Sold My Soul To A Band Tee

My closet is filled with myriads of different styles, shoes, knick-knacks and music genres. Yes, you read right: music genres.

When I first started getting band t-shirts, my older sister told me I would regret it, because I would stop listening to those bands. She said she spoke from experience. Stuck up and only two years younger than I am now, I had informed her that I would never stop listening to the music I liked and that I would get as many band t-shirts as I wanted. So, they accumulated. The Used, Avenged Sevenfold, Atreyu, Chiodos, Plain White T's, Boys Like Girls and H.I.M and Deathstars.... the bands just kept accumulating. Each one special for a short time, depending on what I favored at the time.

As I sorted out my clothes today, and put them away, I ran into a few of the t-shirts I wear often. So many band t-shirts! From 7th grade and now... I have gathered enough shirts to last more than 2 weeks without re-wearing anything. But some of the band shirts don't mean very much any more. Sure, I like the music, but I'm not attached to some of them anymore. I haven't heard The Used's, A7X's or even Atreyu's new albums and I don't really care to.

I feel like I sold a piece of my soul to that band by buying their merchandise. How shameful is it to wear some band's merch that you don't even listen to anymore? How shameful is it that I gave the money to own something I liked in the passing; an evanescent infatuation? Sinful! I shouldn't be allowed to pick up the Plain White T's shirt or even claim to be a fan. I have 2 songs of their's on my iPod. Same with Chiodos. (However, I have seen them both live.) Sometimes, I regret even buying some of my clothes. Though, I must remember... that without the fleeting liking of those bands I only somewhat care for today, I wouldn't be where I am now.

If I hadn't started with liking Avenged Sevenfold and The Used, would I have ever found Atreyu... which helped me accept Keep of Kalessin and Scar Symmetry? Would I have then in turn liked Deathstars, which is where I am today? Even though they are not part of me now, they were part of me. And if I can't wear them as a band t-shirt... I most certainly can put the cotton shirt on and wear it as a casual article of clothing.

And the worst part of the whole band-t-shirt thing is that I can't stop now. I know, now, that the bands I obsess over right now (except Nightwish and Deathstars... they are too amazing) may not tickle my fancy within a year, but I still want their merch. More, more, more! The genres in my closet go from alternative-emo to metal and most recently, goth, but they show how I change from sad, to angry to creative. And despite the fact that they are expensive little bitches for shirts, I really wouldn't go back and erase them from my history.