Proving the old adage that “fixie riders ain’t nuthin’ ta fuck wit”, rap collective Wu-Tang Clan are celebrating their 20th Anniversary with the release of the limited edition Wu-Tang Bike.
“Wu-Tang, widely considered to be among the greatest hip-hop groups of all time, is collaborating with Tempe-based bicycle company State Bicycle Co. to release a line of custom-outfitted fixed gear and single speed road bikes to commemorate the Wu’s 20th year of bringing the ruckus and shaping urban street culture.” says the State Bicycle Company‘s website, which manufactures the fixed gear bike.
While hip hop and pedal power may not be the most obvious pairing, Wu-Tang aren’t the first to think outside the box set when it comes to music merchandise. Read on for our ten favourite bits of weird band merchandise that only the most die-hard fan could be interested in.
Just last week we reported on the curious inclusion in Nirvana‘s 20th Anniversary re-release of their album ‘In Utero’ – an actual, real-life tattoo of the band’s iconic Smiley Face logo, inked into your skin in the very store where you purchase the album.
Surf rock stoners Wavves knew exactly how to tap into their Weed Demon fanbase when they released their own unique “herb” grinders during their 2010 tour, followed up soon after with Wavves rolling papers. For tobacco use only, of course.
The only thing better than a band-branded beer is a band-branded beer with a punny name. Hanson‘s ‘MMMHops’ came out this year to celebrate the group’s 21 years together, while Aussie rock stalwarts You Am I released their ‘Brew Am I’ to coincide with their album re-releases this year.
While Daft Punk‘s ‘Get Lucky’ condoms turned out not to be an official Durex product, and as far as we know, don’t actually exist outside of Diplo‘s Instagram account, rockin’ prophylactics aren’t unheard of. British boy band (because Britain still makes boy bands) JLS released an “extra safe” range of condoms in 2010, and Jack Black’s Tenacious D have released their own ‘Cream Dream Catcher’.
The website spiel for Icelandic rockers Sigur Ros‘ ‘Vardeldur Scented Candle’ speaks for itself: “The smoky, slightly briny smell of a flotsam campfire on a distant black beach under a wan midnight sun. And, most recently, the smell of Sigur Ros’s studio, while they go about the quasi-mystical business of making the magic happen. Specially developed to the band’s olfactory specifications, this candle burns for 35 evocative hours of “instant Iceland”, or something like that.”
While Black Francis‘ physique doesn’t exactly scream “weekend warrior”, Pixies guitarist Joey Santiago is reportedly a keen cyclist, which presumably inspired the Pixies lycra cycling jersey. Wear it on your Wu-Tang bike – the colours even match.
Bill Wyman, Rolling Stones bass player from 1962 until 1993, LOVES metal detecting. So much so that he has his own Bill Wyman Signature Metal Detector (Although a blues detector would have been more apt…)
“Well, like Weezer, Snuggies are just this weird, cool product that everyone seems to like. They’re really popular, and you can’t really figure out why. So we figured it’s a good match.” says singer Rivers Cuomo of the Weezer-branded ‘blanket with sleeves’, which were ironically popular worldwide around 2008.
KISS are the undisputed kings of slapping their name on stuff. Hello Kitty crossover toilet paper, KISS-ter Potato Heads, A KISS coffee house (“Home of the World Famous Rockuccino”) are just some of the reportedly 3000 items that KISS have licensed. But weirdest of all has to be the KISS Kasket – a garish, KISS-branded coffin, for when you finally stop rocking and rolling all night. Pantera’s Dimebag Darrell went down in a KISS Kasket, and you can too, for just $4500.
We’ve saved the weirdest til last: German hard rock outfit Rammstein released a special edition of their album ‘Liebe Ist Für Alle Da’ (‘Love Is For Everyone’) in 2009, which featured the album sealed in a steel flight case which also housed handcuffs, lube, and a collection of six dildos, each modelled after the band members’ members. Not even kidding.
Rammstein, known for their extravagant on-stage pyrotechnics, also offer a ‘Mein Tiel’ flambe burner – which seems pretty tame in comparison to the aforementioned box of dicks.
