telephone

NAME: Cody
LOCATION: house party, Wicker Park

[Cody's shirt was given to him for free by the apartment complex he lives in, called "The Automatic Lofts". Allegedly, the building was formerly either a telephone company or a telephone factory of some kind. Cody had a lot to say about wearing a shirt that was on the one hand an advertisement for a company he has no stake in but on the other hand is a very cool-looking shirt that doesn't necessarily appear to be an advertisement for anything. Unfortunately, a very loud argument was taking place in the next room and completely drowned out our voices on my recorder. The interview was then cut short by that argument escalating into a spectacular fist fight. It was a very exciting evening but an unfortunate loss for the T-Shirt Project. Thanks, Cody, for your time.]

Madison Regatta!

NAME: John [with Alexis]
LOCATION: house party, Avondale

Are you from Madison?

Uh, my folks live there. Yeah, Madison, Indiana.

Oh! Okay.

Yeah, Indiana. The other Madison.

And were you in a regatta?

Nah, it's this, this big thing they do every year around the Fourth of July, yeah? It's this speedboat race, it's, uh, right on the Ohio River. Right on the Kentucky-Indiana border. So, they do it there, and I picked it up at a thrift store. My parents, they work for the Salvation Army, yeah? And, they run the thrift store - that's part of it - so I got a family discount. It worked out pretty good.

How much of a discount do you get at the Salvation Army?

It's like fifty percent, man, it's pretty good.

So how much did this shirt cost?

About a dollar fifty.

And you've never been in the regatta.

No, never been in the regatta. Never actually even been in the same state as the regatta was going on. So it's not quite legitimate. But I like the shirt, right? So what are you gonna do.

DISMANTLE

NAME: Erin
LOCATION: Parrots Bar and Grill, Wellington and Halstead

I didn't know what to do with my life and I was graduating from college and my sister bought me a ticket to see my favorite band for my birthday. So I came here to visit for the first time in a lotta years and we went to the concert and I bought this t-shirt and it's kinda embarrassing because it's a U2 concert t-shirt but it means more to me because it's the color it is and it says "dismantle" and it appeals to my, like, leftist politics, but - and it's, you know, protest-y.


But it also has this really great memory that like my sister and I connected for the first time in a really long time and I came here for the first time in a really long time and it was that weekend that I decided that when I graduated from college I would move here. And I graduated from college and I had no job and I had nothing and I moved here and I'm still here three years later, so. Every time I wear this t-shirt I feel a little, like, liberated, and I believe in myself a little bit more.

So, normally I ask a lot of questions, but I'm tempted to just write down everything you just said and leave it at that.

It sounded completely geeky!

No, no, it sounded really good.

In Good Company

NAME: Ben
LOCATION: The Firkin & Pheasant, Orchard and Diversey

They gave it to us for free at the video store I worked at. So, I stole it. We were supposed to wear it in the store, but I never wore it in the store, I wore it everywhere else. And it's comfy!

Are you a fan of the film?

I don't hate it. Any movie where Topher Grace gets to bang Scarlett Johansson, I'm all for.

Do you wear it, though, as an advertisement for the film?

No. I wear it as an advertisement for comfortable maroon shirts. And Topher Grace. And Dennis Quaid and Scarlett Johansson, but not the movie itself.


But you told me that it's your favorite shirt.

It is my favorite shirt.

What makes this your favorite, as opposed to a shirt advertising a movie you actually like?

I got it for free. Um, it's the most comfortable shirt I wear. It doesn't wear out no matter how many times you wash it. I've probably washed it ... at least more than once, hopefully. It doesn't fade. When it's hot out, it feels cool, when it's cool it feels warm. And it's ironic enough not to be hipstery, but it's also not a hipster shirt because I actually got it where I worked, I didn't buy it in a second-hand store or anything.

Is there irony in your wearing it because you don't think it's a very good movie?

No, I don't hate it. I mean, I think I have a burned copy of it somewhere, from the video store. But I don't watch it a lot. If it was on TBS when I go home right now I would probably watch it. They order Domino's because their dinner gets ruined and then Topher Grace hits on her by playing ping pong in the garage then the lovable little sister comes in and it ends - well, I'm not gonna say how it ends because it's really cool. And then she goes to school and lives in a dorm even though she's like 29 or something. And then Topher Grace bangs her... I haven't watched it a lot, I swear to god.

