EXTREMELY RARE CHARLES BUKOWSKI PIECE ORIGINALLY PURCHASED AT THE NOW DEFUNCT T-SHIRT MUSEUM OF BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY WHICH OPERATED IN THE LATE 80’S/EARLY 90’S. IT WAS ACQUIRED FROM THE ORIGINAL OWNER, AN ART COLLECTOR WHO NEVER EVEN REMOVED THE TAGS. IT’S 100% DEADSTOCK. CHARLES BUKOWSKI TEES FROM THIS ERA ARE ALREADY VERY DIFFICULT TO FIND & THIS PARTICULAR GRAPHIC & SENTIMENT BEHIND THE QUOTE ON THE BACK BEING MORE RELEVANT TODAY THAN EVER MAKES THIS QUITE AN AMAZING FIND.

THE EXACT QUOTE BY CHARLES BUKOWSKI COMES FROM HIS LATE 70’S POEM TITLED ‘TROUBLE’ WHICH HE EVEN READ TO AN AUDIENCE AS PART OF A LIVE 1980 POETRY PERFORMANCE WHICH CAN BE FOUND ONLINE.

THE MEANING BEHIND IT: BUKOWSKI CRITICIZES A SHELTERED OR SOFT SOCIETY. HE IMPLIES THAT PEOPLE WHO HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED REAL DEVASTATION (BOMBED CITIES) OR STRICT DISCIPLINE/HARSH REALITY (MOTHERS TOLD TO SHUT UP) GROW UP ENTITLED, FRAGILE, OR OBLIVIOUS TO TRUE SUFFERING.

IT IS A WIDELY SHARED POEM ON PLATFORMS LIKE GOODREADS & DISCUSSED BY FANS ON THE BUKOWSKI FORUM AS A CLASSIC EXAMPLE OF HIS CYNICAL, RAW WORLDVIEW.

THE T-SHIRT MUSEUM (WHICH ALSO MARKETED ITS ITEMS UNDER THE SUB-BRAND ‘COLLECTOR WEAR’) WAS A LOCAL CUSTOM SHIRT PRINTING STUDIO & RETAIL APPAREL STORE LOCATED IN BOWLING GREEN, KENTUCKY. THE STOREFRONT OFFERED ‘UNIQUE ART YOU CAN WEAR’ ALONGSIDE SPECIALIZED CUSTOM SHIRT PRINTING. IT IS POSSIBLE THAT THIS IS A 1 OF 1 PIECE OR AT THE VERY LEAST, PART OF AN EXTREMELY LIMITED RUN. 

IT SAT RIGHT AT THE CORNER OF 14TH & CENTER STREET, A ONCE PRIME LOCATION SITUATED IMMEDIATELY ADJACENT TO THE CAMPUS OF WESTERN KENTUCKY UNIVERSITY (WKU), MEANING THE SHOP LIKELY SERVED AS A POPULAR SPOT FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS LOOKING FOR CUSTOM ORGANIZATION GEAR, EVENT TEES & GRAPHIC APPAREL.

SIZE: XL

MEASUREMENTS: 23.5 x 32

YEAR: EARLY 90’S

TAG: FRUIT OF THE LOOM

STITCHING: SINGLE STITCH

LICENSING | COPYRIGHT: CHARLES BUKOWSKI

COLOR: WHITE