Wear the Shirt, Know the Music

Why can't I interrogate females about their fashion choices? I'm just asking questions!
/s
Mansplaining opportunity spotted!
- Never missing one. After band shirts, my favorite is their periods.
It's her parents, and they just won't let her go out dressed like that!
I feel like the people in the comic are much better than this though. They see someone who has something they like so the want to talk, then they excitedly try to tell her about it. It can still be annoying, but it doesn't feel as bad.
- It also appears to be her parents, and they're supposed to be annoying. They're just trying to share an interest with her.

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.

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.
- Damn I really did not think about all that lol. All valid reasons.
- 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.
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.
- Lol that's me as well. Half my wardrobe is shirts I bought at concerts from bands I haven't listened to since
Right? You’re a fan—I’m a fan—let’s talk in depth about the band 😇
- Yes, let's talk about how the lead singer liked to bang the underage groupies!
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?
People buy shirts with nonsense text on them all the time. It's about the overall look and not some specific statement.

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

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.
- 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.
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.
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.
- 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
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.
The only shirts to bands I wear are ones that I like and listen too. Same with shirts I have of tv shows and movies.
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.
- 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.
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.
Licencing, its cheap to print and for consumers easy to find

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.

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

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.

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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
- Good title for a single: I'm not hating, I'm just fuckin'.
My favorite thing like that is "anime is those silly cartoons right?"

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

Is that even legal?
- Pissing off music snobs is one of those few areas where legality and morality actually align
- I will make it legal
  Proceeds to rant about gatekeeping and minding one's own business
- Not really. I am a victim of the Fashion Police.

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.

Hey, nothing wrong with that!
You should watch Bebop though, it's fantastic. And I don't like about 90% of anime
- 3...2, 1 let's jam
- I actually just haven't gotten to it. I make very little time for TV.
- Never watched the anime, but I liked the short lived live actor season
- I can't stand the art style.
- But then how could they wear a cowboy bebop shirt without having seen the show???
NGL if we were talking, I'd bring up the Cowboy Bebop shirt. Then when you share that you've never seen it, I'd get so excited and talk nonstop in rapidfire.
You remind me that you haven't seen it, it's too late. Engine already started Space Cowboy - were going to fucking Jupiter. After beating you down with my love of Spike, Jet, Faye and Weird Ed, id start singing The Real Folk Blues. Id try to show you my favorite clips. You continue to get annoyed that you don't understand the references. I keep sharing scenes. You try to walk away and I run after you with more Cowboy Bebop facts.
I will win your heart with Cowboy Bebop.
If you're ever confronted, just say that you like the type of woman that wpuld actually just kill you

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.

I bet that guy got mad pussy
Their covers were good though.
- 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.
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.
- Hell, knowing "The man who sold the world" is a cover is the mark of a Bowie fan, not a Nirvana fan.
- Their first single was 'Love Buzz'.
Was the cover lake of fire? Cos that’s my favourite Nirvana song.
You probably know this, but your friend is a dick.
- That person that I used to know definitely was.
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.
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.

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.

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.

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

Whoever does this to random people wearing shirts:

Screw you.

I just wore the MAGA hat because I liked the way it looked, WTF???
- name 10 trump songs
- Alright Larry.

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?

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.
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.
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?
- Talking to people about shared interests isn’t creepy. Calling any form of socialization creepy is pretty cringe, though
- Humans are social creatures.
- Band shirts are literally for announcing that you have a common interest with fans of the band.

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.

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

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.

hammy down
Bone apple teeth!
- Roast history chickens!

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.

I've learned that when people ask you this stuff, you can just say no and walk away. It sounds so dumb and obvious, but I definitely felt like I had to justify myself when I was younger and it took until probably 30 to figure out I didn't actually owe anyone an explanation. Stupid socialization had me thinking I had to be nice, even to people who were being dicks.

I should start wearing shirts for gen z bands and see if the reverse is true.

I saw a girl around twelve a few years ago wearing a Friends t-shirt; younger than the time since the shows ended. I didn't really watch the show but I was surprised to see someone so young wearing it. I asked about it and she said she just liked the shirt. I said "oh, okay" and moved along.