Iquitos, Peru

NAME: Samantha
LOCATION: Starbucks, Lakeview

Well, I got it at, um, in Peru when we went on a cruise down the Amazon River. We stopped at this village and, um, it was - they didn't take money so we bartered our stuff. My mom brought a bunch of things and I traded one of my old dolls for this beautiful shirt.

You traded a doll for this shirt.

Yeah. Isn't it cool? It has like cool little birds on it. And we went down this river right here - well, the Amazon - and then this is like ... [Samantha is pointing out the geography of Peru's rivers on the map on her shirt] ... other little rivers and then we went to Peru. Iquitos, Peru.

And it was in Iquitos where you bartered-

It's not in this actual town. It was in a little village. I don't know what it was called but it was tiny.

What kind of doll was it?

It was like a barbie and then I also gave them one of my old Mickey Mouse shirts.

And do you feel now that it was a fair trade?

Yeah, because my Mickey Mouse shirt had a hole in it.

How old were you?

Eleven? Twelve? Eleven, probably. I also got to touch this really cool frog that's poisonous. It's red, and if you boil its skin that's when it gets poisonous and people would put 'em on their arrows in the old time to shoot stuff with.

Fishbone

NAME: Angel
LOCATION: Whole Foods, Lakeview

Fishbone was an early-80s band that was a ska/punk/metal hybrid ... they had a couple good records in like the mid-, late-80s. Still around. But I found this shirt vintage at, um, Brown Elephant, I believe?

I just, this kinda brings me back a little bit to my childhood, I guess. The early 80s, or the late 80s, 90s.

Are they from here?

Uh, no no, they're from California.

Is that where you're from?

No, I'm born and raised in Chicago.

But have you seen them live?

No, not live. I've seen them - I've seen, like, footage of them on TV. I mean, they were an exciting band at the time. They were one of those bands that you couldn't really pigeonhole because they just had so many different styles but like the Chili Peppers were down with them and um, a lot of metal bands, too. Primus, I know they toured with them, so. And it glows in the dark!

Nice.

And it's very appropriate because I work in the fish market. So, you know.

You wear it to work a lot?

I wear it out and about. I do get comments from the old-timers, they see it, they're like, "Yeah, Fishbone, yeah!"

The New Theater, St. Louis

NAME: Kate
LOCATION: house party, Roscoe Village

You can't pretend that you don't know where that shirt comes from.

I actually don't, I swear to God. I mean, seriously, I have three older brothers, I have two parents. And like, one day it was in my house and I was like, "I like red." And it says "theater" on it. And I do theater. So I was like, "This shirt should be mine." So I just took it. I don't even know what "The New Theater, St. Louis" is. But it's a nice t-shirt. It's like stretched out and old. So it's like really really comfortable. And it's red.

Fluorescent Fruit

NAME: Kelly
LOCATION: Farragut's, Andersonville

I'm not usually interested in these kind of patterned shirts for the blog, but you seem really excited about this.

Yeah. Yeah! I'm so excited about this shirt. So many reasons. And the first reason is that, well, first of all, the fruit is fluorescent. And basically food that is artificially colored is my favorite food.

To eat, or to have on your shirt?

To eat. Especially Cheetos. And I was a Cheeto for Halloween, and so, um, fluorescent lemons are probably what I'm gonna eat when I get home and I'm hoping to acquire some more artifically-colored food clothing slash costumes slash food for dinner.

Do you have other items of clothing that display your favorite food like this?

My Cheeto costume for Halloween!

How did you pull that off?

Um, I had orange fishnets that were nice and textured like a Cheeto. I had this tarry cloth skirt which also had a nice Cheeto-like texture. I had an orange cardigan and orange hairspray and orange facepaint and yellow rainboots with anchors on them.

I [steve frost] SF

NAME: Amy
LOCATION: Chipotle, Belmont & Kenmore

My shirt, which says "I [heart] SF" was made at the going away party for my friend Steve Frost - you can see his face in the heart - Steve is an artist who lived in DC and he just moved to Chicago in ... August? Sometime in the summer. To start art school. So he lives here now. Um, and at the party, this DC artist who makes t-shirts had everyone at the party silkscreen the design onto the t-shirts.

Did people silkscreen them themselves?

Um, well, the artist who does it had, like, you know, had the design and we just - I did my own. Like, I picked my t-shirt color and I picked the color - because it was a red ink and I knew that the red color would come out kind of purply and pretty. So I picked it for that but there were all different colors.

And this was done at the party?

This was done at the party.

