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Forums > TShirt Talk

Why do YOU own band shirts?

aliceinferno
Fri, 10/10/2014 - 22:32

Hello fellow metallers,

I'm doing some research for my dissertation in third year of uni (ew) and I'm writing it about, you guessed it, band shirts!

So. In as many words as you do or don't want... why do you buy, own or collect band shirts? Why did you start? What got you into it? What lead you to purchase shirts? And for good measure... how many do you own?!

(For ethical reasons I will ask to use your comments in my research - if you have a problem with your views being used either withhold commenting or request that you are kept anonymous.)

Thank you!

\m/


g.dresche's picture

i like metal and i collect clothing anyways. design is what i do, i draw my inspiration a great deal out of metal merch, furthermore i love wearing it

J.j. Ratte's picture

I think this is the same question like asking people why they own cd's or vinyl. It's to support the band you like. Wearing a bandshirt for me is supporting the music I love and everytime I see the shirt it reminds me of the great music. I guess thats my answer ;)

LaUlvenDrepe's picture

I buy them if I genuinely enjoy the music it represents, AND I also have to like the design. That's about it.

toxik's picture

For me it's about supporting the bands i love,
I began Collecting shirts around 5 years ago (i was around 14 years old)
and most of my shirts are tour shirts and i buy them as a memory of the concerts and the bands,
it's a thing that you really can't explain but it's a feeling you get when getting a shirt or having specific shirts,
it's a Great Feeling and you need to experiance it to get it,

RavenEffect's picture

I guess its a combination of all the reasons mentioned here. I used to think it was purely for support but for quite a while I got settle on bootleging since almost everyone I would hang out with already knew these bands or they wouldnt care at all. Nowadays I just use them because that's what I like. It's a hard feeling to explain, I feel like it's a uniform.

Plague's picture

Because i like them.

DeathFuckinMetal's picture

If I like the band and the design is good (usually album artwork on front with logo up top) I'll buy the shirt and when I go to a gig I'll usually get a tour shirt to support the band. I like collecting shirts ( I have mostly tour shirts) just like I like collecting my concert tickets with tour posters ( if one is available at the show that is).

meaningless's picture

Supporting the bands i love and to 'show' what kind of bands/music i like...or where i saw them (@Tourshirts) ...Tourshirts are also a nice Memorie-keeper for me - since i rarely run around with a camera.
I woulnd call myself a Tshirt-collector..i just dont give mine away or sell them..haha..thats why i have some/a few/a lot (whatever u wanna call it) old stuff. ....and since my childhood..its something like a 'dresscode' for me. I am a metalhead..and god damn i wear metalshirts - all the time..and everywhere! (except Funerals or weddings..haha ;) )

Blüdrayne's picture

What else am I gonna wear???

joecubbie's picture

It's been an expression of the music I love.

BlueDemon's picture

+1

Nater90's picture

Howdy hoe, Welcome to TSS.

Well....I wear mine because "Main stream" clothes look shit as all fuck and all the designs that may look cool every man and his dog has the exact same shirt, Yes I know you can get this with band tops but its different because your showing your love for a part of you that most people don't understand. I mainly wear mine because I love music very much and I love album artwork / t shirt artwork its just very unique and takes effort to come up with a killer designed compared to other styles of clothing, Only time I don't have band merch on is fluro for work and Manchester United \m/ But wearing band tops helps me express who and what I am as a person, I have lost count how much I have spent on band tops but it would be the same if I dressed what real world people define as "normal" I don't care if I get looked at for some of the ones with fucked up artwork or get questions why I wear it, I just say its who and what I am and what I choose to wear till the day I die.

Regards,
NateR \m/

Living Dead Hedgehog's picture

I wear metal bands' shirts because I like their music. I collect them for the same reason and I prefer to support multiple bands, so it's rare for me to buy merch from a band if I already have a shirt from them.
90% of my shirts were bought from these bands' live gigs and for me it's kinda essential to buy stuff to show some support to them during their tour and to continue it with extra money they earn.
I usually buy shirts directly from the bands; I purchase longsleeves, tank tops and hoodies generally online (except festivals merch). It's also a souvenir for me, to remember how was the gig years before.
Also, last thing, I love the work of the illustrators (especially Grindesign) and I like wearing their creations on shirts.

