digby

Front: digby
Back: nothing

Digby is a pop-rock band from somewhere in Kentucky. We played with them at the Midwest Music Summit in '03. I liked them and bought a shirt. I'm surprised this band isn't more well-known than they are, they're cool.

St. Louis For Peace

Front: St. Louis For Peace
Back: sponsors and bands

Right after the attacks on 9/11, my good pal (and bandmate) Mike Heeley wanted to help out. He wanted to DO something. He had the idea to make a kind of "We Are The World" song and album with St. Louis musicians. So he did. There was a big CD release party, with all proceeds and album sales going to charity to benefit the people lost in the attacks. He organized all of St. Louis' premier bands at the time, and got some of St. Louis' best producers together. The album (and project) was called St. Louis For Peace, and this is the shirt to commemorate it all.

Moaning Lisa

Front: Moaning Lisa
Back: nothing

Moaning Lisa is a band that we played with back in the day. They used to be from Kansas City, MO but now they're living and working out in Los Angeles.

Just Add Water

Front: Just Add Water
Back: various tour dates

Just Add Water was a St. Louis band that we used to play with quite frequently. All of them are great guys, and they made some great music. Unfortunately, they aren't around anymore. This shirt was made available at their final show at Mississippi Nights.

Clutch -- Robot Hive/Exodus

Front: Clutch
Back: robot hive/exodus

Yeah, yeah, yeah....I know. ANOTHER Clutch shirt. They're my favorite band, what can I say? I have more Clutch shirts to come, so deal with it.

This shirt has a very intricate design on the front, that you could admire if I were standing right in front of you. Since I'm not, you'll have to settle for a crappy little 72 dpi picture. This shirt was bought on their most recent tour, for their most recent album, entitled "Robot Hive/Exodus". It is really a great album. I mean REALLY GREAT. I recommend you go get it. Now. Stop reading this and go get a copy. Now. GO!

Limbeck -- Greetings from....

Front: Limbeck! Greetings from Ohio, California.....or wherever!!
Back: nothing

Limbeck is an "alt-country rock band from California". A friend of mine named Heather loves this band, and helps promote them. A few years back, the band sent her a bunch of t-shirts to hand out to people, and I said "hey, give me one!" and she did. I had never really heard their music before I got the shirt, but it turns out they're a really cool band. Thanks, Heather.

Itchy & Scratchy

Front: Itchy & Scratchy
Back: nothing

My take on the Itchy and Scratchy cartoons on "The Simpsons" is as follows: they are the animated equivalent of Shakespeare's play within a play. Shakespeare used stilted and rhetorical verse to set productions woven into the plots of "Hamlet" and "A Midsummer Night's Dream" apart from the main production. Itchy and Scratchy use pure, mindless violence to the same effect.

Just kidding. I just think it's really funny when they eviscerate and/or blow each other up.

Parties At The Plaza

Front: Parties At The Plaza
Back: numerous sponsor logos

"Parties At The Plaza" is a, well, party held every third Thursday of the month, from April to October. "The Plaza" is Westport Plaza, a mall/hotel/restaurant/business complex near where I live. Right after work, tons of twentysomethings and thirtysomethings and fortysomethings head over to Westport Plaza to stand in the parking lot and drink beer and look at each other. You're probably saying to yourself "That sounds dumb, why would he go to that?" Well, here's the kicker:

I know a guy that works at a bank, and that bank is one of the sponsors of these events. The bank usually has employees 'volunteering' to work the beer tent, so you know what that means: free beer for me. I have helped 'volunteer' at the beer tent a few times too, and once I got this shirt for my efforts.

It's not a very interesting shirt, but because of the free beer thing, I felt I had to honor it in SASHDISH valhalla.

Virgin - Times Square

Front: Virgin - Times Square
Back: nothing

Amanda visited New York a couple of years back and got me this shirt from the Virgin Megastore. I could, and frequently do, spend hours in certain record stores (Vintage Vinyl, I'm looking at you on this one).