That's cool.

Yeah.

So "SF" stands for "Steve Frost".

Yes.

And it's a picture of Steve Frost.

Yes.

So the shirt says: "I [steve] Steve Frost".

More or less.

That doesn't really make any sense.

But it's cute, isn't it?

Miss Independent

NAME: Katie
LOCATION: The Ark, Lakeview

What's this shirt all about?

This shirt ... believe it or not, I got it a thrift store. And I thought it was darn fun because I had bariatric surgery, and I finally got to be thrift shopping and I found 'Miss Independent' and it just suited me. It was perfect for me. And it was cheap! And I liked it.

What kind of surgery did you have?

Bariatric surgery? Weight loss surgery.

Oh, okay.

So, there you go. And I was so excited I could shop at thrift stores and I found something that was very me. So there it is.

So now you're a woman about town, Miss Independent. Do you wear this to bars?

I don't. I'm not much of a bar-hopper. I'm just independent.

The Gong Show

NAME: Bryan
LOCATION: The Rocking Chair, Logan Square

Oh, my friend Patrick got it for me at a thrift store, apparently. Um, well, it's just something that we say. Actually our friend Brittany I guess started it. It's just something - if something's "gong show" it's kind of ridiculous, fucked up. Stupid. It's like, "That's totally gong show."

And then what's-his-name, in Pineapple Express? The cute guy, with the long hair?

James Franco.

Yeah, James Franco used it in that. And we were surprised. We didn't know anybody else used it.

Then I had a teacher who, uh - he's probably, I guess he's about forty, and he goes, "Do you even remember the Gong Show?" And I was like, "No, man. It's just a fuckin' shirt." That's true. That's a true story.

Anything else?

Also I like the color yellow. It keeps me safe at night.

The Native American, post-apocalypse

NAME: Kevin
LOCATION: Sultan's Market, Wicker Park

I got this, uh... it's one of the shirts I got from like the one-dollar rack at, like ... I think it was the Brown Elephant. And, uh, I liked it so much even though it already has pre-existing pit stains. But you know whoever got rid of it clearly saw the potential in it. You know, it's pretty ratty. It's really just one of those shirts I like to wear because I expect to get laid. I expect to get fucked when I wear this shirt. Not like, you know, I wear this, like, "Oh, I'm totally gonna get fucked tonight." But it's: "I'm going to get fucked tonight because I'm wearing this shirt. Because of this shirt." I look at me in the mirror, and I think, "I would fuck me." Just because of this shirt. And only because of this shirt.

So that's what - also, it's just pretty cool. I like looking at it and imagining where the Indian is.

Where do you imagine the Indian to be?

I don't know. I think it's like, after a nuclear bomb or something. I don't really know. That's for you to decide. I guess.

Have you ever gotten laid in this shirt?

No. Not once.

Bermuda

NAME: Jamie
LOCATION: The Firkin & Pheasant, Orchard & Diversey

I don't believe for a second that this is from Bermuda.

Well, I've actually been there, but it's not from Bermuda.

Where's it from?

The Salvation Army on ... some street in Worcester, Massachusetts.

...which is your hometown?

My hometown.

Did you get this before or after you went to Bermuda?

Exactly six years after. I was eight when I went to Bermuda and I was fourteen when I got this t-shirt.

You must have some fond memories of Bermuda.

I don't know - I was scared! Because everyone wanted to braid my hair and I was eight years old and it was - I had never really seen like many black people before. It was scary. Are you putting this on the internet? I messed up.

Why is this now your favorite shirt?

Um, well I've had it for almost eleven years now and it's, y'know, basically see-through ... it's real nice ... a great color ... they don't make 'em like they used to.

go SOX!

NAME: Sue
LOCATION: U.S. Cellular Field (Royals @ White Sox)

Is this shirt actually handmade?

Yes.

Did you make it yourself?

Yes!

Can you tell me about this logo?

Well, I guess I'm a rabid south-sider, so this is a rabid south-sider.

How long have you been a Sox fan?

Hmm, let's see. Probably about fifty years.

Fifty years!

Yeah, about. More or less!

How are they doing this year?

[Sue makes the "so-so" gesture with her hand.]
They're a .500 team, I guess. We might be able to win our division, so... I'd be happy with that. I believe in miracles. And I love the bleachers! I wouldn't sit anywhere else!

How long have you lived in Chicago?

All my life! Fifty-five years.

And how long have you been coming here? Or, over there?
[I am gesturing towards where Comiskey used to be.]

