I was listening the latest WCN episode, where was discussion about some crazy noise merch. Vomir jacket, The Rita toy, flags, shirts etc. Sort of funny thing, but also made me think about recent discussion I had in context of metal.
Visiting metal fest not long ago, made me notice how much there is now bootleg merch plus how much of merch is printed merch. Not screen printed, not DIY, more like blurry images looking like someone took google pic search and pushed button and you got Hellhammer back patch or Burzum back patch coming out. Looking exactly how you'd imagine. Little low-res, little blurry. I know this is the technology now and that there is plenty of great quality shirts being printed with machines that look like ink-jet printers, for textiles. Still, it is so distinctively -print on demand- factory line stuff.
It made me think, has underground culture now totally shifted into level that it doesn't matter at all. If patch or shirt was matter of being involved, being part of something. That happening in certain time and place... it is vastly different from buying chinese print-on-demand bootleg of tour shirt or old shirt design that was for sale couple decades ago? No longer any connection with artists, labels, people involved in the underground culture or any specific time and place. Just sort of virtual underground, that is bough from largest global markets, churned out by people who don't give a fuck. Not even fan bootlegs. Just, internet printed out for people to wear?!
For sure, first time you see some spandex panties of extreme underground music, you are like "haha!". Soon it changes into what the fuck is this!? Entire business gift catalogues full of product with UG art printed for sale.
Question mainly is... Do you care? If you want WHITEHOUSE shirt, and there ain't one... doing it yourself? As a private? Or to buy from business that ain't even UG related is ok?
Another question of course being, is THIS the negative aspect of metal culture influence? The abundance of a fan merch?
To elaborate, already 20 years ago, I was sort of annoyed and vocally critical how "special editions" in metal it tends to be synonymous to "merch". Ideas are pins, patches, stickers, etc. There are no ART EDITIONS like in noise. Not in same way. Not like what MSBR, TAINT, MSNP, STINKY HORSE FUCKERS etc did. Very rarely artistic visions. Most often only mainstream culture merch added with record.
Now that I wrote this, I have feeling as if I already wrote about it in SI. Maybe, but I guess no problem. Topic not to dis Winters of Osaka Adam with his printing business or toys and merch. He does it with permissions with artists, in co-operation with them etc. It just was something that reminded me of this question that has puzzled me for quite some time. Increasingly made me think the role how MERCH suddenly feels almost like related to quick consumption (virtual experiences, social media etc) than connected to artform itself. Committed involvement, experiences bound to time and place, personal creations and so on.
All this is said buy a guy who basically exclusively wears band shirts, so clearly fanatic of... "merch"!
