deleted by creator
Why can’t I interrogate females about their fashion choices? I’m just asking questions!
/s
It’s her parents, and they just won’t let her go out dressed like that!
Yeah, the OP comic was her parents, but the meme is more representative of the people commenting in this thread.
Mansplaining opportunity spotted!
Never missing one. After band shirts, my favorite is their periods.
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.
Also, they at least appear to be trying to get her interested, rather than just straight gatekeeping
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.
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!”
Fucking men
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.
That’s horrible
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!
People buy shirts with nonsense text on them all the time. It’s about the overall look and not some specific statement.
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?
Nike fans are rarely fans of Nike, just of the stuff Nike make
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.
This is insanity. This is like wearing a punisher skull logo and not knowing the association to killer cops.
Research what you wear! If you’re gonna be a billboard, at least know what you’re advertising
Sadly, really unfortunate in that instance, especially considering what Frank was all about
Totally agree.
This comes from a person who has elected not to get any of the tattoo designs I really wanted, as their Nordic motif unfortunately was coopted by Nazis. Glad I researched!
deleted by creator
Lad I knew at work went and got a “black sun” on his neck. Didnt realise that was a Nazi symbol (on on of Hitler;s righthand men’s lobby floor iirc)
I noticed a lot of Indians like to wear Nirvana t-shirts, and I think that’s actually hilarious.
They get a pass, obviously 😅
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
Edit: apparently I didn’t explain myself clearly… I wear band shirts all the time for bands that I listen to and other people who like those bands frequently come up and talk to me about it, and I’m generally happy to talk to them if I’m not in a hurry. I have no issue with people wearing band tshirts, I just don’t get wearing shirts for bands you either have never heard or even actively dislike. Personally I would never wear a shirt representing myself as a fan of something I’m not familiar with even if it “just looks cool”. What if the logo is something racist? What if it turned out to be some band that supports right wing extremists? Why would I want to plaster myself with logos and symbols for something that I don’t understand?
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
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.
deleted by creator
Yeah cause wearing a hate symbol you don’t know and a band t-shirt you don’t know are totally causing the same level of harm.
I think you’re missing the point a bit… bands represent things too. Wearing shirts from bands that you know nothing about runs its owns risks that are not dissimilar to the risks of wearing anything that sports a design or symbol you know nothing about. For all you know, they could be causing the same level of “harm” which, in its purest sense, is none since it’s just a shirt but could also be advertising something you’re completely ignorant to.
But sure… keep wearing that Lostprophets shirt because you think it looks cool…
It isn’t the same level of harm, but it’s the same level of stupid. If you do one, what’s stopping you from doing the other?
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.
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.
I thought about that, but it was in the band shirt section next to a tie dyed Slayer crew neck so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
deleted by creator
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
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.
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.
I would say rape me unironically and without blinking. That’s what you get for asking.
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?
How cool does the DuWalt sticker look?
It’s fuckin rad 😎
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.
Yeah, agreed. I honestly have no idea what my “favorite song” is. I think I’d have to say something like Ruby Soho if I’m being honest.
I have a group of favorites that is ever-changing, but ever since I first heard it, my favorite has always been Weird Fishes
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.
That’s how you get labeled a “poser” and get your pogs stolen
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’.
Those shirts are sold at (fast) fashion stores, young people buy and wear them, bunch of other young people want to fit in and buy them too, so they keep being produced and bought more. Same thing with Guns & Roses, Friends and what not. Stores like H&M make huge bank off those IPs and bands
My favorite thing like that is “anime is those silly cartoons right?”
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
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.
Their first single was ‘Love Buzz’.
And their first single was “Love Buzz”!! Which I did not realize was a cover or even had a single release. Thank you for the knowledge drop!
Hell, knowing “The man who sold the world” is a cover is the mark of a Bowie fan, not a Nirvana fan.
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
You’d think so, but the recording that played on TV when I was a kid cut off mid-applause for some reason.
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.
Was the cover lake of fire? Cos that’s my favourite Nirvana song.
