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| By Stefan Blitz |
There’s no doubt that the boldest and most personal fashion statement anyone can make is in one’s selection of t-shirt. Personally, I love them. It’s an opportunity to show the world what pop culture I care about, a wonderful flashback to the past and a fantastic way to initiate any nerd discussion.
For this installment of Cool Shirts, I took a look at some of the shirts from Nerd Kung Fu, which might very well have the largest selection of pop culture t-shirts that I’ve ever seen. Among their latest additions are over dozens of new designs centered on Bruce Lee, Jaws, Tremors, Jurassic Park, Constantine, Curious George, Gotham, Mr. Rogers, Macho Man Randy Savage, Sons of Anarchy, Child’s Play and more! They also carry shirts in sizes small through 7XL and the site is filled with lots of nerdy trivia on the history of t-shirts!
Nerd Kung Fu isn’t satisfied carrying just a huge t-shirt selection. They are also currently selling a wide array of posters and a number of geek-centric ephemera including coffee mugs, shot glasses, pint glasses, blankets, wallets, buttons, magnets, playing cards, hoodies and much more.
There is something for virtually any nerdcentric provocation.
These are a few of my recent favorites.
Growing up on the East Coast, the supermarket chain of Piggly Wiggly stores are non-existent. I’ve never seen one and certainly never shopped in one. They were the favorite shopping location for Miss Daisy according to her driver, Hoke, in Driving Miss Daisy According to their website, Piggly Wiggly was founded in 1916 and were a groundbreaking store offering self-service for the first time as well as, “the first to provide checkout stands, price mark every item in the store, give shoppers more for their food dollar through high volume/low profit margin retailing, feature a full line of nationally advertised brands, use refrigerated cases to keep produce fresher longer, put employees in uniforms for cleaner, more sanitary food handling, design and use patented fixtures and equipment throughout the store and finally, franchise independent grocers to operate under the self-service method of food merchandising.
I got the shirt because it has a cartoon pig on it.
Bad News Bears T-Shirt – Chico’s Bail Bonds
Coach Morris Buttermaker got Chico’s Bail Bonds to sponsor The Bears and Amanda Whurlizer and Kelly Leak to join the losing team. Yet, somehow, Regi Tower, Toby Whitewood, Timmy Lupus, Mike Engelberg, Jose and Miguel Aguilar, Jimmy Feldman, Alfred Ogilvie, Rudi Stein, Tanner Boyle and Ahmad Abdul-Rahim get it together and become a team. So much so that the Bears returned for two sequels (without Buttermaker).
This shirt and movie are a reminder that growing up in the Seventies meant that a PG rated movie could depict kids cussing, a coach driving while drinking and a baseball team of kids could get driven around while not wearing seatbelts, in an open-top convertible, with a broken windshield.
Star Trek T-Shirt – Khaaaaan
Captain James T. Kirk (wearing his curly toupee) screams into his communicator after being abandoned on Regula 1 with Saavik, Bones, an infected Chekov and Captain Terrell, as well as Kirk’s former lover, Dr. Carol Marcus, and their son, David.
Things actually turn out pretty well, they save Chekov (sadly Terrell doesn’t make it), and make their way back to The Enterprise and defeat Khan.
Oh yeah, Spock died, so it didn’t turn out that well.
But he came back in the next movie, so that’s good.
Right?
Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!!
The Warriors T-Shirt – The Gang
Back when New York was really dangerous, a film like The Warriors played a bit more like a documentary than the stylized thriller that it’s become known as.
Based on Sol Yurick’s novel, The Warriors chronicles a midnight summit of all New York area gangs, requesting them to send nine unarmed delegates in an attempt to join together to take over the city. The gangs included The Warriors, The Gramercy Riffs, The Rogues, The Orphans, The Turnbull AC’s, The Baseball Furies, The Punks, The Lizzies, The Boppers, The Hurricanes, The Hi-Hats, The Electric Eliminators, The Saracens, The Jones Street Boys, The Savage Huns, The Satans Mothers, The Boyle Avenue Runners, The Moonrunners, The Van Cortlandt Rangers, The Panzers and The Gladiators.
So what are you waiting for? Grab the shirt and Come out and play-i-ay!!!
The King of Rock n’ Roll had an expression, which became both a mantra and way of living his life that is depicted in this shirt, which means “Taking Care of Business.” The lightning bolt was an homage to Elvis’ favorite superhero, Captain Marvel Jr.
Presley was so enamored of the TCB concept that he gifted every member of his Memphis Mafia with a 14k gold bracelet and a copy of the TCB oath which contained rules for them to live by:
- More self-respect, more respect for fellow man.
