Design for the Real World: Rock Band T-Shirt
Ramones t-shirt (Image: Flickr, Toni Blay)
Whether it’s John Denver or Coldplay, the way a lot of people express their love of music is by wearing a band T-shirt.
Today rock band T-shirts are sold at major retailers, to kids who weren’t alive when classic rock was born. But when music writer Johan Kugelberg was growing up in Sweden, wearing the Sex Pistols or Ramones on your chest was its own act of rebellion.
Kugelberg actually wrote a book about rock band T-shirts. He says 60s rock T-shirts are "insanely rare," because they weren’t mass-market products. According to Kugelberg, "… the mass-market rock business as we know it didn’t really exist until post-Woodstock."
PRI’s Peabody Award-winning "Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen" from WNYC is public radio’s smart and surprising guide to what’s happening in pop culture and the arts. Each week, Kurt Andersen introduces you to the people who are creating and shaping our culture. Life is busy — so let "Studio 360" steer you to the must-see movie this weekend, the next book for your nightstand, or the song that will change your life.