Black Sabbath Sneakers (Fairies Wear Hi-Tops)
Along with those Doors shoes, the 100th anniversary Converse hi-tops line includes this Black Sabbath commemorative edition. And here's why the subject line is so clever. I guess the Gonzo ones never happened. (Thanks, Richard Metzger!)
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Would be more clever if that song were on that album.
Still very clever, though.
The whole Converse = rock and roll thing is so ridiculous. Maybe in 1978 these were outsider sneakers, but Nike owns Converse and this is just another corporate marketing gimmick. Cool design, but i'll never wear them.
I've had a tough time staying loyal to Converse after they were purchased by Nike. Labor issues notwithstanding, the price of these surely-cheap-to-make sneakers nearly doubled overnight.
Fifty bucks for a chunk of canvas, a slab of rubber, grommets, and some laces? I doubt the iconoclasts who gave Converse so much of its credibility throughout the ages would be purchasing them today.
But dammit, old habits die hard, and some of these designs are pretty rad. What's a conscientious hipster to do?
yeah. . . I too stopped buying them (after 20 years of owning nothing but "Chucks") when Nike bought up Converse, mainly because of the ridiculous price increase.
There was something so honest about Sabbath, they always seemed like they were just having fun when they played, not "trying to be heavy" like so many metal bands that came after. "Faieries Wear Boots" has my all time fave Ozzy line: "'cause smoking and tripping is all that you do . . . yeahhhhhhhhh!" (He doesn't even try to make it rhyme!)
sure, you can all bitch about them being nike-owned, blah de blah -- but they are really revitalizing the brand and still staying true to the culture around them, and that's cool. these are ok, but i personally like the grateful dead "skeleton & roses" design much better.
as for their cost, savvy shoppers will know that, in october, converse stores had the best sale i've ever seen for chucks: 2 pairs for $35. i used to be happy to pay $30 for ONE pair! i tend to get all my chucks in thrift stores these days, but the new designs are wooing me back to retail...
@ RYAN873:
"conscientious hipsters" can check out No Sweat sneakers (look like Chucks, but union made!)
http://www.nosweatapparel.com
Dunno about their labor practices, but Vans has band-themed footwear too:
http://shop.vans.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/category_10001_10101_26602_-1
(I have a pair of the Maiden Trooper slip-ons.)