Holy-moly! About fifty years!

Anything else you'd like to say about the Sox?

Go Sox! I love 'em all! We've got a great line-up.

Golden State Warriors / THE CITY

NAME: Hilary
LOCATION: Paulina Brown Line

Is that the Golden Gate Bridge?

It is! It's actually - the logo is the old logo for the Golden State Warriors. They used to play in San Francisco.

The Golden State Warriors?

Yes. They are the basketball team that now plays in Oakland.

Are they in the National Basketball Association?

They are. Good job. They moved to Oakland in, I think, the seventies.

This is, like, a "retro" shirt.

It is, yeah. But I moved to San Francisco about a year ago and it made me kind of sad to be for the first time in a city where I had no relationship to any of the sports teams. So this was... no. That's not true. I do have a relationship: I dislike many of them intensely. But I have no beef with the Golden State Warriors. So this seemed like a nice connection to my new city.

Explain to me what 'THE CITY' has to do with The Golden State Warriors.

Well they used to play in SF and that was just their logo. If you go look at old photos, this was on the jersey and everything.

That included the words 'THE CITY'?

'THE CITY'! Amazing, right? It doesn't look like a sports logo! But it was.

Okay. Aren't you being a poser?

No! I'm a Celtics fan, but I'll go to some Warriors games this year, because they just signed Steph Curry, the kid from Davidson. I'm kind of excited, actually.

Oh, I know who he is! He's that guy who is adorable and great and whose team didn't make it to March Madness this year because his team sucks. He was carrying them two years ago and then this year, even he couldn't carry them. Because, who has ever heard of Davidson.

He will also be unable to carry the Golden State Warriors. But I will go to some games, and it will be fun.

[By the way, according to wikipedia, the Philadelphia Warriors relocated to San Francisco in 1962. The San Francisco Warriors played in Oakland with increasing frequency between 1966 and 1972, and finally changed their name over when they permanently housed themselves at the Oakland Coliseum Arena. They are the only NBA team whose name includes neither a state nor a city.]

CUNT [sorry, mom]

NAME: Jessica
LOCATION: Parrots Bar and Grill, Wellington & Halstead

There really isn't a story behind it. But, I just wanted an offensive shirt. I had never seen anybody with the word 'cunt' on their shirt before.

You got this made at the Jive Monkey?

Yeah.

How do you feel about that word being familiar to people?

I think it's a good thing, because I think people don't know what it really means. It means: 'Can't Understand Normal Thinking' and there's a reason women are very offended by it, and I think that should be done away with.

Do you feel like you're reclaiming it, the way black people reclaim that other word that I'm not gonna say because people might get offended?

No, I don't think I'm reclaiming it necessarily.

I've read this book called "Cunt" that was all about how women should reclaim the word. It's like: if a word is offensive to you, you make it your own and then you turn it back around. Is that what you're trying to do?

No, not really. Like I said, just make it familiar kind of. Like, overexposure. So it's not a big deal when it's said.

But is the idea, though, to lessen its value as an insult to women?

Well, yeah. That's not a bad idea. But the shirt, though, I just wanted it to be offensive. I just wanted people to stop and go, "Wait, what does that say?"

Have people done that?

Oh yeah! Because it's very subtle. And they have to stop and kind of look at it for a second then they're like, "Does that say what I think it says?"

Would you say this shirt has been successful?

Yes.

[The Jive Monkey is an independently owned and operated store in Lakeview, one of the family of stores under The Alley's umbrella. They'll make any t-shirt you want!]

Harvey Danger

NAME: Kyle
LOCATION: Schubas, Belmont & Southport (Chicago stop for Harvey Danger's farwell tour)

You're a Harvey Danger fan.

I am. I have been for a couple years, actually.

Only a couple years?

Okay, for about ten years. Since "Flagpole Sitta" came out. I mean I really don't like the song now but it was what first introduced me to them.

You don't like "Flagpole Sitta"?

It grew old. It got overplayed. It's - I mean, it kinda overshadowed any other song they had that came out.

They have a lot of other stuff, obviously.

They have four albums! I mean, three plus all the bonus stuff.

But do you want them to play "Flagpole Sitta" tonight?

I wouldn't be offended if they played it but I mean I'd rather the room be saved in the set for something more obscure.

How do you feel about the band breaking up?

Very disappointed. I mean, I know they haven't been very active in a while, but I mean, I didn't mind just like once every couple years a new album coming out... I've driven downstate to see their tour before. It's fun times.

