Murakami T: The T-Shirts I Love

Rating: 3.5 stars

Not a lot of exceptional t-shirts, some okay essays, proof that I'll read anything by Murakami. I do envy him the REM t-shirts, though.

“With this many, I never have to worry about what to wear in the summer. I could wear a different one each day and never wear the same one twice. Nice being a writer sometimes, right?”

This was an unexpected library find, as I wasn't even aware something like this was coming out. I love Murakami books, I love off-the-wall book topics, and I love t-shirts. This seemed like it'd be a slam dunk. And, honestly, it was.

This is essentially an art book with commentary. Murakami turns out his closet for the benefit of the author, his favorite t-shirts were grouped by category, and we get a lot of musing essays about what he was thinking when he bought them, where he was at the time, and commentary about the topic in general. While mundane in approach (and I absolutely can understand why this book didn't click with some people), I really actually appreciated learning a bit more about Murakami through his t-shirt choices. Beyond the obvious “I like jazz” and “I like whiskey”, I got little nuggets like, Goodwill is his favorite place to shop for t-shirts, he loves a good burger when he travels to the US, and he's not overly fond of lizards. I sort of appreciate little things like that.

So, if you like Murakami, will you like this? I mean, maybe? A cautious maybe? If you like novelty books, t-shirts, and Murakami, definitely. If you're looking for more biographical info, author info, life lessons info, probably not.

I'm definitely going to be giving people at Goodwill the side-eye now. Just in case.

this is the sort of book that more authors should have the freedom to write - to just kinda riff on their own personal interests and obsessions, where through their enthusiasm for the subject (theoretically) engaging writing would be produced. as a casual t-shirt collector and as someone who's read most of Murakami's books, this was a Venn intersection that i don't get to experience very often, so i had to see what this was about. i had anticipated this was going to have some ‘truly vintage threads' and i was surprised by not only how recent many of these shirts were made, but especially by how pedestrian most of them are, as most of the ones featured here are basic brand/logo advertisement shirts. second most common are Hawaii-related surf brands, followed by beer and whiskey brands, with animal-related designs probably fourth. most barely look like they've been worn and a fair number were surely promo swag given out for free in the first place, haha. the real reason for this book is for the essays. Murakami's style in here is droll and goofy, and is the most light-hearted writing collection he's ever released.

all that said, no way would i pay the listed MSRP for this ($24.99 - that's crazy). it is very short - it's mostly, or all, previously published in a Japansese fashion magazine series - and i had to restrain myself from cruising through it in one sitting.