First of all, HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEBBIE HARRY! I always loved Debbie and I always will. She’s an original. Madonna before Madonna, and Gwen Stefani before Gwen Stefani, and classic Blondie inspires new fans every day. I think it’s also safe to say that she was the most photogenic of all the punks/new wavers.

Do you remember how amazing she would look in all of those magazines. Like those shots where it’s just her and Chris, she’s naturally amazing. Having an older brother, I grew up with those old school Circus, Cream, and Rock Scene mags. There’d always be these badass pics of our favorite rock stars just hanging out in their back/off stage clothes. WORN FREE remembers those days. And in celebration of the hip and casual side of our favorite rock stars, they have recreated the t-shirts that they wore in those famous pics. I’d love John Lennon’s NYC t-shirt (from the lenses and almost off the back of photographer Bob Gruen), or the CAT (Caterpillar) truckers hat that Peter Criss wore, or Ian Hunter in a Boy Howdy t-shirt, or, of course, Debbie in her Vultures t-shirt.

This crew isn’t just putting out reproduction “vintage” versions of concert jerseys of tours that never happened, each time they put out a new t-shirt, they are retelling part of the rock and roll story; each shirt is like an inside joke, and the wearer gets to feel like they are a part of the rock mojo they previously only looked at in those old magazines. There’s something pretty cool about that, pathetic maybe, but really cool nonetheless. Cooler than just the generic merch out there, these shirts come with a story: Like the one that comes with the PUNK shirt they’ve put out to celebrate Debbie’s b-day (read their special offer).

WORN FREE GOES PUNK WITH DEBBIE HARRY The Legendary Punk Queen Celebrates Her Birthday Today WORN FREE celebrates Debbie Harry’s birthday and offers 10% off all her T-shirts throughout the first two weeks of July.  The talented and beautiful Debbie Harry celebrates her birthday today and Worn Free is the perfect way to become part of rock history! Blondie’s lead singer Debbie Harry quickly became recognized as one of the most influential fashion icons of the 70s with hit songs like “Heart of Glass” and “The Tide is High.”  Her stage persona of cool sexuality and streetwise style became so closely associated with her two-toned blonde hair that many came to believe her real name was Blondie. Debbie’s career as a musical artist and trendsetter took flight when edgy polaroid photographs of her were first published in Punk Magazine. She became the Punk Magazine’s first T-shirt model and with WORN FREE you can embrace Debbie Harry’s history and rock out with her signature “PUNK” T-shirt. If you want something more fun, you can welcome in the summer with the legendary “Camp Funtime” shirt that Harry made famous during her first 1977 North American tour where she opened for Iggy Pop and David Bowie. Other T-shirts embodied by Debbie Harry include No Pictures, Berlin, Vultures, Mick Ronson, L.A.M.F., Blue Jackets and Skull.  Just enter coupon code RAPTURE.  But this offer expires July 15, so order while the tide is high.

ME? I ordered the JOEY RAMONE BIRTHDAY TRIBUTE of Joey in his NYC Eagle shirt.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOEY RAMONE! The Ramones front man would have been 58 on Tuesday, May 19 he  he was the “heart and soul” of the band We want to wish a very happy birthday to Jeffrey Ross Hyman – better known as Joey Ramone who was “the heart and soul” of one of the most influential punk bands of the 1970s.  Joey would have turned 58 on Tuesday but this battle with Lymphoma came to an end in April 2001.  Over the course of 22years the Ramones toured virtually non-stop and played music that inspired everyone from the Sex Pistols to the Clash to Green Day and Blink-182. Joey Ramone was the perfect visual centerpiece for the band. Their power-drill hooks, delivered with relentless simplicity, gave the band a stripped-down-less-is-more attitude an immediate impact in a NYC music scene already brimming with talent. And along with Talking Heads, Blondie, the New York Dolls and others, were responsible for the club CBGBs being identified as the lightning rod of the punk movement. Formed in March 1974, by (Joey, Johnny, Dee Dee, and Tommy) they promoted an adolescent attitude not only in their song-writing, but in their trademark outfits. Luckily, Worn Free has recreated some of those famous T-shirts once worn by Joey Ramone and includes everything from the humorous I’m Not Joey Ramone shirt he donned in 1977, to the ever famous London, England tee he sported on stage in 1976, to the well-known Capitol Theatre one..

Also, instead of a regular tag, you get that picture above in the backstage pass laminate/sticker…it’s pretty dope. Check out more cool choices below. I’m not no fashion expert, but I’m just excited about em. And the price isn’t bad at all when you think about how much they charge for shirts at the concerts these days (and I don’t begrudge bands making money on the road at all)

I mean, an obscure shirt that Lester Bangs wore? And did I say how much I love the Runaways and Joan Jet?

Tags: concert tee, debbie harry, frank zappa, lester bangs, merch, new wave, peter criss, punk, vintage tee, Worn Free

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 1st, 2009 at 3:31 pm and is filed under Daniel Siwek's Blog. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.