Kurt Cobain’s ‘Flipper’ T-Shirt Gets Bootlegged by Forever 21

2011-12-01

Story by Cat Badra

Nirvana frontman’s famous shirt gets a makeover

When grunge rockers Nirvana famously performed on Saturday Night Live in 1992, singer Kurt Cobain wore a Flipper t-shirt that he created with a magic marker– at the time, a symbol for everything DIY and punk in the world of music. But now, nearly 20 years later, clothing shop Forever 21 is selling a mass-produced adaptation of that exact shirt for $16.90. Note: The product description doesn’t mention Nirvana. It simply reads, “A crew neck tee with sketched ‘Flipper’ graphic at front.” Say what?

If anything, this is proof that, once again, grunge is all the rage– especially since many of the peeps who shop at Forever 21 are, well, under 21. Of course, the greater grunge community is up in arms over the move, since Forever 21 and Cobain couldn’t be more different in character and message. What we’re wondering is what Krist Novoselic, former bass player for both Nirvana and Flipper, thinks of this version of his former comrade’s tee.

At press time, the shirt was sold out online. But, that doesn’t mean Forever 21 won’t simply print more. Moreover, Forever 21 shops across the U.S. still have some shirts in stock. What are your thoughts on this so-called bootlegged Flipper shirt?

In other Nirvana news, Novoselic recently Tweeted about Courtney Love’s tirade over Dave Grohl’s fight to stake his claim to some of the Nirvana residuals. Showing his support for the Foo Fighters frontman, Novoselic proclaimed, “David Eric Grohl = Talent + Focus + Hard Work #Ilove you.” Read more of his Twitter defense, here. (Courtesy photo via Forever 21’s official website.)

 




Cat Badra
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