Why Don't Guys Care About Their Appearance?

[Cameronj279]

I wear clothes that fit (for the most part, my jeans are a bit tight at the waist to be fair) but in all honesty, I have more important things to worry about than my appearance.

There's something about seeing bands go on stage all dressed in clothes that they aren't 100% comfortable in and dressed the exact same as the other members that I find a little embarrassing and off-putting. I only ever go see bands that I like now so it may be a part of that but I think if the music is good then why should I give a toss whether the guitarists jeans match the singers t-shirt?

[Spike Vincent]

[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1416995250' post='2615772']
I think guys do care, it's just that your opinion of what looks good is different to theirs.

Go up to the worst looking band you can find & offer them £10 to wear a three sizes too small lederhosen, a pair of clown shoes & a pink cowboy hat for their next gig - they'll all turn you down.
[/quote]

£10 each and you have a deal.

[Low End Bee]

For the 837th time I will state that nothing diminishes my interest in watching a band more than the jeans (or even worse shorts) and t shirt thing.
I don't really mind if they're ugly or look a bit weird or whatever. I just want my entertainers to look like they've made an effort rather than look like they've just strolled up from the bar.

[UglyDog]

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1416959601' post='2615607']
Unfortunately, some people will always look like they've just been pulled through a hedge backwards regardless of whether they're wearing jeans or a Saville Row suit.
[/quote]
This.
I tend to stick to jeans & tees for a very good reason -- I just look ridiculous in anything smarter. Remember how good Daniel Craig looked in that tuxedo in Casino Royale? If I wore that suit, or more accurately one my size from the same tailor, I'd just look like a sad fat bastid trying to look good and failing miserably.
My band does have a dress code, but it's fairly relaxed in a "wear anything you want as long as it's red & black" way rather than stipulating a precise item of clothing. So it's black jeans and a red shirt/tee/polo for me.

Edited November 26, 2014 by UglyDog

[the boy]

Some people are scruffy. That's it. And it's not even the clothes fault. Some people look scruffy naked. It doesn't matter to me. I do what I do and the do what they do. I've got enough trouble getting myself dressed without worrying about anybody else.

[UglyDog]

[quote name='the boy' timestamp='1417002415' post='2615881']
Some people look scruffy naked. [/quote]
God dammit. She told me that tape had been destroyed.

[flyfisher]

I wear clothes that I feel comfortable in. Psychologically, the degree of comfort depends on the circumstances.

Blue jeans and tee shirt would be fine for a Quo covers band but not so good for a Kiss tribute band.

Then there's the issue of whether the band is there to put on a 'show' or to play music.

On other words, no real rules and it all depends on likes, dislikes and circumstances.

[gadgie]

Nothing wrong with beards. My girlfriend doesn't like it when I shave it off. Maybe you're not doing it right Blue.

[UglyDog]

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1416964817' post='2615645']
That's a good point, I really think some guys don't know and it goes beyond T-Shirts. A guy might think I'll grow a beard or a mustache and for some guys that can grow decent beards ( I have almost no facial hair ) and it will look great. But beards and mustaches don't look great on everyone. You would think that guy would have a wife, girlfriend that would say, "lose the beard".
[/quote]
I have a beard. A couple of years ago, my son grew a similar beard. It looks about a million trillion times better on him than mine does on me.
I also have a hat. A couple of years ago, my daughter borrowed it. Guess what?

I have come to the conclusion that looking like a sack of sh*t tied up in the middle is, for me, not so much a failing as a [i]c'est la vie[/i].

[uncle psychosis]

More bands need to make an effort with their appearance. No, scrub that, [i]every[/i] band should make an effort with their appearance. I've had little success trying to convince others of this though! I generally do tend to think about what I'm going to wear on stage although so far I haven't really found my gigging "look". Its hard to do something that hasn't just been done a thousand times before or that suits (I'm not wearing a fedora in my rock band, for instance).

[CamdenRob]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1417005543' post='2615951']
...(I'm not wearing a fedora in my rock band, for instance).
[/quote]

When or indeed when not to rock the Fedora is the ultimate question in gentlemans style...

[SolomonHelsing]

As far as the oversized t shirt thing is concerned, which is i'm guessing part of what you're getting at, Perhaps they feel really bloody uncomfortable in more "right size" t shirts.
I Certainly bloody feel self concious when i'm in a t shirt that's pretty fitted cause of my weight, so that's certainly not something i'd be comfortable wearing up on stage if it was a t shirt and jeans thing.
Same reason I get annoyed when I order a tshirt and it turns out to be XXL "Slim Fit" without the site saying the slim fit part WHAT THE HELL!

Though I have some ideas other than a t shirt to wear if/when I get a band together, which hopefully would look better than my t shirts.
I know they're not the "smartest" being oversized for me, but at least I feel comfortable around other people in them.

[TimR]

Comparing the two photos it's fairly clear to see what the difference is.

In the first picture the guys are wearing shapeless tshirts with no logos and nothing to break up the image. The band disappears into the background.

In Blue's band they're still wearing tshirts but they have slogans/images on, they're lighter colours and Blue and fellow musician have accessorised with jewelry.

It's more about thinking what kind of image are you trying to portray and have you made an effort to portray that image. Then getting some feedback as to whether you achieved that. Looking at photos etc.

Above all you have to be open to critisicm of your chosen look.

I've been in bands where we've spent ages discussing what to wear. I've found that if you have to discuss it, generally it's not going to work. The best looks are where one band member makes a descision and you all go off and wear something based on that theme.

