# Bands/artists whose merchandise is more popular/well known than their music **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [November 6, 2023, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700 "2023-11-06T17:28:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/21 "2023-11-08T16:33:03Z")
RE Nirvana t-shirts: I had a stay in a psychiatric hospital five years ago, and there were two young patients around age 18, a boy and a girl, who both regularly wore Nirvana shirts. The boy also sported a red mohawk, and the girl dressed goth-like and had black-dyed hair. Given Kurt Cobain’s own struggles with mental health, I’m quite sure that both knew his story and music very well. I didn’t ask though, I didn’t want to be the old fogey who tells these kids how their idol really was. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/22 "2023-11-08T17:16:31Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > I’m wearing a Taj Mahal t-shirt right now. I have no idea what their music sounds like. Taj Mahal goes back to the 60s. He played with the likes of Howlin’ Wolf and Muddy Waters. His angle is he incorporates elements of world music into his blues. He’s good. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/23 "2023-11-08T17:19:14Z")
A Taj Mahal anecdote: Captain Beefheart stole Ry Cooder from Taj’s band (the Rising Sons) for his Magic Band. ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/24 "2023-11-08T17:22:17Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > There’s a long-running urban legend about a 1970s teenager finding out about Paul McCartney being in a band before Wings. I saw that as a one-panel cartoon in the _National Lampoon_ (oddly subtle by their standards). The illustrated slacker was saying something like “My brother likes Big Audio Dynamite. I said they suck compared to The Clash. He said ‘Who?’ I couldn’t believe it. Now I know how my dad felt about that Wings thing.” ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/25 "2023-11-08T17:55:10Z")
Fun anecdote: I just sold 2 vintage Nirvana shirts on eBay for ~$1000 each. Got them both almost exactly 30 years ago, Oct 31 1993. ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/26 "2023-11-08T18:04:36Z")
For a different answer --one of my younger relatives loves Newman’s Own frozen pizzas and had no idea that guy (Paul Newman) on the package was a real person who acted in numerous movies. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/27 "2023-11-08T18:31:26Z")
Likewise, I knew Jimmy Dean first as a sausage brand, second as the actor in _Diamonds Are Forever_, and only much later as a singer. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/28 "2023-11-08T18:47:35Z")
It was years before I learned there was a real Captain Morgan. ---
**Author:** ![FS65](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@FS65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FS65)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/29 "2023-11-08T19:13:10Z")
As soon as I read the title to the thread, NIRVANA shirts immediately came to mind. I don’t know if there are stats available somewhere but I’ve seen dozens of NIRVANA shirts worn by people who are “way too young to know who the hell NIRVANA was” Just great marketing I guess… ---
**Author:** ![InternetLegend](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/internetlegend/32/13154_2.png) [@InternetLegend](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InternetLegend)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/30 "2023-11-08T19:21:53Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Fun anecdote: I just sold 2 vintage Nirvana shirts on eBay for ~$1000 each. Got them both almost exactly 30 years ago, Oct 31 1993. You can **sell** them? For that kind of money?? I have some boxes of old band shirts to look through. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/31 "2023-11-08T19:35:21Z")
> [@FlikTheBlue](#): > > I’m not a fan of the Grateful Dead, and have never worn one of their t-shirts. But I do have a collection of Jerry Garcia ties. They’re the only ties I wear on those rare occasions when I have to wear one. Does that count for this thread? I wouldnt call me a _fan_, but I own “the best of”, and I like a handful of songs- _Truckin_ for one. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/32 "2023-11-08T20:08:09Z")
Oh yes. Sold some other shirts for $40-200 too. Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, some ska shirts even. Pro tip - if you have any white shirts they most likely are yellowed, even in storage. Get a product called OxyClean Whitening, follow the soak directions, they will be good as new. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/33 "2023-11-08T20:24:36Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Oh yes. Sold some other shirts for $40-200 too. Pearl Jam, Pink Floyd, some ska shirts even. How can you convince the buyers that these are genuine 30 year old official tour shirts and not some counterfeits from then or later? They didn’t come with an expertise. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/34 "2023-11-08T20:27:29Z")
> [@EinsteinsHund](#): > > How can you convince the buyers that these are genuine 30 year old official tour shirts and not some counterfeits from then or later? The labels, I would guess, Made in America, not China. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/35 "2023-11-08T20:29:42Z")
Makes sense. So to all itch-sensitive wearers of band t-shirts: don’t cut out the labels, you might sell them for big bucks some time. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/36 "2023-11-08T20:33:33Z")
Yeah Brockum is a good label for 90s era shirts. Also “parking lot” bootleg shirts go for good money because nobody bothers to reprint them. And some of the Pearl Jam shirts you can tell the real from the reprints just based on the slightly off colors and stuff. I wouldn’t be surprised if people are duped by reprints. You do have to do a little research to figure out what label is “correct.” With my Nirvana shirts I posted my ticket stub too (not included). ---
**Author:** ![wguy123](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wguy123/32/3161_2.png) [@wguy123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wguy123)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/37 "2023-11-08T21:48:24Z")
> [@InternetLegend](#): > > You can **sell** them? For that kind of money?? I have some boxes of old band shirts to look through. > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Also “parking lot” bootleg shirts go for good money because nobody bothers to reprint them. I have quite a few band shirts, mostly of the parking lot variety. My problem is they are all wore to shit which is my wife made me put them away. I got rid of a ton of old running and cycling race t-shirts (I took pics of all), but I haven’t yet done the same with my concert tees. Do people pay good money for them in ragged shape? Still not sure I could get rid of all of them. My favorite is a SRV shirt from when he played the Gorge about a month before he died. RIP Stevie! ---
**Author:** ![Banksiaman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/banksiaman/32/3334_2.png) [@Banksiaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Banksiaman)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/38 "2023-11-08T23:00:13Z")
Misfits are certainly popular here [Australia] with younger folk who wear ‘classic’ band t-shirts, along with the Joy Division one pictured above and angel statue version of ‘Love will tear us apart again’ and Nirvana’s _Nevermind_. Another trend coming into our summer is 60s tie-dyed style t-shirts, although I think they are screen-printed with the blotches rather than being tie-dyed in the traditional manner. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/39 "2023-11-08T23:06:33Z")
> [@Banksiaman](#): > > Another trend coming into our summer is 60s tie-dyed style t-shirts, although I think they are screen-printed with the blotches rather than being tie-dyed in the traditional manner. I wore (genuine) tie-dyed clothes when I was in my twenties. Around 1993, I looked like Robert Plant 20 years before (well, I didn’t look _quite_ as good as Plant, but the hair and clothes were just right 😉). Everything comes back. And then again. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [November 8, 2023, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700/40 "2023-11-08T23:24:02Z")
> [@DCnDC](#): > > The Misfits would seem to be the poster child for this. Really? When I read the thread title Black Flag jumped to mind. There are hundreds of [Black Flag parody shirts](https://www.google.com/search?q=black+flag+parody+shirt&rlz=1C1EJFC_enUS922US922&oq=black+flag+parody+shirt&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOdIBCTEwNzg1ajBqMagCALACAA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8), I offer up as proof. ETA: In an attempt to google which band sells more shirts, [I ran across this!](https://www.reddit.com/r/LetsTalkMusic/comments/12sznm7/list_bands_or_artists_whose_merch_is_more_popular/?rdt=40522) 😁 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/bands-artists-whose-merchandise-is-more-popular-well-known-than-their-music/992700.md?page=3)