How many times have you seen them?

Only twice.

What's your favorite Harvey Danger song?

My favorite one is probably one that I don't even have a complete cut of off their original demo tape, called "Ignore Me". Otherwise, like as far as more popular songs go, my favorite single is probably "Sad Sweetheart of the Rodeo". Or, "Woolly Muffler" if we're gonna go with just album tracks.

My friend Mal over here wrote out a top ten. She likes "Wrecking Ball".

Ooh! I really like that song. Have you heard the piano version that they did on the "Little Round Mirrors" EP?

[Here, Kyle and my friend Mal went off on their favorite Harvey Danger deep cuts for about ten minutes. Instead of transcribing all of it, I'll just link you to this video, which I feel is a pretty impressive representation of the joy that swells in my heart whenever I hear Harvey Danger's one big hit.]

Homeless PRIDE

NAME: Ben
LOCATION: Parrots Bar and Grill, Wellington & Halstead

Are you homeless?

No, I'm not homeless actually. No, I'm not. When I first moved to Chicago, my brother thought it would be funny to get this shirt for me because I lived downtown in the dorms at the UC. I don't know if you know where that is.

Wait. Like, the University of Chicago?

No, the University Center.

Okay, no, I don't know what that is.

I went to Columbia. It's like this gigantic dorm that has DePaul students, Roosevelt students and Columbia students. At the time I went to Columbia. I lived in the dorms and my brother thought it would be funny to get me a bunch of t-shirts - like, random-ass t-shirts, like I got some other funny ones too. But, uh, he thought it'd be funny to get me a whole packet of like random-ass t-shirts that just had funny shit so this shirt's actually from LA! So...

Do you know specifically where it's from?

No, I don't. I could call him and ask him. He'd probably know. I think it was some like weird shop in Hollywood or whatever. But, uh, fuckin' A! He sends it to me man and I seriously like open it up and I was like, "I can't wear this here! I'm gonna get my ass kicked!" and he's like, "Just try it out once, just try it out once." And y'know, all right, I wore it, I wore it out when I lived downtown, and this chick comes up to me and she was like, "Are you seriously wearing that?" And I was like, "Yeah." She's like, "You homeless?" I was like, "No, I live - y'know I'm standing in front of a dorm, I'm not homeless."

And she was like, "Has a bum ever threatened you about that?" I was like, "Why would a bum threaten me? It says 'Homeless PRIDE' on it." So I'm like, obviously I've got pride for the homeless! Like, y'know? It was just like this long huge funny conversation with this girl.

And then actually some homeless dude saw me with it on, he got kinda pissed off about it, like, this was where I work, there's a lot of homeless people that like come around. He got kinda pissed and I was just like "Dude." I was like, "Really." I was like, "It says Homeless PRIDE." I was like, "What does PRIDE mean?" He was like, "Oh. You're not making fun of us?" I was like, "No, dude!" I was like, "I'm giving you guys props, dude, for fuckin' livin' on the streets, fuckin' survivin', man!"

And he was just like, "All right, all right. Can I get a cigarette?"

And I was just like, "No!" I only had one on me at the time, dude! I was just like, "No, dude, this is my last one." Like I'd say to any normal bum, y'know, like, "This is my last cigarette, bud."

The basic story is: my brother wanted to give me a ton of funny-ass shit when I moved out to Chicago about four years ago so I've been rocking it for about four years. Man, the Homeless Pride. Gotta love it.

Would you, in a pinch, bum a homeless guy a cigarette, though? If you had more than one?

If I had more than one? Well, I didn't do it today. Just 'cause he's a normal bum that comes around and he caused a lot of havoc so I was like, "No." But if it was a nice bum, like I don't know if you know Dorothy? Like she's been around this area like a very very long time. Like I would bum bums I know a cigarette. Yeah. 'Cause dude, I smoke American Spirits, dude, and they're fucking expensive as shit.

And the cigarette tax just went up.

Yeah, so. If I was smoking like a Marb Light or a Marb Red yeah, if I had over half a pack left, definitely. Or if they need some change, if I got some change in my pocket, y'know, I'll just throw it down. You gotta have homeless pride. Unless you got under a half a pack of cigs left and no change and just like, twenties and tens. Like, I ain't givin' you fuckin' that shit, man. This city's expensive enough as it is!

eels with strings

NAME: Jon
LOCATION: Clark St, Lakeview

Tell the uninitiated about eels and Mr. E.

