For Day 278 of my THREEHUNDREDANDSIXTEEFIVE T-shirt challenge I'm wearing my favourite Motion City Soundtrack tee that I picked up at a gig they played last year at the Kentish Town Forum. I remember the gig well - it was rather intimate owing to the space being an overly congested bar basement, meaning I had to watch the opening few tracks of the set from the stairwell leading down to the crowd. This was actually pretty great while it lasted; the height advantage meant that I had a perfect line of sight to the stage, plus I had no obligation to exchange sweat with the jam-packed audience below.
The convenience was short lived of course because a typical jobs-worth security contractor stepped up to force us down with everybody else, citing 'fire hazards' or some such other nonsense as a cause for eviction. If a hellish firestorm did break out in that place, I doubt that anyone's reaction would be to stand perfectly still and obstruct the only fire escape. I'd be the first to sprint out the door thus clearing the way, so why we had to move on was beyond me. Alas, we got ushered down into the masses, right next to the merchandise stand, and you know how I get around merchandise stands. I get purchasey.
Next thing I know, I've walked away with this tee featuring a retro comic design depicting the MCS Adventures In Space. The blue, white and yellow print shows several panels from the fictional comic of a man armed with a ray guy carrying a heavily injured comrade, along with the strapline "SPACE SHIP WRECKED IN THE SKY! ONLY THEIR NERVE AND KNOW-HOW TO SAVE THEM! WATCH AS THE ULTIMATE ADVENTURE UNFOLDS."
Also, there's a monkey!
Like most Motion City Soundtrack tees, this one has little relevance when viewed apart from the context of the album or song that inspired it, but it's likely to have origins among the awkward, alternative mundanity from which the band's lyrics draw comfort.