Some people will then need a bit of guidance to achieve that theme but in general if someone has thought about what to wear, maybe gone out and bought something, and doesn't just turn up in what he's been wandering about in all day, it's a start.

Edited November 26, 2014 by TimR

[TimR]

If you look shapeless, wearing a shapeless t-shirt won't make it any better. You have to add some interest. At least iron it.

Edited November 26, 2014 by TimR

[BigGuyAtTheBack]

In my case the phrase 'ya canna polish a turd!' applies. Clean jeans, polo shirt, big f*** off boots thats it. Wedding gigs n posh do's I prefer a casual trouser or kilt lol

[Funky Dunky]

I am past caring about my appearance. No amount of pricey, stylish attire or grooming products can hide the fact that I have a face like a stuntman's elbow.

I reckon that many guys put time and effort into carefully cultivating an image that screams "I don't care about my appearance".

When it comes to music, I have no interest in how pretty or styled the artist is, because I listen to music, I don't look at it.

Marketing is the devil's work, hence all these supposedly pretty teenagers in their skimpy clothing, hiding behind autotune while performing songs they didn't write.

I remember a pretty good band called Headswim who were around in the late 90s/early 00s. I'm pretty sure they had a deal with Levi's. I found it bizarre, like the antithesis of what a rock band would do. I get that certain labels go hand in hand with the rock/punk genre (Dickies, Vans etc) but to sign a deal to ensure you wear those brands just goes against the whole ethos for me.

Edited November 26, 2014 by Funky Dunky

[gadgie]

I like a nice shirt for gigs. Jeans are usually black and decent looking boots.

[hubrad]

I joined a band about a year ago, and before the first gig (no chance for a full band rehearsal or such) I checked out a few pics and vids of them in action.. it was painfully obvious who were the regular members and who the occasional standins. A couple of trips to the charity shops later I had amassed what I thought would fit in visually.. good move, judging by the reaction, even got quite a few mentions to the audience - 'we've had some people who can play before, but this one actually made the effort to look like a member of the band!'

[BigRedX]

[quote name='Vinny' timestamp='1416958773' post='2615600']
In my case, 'coz I'm f*ck ugly and it is therefore pointless.
[/quote]

I'm hardly a good looking guy, but I think I know how to make the best of my appearance. It helps that I'm as particular and geeky about my clothes as I am about the instruments and equipment I use at gigs.

IMO bands should make an effort with how they look on stage. Otherwise play behind a curtain or in total darkness. Audiences listen with their eyes as well as their ears no matter how much musicians try to deny it, it's a FACT.

For tonight's gig I'll be wearing a properly fitting T-shirt with some appropriate design (probably something with skulls) that has no obvious branding, custom made leather trousers, zombie flesh creepers and a customised leather jacket. I'll also have done my hair and will be topping off the look with a pair of cheap mirror shades (which allow me to see on stage because practicality is just as important as looking right and if you take the time you can achieve both).

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='Funky Dunky' timestamp='1417011665' post='2616059']
When it comes to music, I have no interest in how pretty or styled the artist is, because I listen to music, I don't look at it.
[/quote]#

No, of course you don't. Thats why records don't have any artwork on them and why nobody has ever made a music video.

Every single major musical movement of the last 60-odd years has had an image. Music intersects with art, fashion, photography and becomes part of something wider, it does not and it will not exist in isolation. The people who think "image isn't important" when it comes to making music are quite frankly kidding themselves on.

[Dad3353]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1417013604' post='2616091']
#

No, of course you don't. Thats why records don't have any artwork on them and why nobody has ever made a music video.

Every single major musical movement of the last 60-odd years has had an image. Music intersects with art, fashion, photography and becomes part of something wider, it does not and it will not exist in isolation. The people who think "image isn't important" when it comes to making music are quite frankly kidding themselves on.
[/quote]

You've not bought much from Deutsche Grammophon lately, I'd guess. [size=4] [/size]

[discreet]

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1416962847' post='2615639']
The thing is many folk are not t-shirt shaped.
[/quote]

That's right - which is why I buy round, fat T-shirts.

[quote name='blue' timestamp='1416965033' post='2615647']
Wow! that is extreme.
[/quote]

I agree - Grangur's reaction was totally unreasonable.

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='Dad3353' timestamp='1417013982' post='2616100']
You've not bought much from Deutsche Grammophon lately, I'd guess.
[/quote]

I don't quite understand what point you're making. Regardless, classical music has a very strong image to it---its dominated by dinner jackets and suits for the gents, and dresses of some sort for the ladies. You won't find too many classical concerts where the conductor turns up in an iron maiden tshirt and some jeans from asda

[HengistPod]

I'm sure this isn't the first thread I've seen on here about the clothes that people wear. Personally, I think it's a little wierd.

It does seem to me that the comparison pictures posted earlier really weren't that different.

The band in the first were obviously part of a scene where baggy, shapeless T-shirts are acceptable. The band in the second looked more like they hadn't made an effort to me, whether their T-shirts fitted better or not.

I remember my Dad watching the Sex Pistols briefly on TV and remarking what a bunch of scruffs they looked, and you'd think they'd at least put on some decent clothes to perform their "racket". He completely missed that they were conveying an image just as much as Sinatra or the Three Degrees. This thread brought that to mind.

[phil.c60]

[quote name='BigGuyAtTheBack' timestamp='1417010506' post='2616035']
In my case the phrase 'ya canna polish a turd!' applies. Clean jeans, polo shirt, big f*** off boots thats it. Wedding gigs n posh do's I prefer a casual trouser or kilt lol
[/quote]

No, you can't polish a turd but you can roll it in glitter. I bet you'd look great in something sparkly!