Eels is my favorite band of all time and, let's see. They're from California. They had a hit about 1996 called "Novocaine for the Soul". But then, after that, they didn't really have any big hit radio songs. They just kinda kept going but people didn't really know that they kept going. Well I knew they kept going. So I kept listening.

What about "Last Stop: This Town"?

That's another one they kinda - yeah, that's true. They did have one more - it wasn't as big a hit, but y'know.

I love that song.

I love that song, too. They're a great band.

So was E morose and depressed when you met him?

Uh, no. He was rocking out at a concert. I've been to see them three times.

Where?

I saw them first time at the one down here. The Metro. Yeah, the Metro. And then I saw them again in Detroit and I saw them again - this is the concert I got the shirt from - I saw them at Park West.

How did you go about meeting him, to get him to autograph the shirt?

I just hung out after the show. The first time I met him was at The Metro when I was young and dumb and excited to meet a rock hero and so I was this very scary big man going crazy.

Just how tall are you?

I'm 6'5". So I said, "Hey, can I get a picture?" And he said, "Yeah, sure, whatever." And so I just went like this...

[To demonstrate, Jon threw his long lanky right arm over my shoulder with delightful enthusiasm.]

...and so the best picture I've ever taken in my life is me smiling this big huge smile and him looking off to the side not even looking at the camera. So, that's the first time. And then the second time I, you know, I went home that night and I thought you know what? He's probably gonna think I'm a big jerk or whatever and if he ever sees me again he's probably gonna wanna punch me in the face so I gotta lay low this time and so I just went up to him and said, you know, "nice concert" hoping he wouldn't remember this big kid from Chicago who mauled him last time. So I just asked him for an autograph and he was cool.


This says something here?

It says "E was here".

Walken

NAME: Donnacha
LOCATION: Landmark Theaters, Lakeview

Christopher Walken!

I just like the look on his face.

What movie is that from?

It's from "The Prophecy".

Nope, never seen that.

It's one of those, like, angels are gonna bring about the apocalypse, blah blah blah. The movie's crap. This is good.

What's your favorite Christopher Walken movie?

"Batman Returns".

Great choice.

Wii-mote with Nunchuck

NAME: Nathan Lane
LOCATION: Landmark Theaters, Lakeview

My name is Nathan Lane. No, really it is.

Can I see some ID?

Yeah. I mean, do you want my school ID or my real ID?

[It's true. I'm no bouncer, but his identification looked legit.]

Your name is Nathan Lane.

I'm one of two. Truthfully, um, Nathan Lane is causing a lot of trouble in my life. First of all, it's not his real name. His first name is actually Joseph. And the second issue is like when he came out when I was in middle school, my life turned into a living hell. But only some people actually know about Nathan Lane so I can't always make a joke about him.

Tell me about your Wii-mote shirt.

My Wii-mote shirt. I recently went to Allentown to visit my mom, which is kind of close to New York City so I went to New York City and in New York City I dragged my much-cooler friends to a place called Nintendo World where I blew like sixty bucks and was a public embarrassment. So I bought like this shirt and the belt buckle and, uh, some other things, including a stuffed Kirby doll. Um, but it was like going to Mecca for me.


How big is the stuffed Kirby doll?

It's about, uh, maybe the size of, uh ... of a toddler's head? I can't think of a more appropriate comparison than that.

Okay. Best Zelda game.

The best Zelda game! Now, I know this is a contentious issue because, I, like ... I'm supposed to say "Ocarina of Time", right? I don't want fanboys pounding on my door because I didn't say "Ocarina of Time". But I really enjoyed "Wind Waker", and everyone can suck my 'D' on that issue.

I am a fan of "Wind Waker". I think it's underrated.

I appreciated a return to a more playful style. You know, I didn't need a Zelda epic. I didn't need "Ocarina of Time" again. I thought it was a good game.

I'm always gonna be partial to "Link to the Past", myself.

I mean, that is a little before my time. I played a little bit - was that on the NES, the original, or was that on Super Nin--

Super Nintendo.

I only played that one at GameStop. I've never even owned that one.

Oh, you should pick it up.

I'd love to, man.

St. Norbert College Knights

NAME: Jacob
LOCATION: Brown Line (Northbound to Kimball)

This is a private college in Green Bay. One of my best friends actually played football for the St. Norbert Knights and I was at a thrift store in Green Bay and came across it and it was something that I could like support his team and also have an awesome shirt and it only cost me a dollar.

