Music is one of my passions. Sports is the other. I always find it fascinating when the two intersect and bands demonstrate their appreciation for certain sports franchises, whether it be in a song's lyrics or when musicians wear paraphernalia featuring the team's logo/branding. Such songs as The Tragically Hip's "Fifty Mission Cap," The Pursuit of Happiness' "Wayne Gretzky Rocks," and even Streetheart's "One More Save" are tributes to the band members' favorite players/teams. Bands like Styx, meanwhile, have worn their team's jerseys -- being from Chicago, they proudly wear the Blackhawks' uniforms at times (and I'm sure they'll be supporting their team throughout the next two weeks). Are there any such tributes or displays of affection for sports teams you know of or would like to share?
The title for this thread is "Tony Banks and the Fake Hockey Sweater" mainly because I've found one odd scenario when a musician has not worn a sports team's official paraphernalia but rather a seemingly unlicensed reproduction of it. As a Vancouver Canucks fan, I have always found it incredibly cool that Tony Banks decided to wear a Canucks sweater for the filming of the "Follow You Follow Me" music video. That particular song is a favorite of mine and conjures some very warm memories. The Canucks were not a very successful team back then (they only qualified for the postseason twice in their first eight seasons [1970-78]), and for anyone outside of Vancouver to be wearing one of their jerseys would have been rare. Many hockey fans in Vancouver at the time were actually fans of either the Leafs or the Habs; whenever those two teams would visit, the majority of the building would be cheering for the away team! Thus, it's very cool that Tony Banks decided to show his appreciation for the team and/or for the city of Vancouver. Phil and the band did, after all, have a pretty strong relationship with the city. Perhaps one of them may have attended a game at some point.
Oddly enough, though, Tony's Canucks sweater doesn't match anything ever worn by the team. The sweater featured in the "Follow You Follow Me" music video most closely resembles the sweater worn by the Canucks between 1970 to 1972; their white uniforms were slightly altered after the 1971-72 season. The video would have been filmed in 1977, which raises alarms about which exact jersey Tony is wearing. The sleeves on Tony's sweater feature two stripes -- green and blue -- but are missing the patented "V." I found that quite strange upon observing it.
(By the way, I believe this is the Nick Davis mix)
Pictured here are the 40th anniversary throwbacks worn by the team in the 2010-11 season, matching every detail of the team's original uniforms; this is the one Tony is supposedly wearing.
After 1972, the sweaters looked like this (notice the striping):
The sweater Tony Banks wears in the video was never worn by the Canucks, which leads me to think he was wearing a knockoff sweater. The collar is completely blue and the striping is different. Any time I watch this video, I always have that in the back of my mind, and I even chuckle a bit knowing it's a fake jersey. I also wonder where in the world he obtained it (possibly from Phil?). I'm sure there's a story to be told about that.
Still, it's pretty awesome that the team's brand made an appearance in a Genesis video and that they cared to wear it! That already makes this Canucks fan proud. What other instances of public appreciation for sports teams are you guys aware of (in song or appearance)?
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