Our second installment to the One Shirt feature is from the other co-founder of DoubleCross webzine, Tim McMahon. These DoubleCross guys sure know how to pick some winners. They have also made me realize that my two favorite hardcore shirts are in fact navy blue. Put that in your pipe and smoke it Murphy. Now onto Tim’s selection…
I’ve been collecting hardcore shirts for the better part of 24 years now and I think I’ve gathered a pretty decent collection. I’ve had a lot of shirts come and go, some I wish never went, some I wouldn’t miss if I never saw again, and some that will be with me when I’m buried. At the forefront of my collection there’s been a handful of mainstays: all the Schism shirts, all my Youth Of Today shirts, my Hi-Impact Turning Point shirts, my Axtion-Packed Release shirts, my Cro-Mags shirts, my Bold shirts, my old Smorgasbord shirts, my Wishingwell shirts, my old Danzig shirts, my Dag Nasty shirts, etc.. With that being said, there are really only a few that I actually wear on a regular basis, mostly because so many of these shirts are 20+ years old and although they’re in good condition now, I’d like them to stay that way.
One shirt that has stood the test of time for me, remains at the top of my list as a personal favorite and I actually wear somewhat regularly would be my original navy blue, puff ink, Chain Of Strength “True Till Death” shirt. I’m actually on my third original of the navy blue “True Till Death” shirt, but I can assure you, the current one that I have will not be going anywhere. Two others I have ridiculously traded away, but I promise you that I have learned my lesson. This shirt is not an easy one to find…bootlegs maybe, but originals are just super tough to track down.
As the story is told, Revelation printed the navy blue, puff ink, Chain Of Strength “True Till Death” shirts for Chain to sell on their second east coast tour. I’ve heard that Chain’s drummer, Chris Bratton, always hated this shirt because it broke away from the standard white/green/black color scheme that Chain had adopted, so once that first batch was sold, they were never to be made again.
What I love about this shirt is for one, the huge, classic Chain Of Strength logo across the front of the shirt. It’s tough to beat that logo, the classic SSD style font (City Bold), the bars (similar to Bold) and the tastefully dropped in X. Navy blue shirts have always been a favorite of mine (as well as red), the awesome use of the white puff ink for the words Chain Of Strength, the flat gray bars and X… it just makes for a timeless, clean, classic design that respectfully gives a nod to the influential bands that came prior.
As for the back, the large bold, typewriter style font, “True Till Death” and the perfectly captured Chain Of Strength 7″ cover photo all combine for a flawless front and back shirt design. An extra thumbs up for the X that’s shaved into the back of Alex Pain’s head that is clearly visible in the photo.
If I’ve got one complaint about this shirt, it’s the fact that every one I find happens to be a size Large. Out of the three that I’ve had, only one of them was an XL and that one is long gone. My current one is a Large and although it fits fine, those late 80’s Signal brand shirts tend to run a bit slim. But hey, I’d rather have one that keeps me on my toes and away from the ice cream than none at all.
And as a matter of fact, yes, it is the one thing that still holds true. -Tim DCXX