Not bad. How did the St. Norbert Knights do that year?

Um, they did pretty good. And it was something that I was definitely getting a couple eyebrows raised at the games because, you know, this is an old school throwback t-shirt. It went over really well.

What position did your friend play?

My friend was a wide receiver. His name is Judd O'Connell, um, he was number 85 and, um, had a fantastic Senior season and we were very proud of him. He did a great job.

Wait, tell me again where St. Norbert College is.

St. Norbert College is located in De Pere, Wisconsin, which is a suburb of Green Bay. Actually a funny little story: before St. Norbert College became a college it was Abbot Pennings High School and that's actually where my father went to high school. Graduated in 1972. Just a little tidbit for ya'.

JOEY!!!

NAME: Ezekiel
LOCATION: Logan Square

What's the story behind this shirt?

Uh, well, Joey's my nickname given to me by my parents. Um, this shirt was given to me on my twenty-first birthday by my roommate's girlfriend. She made it herself apparently because she works at a t-shirt store.

How do you feel about wearing a t-shirt that just has your name on it?

I would agree with her when she told me it was incredibly obnoxious but I'm also a moderately obnoxious person and I'm okay with being obnoxious from time to time ... hence wearing the t-shirt.

How has the reception been?

Well, this is my second time wearing it and people seemed generally excited about it on my birthday but that's probably just because it was my birthday and that's the one day of the year where people are generally excited about my existence, I suppose.

Do you intend to ever wear this shirt out and about?

Um, yeah it depends on my mood I guess, and if I'm going to be acting like a clown for the evening. If it's on my list then clown I shall be.

Would you wear this shirt up by, like, Roscoe and Halstead?

That's, uh, that's - that's a no-go, actually. This is an uncharacteristically form-fitting physique of a t-shirt. Don't wanna give people the wrong impression up in that neighborhood. No offense.

In and Out of Luck

NAME: Ian
LOCATION: Belmont & Kenmore

Are you a runner?

No!

This t-shirt belonged to a runner.

There's a town near my hometown called Luck and it's 'In and Out of Luck' runners - one of the dudes actually built my house - my parents house - and I think, though, this was my girlfriend's shirt, and I took it from her and now I wear it. And I am wearing it because the production designer on our show we're doing thought it was cool.


So where is Luck?

Luck is in rural Wisconsin, about an hour-and-a-half north of Minneapolis - St. Paul right on the Minnesota/Wisconsin border. My hometown is St. Croix Falls.

Is she still your girlfriend?

Yes.

And she knows you have it.

Yes. I think it's her's. She may or may not have actually earned it by running.

[Ian refers to an in-production internet-based serialized show which he was in the midst of creating when I found him. If I ever find it on youtube, I'll link to it here. On another note, if any Minnesotans would like to correct (or validate) my punctuation of "Minneapolis - St. Paul", please feel free.]

The Ed Hardy Mermaid

NAME: Sarah
LOCATION: Parrots Bar and Grill, Wellington & Halstead

Ed Hardy is some kind of fancy t-shirt designer.

I suppose so. I guess that's what I've been told.

Where did you get this shirt?

Dude, I got it at Macy's, on sale.

Was it expensive?

It was supposed to be like ninety bucks, but I had all these coupons from Christmas time, so I think I paid like forty for it.

Do you have a lot of forty-dollar t-shirts?

No. The reason I love this one though is I love mermaids and it has a mermaid on it and she's got the devil hand up and that's awesome, so.


So for you it's all about the mermaid, not the Ed Hardy.

Yeah.

Do you get conflicted when people know that this is a hundred-dollar t-shirt?

Well some people might know that but I don't really care. Some guy tonight when I first came in was like, "Oh, Ed Hardy is a famous tattoo artist and I drank with him in North Carolina. I got hammered with him. He drinks Jack." And I was like, "Sure thing, dude." I didn't believe him. He also said he walked here from Fort Lauderdale. I asked him, "How did you walk here? What roads did you take?" And he's like, "I walked on foot." I'm like, "Well duh, I understand that you walked on foot, but did you walk along the highway? Where did you walk?" He's like, "Huh?" So this is the kind of asshole that asks me about my shirt. These kind of fucking idiots. That's my life behind the bar.

The Field Museum

NAME: Cat
LOCATION: Clark & Diversey

Dinosaurs!

Dinosaurs.

Tell me about this shirt.

