• Bluefruit@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    I dont really understand why you would buy a band tee if you don’t know or like the band. Seems kinda weird to me but if that’s what you wanna do, fine. Maybe the album art is cool? Idk man you do you.

    I kinda get why people get upset when someone wears one and they dont know any songs but at the same time, doesn’t really seem worth it to “call them out”.

    Just dont be surprised if someone asks what your favorite song from them is if you’re wearing the bands merch.

    • Lath@kbin.earth
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      2 years ago

      Bought it for the pretty colours. Or it was free. Or a gift. Or it’s your partner’s and you filched it from their dresser. Or it looked presentable enough to go out in public. Or you had no idea it was about a band, but the words remind you of an inside joke.

      • Kusimulkku@lemm.eeBanned
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        2 years ago

        Seems like another thing where it’s mainly people online or out of the actual situation getting bothered by it, when in real life it could just be

        “Oh you like (band)?”

        “No, I just thought the shirt looked cool.”

        “Oh, okay.”

        Then you could even reply with “so do you like them” and they might reply with “Fuck no, I hate them, they’re dogshit, not only do th…”. True story, was a really interesting convo though lol. But I’m not a woman so I don’t think I get as often questioned like that. Would probably get more annoying if I was.

        • Devi@kbin.social
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          2 years ago

          As a girl who sometimes wears band shirts, there’s a certain type of guy, and it’s always a metal band, and he’ll walk straight up to you and go “Can you name the first album?”, “Can you name the drummer?”, and of course the most common “Can you name three songs?”. It’s not a nice friendly chat, you know you’re being quizzed. They’re checking if you’re ‘worthy’.

          Yet I’ve been with guy friends who wear metal shirts every single day, and it never happens to them. Most they get is “Hey! Great band!”

          • Sombyr@lemmy.zip
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            2 years ago

            As a trans woman, it felt like a culture shock to go from being able to talk to guys about my interests without being constantly questioned pretransition, to now being quizzed and told I’m doing things wrong every time I mention a hobby of mine to 90% of guys, even well intentioned ones. They don’t even realize they’re doing it most of the time.

    • jjjalljs@ttrpg.network
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      2 years ago

      I have several shirts I bought at a band’s show. I liked them live. I couldn’t tell you the name of any of their songs.

      • NotSteve_@lemmy.ca
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        2 years ago

        Lol that’s me as well. Half my wardrobe is shirts I bought at concerts from bands I haven’t listened to since

    • tsonfeir@lemm.ee
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      2 years ago

      Right? You’re a fan—I’m a fan—let’s talk in depth about the band 😇

    • snooggums@midwest.social
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      2 years ago

      Why do people buy brand name clothing if they don’t know the founders or current CEO and can’t accurately describe their marketing approach?

  • MrJameGumb@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    I hate to sound like a cranky middle aged man, but that’s exactly what I am so… Why does everyone now buy shirts for bands they’ve never heard and probably wouldn’t even like if they did hear them?

    I agree it’s kind of shitty to interrogate someone about their T-shirt, so I never say anything about it but it just doesn’t make sense to me…

    I don’t walk around wearing shirts for Taylor Swift or Jason Aldean because I don’t listen to their music and I don’t want people to assume that I do because then they might want to talk to me about it lol

    • gibmiser@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Turn your brain down a little.

      The shirts look cool. I see a cool shirt, maybe I don’t care about the band and it just looks cool. So what.

      • HessiaNerd@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        So… Expect people who are interested in that band to start a conversation? Some will be shitty about it (name 3 songs), some will be better (hey I love that band, saw them back in '98).

        If you have no idea about the band, it may seem like a challenge. Like some middle aged guy chasing you. Really I think it’s just people reaching out trying to connect with fellow humans. Some do it shittily, sure. But the impulse in its purist is to make a friend.

    • Yrt@feddit.de
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      2 years ago

      Cause they look cool, bands sell the rights to big clothing companies so it’s available, labeled as fashion and often cheap. If you walk into a Walmart and see a cool looking Metallica shirt for 10 bucks, why do you have to know the band or songs of it?

      I myself also only buy band merch from bands I really like. But I buy it on festivals, concerts or on the internet after I looked for a specific shirt. So my ways of buying this stuff is completely different from fashion oriented people.

    • Fredselfish@lemmy.worldBanned
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      2 years ago

      Once saw someone wearing a Friends T shirt. They never heard of the show. So not just bands now either. Today’s kids just do this and I don’t know why. Fuck we are old.

      • zarkanian@sh.itjust.works
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        2 years ago

        Did they think it was a shirt about friendship? Like “Oh, here’s a shirt about having friends! I enjoy having friends, so I will wear it!”

        Maybe all those young people wearing Nirvana shirts are Buddhists lol

    • xantoxis@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      and probably wouldn’t even like if they did hear them

      Yes, you’re cranky. Rethink this ethos. Never mind whether you can tell that someone hasn’t heard a band, you absolutely do not have the psychic ability to tell what someone likes from how old they are.

