The man-bag saga
I was just reading about Margiela’s new man-bags… pictured below. I got mildly interested in man-bags (man-purse? Murs?) this past year but couldn’t get myself to buy one.
Here’s the thing. DJ’s need bags. Traveling international men of mystery need bags. I’m both, I need a good bag. I’ve had backpacks for years. It’s the obvious recourse for DJs… and backpackers, duh. Don’t think I’ve forgotten my roots. In the vinyl days I used to carry those Shure or Technics backpacks with a heavy load of wax in them. Remember Esdjco? (Whoooaaa they still have my picture from when I was 16 on their site!!) Their bags were even bigger.
I can recall the first time I went to the Stretch & Bobbito radio show on WKCR in 1997, Lord Sear was clowning me and my brother. He was the first person to make fun of my non-existent shoulders. “Yo what’s holding up that backpack? You got no shoulders!” He was also the first person to say that Dave looked like Paul from The Wonder Years. But I digress. (How about GLC rapping “If you’re feeling like a pimp, man / go and take your shoulders off” to me at a rehearsal?)
The point is: despite what Newtonian physics would have you think, I can carry a backpack. But I get tired of backpacks. They kill my back. They make me look/feel like I’m 16. That said, you know what’s good about a backpack? Compartments. And that’s what stopped me from making the dandy-man move to the man-bag in 2008. Man-bags don’t have compartments and it seems that in order to keep yours looking spiffy you can’t fill it up too much. That doesn’t work for me, I carry a ton of junk and need it neatly filed.
So there you have it, my thoughts on bags.
More on Margiela bags at Selectism.
January 16th, 2009 at 5:47 am
What about this one: The QWSTION - Messenger Bag !!
http://www.qwstion.com/detail.html?p=6
A perfect ‘murs’ that even can be transformed into a backpack…!
just a tip…
Grtz,
William
January 16th, 2009 at 7:06 am
Sorry, but I have to disagree. Men’s bags have come a long way in the last couple of years and now have compartments for everything.
Have a look at http://www.blokesbags.co.uk and you will see what I mean!
January 16th, 2009 at 8:11 am
A trak your amazing
I am a 16 yr old kid from Canada and i have started a clothing company called FreshFoundation.
It is a blend of street wear mixed with high fashion. I would really appreciate if you guys could just check it out and want to know what people think so i can improve my designs.
thank you so much
January 16th, 2009 at 8:59 am
Your thoughts on bags were something I didn’t know I needed until after it was over! Your blog is so entertaining, please keep it up!
January 16th, 2009 at 10:33 am
I carry a man bag when spinning with just Serato records, laptop, cartridges, and headphones in it. I catch a lot of shit for this look, but it’s easy, and I don’t need but a few compartments for those things.
January 17th, 2009 at 1:08 pm
I have a large Chrome laptop bag, which fits my MBP, sound card, headphones, console, keyboard and cables. Might be worth checking out (although I’m not sure if decks would fit): http://www.chromebags.com/products/bags/show/27/
January 17th, 2009 at 8:54 pm
see new Lil Wayne pics from Terry Richardson for GQ Magazine only at:
http://www.livincool.com
Art, Music, Design & Lifestyle
January 18th, 2009 at 3:45 pm
Stick to the backpack.
And trust me, a manbag will hurt a lot more, since the weight is distributed when you wear backpacks. I know, i’m a gal, and it’s painful when i carry my lappy on my bag all day long.
Plus, there are so many cool backpacks:
http://www.rememberdelaware.com/Gravis_Hubble_Backpack_p/211984.htm&?utm_source=googlebase&utm_medium=comparisonshopping
The coolest.
For records + serato….hmm..:
Not the most beautiful backpack i’ve seen, but it must be ideal, functionality wise
http://www.turntablelab.com/clothing/314/70/19090.html
January 19th, 2009 at 1:55 pm
dude, dont get this purse, or something close to it. Being a woman I can tell you that man bag will send the wrong message to your fans. You want a chrome backpack. They’re less girly and hella comfortable.
check it out!!
http://www.chromebags.com/images/gallery/mike5.jpg
they were made for bikers, but work well for everything. I swear by em, and you can carry records in them.
Love your stuff! You’re my biggest inspiration!!
January 19th, 2009 at 1:57 pm
yes!! im glad im not the only guy who recommended it!
January 20th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
IM BACK!!! Havn’t visited in a while. I lost ALL my bookmarks on my MAC the other day, and just got everything i had backed up, restored.
Looks like the blog is rocking!
Hope all is well sir!
Travel safe and cheers to another GREAT year!!!
January 21st, 2009 at 11:48 am
well i wouldn’t have a man bag.i’d feel like i would have to take on a new lifestyle.i could see it now,i’d be reading a novel in a cafe while eating a range of cheeses.i’d be ordering salads and other kinds of healthy foods.i’d always have a pen handy as well.i’d probably even start getting my hair cut on a more frequent basis and i’d blow my nose a lot as well and probably have a really neat bedroom where i’d do yoga and keep my very useful nail clippers.i’d be that guy that doesn’t have a scratch on my ipod and i’d be reading a 2 day old paper just because it’s something to read.
January 22nd, 2009 at 2:30 am
Bored up at night….searching you tube for random things like random Radiohead clips….came across your “Paranoid Android” mix (which I loved)….which lead me to your web site….which led me to your “Man Bag” post…..and we might have come full circle. I have a line of bags under the label of “Silent Revolution”. Would love to offer you a bag for free since I really enjoyed your mix (any chance of getting a copy?…Check out our Hybrid Bag. I think you’ll like it. It was originally designed as a record bag for DJ’s but kind of became much more….Drop me a line. Let me know what you think. http://www.silent-revolution.com/hybrid.htm
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:47 am
Get a Jansport and act like you’re back in 1995, son!
January 28th, 2009 at 9:57 pm
I still have an Esdjco bag stuffed with crap in my closet. Ha Ha. I still a big fan of their Aero2 slipmats though.
March 7th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
best song ever
March 12th, 2009 at 3:38 am
[...] don’t know you’re an expert of style and comfort matching advice. You covered the man purse problem in your blog, as well as the proverbial white man and scarf issue. Any tip on the puffy coat/skinny [...]
March 25th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
It seems like something is missing, no?
April 1st, 2009 at 12:04 am
God point about this, nice summary.
May 7th, 2009 at 11:09 am
Nice bags…but care to say the price?
December 31st, 2009 at 8:06 pm
Tech Question:
Q
January 16th, 2010 at 2:53 pm
the first link seems to be down
February 18th, 2010 at 9:57 pm
well im still confusing with this topic, but your writing makes me more clear. Thx!