Well, it's my favorite shirt. It's got a tyrannosaurus, there's a pterodactyl. The best thing about it is that it's glow-in-the-dark.

Are you into dinosaurs?

I've always loved dinosaurs. I used to play with my little brother... we used to play with those little paleontology kits where you like have the sand and you have to dig through it.

But you didn't actually get this at the Field Museum.

No, it's a Field Museum shirt, but I got it at a Michigan thrift store.

Had you been to the Field Museum at the time?

Probably.

What's that dinosaur's name?

This one is a Tyrannosaurus Rex.

No, the big skeleton that they have.

That one's also a T. Rex!

But it has a name!

Sue!

Sue!

Yes.

Thank you! Did you know it glowed in the dark when you bought it?

I didn't. That was a big surprise. I turned out the lights for the first time, and I was like, "Oh, man." That was really good.

Detroit Pistons, 1957

NAME: Mike
LOCATION: Century Shopping Center, Lakeview

What's the significance of the year 1957?

I have actually no idea. I would assume that's the year that they were founded, or that they moved to Detroit from Fort Wayne.

Fort Wayne, what is that, Texas?

I think Fort Wayne in Ohio, I believe. I don't really know.

You're a big Pistons fan.

I am a Pistons fan. I grew up in Detroit. Well not in Detroit. Royal Oak. Suburbs.

Do you miss it?

I miss the people. I don't miss the city because there wasn't much to do. But, yeah, I met a lot of good people. It's the city that made me me.

How'd the Pistons do this year?

This year they struggled. They lost in the first round of the playoffs, they traded Chauncey Billups, that was a big deal. But we got some new guys this year, we're looking promising.

You wear the shirt with pride.

Absolutely. Always. Always wear the Pistons shirt with pride.

[According to wikipedia, the Pistons were founded in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Owner Fred Zollner moved the team to Detroit in 1957. Fort Wayne is obviously not in Texas.]

The Goblins of Nilbog

NAME: Charlie
LOCATION: Century Shopping Center, Lakeview

Is it a Spider-man thing?

No, it's a "Troll 2" thing.

I've never seen that.

It actually has no trolls in it whatsoever. It's about goblins and they live in a small town called 'Nilbog', which - as the lead character figures out halfway through the film - is 'Goblin' spelled backwards.

Awesome.

That's why it says 'Nilbog'.


Where did you get it?

At a "Troll 2" screening, with the stars of the movie.

Was that a good night for you?

It was an amazing night. One of the best nights of my life, yes.

The Plain Black

NAME: Alex
LOCATION: outside Miller's Pub, Roscoe Village

So you went to the Decemberists show tonight?

Yeah.

Tell me about your choice of an all-black t-shirt.

Um, it's slimming. It makes me look a lot thinner than I am. It at least disguises some of the paunch, if you will.

Was there a conscious choice to wear it today for the concert?

For sure.

So you do put thought into what you wear for a show.

Uh, yeah. I mean, yes.

It's not a conspicuous choice.

I always wear a t-shirt to a show, or almost always. And I have about three or four that I rotate for shows. It's a mixture of comfort and aesthetics, I guess you could say. I think I look good in this.

I agree!

Thank you, Todd. It's very very comfortable as well. It's lightweight, you know? I sometimes won't wear this when I go outside. I'm not going to wear this on Sunday for Lollapalooza. There's another one I wear sometimes, it's like a brown skater shirt. But I'm not a skater.

Do you feel that the black in any way mirrors your soul?

It's nothing dark or goth or emo like that. I do like black, black is classic. It's hard to go wrong with black.

WISCONSIN

NAME: Josh
LOCATION: Hamilton & Argyle

Do you know where I got this from?

Where?

When I was in Los Angeles, I was cleaning out [my boss] Niels' garage and he had a bunch of old boxes and my job was to organize them and help him determine what should be thrown out and what should be kept. And he's actually originally from Wisconsin and I'm not sure where he got it from but there it was staring me in the face and I'm like, "I have to have it" and he was kind enough to give it to me.

So is it like a Wisconsin pride thing?

Um, somewhat? It's just one of those shirts that just makes you feel really comfortable. And I really like that.

Because of what's on it, or...?

Comfortable because ... also the fit. It just hangs there and it just feels so good and comfy. And also, who doesn't love purple cows?

Ironically, you are lactose intolerant.

It is difficult to have something you love so much and you just have to stay away. Our relationship had to evolve.