According to an article in the Washington City Paper Urban Outfitters is selling Minor Threat t-shirts to urban hipsters for $28. One might expect a serious backlash from the punk community but is it justified if Ian MacKaye himself gives his consent?
From the original article:
“Dischord doesn’t make T-shirts,” MacKaye clarifies in a phone call. But Minor Threat is another story. Because so many bootlegged Minor Threat shirts are constantly floating around the universe, MacKaye decided the band had to do something about it. The solution: Get another company to oversee their official shirts, and when a bootleg crops up, let them deal with it. “It’s fucking absurd the amount of bootlegs are out there,” MacKaye says, and “my time is better spent doing other things.”
“It’s not a political thing for me,” MacKaye says. “I just don’t give a fuck about T-shirts.” At some point, the former Minor Threat frontman said to the band, “This is crazy. I spend so much of my time” chasing down bootleggers. He found that when he contacted the responsible parties about their bootlegs, they just gave him hell. “They get in your face… or they deny it,” he says. “It’s a complete waste of time.”
Just because the shirt is licensed doesn’t mean MacKaye approves of the sweatshoppy clothing chain selling his band’s shirts, though. “Do I think it’s absurd? Yes, I certainly do,” he says. He also thinks the asking price is ridiculous, but he’s more or less resigned to it. “Motherfuckers pay $28, that’s what they wanna pay for their shirts.”
Next up, Black Flag hoodies at Nordstrom!
Add Minor Threat to My Radar
Maybe they’ll wear them ironically while swilling cheap beer and sucking expensive cigarettes.
Who fucking cares? Like Ian says in the article? “I just don’t give a fuck about T-shirts.” There’s no political edge. There’s no underlying theme. It’s a piece of clothing that says the name of a classic punk band on it. Big fucking deal. If you don’t want to buy the shirt, don’t buy it. If you hate capitalism and everything UO stands for, then burn the store down. Either way, if more hipsters started listening to punk, maybe I could actually talk to them for more than 20 seconds.
Oh no hipsters or kids might start wearing a similar shirt to me.
ITS THE END OF THE FUCKING WORLD.
RT @DyingScene: Minor Threat t-shirts being sold at Urban Outfitters, Ian MacKay approves http://t.co/dbXWB2TQ2Z
No.
I was running out of t-shirts… blah blah… so I went to the mall. $28 for a cheap, shitty made t-shirt that… man, you can’t even wash a t-shirt that cheap. It was a cool experience then I left… buy a record or something and a T-shirt from Kmart.
the are at hot topic too now all the scene kiddso will be wearing minor threat shirts
best quote ever by Ernest Cook “if more hipsters started listening to punk, maybe I could actually talk to them for more than 20 seconds”
RT @DyingScene: Minor Threat t-shirts being sold at Urban Outfitters, Ian MacKay approves http://t.co/dbXWB2TQ2Z
On principle alone… NO
What makes me upset about this is that Urban Outfitters is a very sexist clothing store; its boss very sexist as well… I understand if MacKaye is tired of the bootleg shirts, but give the job to a better/more serious company!