Better Days (Rip You to Shreds Version)
In an industry supposedly fueled by creativity and individuality, it is difficult not to notice the sometimes questionable motives of those involved (and those supporting). Is it really all that unique, simply owning something else before everyone does? When the game has been overrun with exceedingly rare pieces (inevitably driving up cost, stating that personal identity is really only for those who can afford it) and overblown hype, Better Days sets out to establish a return to form. There is no judgment here, only choices. Everyone has every right to see things from their own pair of eyes and choose to live and present themselves as they see fit. So why is everyone on the block coppin’ the same fitted, the same kicks, the same flavor of the week label?
BD not only respects, but thanks those that have come before. Every kid out there that ever spent hours hand printing shirts in their high school visual lab, every hustler turned artist that found a way to better him/herself by way of a spray can, every aspiring writer that refused to drop the pen until they had spoken their mind… it is because of you that BD exists. Better Days is a soft goods line that promotes the ideas and opinions of those involved. We can only hope that we may inspire those who come after as we are inspired by those who came before us. You have a choice to create and be the world what you see in yourself. Right or wrong, there is always a choice.
- Better Days
We’re quite partial to b-movies, shock cinema, video nasties, zombies, aliens, monsters and all things that go bump in the night here at KarmaloopBlogs – therefore, the addition of Better Days to the Kazbah page was met with an enthusiastic howl towards the moon after checking out the drop last week. Finally, a brand that caters to our fanaticism for creepiness, over-the-top gore, and addiction to heart-pounding episodes of fright… on the silver screen, we mean… yeeeaaahhh…
“I’m tired of experimenting with silly puppets…”
Puppetmaster, a classic in 1980′s cheese-horror cinema, is one of our all-time favorites (Blade was our ace). The Puppet Master Tee (above left) instantly brought us back to those salad days of waiting until the old folks went out for the night without locking up the liquor cabinet to help us rot our minds with creature features. Presenting a graphic of a crazed, axe-wielding ventriloquist dummy (with possesed puppets or not, ventriloquists are fuckin’ creepy anyways) with it’s own scraps used to fabricate a Better Days logo – if the irony is lost on you here, feel free to jump in front of moving traffic, dummy (pun intended).
Marilyn Monroe died under mysterious circumstances nearly 50 years ago, so The Monroe Tee (above right) by the BD crew will be as close as you’ll ever get to a sequel of her most-recognized and acclaimed film, The Misfits. Better Days goes the extra mile and imagines how the original blonde bombshell might look like if she were freshly resurrected for the role, and for that, well, we thank them. The detail is insane, creating a cross between Marilyn and The Bride of Frankenstein with Medusa thrown in for good measure, and with two fresh colorways (the gold outline on the black tee is killin’ it), featuring two almost completely different takes on the print, you can’t go wrong with either.
As Better Days puts it, “The fate of the world rests in the hands of men who possess the rationale and compassion of children. Kids can be so cruel sometimes.” We can’t compete with that description for The Gods of War Tee (above left), featuring baby Death, compete with a wowwypop and screaming cartoon-text overlay. All we could do is shrug and debate around the office which Black Sabbath song this reminds one of, assuming the song came to life, morphed into illustration form and made it’s way on to a t-shirt (as far as mood and lyrics go, we say “Electric Funeral” – we also got fuckin’ pretty toasted before seeing this tee).
The Real Me Tee (also available in red and yellow) features a print that perfectly illustrates (we’re killin’ shit with the puns today) how roughly 90% of us feel every damned day – tucked deep inside of every individual is the beast that holds every dream, hope, desire and crazy idea we hold so sacred, just waiting for the opportune moment to tear loose and live a life without boundries… but until the lottery calls our lucky numbers, we’ll settle for the tee and a snack for the beast (ours likes Guinness).
Get a closer look at the rest of the Better Days drop at Karmaloop’s Kazbah page here – madness.