Also, this is my 50th shirt I'm posting, and I'm not stopping anytime soon.

Somnia -- Black Bomber

Front: Somnia
Back: nothing

Astute observers will notice that this is the same t-shirt as one I wore back in early January. A-HA! But it is NOT the same! That one was olive green, this one is black -- it's a different shirt.

Garrett Girl Scouts

Front: Garrett Girl Scouts
Back: nothing

Yes, this is a Girl Scout shirt. No, I was never a Girl Scout. I got it from a thrift store. Yes, it has a beautiful butterfly on it. Yes, I think I am a beautiful butterfly. Wait....I mean, NO, I don't think I'm a beautiful butterfly -- I see myself as more of a pupa (definitely not a larva). By the way, if you're wondering what Garrett is, it's an elementary school in the Hazelwood school district. This shirt fits me, so that must have been one large elementary school Girl Scout.

Civil Disobedience

Front: Civil Disobedience is still disobedience
Back: nothing

Gabe "Jumanji" Wesson, now living in Oregon, got me this shirt. Be careful when you protest, boys and girls. To the fascists, your dissent is unpatriotic.

The Police

Front: The Police -- Outlandos D'Amour
Back: nothing

I love The Police. Preferrably the early stuff. I hate Sting. Can't stand the guy. Can't stand his music. But The Police -- now that's some good stuff. One of my top five favorite bands, maybe a top three.

Once, while at college, the editor of Rolling Stone magazine (David Fricke) came to campus to speak. I went. At the end of his presentation, there was a question and answer period. I asked him two questions: One, had he ever interviewed The Police; and Two, did he think The Police would ever reunite. He said yes, he had interviewed them, a few times. And he said that he does not think they will ever reunite. Sadness.

The Urge

Front: The Urge
Back: Urge -- you are a jackoff

I got this shirt in December of 1994 at an Urge concert at Northeast Missouri State University (now known as Truman State University). It was, and is, the most offensive t-shirt in my collection. The front features a stick figure grabbing his crotch and flipping the bird (click the photo for enlarged version), while the back proudly proclaims "you are a jackoff". Back in my angst-filled college days, I thought this was the epitome of cool. Now I just hope that no small children see this shirt when I'm wearing it. Have I gotten older? Definitely. More responsible? Maybe. But I still think it's kind of cool that my shirt says dirty stuff, so maybe I haven't matured all that much.

For those that don't know, The Urge was a kickass punk/ska/rock/funk band from St. Louis. They are now defunct, but their legend lives on.

Less Than Jake -- Anthem

Front: Less Than Jake - Anthem
Back: nothing

Yet another Less Than Jake shirt. When this album came out in '03, it was released as a special edition with this shirt. Turns out that this has been my least favorite LTJ album so far. I know, I know -- great story. I promise I'll do better tomorrow.

Wahoo's Fish Taco

Front: Wahoo's Fish Taco, est. 1988
Back: Wahoo's Fish Taco - Fueling the forces since 1988

I originally thought a coworker of mine got me this shirt, but it turns out I had it confused with another taco joint shirt I have from California. The REAL story behind this one is that it was a gift from my buddy Joe who lives in L.A. -- he lives the Cali lifestyle and rubs elbows with the stars. And he eats fish tacos and drinks Hypnotiq. I had a fish taco once, in Mexico. It was scrumptious.

POW - MIA

Front: POW - MIA - You are not forgotten
Back: nothing

I got this shirt a while back because it's a cause that I feel strongly about.

Reading Is Cool

Front: Reading is cool
Back: Paperbacks are hot

I work for a company that makes books, and they gave me this shirt. I wish I had something more exciting to say about it, but I really don't.