Formshifter's picture

i remember my first shirt - some dorky blue weezer shirt with a robot on it. i wanted to have a memento of that night, even though i got crushed in the first song and had to crowd surf out from the second row, hitting my buddy in his glasses with my foot.

years later i got my first metal shirt (after collecting tons of metalcore and hardcore punk shirts) because i was standing in line for amon amarth wearing a red shirt and felt so fucking awkward with literally everyone around me wearing black. as soon as i got in i bought the best shirt they had and it felt like putting on armour. suddenly i was part of the club and could relax and enjoy myself. wore it to death over the next few weeks feeling so proud

Atomic_Assault's picture

Oh man, I can so relate to it feeling like 'putting on armour'. I was in the exact same situation in my first ever metal show (Iron Maiden at Twickenham - amazing night). Got in and picked up a Live after Death Tour shirt almost right away, and my life did it ever feel got putting that thing on. Like getting suited up for battle. Utterly glorious.

It wasn't so much about fitting in when I bought it, I just thought it looked cool, and wanted to show my support; but it definitely felt good to wear it, and feel like I was a little more part of it with everybody else, rather than just my friends who were there.

Heinz's picture

Bands and music I like, lifestyle sorta, also you don't see many metal shirts in the old folks' part of Florida, so something different.

I'm a sucker for a good XL longsleeve of a good band with print on the sleeves. They stay in good shape because, well, in Florida there are only a few months of the year to wear a longsleeve, LOL. I'm all about the original prints, which gets a bit expensive but ah, oh well.

What got me started was....finding tshirtslayer! \m/

PForx's picture

Bcuz they look soooo cool and vintage!!
Seriously though, I like cool bands and I like cool shirts. Therefore I like cool shirts from cool bands.

judascrust's picture

I started wearing them simply because i always thought hey looked cool; this music inspires some killer shirt designs so I just think they're cooler than plain, name-brand clothes; plus I've always been fascinated with musicians and music fans so when I see people wearing band shirts for music similar to my taste I think its cool.

when I was younger like when i was a teenager and just getting into this stuff I think its true I felt like it was akin to putting on armor, you know, proudly showing off what music I liked as a way of expressing my individuality and I always hoped wearing these shirts would earn me some attention and people would notice I was different or whatever.....I don't feel like that anymore, no one around me really cares so I just wear them because I still like them and I don't really care if people notice them or not. its always cool when someone notices and says "cool shirt" or whatever and I've had some nice talks with fellow metal fans over a t-shirt but I don't wear them to draw attention to myself.

I used to collect shirts by almost any/every band I liked, and amassed a pretty sizable amount, with multiple shirts for some bands (used to have a ton of slayer shirts or maiden shirts) but I start feeling like a hoarder if I collect too much stuff and start downsizing haha I've gotten rid of more than 1/2 of what I had - i mostly just wear shirts for local bands around my area, or tour shirts...of course I still keep a few shirts that aren't local bands or tour shirts though; my Misfits and Bathory shirts for example, 2 of my all time favorites or Exodus "Bonded by Blood" or Morbid Angel "Blessed are the Sick" shirts, albums I hold in very high regards, a few others that fit in those categories but other than that I don't wear many "big name" shirts anymore.

Faber's picture

Mostly to sleep in it. Or on an easy day. Or sometimes on festivals, but I wear mostly black shirt, black dress shirts (but the casual versions), or a grey vest. I'm a hipster.

bad_american1992's picture

The printing makes man boobs less evident.

gizter's picture

+100

Morbid_Welshman's picture

I collect them because I love the Music, Tour shirts always help maintain good memories, to support the bands I love and because Metal of course, has the best artwork of any genre :)

cambotero's picture

>holly shit I fucking love Napalm Death
>must get a Napalm Death shirt as fast as a shark
>everybody have to know that i fucking love Napalm Death

you can use that.

HERBROCKS's picture

I like to show people what bands they should listen to by wearing a shirt :)

VoodooChild's picture

Because I support bands whose music I like and listnen to with it and besides, the designs look good IMO so that's a plus.

MattCore_13's picture

It started for me as a kid in the 80's and being obsessed with Iron Maiden. We used to hit up the flea markets and any stores that would sell metal shirts and they were addicting. It is kind of like advertising what kind of music you love and telling they world what you are into. The shirts themselves make a statement (literally and figuratively) to the rest of the world relative to how we want to be seen. Sometimes the shirts are saying things about what we might be feeling- everyone has a rhyme or a reason behind what one you choose to wear on any particular day. They are perfect in a sense, because it does make a statement for us, without having to open our mouths.

They are a part of metal culture that we can not escape from, especially because we are so passionate about our music. Metal isn't something you can get out of your blood and the shirts are like our second skin or armor. They are like tattoos except we can have a differnt one every day. They can also express our memories of times from our own lives that gave us happiness, whether we saw a great show once upon a time, or they are of a record or band we simply love and wish to support.

I also just don't give a fuck and I'm going to be a metal head until I die, so I might as well have a closet full of the shit I love, just because I'm gonna die one day and it makes me happy goddammit. So there you go... Put that shit in your paper!

