How Converse Became The Rocker Shoe Of Choice

The Guardian:

When Dr Martens launched an advertising campaign last year featuring dead rock stars wearing its perennially anti-fashion boots, the music world was apoplectic. "Outrageous," screeched Courtney Love, whose late husband Kurt Cobain could be seen swinging from a cloud in ivory robes and six-holed AirWair DMs in the digitally manipulated pictures. "Sick!" was what the bloggers almost unanimously deemed it, in a rare act of messageboard unity. Meanwhile, in a statement begging Dr Martens to remove the ads, Mickey Leigh, whose brother Joey Ramone also featured, called them "inappropriate, inconsiderate and contemptible". A few days later, Dr Martens bowed to Leigh's request, sacking ad agency Saatchi & Saatchi in the process.

Read the whole story: The Guardian

Comments

[S1m0n]

10:33 PM on 03/23/2008

For the same reason the young Cobain adopted the goatee: to piss off the jocks.

Of course, it worked so well and a whole new generation of unconsciously self-hating jocks grew up idolizing St. Kurt, and now goatees are all over the major leagues, especially baseball.

[Kurukulla]

06:13 PM on 03/23/2008

I used to have converse all stars, but then I grew up and got real shoes.

[Barbarossa03]

02:52 AM on 03/23/2008

I think I've seen Mick Jagger in a pair of Converse

[leftLibertarian]

05:40 PM on 03/22/2008

I'm partial to Converse's Jack Purcell sneaker.

[Libsrule]

03:44 AM on 03/22/2008

Always thought Converse were ugly shoes, which is what the "anti-rock star" look is all about.

Of course one can only imagine what they wear inside their mansions, private jets and places where their fans won't see them.

[Ramirez]

06:32 PM on 03/21/2008

Good for Converse and good luck to them.

The TV ad that Converse is currently running is hip, pitch-perfect, and fun to watch. I wish I was young enough to wear them.

[PlanetKansas]

04:14 PM on 03/21/2008

You have it all wrong. Joey Ramone, Curt Cobaine and the Clash were cool because they were artists, not because they wore Converse sneakers.

[dadw5boys]

03:08 PM on 03/21/2008

Rockers spend money on other stuff cheap shoes.

Equipment is not cheap.

Tennis shoes get dirty thow away get new ones.

Ex rocker ;).