Hershey's

Front: Hershey's
Back: nothing

This is another shirt Amanda got for me during a visit to her ancestral home -- Pennsylvania. I am addicted to chocolate, so naturally I enjoy Hershey's products. I tried eating this shirt once, but it didn't taste like chocolate, so I stopped.

RahXephon

Front: RahXephon
Back: nothing

RahXephon is an anime series that I enjoy. The shirt came free with a DVD box, which will hold the entire DVD set, which I eventually purchased. They had me at "free t-shirt".

Mexico

Front: Mexico
Back: nothing

This is a t-shirt designed to look like a Mexican national soccer team jersey.
The Mexican team is in the fairly weak Group D of the 2006 World Cup. I am confident they will win their group and advance. ¡Viva México!

Thundercats

Front: Thundercats
Back: nothing

Thundercats was a cartoon show from the mid-80's which featured a team of cat-people fighting bad guys. Here's a little trivia for you: the guy that played Bill Cosby's dad on The Cosby Show did the voice for Panthro. Here's another fact: 90% of boys who watched Thundercats thought Cheetara was hot. You know, for a cartoon.

Kremer's Tavern

Front: Kremer's Tavern, address, 2000
Back: nothing

Since I don't have a Pittsburgh Steelers shirt, I have been wearing yellow shirts to show my support every time they've had games in the past few weeks (their team colors are yellow and black.) I guess my support paid off, or it was lucky, or something, because the Steelers won Super Bowl XL last night.

As for the shirt itself, it's from a bar on Olive. I don't really know why it has a big "2000" at the bottom, I guess it was the year that I got it. And oh yeah, there's a lion. Cool.

Live -- Secret Samadhi

Front: Live -- Secret Samadhi
Back: nothing

I worshipped the band +Live+ for a long time. I went to their shows, I bought their t-shirts, I learned how to play and sing their songs. They've since gotten kind of lame, but their first few albums were excellent. Recently, a few of the guys in the band had to make an emergency landing while flying home to Pennsylvania. I'm glad they didn't die.

Nectar's

Front: Nectar's Since 1975
Back: Ya dude! Fresh Music Served Daily

Amanda got this shirt for me while visiting beautiful Burlington, Vermont. Nectar's is a bar that has live music every night of the week. They are also famous for their gravy fries, which I've never had. But I like gravy, and I like fries, so I imagine that I'd like gravy fries.

Donkey Kong

Front: Donkey Kong
Back: nothing

Three video game shirts in a row. Wow. My audience must be SO excited.

I'm not going to explain what Donkey Kong is because I had a late night last night and I'm not in the mood. If you haven't played Donkey Kong, or even heard of Donkey Kong, go home, lock yourself in a closet and shoot yourself in the head.

My good buddy Matt gave me this shirt. I'm pretty sure that when he gave it to me he said that he'd want it back someday. We'll have to see about that.

Fly Icaras

Front: Fly Icaras
Back: Wipeout 3

Icaras is the name of a fictional racing team in the Playstation game Wipeout 3. I got this t-shirt free for pre-ordering a video game.

There is no need to adjust your monitor, this shirt is naturally ugly and it's hard to make out what is printed on it.

Sales of video game software, consoles, and accessories in 2005 topped 10 billion dollars. So I'm not the only nerd out there buying video games and getting free t-shirts.

Resident Evil - Code Veronica X

Front: Resident Evil - Code Veronica X
Back: Umbrella Corporation Task Force

I realize that most of you won't "get" this shirt. That's fine. It's a video game reference. You see, in the videogame Resident Evil, there's this, well, EVIL corporation that made a certain virus. A pretty nasty virus. It turns out that the virus changes people into, for lack of a better term, 'zombies'. The Resident Evil game franchise was, and is, pretty successful. It even spawned a couple movies which didn't necessarily suck.

I got this shirt by pre-ordering a Resident Evil videogame. The back of the shirt makes me look like I'm an employee of the Umbrella Corporation, which I like very much.

Because they're badasses.

Which I am.

MAYBE.