Buy me that!

Today back in 1997 Ben and Jerry's launched the wonderful flavor Phish Food; a tribute to the best damn band that has ever come out of Vermont. It is flat out delicious; a combination of chocolate ice cream with gooey marshmallow, caramel swirls & fudge fish. Which brings us to the topic of marketing. How far is too far? Granted Phish as a band did not put this idea into the boys heads at B&J, so this is probably not the best example; so lets move to one that is. Coffins. KISS has a coffin among other outrageous branded materials; such as condoms, snow-globes, bookends, lunch boxes and it goes on, and on, and on. Gene Simmons has raped us all with the branding of that damn band. 

It all started with the concert t-shirt. A novel idea to purchase at the concert of the band you were seeing to 1) remember the show and 2) support the band by wearing post concert, and let the rest of the world know that you were there, and you are a fan damn nit. I was never a concert t-shirt kind of guy. I always feared being "that guy"; you know the guy who wears the t-shirt of the band that they are going to see to the show. (Hopefully someone got that obscure PCU reference) I don't think that buying a t-shirt is a bad way to support your band; however once it goes past that point of purchasing just a t-shirt, you might want to check yourself into band rehab.

KISS, and few other bands have taken band merch to a level that to me is just unacceptable. PHISH is even a little guilty. To me it seems like the purpose of them making music was lost in the fact that they could make a little more money by putting their name on some shit piece of product. They became musicians to make music; not to pimp stuff.

Any band that refers to themselves as a brand should get out of the business.