollars into the shoot, wrangled Pam Anderson and jumped over a freakin' canyon and not win anything for it.

I love the man's music but throwing a hissy fit about not winning only makes him look like a bitch. Well, Mr West, your achievement in Touch the Sky will live long in a t-shirt from The Royal Teez.

Note that this tee is currently only available through email order. Drop them an email to place an order via check, money order or PayPal.

Monies: US$20

Roger Wilco

There's something rather odd about Roger Carter.

First off, they don't make a lick of sense. They're similar to those Japanese t-shirts with English writing on them like, "Forever Coconut Boy. Good Time!" accompanied with a picture of a duck.

That's how it feels when I visit Roger Carter but is there a method to their t-shirt madness like J'Adore Pop?

Heavens to Murgatroyd, I hope so.

Current t-shirts are printed on American Apparel. New ones will be printed on Alternative Apparel.

Monies: US$26