I can’t remember the exact song, I mostly just remember how much of an ass that guy was.
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.
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 haven’t watched the show (yet) but the OST rules!
I actually just haven’t gotten to it. I make very little time for TV.
That’s fair. If you have a free weekend, it’s not a long series. I knocked it out with friends in like 2 days
That certainly improves it’s chances of my watching it. I have no patience for long serials.
Same. I won’t watch anything serial for like 6 months and then binge like 10 series in a month
Never watched the anime, but I liked the short lived live actor season
Sorry but 💀
Please do. It’s far better than the live action
But then how could they wear a cowboy bebop shirt without having seen the show???
how can she wear tshirt!
Ditto, even though I’m also not really an anime dude. It’s pretty short just one or two seasons. At least watch the movie!
I can’t stand the art style.
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
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
If I see someone walking down the street with me on their shirt, I’m gonna ask if they’re a fan of Rush, and if not, I’m gonna say they should totally listen to Permanent Waves and Moving Pictures
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.
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
- Money
- Money
- Money
Uhh…
Money money money is by ABBA, not really a reasonable mistake tbh
ABBA, MAGA, who can keep all these acronym’s straight?
Alright Larry.
Lol is this real?
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.
Exactly! Build bridges, maybe something good will come of it for everyone involved.
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.
What you’re looking at is the difference in people’s social comfort. It isn’t creepy to be social at all, unless you do it in a creepy way.
A band shirt, much like one for a sports team, a movie, whatever, is essentially an advertisement for whatever it is. Even if it isn’t tied to a product of any kind, when you have words and pictures on your clothing, it will catch the eye because that’s just how most people work. We thrive on visual stimulation, and even the most introverted people do, it isn’t about that.
Now, if you factor in neurodivergence, you can run into folks that don’t fit the “norm” in that regard, and you may have folks with other facets of self that interfere with visual stimulation. But that still leaves billions of people that will see something on clothing and their brain pays extra attention over a pattern or solid color.
Humans, whether we more introverted sorts like it or not, are social creatures. And I am, btw, in person. I don’t necessarily thrive on heavy social interaction, but that doesn’t mean that I’m antisocial, and there’s a difference. But we still need human interaction, and we still have brains that latch onto things like pictures and words. The key is managing the interactions, being honest about boundaries, and being pleasant about it.
Back to the original point though. Wearing something like a band shirt is essentially saying “hey, look at this”. It’s inevitable and normal for people to look at such things. It’s normal and inevitable that the viewers’ brains are going to be making connections, and when that connection is to something they enjoy, they get a little dopamine hit, and possibly a little oxytocin as well (the stuff I’m pulling this from isn’t exactly recent enough for me to source, and I’ve never seen follow up data on the oxytocin, but this is casual talk).
Our brains reward us for making connections like that, and most people will do a little harmless granfallooning (I’m going to let anyone that comes along look that up and hopefully find a connection there) and feel a little closer to another human. That’s a good thing. It’s that ability to find connections with strangers that represents the best parts of humanity.
And, it’s okay if you prefer not to be bothered. You can even wear stuff like that, and as long as you add something saying you don’t want to talk, you’ll be bothered less. Mind you, you’ll likely run into a smaller group of people that are also not outgoing, and see a connection there and bother you because of that, but hopefully in a pleasant way.
Besides, have you not ever seen how people get when they receive positive, pleasant attention to their clothes? I promise you, just a friendly, “nice shirt, dude” as you walk past someone looking sharp will surprise most, but they’ll be smiling and likely have a better day because of it. I promise, as long as you’re genuine and smiling when you say it, even most introverts will have a slightly better day because of it.
But, I acknowledge that not everyone enjoys that kind of thing. Believe me, when my PTSD is riding me hard, and I’m forced into the public, I can’t really handle strangers well. So I get it. But the act of reaching out to another human in a positive way isn’t creepy.
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!
I’m the same way. I really couldn’t name too many songs from any of my favorites bands.
It’s always been a cause of anxiety in these situations. I could probably sing along with the entire song, but the name will always escape me.
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 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.