MenstrualBubbles's picture

Because there needs to be more than just supporting the band by collecting their CD's. If you really appreciate the band and love the music, buy a CD and their shirt! You never know how rare it may be to have in the long run and it is always good to get them noticed to the public more rather than blasting it from car speakers. Besides, people appreciate a change in scenery of a typical day out in public. It is always good to see someone in a metal shirt rather than a plain colored shirt.

LifeOfDeath's picture

I want to support bands I like and of course I also like the way they look. Sometimes I buy bootlegs too, but obviously for aesthetic reasons only.

atrophythrasher's picture

the artwork of course ;-)

Oldschool Crew's picture

The true metal armour never been fasionable and never will be ,so our metal brothers and sisters are the best looking motherfuckers ! Stay true and keep following your bands ! \mm/

An Overdose Of Mkultra's picture

1. to support bands
2. to show that i like aforementioned bands
3. as a way to "signal" other metalheads that we are one and the same, lol
4. i like the look (as in, artwork/print/whatever)
5. normal clothing is boring

I started seriously collecting maybe 4-5 years ago. I have somewhere around 90 band shirts right now.

Bayernpirat's picture

to show my dedication

bls-georg-pantera's picture

Because I love the music/band and the print haha, what else? I couldn't care less if people think i'm ''true'' for wearing a shirt or not

dcau2003's picture

I usually buy band shirts when I see the band live. It's that feeling you get (well for me personally) when you enjoying and sometimes singing along to the band's music at a gig; buying their merchandise knowing that at least a chunk of the proceeds will go straight to the band itself.

Also, I'm a sucker for tour date prints on the shirt as well. It's like owning a piece of a fashionable memento from a live show.

Oldschool's picture

To display that the band is part of my identity.
I think it's essential to see other people's musical taste to get contact
whether it is through talking about it or wearing their merch you know what '' soundtrack '' people have in their lives.
But don't get me wrong it doesn't have to mean that everyone who likes doom metal naturally has a gloomy attitude, not indeed
it's just which things that person is passionate for on his path.

And as Camboterno simply described, when being overwhelmed by a band most people want that to last by buying some merch of theirs which is in many cases shirts to show their emotion with it.

stenchcore massive's picture

Because everything else is false.

corpseflesh's picture

I like the originality of it. It's who I am. I love wearing a shirt of an album or band which I have memories of or that has got me through some really tough times. Supporting the band too especially buying the merch at their gigs because at the end of the day there is no money or hardly any money in metal. It's an addiction aswell and I love original prints which probably drains the money a bit more haha.

Ngejo69's picture

Mainly because I like them but also that I have a way to remember the shows when I see them live.
Kind of a souvenir or memorabilia.

At first, I would buy shirts from each band that I like when I see them live as a way to support the bands but after a while it started to get too much for my dresser and I decide to buy only buy shirts with tour dates or designs I really like.

I should have approx. 170. Never really counted them.

Paprika Jancsi's picture

I need clothes and t-shirts are quite comfortable and easy to wear. And I prefer ones with pretty pictures on them.

THMManiac's picture

The initial reason was because I just wanted my favourite bands name displayed all of the time, I loved the first band I got into so much I just wanted to scream it out to people all of the time and a shirt with them on the front seemed like the best way to go about that. I didn't want special attention or anything, didn't want a pat on the back or everyone in the room to stop and look at me, I just wanted people to recognize the existence of what I thought was pure brilliance. I only had shirts of this ONE band which wont be named to avoid starting an internet war.

After that, About middleschool is when more bands came and I realized I would rather pour my cash into a great bands name rather than some stupid fashionable brand that all the dumb kids who used to fuck with me think is "cool" or "Extra Phresh.....dawg". those brands make millions off people anyways, on an economic level what difference does it make if I'm not "cool" or "swag"? My eyes began to open to where money goes and what it buys.

and now I have grown up and I realize Its a great way to show your support, connect with individuals on the streets if they know the band, or if they want to know the band. But now i put em on without even thinking about why I do it. It has become so deeply rooted into my identity I just don't care anymore. some people even in metal think its a stupid superficial way to go about it but what fucks do I give? same group of metalheads who you catch standing in the back of shows with their arms crossed, too cool and cynical to let lose. I never gave a fuck about other metal heads when I put my first band shirt on anyways, Who did?......theres why you will never ever catch me in a plain shirt. Its always Of something I love. Whether its a band, or a horror movie.

Frozen Fire's picture

I like to express my love and support for bands I like, and a lot of the designs are very nice, like pictures of favorite albums or a nice simple logo shirt. I started really collecting them around 4 years ago, not sure how many I have now, but the collection is steadily growing.
There's a possibility to connect to other metal fans too, if they comment on the shirt (happened in my school).

