I collect early MC colors & ephemera. It is the single greatest manifestation of motorcycle cultural folk art.
I do NOT exploit my passion.
If you think I profit from the short run of books I publish on occasion, think again.
For those who do not understand my intentions, they may think I walk on thin ice, yet for those understand, I walk on water.
The posted image is disgusting.
The designer, the jean company, as well as anyone who wears this are clueless.
Aside from being bullshit, is'nt that copyright infringement on the death's head or did they change it "just enough" to get around it?
ReplyDeleteIt just plain sucks. History repeats itself. Exploited 40 years ago, exploited now. Von Dutch, Sailor Jerry, Ed Hardy and now this. The worst thing about it, is the ass clowns that wear this stuff have no clue what it stands for, or how important it really is. It degrades it.It's a horrible feeling to see some body hair shaver at the mall wearing the name of one of your heroes.
ReplyDeletehooleee crap. that makes me sick. however, i hope anyone who wears that shit get whats comin to them. I hope your friends know about this jeff and they do something about it. And I thought the sons of anarchy shit was bad....
ReplyDeleteI'm sure the lawyers are all over it.
ReplyDeleteOh Dear! No f@*king originality left in the world!
ReplyDeleteThat could be a real dangerous shirt to wear for a lot of reasons. I'm sure a cease and desist is on the way.
ReplyDeletesometimes it makes you wonder! there is one symbol you dont want to fuck with and yet som fucker wants to challange destiny.
ReplyDeleteThe frontal placed artwork is well positioned to soak up the blood stains from the broken nose that will no doubt ensue the wearer of this horrid garment.
ReplyDeleteIts not the wearers fault. People outside of the motorcycle subculture have no clue what that shit is. Its the manufacturer that is an asshole. Sure they are going to be sued though, thanks for supporting the HA, assholes!
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of fakes, Check this out.
ReplyDeletehttp://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Rare-motorcycle-club-bikers-vest-biker-gang-patches_W0QQitemZ230442757200QQcmdZViewItemQQptZApparel_Merchandise?hash=item35a7756c50#ht_600wt_1165
For some reason, the outlines of the patches under the MC patches just dont ring true to me. Somebody is making lots of cash if they had this made though...
JM- Respectfully,I gotta disagree with you. I can't give credit to ignorance. On the other hand culture always reaches a tipping point in regards to history-we violate it or validate it.
ReplyDeleteJ-
So you're saying that some high school kid who buys a Lucky shirt at the mall should get his ass kicked because he should know motorcycle club logos? If people buy this shirt and try to act like they are in the club, thats one thing, but someone who gets this at the mall next to the other 50 skull shirts does not deserve to get their ass kicked.
ReplyDeleteI would let 81 decide who gets their ass kicked. It's none of my business.
ReplyDeleteif you go to the site and look at the logo up close its way OFF.. with all the other shit they put into the logo.
ReplyDeletefrom your small pic it screams ripoff..
but im with the cat that said something about the kid in the mall..take on it...
but what do i know...
wait... i know id never wear it!
just out of respect!!
I'll take the other side of this.
ReplyDeleteJust because I like things that are not considered cool.
Do I think it's gay that everyone and there grandmother spends 5 minutes on a tshirt design and then decides start a business selling "vintage" clothes. Yes.
Do I think it's gay that people take what is not their's and use it for prophet. Sure.
However contemplate this.
The hells angels are about freedom and living outside the law.
Now the deaths head is copyrighted thus living inside the law.
Believe it or not there is a contradiction there.
What's next..paying a copyright fee to the inventor of the wheel because my motorcycle has two?
Everyone wants a cut or fee when they get into copyrighting ideas, imagery, concepts.
However most ideas are borrowed from others to begin with.
Jeff did not invent the cyclone logo.
I bet anyone who browses this blog does not expect Jeff to pay a fee for usage of the logo for every time he "drums up business and thus prophets" by using an appropriation of the orginal logo on a business card, sculpture, or
sign?
No, Jeff is considered ok to use the logo.
Ask yourselves why?
Yes this vintage shirt using the deaths head logo is gay. (And being used and thus worn by someone with no appreciation or right to manufacture and wear it.)
This image has a lot of history behind it and the "right" to wear it comes from a lot of blood, sweat, and tears. You have to earn the right to wear that image.
Some tool decided to make a quick buck based on an image.
However isn't that what everyone does?
Doesn't everyone try to make a quick buck?
Let the flame war begin!
I understand everyone's comments. There are two sides to everything. But basically what it comes down to is this... summed up by a quote from Albert Einstein.
ReplyDelete"The secret to creativity is knowing how to hide your sources."
And Lucky Brand fucked up on that one....
As surplusdroids said, a lot of blood sweat and tears comes with that image. And you need to earn it, not whip out your wallet.
Everything is borrowed from something, but what it comes down very simply, is there are somethings you really should just think twice about. And the HA's logo is one of them.
Its respect and appreciation. Jeff's logo is both of those characteristics. It sets the stage for the type work he does, and his interests.
That above t-shirt design is none of that.
just because they incorperate a skull that represents a biker club doesnt mean anyone should get a broken nose. i really dont think some mid west teen ager is going to run into a hells angle in a suburban mall or football game on friday night. i really dont see a fellow biker wearing this shirt to a bar where all his bros hang. type biker gang into the search engine on ebay, all you see is hells angles. one of the most exploited biker gangs in existence and what do you think it is all for? fame and fortune! with the way law is today, you put your hands on any1 and your going 2 jail!
ReplyDeletei just typed hells angles into the ebay search engine and i got 2,111 items for sale! these motorcycle clubs dont break the law anymore, they make money off of their fame! shit they might even like that shirt, exposure is exposure!