#863: Masks Are the New T-Shirt

GETTING MORE TALE #863: Masks Are the New T-Shirt

If you have been watching my videos or live streams, I’ve occasionally shown off my new masks.  Now, I don’t wanna get into the whole “issue” of masks.  I just want to talk about masks in terms of music, marketing, and keeping businesses alive in 2020.  No matter your political affiliation (I consider myself unaffiliated and flexible enough to change who I support), then if you are reading this then I think we can all agree on three things:

  1. We love music.
  2. We want businesses to survive in this difficult year.
  3. We need to do things that make us happy, especially now.

I’ve been saying for months:  every band, brand, and icon needs to put out branded masks, pronto!  Many of us are going to need masks for at least the next six months.  I have five Kiss masks currently.  I don’t know how long these things last, especially if you wash them as frequently as you have to, so I assume we’ll all need replacement masks in a little while too.  It makes sense to put out your own branded mask right now.  I love that I can put on a Kiss mask and go out and do my shopping.  It’s like wearing a T-shirt.  In 2020, the mask is the new T-shirt.  Especially in winter time when, in Canada, we will be wearing heavy jackets on our backs like a tortoise shell.  T-shirt weather is far behind us.  Bonus:  though they fog up my glasses, the mask does keep my nose warm in the morning chill.

To Kraft Dinner:  I would love to buy a mask from you that has your delicious cheesy noodles on my face!

To the estate of Frank Zappa:  I’m looking for a mask with his trademark moustache and beard.  Does such a thing exist?

Dear ZZ Top:  You know exactly what I want!  One of those longer “goiter” masks with your beards!

And local clubs, restaurants and businesses:  I would love to be able to buy a mask with your logo or website address on it.  We need to support each other in this time, I firmly believe, and that starts at home with our venues and clubs.

Sceptics might ask me, “Will any of that actually make the life-or-death difference for a business?”  I don’t know.  I didn’t study business or economics in school.  I just know that I am (somewhat) in a position to help (a little bit), and…I have to try.

I practice what I preach and have thrown a bone or two to some local businesses and music venues.  I’m not saying this to show off what a super guy I’m am, I’m saying this so I can lead by example.  I’m not wealthy though, and what works best for me is if I can buy some merchandise.  That way I get something I need while helping somebody else out.  I would rather buy official than knockoff.  I need more masks, and if there are enough cool ones, I could even give some as gifts to certain family members.

For the next six to twelve months (who knows?), masks are going to be in our lives.  Like it or lump it, I suppose they say.  Maybe I’ve just been more successful trying to have a positive attitude in 2020, but I’ve been able to…have fun?…with masks.  We gotta support each other to get through this damn pandemic, and to play on the words of my man Jon Bon Jovi:  I’ll Be There For You!  These five words I swear to you.  If you sell, I’ll buy a mask from you.  I’ll mask up for you!

 

 

41 comments

  1. I agree with you on masks. If I have to wear one I want it to say something. I have two curling Canada masks and I just got one with poppies for Remembrance Day. Your sister has a couple of Game of Thrones masks. BTW, I like your Kiss mask!

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        2. Ironically I remember that The X-Factor went top 10 in Quebec, while it tanked everywhere else in Canada. The magazines at the time called it “proof that Quebec is indeed a unique culture”. Less than a month after the X-Factor was released, Quebec had the 1995 separation referendum, which was barely decided to remain by a margin of about half a percent. Memorable times.

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  7. I am over branded masks. Before I got tailor made masks, I was going out in my bandana which was carefully folded with elastics that went around my ears. The problem? That bandana was branded with the Sturgis bike rally in the states. If you hadn’t heard about that event this year, it was called a super spreader event which promoted new cases of covid 19. Which made my mask seem ironic.

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    1. Ah OK I’ve heard of the Sturgis, yes, it did make the news in Canada. The irony of your bandana is amusing at least.

      My first mask was also a bandana, a pink one from the 80s which used to make me look like Bret Michaels back then, but now just gets me mocked on Twitter. I still wear it though.

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  9. The Bon Jovi reference was a nice touch and so creative! That should be on a mask. At least the “I’ll mask up for you,” part. I never thought of it that way, since there are lots of masks with fun logos nowadays, we can wear them and express our personalities through masks! Great post Mike!

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    1. LOL thanks, I’m glad you liked the Bon Jovi reference. I have a habit of walking around the house writing new lyrics to pre-existing songs, so that’s what that was!

      Some people have been asking me to make LeBrain Train shirts, and I think that’ll happen in 2021. If so I’ll look into masks too.

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      1. Hey it’s a fun hobby sounds like. Sometimes the revised lyrics are better than the original lol!

        That’d be a cool idea with the train and it’d be a way to make some cash!

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  11. I did the bandana and elastics thing in the beginning. Now I wear a mask with Frozen print (Kevin’s mom had leftover mask fabric she was making for the grandkids). It’s nice actually, real subtle. At first I thought it was Alice in Wonderland in the forest, until you see a tiny shadow of Olaf. lol

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