- Respect for fellow students and instructors.
- Respect for all styles and techniques.
- Body conditioning, mental conditioning, meditation for calming and stilling of the mind and body.
- Sharpen your skills, increase mental awareness, for all those that might choose a new outlook and personal philosophy.
- Freedom from constipation.
Six Million Dollar Man Better Stronger Faster T-Shirt
If you grew up in the seventies, there was no greater superhero on television than the Six Million Dollar Man. The survivor of a crash of an experimental aircraft, astronaut Steve Austin was left barely alive. Losing his left eye, right arm and both legs, the Office of Scientific Information under the leadership of Oscar Goldman made the decision with Dr. Rudy Wells to rebuild him with six million dollars of technology to make the Steve Austin the world’s first bionic man. Better than he was before. Better… stronger… faster.
Pretty awesome. This shirt captures all of the magic of the Six Million Dollar Man at a much more reasonable price.
Forget Ant-Man, The Atom was the original microscopic crimefighter. Professor Ray Palmer utilizing a piece of a white dwarf star as a lens allows him to shrink his body down to a subatomic level while maintaining his strength, the Atom is no punchline.
This shirt features the classic Silver Age logo and the hero himself. Screw you, Paul Rudd.
Hot Fuzz T-Shirt – Here Comes the Fuzz
The second part of the Cornetto Trilogy, Hot Fuzz reunites director Edgar Wright with Simon Pegg and Nick Frost as two police officers attempting to solve a series of mysterious deaths in an English village. Inspired in part by dozens of British crime films and U.S. action movies, Hot Fuzz features a who’s who of British actors including Jim Broadbent, Paddy Considine, Lucy Punch, Rafe Spall, Olivia Colman, Karl Johnson, Bill Bailey, Stuart Wilson, Paul Freeman, Rory McCann, Kenneth Cranham, Maria Charles, Peter Wight, Julia Deakin, Patricia Franklin, David Threlfall, David Bradley, Ron Cook, Stephen Merchant, Alice Lowe, and cameos by Martin Freeman, Steve Coogan, Bill Nighy, Peter Jackson and Cate Blanchett. In other words, if you haven’t seen it yet, you should. It will make you cooler.
As for me? “Well, I wouldn’t argue that it wasn’t a no-holds-barred, adrenaline-fueled thrill ride. But there is no way you can perpetrate that amount of carnage and mayhem and not incur a considerable amount of paperwork.” This shirt captures Nick Angel (Pegg) and Danny Butterman (Frost) as the badasses of Sandford.
Flash TV Show T-Shirt – S.T.A.R. Laboratories
Sure, S.T.A.R. (Scientific and Technological Advanced Research) Laboratories seems innocent enough. On The Flash, under the direction of genius Dr. Harrison Wells, S.T.A.R. Labs saves Barry Allen after being struck by lightning following the explosion of the particle generator that Wells himself designed. With his associates Caitlin Snow and Cisco Ramon, Wells helps Barry learn how to control, gauge and use his super speed powers.
Until, of course we learn that Wells is actually Eobard Thawne, a rogue from the future who came back in time and killed Barry’s mother. As the Reverse-Flash, Thawne proves to be Barry’s ultimate nemesis.
But the shirt’s for the lab. And it’s cool. So, get your Flash on with this shirt and pretend you’re clocking in time after hours with Caitlin and Cisco monitoring the whereabouts of Grodd or the current status on Leonard Snart.
Otherwise known as “The Comeback Special”, and filmed on June 27th of that year, Presley took to the stage for the first time in over seven years, filming four one-hour live shows at NBC’s Burbank studios. Post British Invasion, this was an attempt by Presley to reconnect with his audience, many of who had moved on from the man who had spent the last several years starring in formulaic movies and uninspired recordings.
The ’68 Comeback Special, showed off Presley’s talent and charm and resurrected his reputation as a force to be reckoned with. This shirt is the pinnacle of cool and the perfect thing to wear when you’re hungry for a fried peanut butter, banana and bacon sandwich.
Thank you very much…
Batman T-Shirt – Detective #164 Cover
Utilizing the cover art of 1950’s Detective Comics #164, this t-shirt features the art of George Roussos of the Dynamic Duo dodging bat signals illuminating the night sky.
What I love best about this image is that it captures what the tv show paid homage to 16 years later, The Caped Crusaders darting into battle. A classic image of Batman and Robin that appeals to my favorite versions of the characters. Holy 100% cotton!
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