    • Edgarallenpwn@midwest.social
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      2 years ago

      Band shirts are usually a good ice breaker for me. Met a lot of cool people and close friends by them talking to me about a shirt I wore. I only buy band shirts of people I really like so it leads to good conversations usually.

      I learned to not ask people about band shirts though unless they are obscure-ish. It was fun a few years ago talking to people about Misfits who thought it was just a brand. I personally don’t understand why people would wear a band shirt because the pattern is cool, but it doesn’t really upset me anymore.

      Edit: except shirts that use the Unknown Pleasures design. I saw one awhile that used the design, but the lines made a bird and said “Love” at the bottom. My wife had to escort me out of the store before I made a fool of myself.

      • kamenlady@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        Just before your edit, i wanted to write about Unknown Pleasures. I didn’t see the bird love version, but lots of other versions and i don’t think, they all got the idea from The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Astronomy.

        It doesn’t really bother me, i just somehow feel bamboozled by the sight of it.

    • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Because many of these bands’ symbols and logos are culturally iconic. It’s not my style but still

      Also idk I just assume people listen to the band if they wear the shirt. I don’t bother them about it either. Like if you see me in a hemispheres shirt no I don’t want do discuss Cygnus pt2 with a stranger on the street, especially not one who likes rush enough to stop a lady on the street to discuss their music.

  • The_Tired_Horizon@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    I come from the Grunger generation where you’d only wear the bands you loved. I dont get why you’d wear a band shirt of a band you werent listening to.

    Had a kid (well early 20s) come into work in a Nirvana smiley shirt a few years back. I said “Oh you like Nirvana, then?” (paraphrased as it was a couple of years back)

    “What’s that?”

    “Your shirt.”

    “What??”

    “You’re wearing an old band’s shirt!”

    “No its not.” Side-eyes me as she walks off. I was just excited as I thought someone was into the music. Ahh well.

    • Black616Angel@feddit.de
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      2 years ago

      Sometimes you just don’t know if it’s band merch or just a cool thing.

      An ex used to wear an “are you dead yet” sticker on her boot. She didn’t even know the band children of bodom and thought it was just cool.

    • jonne@infosec.pub
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      2 years ago

      I noticed a lot of Indians like to wear Nirvana t-shirts, and I think that’s actually hilarious.

  • Sanctus@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    I love wearing popular merchandise and acting like I have no idea what it is. It sends everyone around me into a fit of despair when I act like I don’t know what my Star Wars shirt is.

    • ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Tbh though I don’t understand buying merchandise for something you don’t know about. Like why do so many people but Nirvana shirts yet couldn’t pick out a Nirvana song?

      I’m not hating I’m just fuckin confused at the thought process.

      • RampantParanoia2365@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        Tbf, I grew up in the 90s, and I know plenty of Nirvana. One time someone noticed my Nirvana shirt and asked my favorite song. I totally blanked on everything except Teen Spirit and…Rape Me.

        • Bunnylux@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          I would say rape me unironically and without blinking. That’s what you get for asking.

        • ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          Yeah but at least you know a couple songs. I’m talking about the people that straight up buy merchandise without having a single clue what they’re buying.

          Like if I’d never used a DeWalt tool in my life but slapped their stickers on everything I owned. Why would I expect any less than people asking me about DeWalt? Why would I get upset about people asking me my favorite DeWalt tool?

        • Moneo@lemmy.world
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          2 years ago

          I’ve done the same, favourite songs are overrated imo. My ‘favourite songs’ change all the time and half the time I’m just picking a relatively obscure song that I like atm. It sounds way cooler if I say my favourite radiohead song is Kid A instead of Karma Police.

      • Psychadelligoat@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 years ago

        At least the smiley logo is far enough away from public consciousness that it just looks like your standard alt/punk rock logo at this point, so many people are likely buying them without even realizing

      • Moneo@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        Personally I think it’s way cooler to wear shit you actually know about but I get it. It’s a vibe.

        It’s like how I wore skate shoes in elementary school even though I didn’t skate or even know anything about skate culture.

  • Pat_Riot@lemmy.today
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    2 years ago

    I have a Cowboy Bebop shirt. I have not watched Cowboy Bebop. The shirt was on sale and I needed an emergency shirt. I wear my Cowboy Bebop shirt without shame or remorse.

  • girl@sopuli.xyz
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    2 years ago

    People wear shirts they don’t know much about because they like the color, fit, and/or design. Pretty simple.

  • DerisionConsulting@lemmy.ca
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    2 years ago

    I had a friend back in high school who did this to a girt wearing a Nirvana shirt. He made her name 10 songs that weren’t “Smells like Teen Spirit”. He said she was a “fake fan” who shouldn’t be allowed to wear/buy the shirt because of the 10 songs she named, one of them was a cover.

