Ripped: T-Shirts from the Underground

by Cesar Padilla, Lydia Lunch (Introduction), Betsey Johnson (Contributor)

A visual history of counterculture music T-shirts, spanning the defining era of indie music. Ripped is the first book to document the shirts of the post-punk and indie period, after the submission of 1960s rock ‘n’ roll to mass popularity and before the onset of ironic consumerism. Carefully selected from the archives of vintage fashion collector Cesar Padilla, the 200 T-shirts in this book are classic examples of rare and extremely limited shirts created by and for the very bands who embodied the true essence of the DIY and indie movements—from The Ramones to Sonic Youth, John Cale, Talking Heads, Madonna, X, Pil, The Germs, and many others. Each shirt has been photographed in all its gritty, sweat-stained glory just as it was found—on the street, in a thrift store, or inherited from a friend. Introduced by Lydia Lunch, the book includes recollections and ruminations from musicians, fashion designers, and pop culture personalities on the enigmatic and enduring appeal of the rock band T-shirt.

Genres: Music, Art Design, Nonfiction, Art

208 pages, Paperback

First published February 9, 2010

Reviews

[Arie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This jumped out at me in the library today, proving there is such a thing as perfect timing. Just begun my own series of tshirt screenprints for my final month (!!!) of uni, so seeing this beautifully photographed collection of original subversive shirts is fantastic.

[Jessie McMains · Rating 4 out of 5]

There isn't a whole lot of text, but the text that's there contains some great little nuggets on music, identity, art, style, and nostalgia, from such underground mainstays as Nicole Panter, Kid Congo Powers, Mark Arm, and Thurston Moore, amongst others. And of course it's fun to look at the images of all these old t-shirts and wish you had them in your own collection.

[Maureen · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a couple shirts in here I'd love to have- Talking Heads on 71, the Bauhaus sweater on 117, the Charles Burns/Iggy Pop number on 185. Some great high resolution images of some rare iconography, but also a lot of shock quotes from rockstars about shit that isn't really pertinent to the shirts, the bands, or the designs. Interesting book, though.

[Brendan Mansfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a secret little gem.