merch girl

I remember when a way of showing love for a band/artist was buying their assorted merchandise. It's kind of sad that I don't really do that any more.

While my friends were arguing their sides in the Debbie Gibson versus Tiffany battle of the 1980s (I always favored Gibson back then...she seemed to be the "good girl" while Tiffany seemed to be "bad," in my young mind, what with her hanging out at the mall, performing and stuff), I loved the Bangles. My first ever band t-shirt was a Bangles t-shirt, white, with something about Walk Like and Egyptian on it. There was something so unique and cool and wonderful about wearing a music related t-shirt. Then in junior high/high school, t-shirt wearing became my norm (first the hair metal bands, then the alternative groups, then the classic rock bands). I think the last t-shirt I bought was a Willie Nelson one, in 2004-ish, at his show, because it was funny (Willie Nelson for President).

T-shirts opened the flood gate for the other merchandise - buttons, stickers, magazines with photos to tear out and put on your wall, vinyl, comic books, CDs, rare import CDs with a live recording of a show in Japan, etc. The assorted junk of a fan girl.

I occasionally will buy vinyl, but I have not bought anything else in a long while...no concert t-shirts (to prove I was there), no stickers or buttons...I used to live at a local record story, buying stuff, something, anything, each time I was there. I think the last CD I bought was...I can't even remember now...2006-ish, at a used record store (I want to say it was Franz Ferdinand or something similar).

I will say that I am excited - I have been re-listening to classic rock, with a newer (older?) appreciation of it...and listening to more 1970s punk...geez, the Strokes totally ripped off some of those bands' sound. I had no idea...