We've been so preoccupied with our various May sales that we've neglected to share this with you: an extensive piece on WF on the fabulous Shockhound site.
It's a lovely retrospective on the brand, its wares and its founder.
But hey, let's talk about shirts. We've got some amazing new ones coming, like Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. And Nudie Cohn's Rodeo Tailors. And ... well, some surprises. Stay tuned.
Today's featured item, though, was originally worn by Chris Difford of Squeeze:
It celebrates the Southeast London neighborhood (or "neighbourhood," if you must) of Deptford -- the "T" is silent -- where Squeeze was formed (and which also produced such bands as Dire Straits and Alternative TV, not to mention a host of famed shipwrights). Of course, not everyone who sees you in this handsome item needs to know that. That's what we mean when we say Worn Free offers a secret history of cool.
Here it is: the final of our four May Madness mega-bargains. I'm referring to the badass Dee Dee Ramone Snake Farm tee, available at a steep 25% discount until month's end (be sure to enter coupon code MADMAY).
Modeled on the serpentine splendor of Dee Dee's '70s original (snapped in London, after the Ramones had infected the U.K. once again with the aggro three-chord mayhem they'd bred in Queens), this menacing motif will hypnotize your metal, glam and punk pals alike.
But don't roll snake eyes by missing it -- May Madness will gave way to June, er, rationality in no time at all. So Gabba Gabba get on it.
How nice to see our wares snuggled amid the stylish offerings featured in American Rag's home-page video. Fashion-conscious types are no doubt aware of this rockin' emporium, but for those who aren't, you'll want to spend some time perusing their shelves. Even if you're more comfortable buying your WF shirts from our easy-to-use website (where four designs are on sale at 25% off through 5/31 with coupon code MADMAY), the fact remains that we can't sell you jeans, sneakers, cowboy boots, vintage ties, scarves, hats or jewelry. Not yet, anyway.
You may recall past posts rhapsodizing about the late, great Mick Ronson, who was not only a brilliant guitarist (who brought fire and brimstone to Bowie's glam classics, Lou Reed's Transformer, Ian Hunter's pub-rock soliloquies and a classic Dylan tour, among other things) but also a dynamite arranger and quite a talented singer-songwriter in his own right.
You might also have read our passionate screed about why he belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
But as today would've been the man's 64th birthday, we'll just say two things:
1. Happy Birthday, Mick. We miss you like hell.
2. Wearing Mick's face or the designs he wore on your torso is not a bad way to celebrate a great artist and a primary architect of the glam sound.
You might also track down some of Mick's lovely solo work.
In other news: Our May Madness sale continues. Stay tuned. And please follow us on Twitter; don't make us ask again.
... before Memorial Day is over and the special sale (the coupon code for which can only be viewed by our Tweety friends) has ended.
So follow us and learn how you can get 30% off all shirts (while supplies last) until midnight tonight.
This is the part where we tell you not to be afraid to dress like a celebrity. Own it! Work it! Sure, Eva Mendes, Alex O'Loughlin and other stars of screen and song have been spotted in this foxy design.
But don't be shy -- it'll look pretty freakin' hot on you too. No one needs to know you got it for 25% off. That's right: I'm Not Johnny Ramone is part of our May Madness sale, which means you can knock 1/4 off the retail price AND have it shipped to your mansion, villa or yacht free of charge.
Just enter coupon code MADMAY when you check out. And remember: the madness ends 5/31.
When Debbie Harry wore this design in a 1977 photo, few beyond her circle of CBGB admirers knew that L.A.M.F. referred to Like a Mother Fucker, the legendary punk album by The Heartbreakers (no, not Tom Petty's band - the boisterous ensemble featuring Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan (formerly of the New York Dolls).
The album in question acquired a mythic dimension in part for its notoriously dreadful sound quality -- it was the subject of several contentious remixes over the years, none of them authoritative -- but remains the only full-length studio artifact of the group (it was re-released in 1982, and re-re-released in 1994, by Jungle Records).
And as you may have guessed by now, this precious bit of spiky-haired, gob-spitting secret history is now on sale for 25% off (plus free shipping) during the remaining daffy days of our May Madness sell-a-thon.
Just use the coupon code MADMAY when you check out; but you'd be better speed over to our site L.A.M.F. to make sure you get your order in while supplies last.
How we miss you, O Godfather of Punk. If we were in NYC tonight we'd surely be attending the gala 9th Annual Joey Ramone Birthday Party event at the Fillmore.
At least we can offer Joey's fans 20% off all the designs he wore. Like this one.
Just head over to the Joey Ramone page and pick out your faves -- and don't forget to enter the coupon code NOTJOEY when you check out. The sale ends 5/31, so hey ho, let's go.
We know it: budgets aren't bulging. Pursestrings are tight. Cabbage is ... um ... not as crunchy? Let's not belabor the financial slang any further. The point is this: in a mad economy, only the mad survive.
Hence our May Madness sale, a wild respite from reason wherein we offer 25% off four splendid Worn Free designs: I'm Not Johnny Ramone, John Van Hamersveld Skater, Debbie Harry L.A.M.F. and Dee Dee Ramone Snake Farm.
This lunatic low price includes free shipping, just to add a final dizzy spin to the whole insane escapade.
Our first featured tee: The JVH Skater.
Designed in 1964 -- well ahead of the national skateboard craze -- by visionary graphic artist John Van Hamersveld, the skater tee is an iconic treasure and a tribute to the first-wave of sidewalk surfers.
Pick it up today and you can skate off with a 25% discount and free shipping; just enter the coupon code MADMAY at checkout.
So put that in your half-pipe and smoke it.
Yeah, we said rock star.
And not just because La Cho is among the most inspired and charismatic comedic performers of her generation, either.
We mean literally, as in "Margaret Cho picks up a guitar and rocks your ass with her brilliant songs."
It's not surprising, really, given her magically profane way with the language, her pitch-perfect ear for mimicry and her dead-on timing. In a way, she was always making rock 'n' roll. But now she's doing it with a six-string strapped to her chest.
Margaret's been workshopping the material at a rollicking series of nights at L.A.'s Club Largo, raunchily dubbed Fingerbang, with a bevy of wonderful players and singers (like Jon Brion, Grant Lee Phillips and Garrison Starr, among many others) assisting her; the fruits of her labor will be heard on an album, "Guitarded," slated for 2010.
In the meantime, enjoy her upcoming TV series, Drop Dead Divas, on Lifetime (starting July 12) -- and this fetching photo of the artist her own self, festooned in our Joan Jett Peacock tee.
