Rock 'n' roll badges

A badge is a device or accoutrement which is presented or displayed to indicate some feat of service, a special accomplishment, a symbol of authority granted by taking an oath (e.g. police and fire), a sign of legitimate employment or student status, or as a simple means of identification. They are also used in advertising, publicity, and for branding purposes.

Yes, that definition comes from The Online Oracle - so don't question it.

Badges...that's the topic for discussion today - specifically music badges.

So let's go back in time to start with...

It's 1987 - and my favourite band in the world (for a few months, anyway) is Def Leppard. I buy the cassette tape of Hysteria and I receive a free badge! It was metal, and triangular, in reference to the album cover. And I loved it - possibly as much as I loved the album. It had pride of place on my pencil case. I used a black felt pen to write band names all over the pencil case and then I had the Def Leppard Hysteria badge in the top left corner, just below the zip.

The badge stayed there for a few years. It stayed longer than that actual tape of Hysteria.

It stayed there until it became an ironic thing, in fact. And then - randomly - it disappeared. It just, presumably, fell off. And I never thought much about it...

Then, a few years ago I started buying badges and sticking them on my bag - a bit of a gimmicky thing to do; a bit of fun. And I found some of the old ones I had from when I was much younger. I found some I had been given - working in music retail, sent with review copies of albums - and I was never very discriminating; I loaded up the bag until it became a bulky, heavy eyesore - bursting with badge-flavoured fruitiness.

But it was a fun thing to do on trips to Australia - buy some badges. Prince, Led Zeppelin, Metallica, Deep Purple, Motorhead - these were my souvenirs on trips across to visit friends, to see family, to go to the P.J. Harvey concert...

And then last year what was The CD Store and is now Marbecks/the same thing (just a bizarre rebranding exercise to confuse the separate fans of the respective brands) decided to have some badges made to sell. I think they are only available in a couple of the stores in Wellington - but they are there. You can see them in the picture there to the right...one badge says Sweetman Is Right and the other says Sweetman Is Wrong.

I believe the badges were made after I wrote about New Zealand's Premier BBQ Reggae Ensemble. Well, that's what the guy told me when he sold me the two in that picture there...

You see - I wanted to get a copy of each badge, as a laugh, mostly just wanted to check them out...but when we went down to buy them the guy in the shop started telling me all about the person who had inspired the badges, how sometimes he gets it right and sometimes he gets it wrong (not much of a trick to the tale - you'll agree). Well, I wasn't about to explain that the badges were about me, that I was the person they were referring to. There is no way you can do that without sounding like a wally (yeah, ah, actually they're about me; the badges are about me).

So I listened. And I learned a wee bit about myself. Just as I do some days writing this blog - I get all sorts of helpful things pointed out.

And of course the guy serving me was very good at his job. He was friendly and helpful and he engaged in a conversation - it's hard to find retail staff who consistently embody those traits.

Just before Christmas - it was in fact Christmas Eve - I realised that it might be an idea to buy some of the Sweetman Is Right badges to give to family as part of their Christmas presents. A bit of a laugh, I figured. But of course when I went in to buy half a dozen of the "Is Right" badges this is when I was recognised. I was also told that it was just as well I wanted that kind; they were all out of the Sweetman Is Wrong variety.

Recently I've found a new badge that I might start wearing to gigs when I am reviewing. Just for a laugh. There's a picture of it down below.

So - badges...do you have a favourite rock'n'roll badge that you wear with certain outfits? Do you have keepsake badges of favourite bands - maybe you don't wear them but you place them on a bag, or keep them, hold them, save them? Or was it something you did - back in the day - but you don't do it now?

Or have you never been into badges? Have you always found them silly/stupid?

And who out there bought a Sweetman Is Right/Is Wrong badge? Do you know anyone who did? Perhaps some people bought both - alternating them when it suits...Yesterday the Massive Attack fans would have had their Is Wrong badge on. But maybe they'll have the Is Right badge on tomorrow? Who knows...?

And click here to enjoy Badge - one of my favourite songs by Cream - with a  montage of rock badges in place of a video.

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