Things Will Never Be The Same

The other day when I was looking for a youtube video to post on my Sell Out thread, I came across this video and almost started crying...



These days are behind me. The days of watching bands play without a stage and fans singing so loud that you can't even hear the music. Everything sounds like shit, but feels beautiful.

When we were younger, we would make fun of the creepy old dude who would be watching the bands from the back of the club. I guess am now that guy. More of an observer than a participant.

Now you might say, "But John, you have a totally sweet ass chess t-shirt company and probably roll deep with hotties all around." Yes, that's true. But things are different now...you can't replace that feeling of screaming until you cough up blood and not caring about what tomorrow brings.

I was pissing on the desert sand.
When the desert whispered to me,
It said, "Isn't this a shame?
Things will never be the same."
-Iggy Pop (performed by)

Sell Out?

Many people (especially kids) adopt a punker than thou attitude if a band starts to stray from the sound on their first demo...and invariably scream, "SELL OUT!"

As I get older, I am much more forgiving in my judgments and open to different styles.

A recent example is one of my favorite bands, Against Me! When the band first started it was nothing but acoustic guitars and screaming...now it is a much fuller and produced sound. I still like the new stuff, but admit that the earlier stuff is some of my all-time favorite.



versus...



In general, do you think bands "grow" into different sounds or do they "sell out" in a deliberate attempt to enter the mainstream?? And what does this have to do with chess shirts? Well, nothing really.

New Chess T-Shirt Designs

Just a quick update to let everyone know that we should have 2 new chess t-shirts available in the next month or so. I'll try to put up a sneak peak when we are a little closer to our release date.

Kings of California

Tyler Fraser is a photographer who posts his stuff at Kings of California.

His subjects are the chess players at public tables throughout California. Here are a few of my favorites:




Seriously, let's look at the pic just above. What do we have here?

Illegal gambling? Check.
Suspicious police officer? Check.
Make-shift chess table six inches from a major street? Check.
The Bible held together by some duct tape? Check.
Cut-off jeans that are way too short? Check.

Take some time to check out the pictures...they tell some great stories.

Great job, Tyler!

There are so many good people working for chess. Our time will come.

Wonderfully Useless

I'm a huge fan of wonderfully useless things. I admire the dedication and passion required to make something that has such little practical value.

Check out this video...it was made with stop-motion photography using tiny paper cut-outs.



What does this have to do with chess shirts? Well, nothing really.

Damn it, I'm going to enjoy this...

Wanna see my picture on the cover
Gonna buy five copies for my mother
Wanna see my smiling face
On the cover of Rolling Stone

Maybe it's not my face and Rolling Stone, but it is my t-shirt and Chess Life.

HUGE THANKS to Grandmaster Robert Hess for sporting the shirt. We had no idea that GM Hess was a fan. I emailed him to say "thanks" and he informed me that he owns 6 of our shirts. Wow...there is no greater compliment.

Chess Life is the official publication of the United States Chess Federation and has been published since 1946.


Want to know why Bobby Fischer stopped playing chess? No cool chess t-shirts to wear. Fact.

Against Me!

Only a few more days until one of my favorite bands, Against Me!, releases a new album.

The album comes out on June 8th, but the video for their first single is up on their website right now.

Their 2001 album, Reinventing Axl Rose, is one of my all-time favorites.

Not sure if these guys play chess, but they are OK in my book.

Can't wait!

No Words...

Drunk Chess History

The great chess games of our past are always framed with a background filled with conflicting political ideologies, international affairs and exotic locales. And all of the players are always so sharply dressed...who cares if they all died penniless and alone?

The chess public owes a debt of gratitude to the chess journalists who tirelessly bring us these great tales from the past.

One of these journalist goes by the name of Blunderprone. Not only is Blunderprone a first class chess historian, but he is also an all-around great guy. In this Internet age, we are in contact with many people in many locations. Unfortunately, we do not always get to meet these people face to face.

Someday I will meet Blunderprone. And when I do, I'm going to buy him a few drinks and get him to talk about some chess history.

It might go something like this...

U.S. Chess Championship

Have you been following the U.S. Chess Championship in St. Louis? If not, make sure to check it out!

We are starting the second part of the tournament today and so far there have been some great games but not too many surprises. I'm really looking forward to the next few days as there should be some great fighting games to come.

We also want to wish some extra special good luck to the Endgame enthusiasts: Shankland, Akobian and Nakamura.

There are many places to catch the action, but if you want to go straight to the source, the official website is here.