Monday, May 5, 2014

A Tale of Two Kerrang! T-Shirts

It strikes me that you can illustrate how Heavy Metal evolved in the UK in the 1980s by looking at the two advertisements below for Kerrang! T-Shirts which appeared in the magazine exactly five years apart (both magazines had Alex Lifeson as the cover star, oddly enough).

1. From Kerrang! No. 26, October 7-20, 1982


We're in 1982, and the well-dressed manic is wearing jeans, a bullet belt, a Wrangler jacket and perhaps a touch of Brut 33. Oh, and a simple black T-Shirt with the Kerrang! logo in "sickening pink" which could be yours for £2.95 plus postage and packaging. Simpler times.

2. From Kerrang! No. 158, October 17, 1987


Fast forward to 1987 and things have changed. First of all, the price has gone up to £6, an impressive 100% increase in just 5 years (that's Thatcher's Britain for you), while the T-Shirt is also different, with the logo going all spiky and the addition of a cut-price Iron Maiden rip-off artwork on the chest. But with Hair Metal reaching its peak it's the models Lisa Dominique and Pepsi Tate of Tigertailz really show how things have moved on by 1987. 

10 comments:

  1. I bought one of the later versions - managed about 6 washes then started fading and falling apart
    I'd successfully wiped Tigertailz from my memory - they were were a truly dreadful band. All hairspray and no substance (which sort of describes the majority of hair metal at the time). Still doing the rounds apparently - recently played a festival half way down the bill with UFO, Graham Bonnet, Bonfire and others

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    1. I had the early version as a sweatshirt. Can you think of a article of clothing less metal than a bloody sweatshirt? I could have bought the T-Shirt or the sleeveless "Muscle Shirt", but it was pretty cold where I was from, and besides, I didn't have any muscles.

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    2. Yes, I can. An Hawaiin shirt. As sported by the aforementioned Graham Bonnet.
      Bonnet ,as you know, is a Scottish euphymism for a helmet, which is in turn a euphymism for the bellend. Which is what some folk call the end of your cock. Which is the dangly thing between your legs.
      Unless you're a splitarse.

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    3. I'm not sure about that Tom. Elvis wore Hawaiian shirts, which makes them at least Rock & Roll. Sweatshirts? Who wore sweatshirts? Do you know who they got to model the Kerrang! sweatshirt? Brian May, that's who. Brian May! They may as well as asked your Geography teacher.

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    4. Actually they did, but he was gigging in his T Rex tribute band that night.

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  2. I have to fess up to buying and wearing a grey, yes that's right GREY, Magnum (that's the band not the P.I . Not that it matters.) sweatshirt.
    I did rip the sleeves off of it though. Should I just put this shovel down?

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    1. A sleeveless grey Magnum sweatshirt must have been quite a look, Tom. I'm thinking a Heavy Metal Benny off of Crossroads.

      I used to have a red Rainbow Rising sweatshirt, but it was stolen off the washing line. Can you believe it? Mind you, this was Wick I'm talking about. You took your chances with your washing line up there.

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    2. What with having a rainbow on it, I'm surprised you escaped being put in a wicker man for being a sodomite.

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  3. Ah, Lisa Dominique; every British metalheads wank fantasy of choice (not mine, obviously). I wonder what happened to her? (Asking for a friend)

    I had a Slayer sweatshirt, if that helps. I used to wear other tees over the top (the Slayer design was a little TOO close to that of a Nazi eagle for comfort) to keep me warm whilst giving the illusion that I only had a tee on under my black denim jacket.

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    1. I sense a post where we do a metal T-shirt amnesty. Tom's sleeveless Magnum number should take some beating but who knows, perhaps there are some Budgie and King Diamond shirts lurking deep in someone's bottom drawer?

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