I don't know if other people did this, but during the 2020 quarantine (and in the subsequent years when we didn't see many people) I stopped wearing my "cool" t-shirts. The ones with art prints on them, my favorite band tees, etc. Subconsciously, I figured, "If nobody is going to be able to see or appreciate them, why wear them out? I might as well wait until we start socializing again."
So instead of those, I mainly wore a bunch of plain white t-shirts. One in particular fell apart more quickly than the rest. The neck started stretching out and fraying and a couple of pinholes opened up on the front. Food stains accumulated from countless meals we cooked over the past few years... It slowly became a beautiful dissolving tapestry.
Now I find myself gravitating toward that particular ratty shirt because it has become a symbol of perseverance through an unfathomable time. Since I started wearing it, a pandemic happened, I became a dad, loved ones were lost, new friends were made, a boat got stuck in the Suez Canal, I made a significant body of artwork, we watched the Sopranos for the first time, jobs changed, we watched Community for the 4th time, and I witnessed the best and the worst of humanity at extremes that I had never witnessed in my life prior. Anyway, I think it's made by Hanes.
Sad Update: The shirt may have ended up in the throwaway pile during a recent drawer clean out. A lesson in the consequences of becoming attached to worldly possessions, the impermanence of everything, entropy, et al. Pictured instead are two other surviving shirts from the same multi-pack. They have both lived equally storied lives, so they deserve to be held in the same regard and shall also be worn until ragged!
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It’s an oversized grey t shirt with a bunch of cats printed on it in (see the grainy af photo).
At this point, a new hole opens up with each wash but I just sew them closed bc I am stubborn and my grandmother is no longer here to give me some of her cool thrift finds.
I will be buried/cremated/whatever I decide in this shirt.
Dec 17, 2024
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Great backstory, sustainable for the environment etc etc. I found a LIFE tshirt this way, and I love wearing it so so much.
Apr 17, 2024
I’m a serial monogamist when it comes to t-shirts. Whichever one has made it out of hiding, it tends to be ’the one’ for seemingly ages until, for whatever reason, it changes. And then, that one is ’the one’. The current ‘one’ is an oldie: Keith Haring for Cotton On (Iconic Aussie brand). Pale pink, big and baggy. Note to self - don’t ruin or lose.
Sep 30, 2024
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The perfect lil snack for when you don’t want a big snack
Apr 3, 2024
Here it is, folks! Volume I of what could very well be a continuous project. Thank you so much to everyone that submitted - I smiled the entire time I was putting this together. It's best listened to with headphones ☺️
Liner Notes:
This collection of field recordings is a collaborative effort with users of PI.FYI, each of which recorded their own pieces. It features audio from all over the world and exhibits eclectic moments from London Underground commutes to cuckoo bird calls in Dhaka to the sounds of a century-old American diner.
Online communities like PI.FYI often represent a diverse set of people, places, and experiences, but together, the submissions form a living collage that highlights the commonalities of modern life - a unifying message for such a tumultuous time. The first track features all of the sounds played at once in an attempt to create an audio snapshot of an online community but in their offline lives.
The individual recordings are unedited except for minor gain and compression adjustments for consistency across the collection.
Mar 29, 2025
