Last week Richard and I went to Cal Berkeley University in San Francisco. We spent two days with members of the Athletic Department and our client, Stadium Capital, discussing an upcoming and very exciting project. Cal’s sports teams are known as the Golden Bears and they have a long history of excellence in all sports, including that sport dear to all Kiwi hearts - rugby. The Cal rugby team are regular national champions and get crowds of over 3000 to games. At the Olympics keep an eye out for Cal swimmer Natalie Coughlin. At the 2004 Olympics she won two gold medals, two silver medals, and a bronze. Our trip to Cal was very valuable, enlightening and enjoyable. Thanks to Dave and his Cal team, and to Dave from Stadium Capital, for hosting us and showing us around. Special thanks to Craig Morton for taking us on a tour of the stunning football stadium.
As creatives we love our music, and as May here in New Zealand is celebrated as NZ music month I thought it fitting to kick off my week of blogging by celebrating the achievements of a couple of Kiwi’s who have flown into the American music charts.
I have given an extra big star and smiley face stickers to these great Kiwi fliers.
My reference of stickers on star charts is a positive reinforcement of a job well done. (I think we should all put more stickers on our own and each others star charts more often. Maybe not every-time we make it to the toilet or eat our vegetables but definitely with a job we’re proud of. The following musicians are Kiwi’s who inspire that pride.)
So in today’s blog the stickers go to our own top selling Hip Hop artist who hails from South Auckland - ‘Savage’.
Savage’s hit ‘Swing’ which featured on the funny chick flick movie ‘Knocked Up’, leapt from #77 to #17 in one week on the itunes Hip Hop Chart and is now the song on everybody’s ipod. So no wonder New York Universal Republic Records has signed our Kiwi flier for a worldwide deal.
In a different genre more stars and smiley face stickers go to NZ Wellingtonians Bret McKenzie and Jamaine Clement from ‘Flight Of The Concords’ who won ‘Best Comedy Album’ Grammy for their EP ‘The Distant Future’. With laugh out loud till your coffee snots out your nose funny hits such as my favs ‘Business Time’ and ‘The Most Beautiful Girl in the Room’ . If you haven’t heard them already, do! You will become an instant fan. Their music comedy style is infectious and will have you laughing within the first line.
Once upon a time T-shirts were just unadorned undergarments. But with the evolution of screen printing and the birth of merchandising , T-shirts became so much more. Now every brand, band, movie, tv show, icon, with an ounce of savvy knows the importance of T-shirts not only as a lucrative sideline but also as a means of self-promotion and a way for people to show their allegiance, express their personality, or just wear stuff they like.
These days T-shirts are a visual history of perennial fashion statements and a beautifully illustrated archive for hipsters, fashionistas, serious collectors, and fans of all genres, that come complete with images of the most important, influential, iconic, and ironic moments in time. (reading that back to myself that sounds like a complete load of rubbish, but I’m going to leave it).
So with all that in mind choosing the right t-shirt is a long process for the serious collector. This Zoners collection currently runs to around 50 t-shirts, so when my luggage was recently lost in the USA (eventually found) I was facing the horrible realisation that I may never get some of them back.
Obviously this isn’ t the end of the world, there are people suffering greater injustices all around the world, but for someone who lives in t-shirts and jeans it is important to find the right shirt. So to lose 7 of your favorites, carefully selected for your USA visit, can be quite traumatic. Even more traumatic was the lack of good t-shirts in Boulder. Maybe I was looking in the wrong places, but all I could find were shirts with cowboys riding bulls on them. I finally relented and bought one and even though it won’t be in high rotation, it will always come with a good story of why I got it. A story I can bore people with for the rest of life. So even the most rubbish t-shirt can be good, and that’s what makes them an essential part of life.
Below are some images of shirts (not essential to any collection but I like them)….
And if you are ever feeling artistic and want to design your own shirt you can submit here and maybe they will become the next fashion must have (be warned prepare yourself for open forum rejection and harsh criticism of anybody with an opinion)…