VoodooChild's picture

whats up with reviving all these zombie topics :P

Frozen Fire's picture

I didn't even notice it was posted in 2014, guess he's done with his dissertation. lmao

Heinz's picture

I like the music, and they look kewl. Simple as that! :)

Croby's picture

Simple, combining pleasure with support for the bands, same goes for every other band merch, not just shirts :D

nwobhmbanger's picture

Band shirts are good conversation starters. I just wear them because I don't like any other kind of shirt.

imfan1975's picture

To represent and support my favorite bands.

Chainbreaker's picture

As a memento of shows I've been to. I rarely wear them though, except for gardening or going to gigs (the ones that aren't waaay to big). Mostly because they are way to big ( I'm a skinny guy:-() and the sleeves are too long so when I wear them it looks as though I have wings and I'm wearing a football jersey. In the 90ies you could get away with it, since all clothes were to big, but nowadays, it just looks plain stupid. I'm glad some bands are selling smalls nowadays and t-shirts sizes have shrunk, so today I have more luck in finding one that actually fits and I can wear outside my yard .:-)

ZAKRAT's picture

To cover my hairy back and nips, duh :-P

Nater90's picture

Zakrat - Defender of nipples.

Chainbreaker's picture

Zakrat - Sparer of eyes ;-)

ZAKRAT's picture

Hahaha, just thinking of u guys, and the rest of the human race :-)

Nater90's picture

I'm not human, I'm a bunch of molecules in the shape of a human ;)

ZAKRAT's picture

Fair enough :-P

Jaybe666's picture

I totally support this answer

Salumae's picture

because I'm a die-hard-fan

nameless_rites's picture

So I can walk around my house with literally nothing else on and scare the shit out of delivery people.

Cosmoblaze's picture

Music is my passion. I do it to show support for bands I love.

An Overdose Of Mkultra's picture

Well, I started out because I wanted to show the world how much I liked certain bands. Simple as that. I got a few as a kid for that reason, then when I was 11 I became obsessed with Rammstein and started buying all their shirts, which is what set the ball rolling. I used to only buy them if I really loved the band and the design, and that has for the most part remained true, but now I buy shirts for any band that I like- to support the band, as a "signal" of sorts to their other fans, and just because. I currently own somewhere between 150 and 170 shirts.

kresctilon's picture

I buy shirts because i like the album, design and the band in general. I only have over a dozen shirts, but i will keep adding to my collection. The first two band shirts i bought were Slipknot and Metallica. Although, i sold both of them years ago because i started listening to more extreme music and kind of lost interest in them. I recall buying the shirts because i thought they looked cool. I had no idea what it was about (I am going to get heckled at now...). Nowadays, i only buy shirts i have at least a bit of knowledge of and not blindly buy anything just because it looks "cool".

Bayernpirat's picture

weil ich es kann

Nater90's picture

Ja!

satan's radish's picture

I don't collect shirts. I buy shirts to wear them. Social signaling, simple as that. Humans are social creatures. Shirts which represent my taste in music (or any other aspect of art and pop culture) and what I consider to be "cool" give me a (rather delusional) sense that I appear "cooler" to other people. Not just random people on the street, but specifically other people who like the same things I do.

Wearing band shirts, kuttes, and whatever other accoutrements and appurtenances you can think of, helps people will common interests identify one another and make connections, as trivial and absurd as picking the motivations apart reveals it to be.

I often find myself getting way too concerned with "perfecting" my outward appearance, and it suddenly hits me how incredibly naive and short-sighted all the fuss is in the grand scheme of things. We're all gonna die anyway, right? It's the same way with record collecting... It seems to fill some kind of short-sighted, primitive, materialistic/status-asserting void, but a part of me knows it's all worthless crap that's going to get vaporized by the sun in a few million years.

Chainbreaker's picture

Well put!

Kvlt_ured_Gentleman's picture

I get them to show support for the bands on the shirt and because I like the design. I'll also buy tour shirts when possible to show that I was there, additionally, I sometimes make shirts to sow what I'm into and because it's an interesting diversion. I like to show what I'm into through my shirts to "signal" if you will to anyone else who might be into this music because it can lead to some interesting conversations and even free stuff this one time. Good luck with your dissertation by the way.

Influx's picture

I like to get shirts sort of as an, "I was there" unfortunately as a college student I couldn't always afford the shirt at the time so I am trying to buy all the tour shirts I missed.

Usually though I \use the shirt like my 'calling card' just to see who likes what in an area while I am hanging out.

Also the shirts they are printed on are usually pretty high quality so a lot of my band shirts have lasted me longer than some of my regular shirts so like, I like that.

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