Shit That I Love: My Bad Brains T-shirt

For Bad Brains fans, the I Against I era is something of a sweet spot. The 1986 full-length falls close enough to the quartet’s iconic early-80’s ROIR days, and far enough from the HR Space Biker new millennium, yet not quite amid their interesting-but-regrettable Quickness times. It was roughly a decade into the band’s existence, each member was in full bloom, the tunes were banging, and everything from the art direction to the live show was first-rate. Seriously, just put on the intro and tell me shit ain’t all groovy.

So, yeah, this is my favorite t-shirt of my favorite band. It’s an I Against I bootleg tee that I got off eBay about fifteen years ago. Standard white crewneck, size large, with the Brains’s unforgettable album cover spread across the front. The make is a Hanes Comfort-T. I cut the sleeves off a few months into its life so I could comfortably wear it to the beach, which I’ve done countless times since.

By now, its collar has become frayed.

Its graphics cracked to Hell, its basic white color now gnarled to a dusty tan.

Still, this tee goes with everything, as long as your definition of “everything” is fluid. In addition to oceanside endeavors, I wear this bad boy with cut-off sweatpants around the crib, a hot-and-cold combo that only works because I live in a home flanked by smoldering radiators set inside of a frozen city.

I also wear this shirt in public. Typically, it’s donned under a casual button-up when I’m going for an early 90’s Chris Cornell vibe. But I’ll also boldly rock it guns-out like Damaged Rollins if the short-but-brazen Chicago summer deludes my senses enough.

But mostly it just fucking feels right on my skin. It’s not too different to how denim-heads wears their raw A.P.C.’s for months at a time so that they both form to their legs and nurture their farts. This shirt knows the contours of my body. The tattered cotton drapes my inadequate torso like custom linen curtainry, its ring-around-the-collar historical testament to our kinship. It knows me as much as I know it.

Our clothing is often a reflection of ourselves and our time. Like I Against I does for HR, Darryl, Earl, and the Doc, this piece stands for a particular part of myself. The best part, in fact. It’s been with me since before I met my wife, before I relocated to Chicago, and before I became a father. It’s an old friend that might, at times, remind me of past failures, but also never leaves my side. And while it realistically only has a few years of regular wearability left, I fully plan on Brady-ing this gem well beyond its sell-by date. Jah willing, I and I will survive.