      • snooggums@midwest.social
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        2 years ago

        They sure were!

        Their covers were a fresh take that were different enough from the source to be their own take, and qhile calling them covers is technically accurate but saying “Nirvana’s version” of the song is a better description.

    • Kelly Aster 🏳️‍⚧️@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      Fun fact: Nirvana covered Led Zeppelin’s “Heartbreaker” at their first show at a house party in in 1987. They were playing cover songs since day one. Heck, nearly half the tracks on Unplugged are covers.

      • Aqarius@lemmy.world
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        2 years ago

        Hell, knowing “The man who sold the world” is a cover is the mark of a Bowie fan, not a Nirvana fan.

        • beardown@lemm.ee
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          2 years ago

          Cobain literally says “that’s a David Bowie song” after they play it. It’s on the recording. Anyone who is a nirvana fan would then know that because he spoonfeeds it to you

    • everett@lemmy.ml
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      2 years ago

      because of the 10 songs she named, one of them was a cover

      I mean, this sounds like a joke that went over everybody’s heads.

    • root_beer@midwest.social
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      2 years ago

      The best song, hands down, on their Unplugged set is a cover and it makes me wish Kurt had cleaned up, gotten better, and made a whole album of his interpretation of old blues songs. It could have been fuckin’ incredible.

  • Spendrill@lemm.ee
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    2 years ago

    My mate was out at a book launch for a musician and one of the young bar staff was wearing a t-shirt of a punk band from the 70’s. He was having a good natured banter with her and pointed at the shirt saying, “Like you know who that is.”
    “That’s my Dad.” she said.
    I have a funny picture of them posing for a selfie together afterwards.

  • Zozano@lemy.lol
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    2 years ago

    My mother in law gave me this shirt, not knowing it was anime.

    I’ve never seen a single episode of Gundam, but I occasionally receive compliments from people and don’t have the heart to tell them I’m not as cool as they think I am.

    2024-03-29-11-02-47-157_1

    • GoosLife@lemmy.world
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      2 years ago

      That’s a fucking awesome shirt and I love the design, even though I’ve also never watched an episode of Gundam

  • southsamurai@sh.itjust.works
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    2 years ago

    Well, I’m an old fuck, and I don’t give a fuck.

    I made a friendly acquaintance with a cashier at the local grocery because he was wearing a band shirt and didn’t actually know anything about the band. Offered to introduce him to some of their stuff, he liked it, and now we talk music when I go there.

    Now, I will say that if you’re going to wear a shirt portraying something that’s part of pop culture like a band or movie, you need to be open to conversations about it, same as you would with anything else you’re advertising on your body. You wear a Cowboys hat, expect football discussions, even if it was just something you found, you dig?

    • trashcan@sh.itjust.works
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      2 years ago

      That’s a good move. Something in the artwork resonated enough for them to put in on their body and I think of how many times intriguing artwork was what drove me to listen to a new album.

    • bobs_monkey@lemm.eeBanned
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      2 years ago

      That’s why I tend to not wear any of my Dead shirts out and about. I don’t have time for a 2 hour discussion on why I think the early 80s stomped everything else, except maybe '77 Cornell.

    • EssentialCoffee@midwest.social
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      2 years ago

      Being told that you should expect comments from random strangers based on your clothes is kind of creepy, tbh. Why can’t people keep to themselves?

  • Leviathan@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    I’ve been listening to Led Zep my whole life, own their albums on vinyl, can sing along to every song off of the first four albums, have covered them in more than one band.

    Gun to my head? I couldn’t name more than a couple songs.

    Between having a terrible memory and listening to entire albums over individual songs I can’t make songs from any band I love, hell, half the time I couldn’t name the album. I try to listen to a few new albums every week, how the hell can I remember all that? I spent four hours trying to find a solo I heard last month to show my girlfriend, listening to every album I’ve listened to since then, she stopped caring long before I found it.

    I don’t know where I was going with this, but if a douchebag pulled the shit from the comic on me I think I’d beat him to death with my original Zeppelin II pressing.

    • phorq@lemmy.ml
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      2 years ago

      That’s probably because you listen to music for enjoyment rather than to prove something… How dare you!

  • credit crazy@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    Tbh I don’t get wearing band tees that you’re not into especially when you find yourself in this situation enough times to have this reaction and make a comic about this exact situation. Tee shirts are cheap nowadays so why can’t you just wear something different. I could understand if it’s a hammy down or something you didn’t pick but if you have the power to wear something your actually interested in why not do that. Or even just get a coat.

  • not_that_guy05@lemmy.world
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    2 years ago

    I had a rule when I was young and still follow. I buy shirts of bands at the event I’m at. If I am seeing you at a show, I will be buying the shirt as a trophy for seeing them.