Nice - appreciate the lack of gatekeeping. I don't understand people who have to skill check people's hobbies/fandom.
We Normies over here trying to cover our nipples from the harsh weather - not trying to get into a wiki war with a Uberfan.
Not sure if there was a sudden surge of Friends content recently or if the show was rebooted or something, but here in Germany, a lot - and I mean a lot - of young people walk around in Friends shirts. Probably sold in H&M or something
- I think you're right about H&M, though I know a lot of fans did a rewatch after the passing of Matthew Perry, so could be a lot of that too.

It is valid, in my opinion, to assume that a person wearing a band shirt to be a fan of that particular band and while I wouldn't torture them with trivia questions I would at least expect them to give me a coherent answer to a question like "You like Led Zeppelin, eh?".

I wear band shirts not only because I like that particular band but as a way for like-minded people to maybe start a conversation with me at social gatherings.

Exactly! It's great ice breaker with strangers too

Wow what a poser. I bet she doesn't even know when Levi Strauss was born, despite clearly wearing jeans

You're telling me. I saw this dude eating at MacDonald's and was like... Bro, I bet you can't trace the MacDonalds clan through the ages.
Really devastated him.

And she's buying the shirtway... to heaven.

Bad dog! Nnnnnno!

Serves them right, little fuckin poser

I know it is a joke, but the final sentence rings kind of true.

Why buy stuff from something you don't know? It is like me buying a football shirt because I like the number on the back. Or some horrible human being buying a T-shirt with the USS enterprise on it.

Why not buy the shirt of the thing you actually do know that's right next to it?

My husband is like this, just buys shirts if he likes the color, fit, and/or design. Doesnt care what the subject is. He’s never been interrogated about how much he knows about them

My kids don't even buy band shirts, but I will 100% subject them to important music whenever it comes up and I realize they don't know it yet.

Recently, Bohemian Rhapsody came on and my son knew it and said it was a good song, so apparently I'm a pretty good father.

A couple of months ago, we were finishing up on our grocery shopping when Sledgehammer started to play over the system. Our eleven-year-old daughter, whose favorite has been Queen’s Don’t Stop Me Now since she was like 6, stopped and said, “this guy sounds so familiar… is he the guy who does the Biko song?” Our jaws dropped. I try to play a wide variety of music from every decade in the modern era when we’re traveling so, despite that being my favorite of his, I don’t think it’s been in rotation more than a few times over the years, and its not like its something that would come up on YouTube when we would spend evenings playing music videos from our childhoods. This relatively deep cut from Peter Gabriel resonates with our kid more than his hits do— wait, what kids are even into Peter Gabriel in the first place? Fuckin’ Biko, man, wild. I hadn’t even heard that song, let alone knew what it was, until I was 17 and our only good radio station was playing all the weird stuff as it was dying, back in ‘99, and all the DJs were gone so nobody was announcing what just played.
Also, she likes to emulate David Byrne’s weird-ass choreography while humming from “Once in a Lifetime”. She’s a li’l weirdo, I love it.
- Also, she likes to emulate David Byrne’s weird-ass choreography while humming from “Once in a Lifetime”. She’s a li’l weirdo, I love it.
  Okay, that's freaking adorable
- Your daughter has a good ear, especially being able to ID him over the grocery store PA system lol. Yes, "Biko" is some heavy shit, heck I'm impressed. Exposure to art is important, it helps make you aware of the world around you and its history, you know? It's invaluable knowledge. You're doing all right, pop.

https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=poseur

Better than them gatekeeping at least

Oh you think my parents need to school me into Led Zeppelin? It was the only CD in my parents' car for the first 10 years of my life.

Back in middle school I wore a Woodstock shirt to school and one of my classmates came up to me and was just like, "Oh man I love Woodstock". I literally had no idea Woodstock was even a thing (I thought it was just some random words on a graphic tee). Wanted so badly to just tell him that I only got it because I thought the bird on the guitar looked cool but ended up getting tongue tied :,)

I probably couldn't tell you the last time I paid attention to the shirt someone was wearing let alone cared. There are far more pressing things in life to care about.

A majority of my shirts have been band related since I was old enough to buy my own clothes. I've never been questioned, interrogated or otherwise questioned about my appreciation for the band.

On that same token I've never felt compelled to interrogate or judge anyone else on their choice of band shirt.

This is the only band shirt related rule I observe.

Didn't they do that one song with Kanye?