Of all the musical gods who have transcended their initial expertise and crossed into the halls of fashion stardom, I strongly feel Rick Nielsen and his otherworldly contributions fail to get the necessary acknowledgment. The Cheap Trick guitarist’s lack of Bowie’s genderfluid spacesuit, Hendrix’s exaggerated lace and Cobain’s mohair cardigans immediately dispel him from the pointless conversation of “best dressed musician”, but the man’s wardrobe reached icon status without a doubt. The upturned cycling cap, detailed knitwear and checkerboard obsession will never be mistaken for anyone besides Nielsen, but my interest peaked for reasons outside his most popular possessions. I’m not sure what spurned my Cheap Trick Google image search, but I vividly remember the glittering footwear on Nielsen that made me freeze mid-scroll and eek out a disbelieving “No fucking way.” The man had multicolor HTM Air Wovens. A shoe completely irrelevant to some and far from a rockstar’s typical arsenal of snakeskin boots and scuffed Converse, but they’re an undeniable monument of early 2000s sneaker fandom and a huge personal favorite. Celebrity shoe choices are rarely shocking as people with unlimited money and access can essentially obtain piece desired. But, Nielsen didn’t choose a rare, hype-tinged sneaker, designer loafers or any type of remotely popular silhouette. A shoe like the Air Woven signals an informed decision; it doesn’t just happen into a wardrobe. Enthralled by the interesting choice, I dived deeper into Google’s pages and was continually met with snapshots of Nielsen performing with a five-neck guitar and strutting down the red carpet in an absurdly cool variety of Air Wovens and similarly offbeat Nike models. (Bonus points for the checkered Sock Racers, I had no clue those existed.) His fashion sense is well documented, and I grew comfortably accustomed to the checked sweater and cycling cap combo. But unbeknownst to me, his style progressed past Cheap Trick’s heyday. Although his high-top, black Asics are a historic finish to his onstage outfits, his preference seemingly switched to “weird” Nike models during the early to mid-2000s. Once again, fantastic shoes but far from an obvious choice. Nielsen is clearly a fashionable guy, and I’m not attempting to discredit his ability to pick a good pair – the man has several iconic looks attached to his name – but I’m interested in how his fondness developed. Nielsen may have simply just seen the shoes, liked them and purchased. But, that ‘s a bit boring, and I can’t help but imagine a bigger, more entertaining story behind his affinity. Japan loved Cheap Trick, and the band saw immense success in the country. The Japanese also adore the Air Woven with countless special releases and colorways blessing the country (The model itself was a Japan exclusive for a period of time.) I don’t think it’s too much of an unfounded leap for Nielsen to have seen the shoes during an overseas stay and grew attached. I hope there’s some shreds of truth in my hypothetical Japanese love story, but after discovering an an article discussing Nielsen’s style, I stumbled on to some possible evidence for his sartorial decision. According to Cheap Trick’s photographer and Nielsen’s childhood friend, his obsession for monochrome checkerboard print objects stems back from watching static dance across a television. The man is absolutely enthralled with the pattern – it even covers his John Deere tractor. Bizarre. In a rather anticlimactic fashion, I realized a blatantly obvious fact. Most Air Woven colorways form a checked print. Nielsen’s footwear nepotism may be driven less by historic Japanese tours and more on a continued fixation for clothing with alternating color blocks. (Sneaker Freaker highlighted a Steven Smith-designed Footscape 2 made especially for Nielsen– utilizing black and white checks of course.) Thankfully he chose Air Wovens over Vans’ infamous checked Slip-Ons favored by eight graders and 35-year-old men with gauges.
Even if the Japan connection is a far-flung, self-serving conspiracy theory, he still radiate cool, and I view his choices as the ultimate in zany celebrity sneaker collecting. Nielsen’s unwavering checkerboard allegiance resulted in him wearing one of the coolest, historically important shoes. For a 70-year-old rockstar, I’m thoroughly impressed. Although he doesn’t break out his signature ensembles anymore, the shoes remain a subtle little nod to some of music’s best outfits.
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AuthorMax Theriot Archives
November 2019
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