Nudie suits vs blue jeans?

Steve B · Post by **Steve B** » 19 Jul 2001 9:04 am

Yeah, nudie suits are great when it is 95 degrees outide and 105 degrees inside at Gruene Hall, or other no a/c or outdoor places in the hot Texas Summer.

When is the last time you have seen anybody wearing a nudie suit in person? No country artists, top 40 Nashville or traditional Texas wear Nudie Suits. The Derailers and Junior Brown look very sharp onstage, but no nudie suits. I have seen Dale Watson in a mechanics jump suit, but no Nudie suit. Did Buck Owens look sharp at the Carnagie Hall show back in the day? You bet he did! What about Diamond Rio (or Blackhawk)and their mullet haircuts, and silk shirts?

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 19 Jul 2001 9:34 am

Steve B, if the mullet haircut means the same thing Stateside that it does here, then I shudder to think of a group having it as part of their stage look!

Personally I dress pretty grunge, I have a goatee, nose ring and fairly short cropped hair. When I put on a funky black suit I look like I just steeped out of a British gangster flick.
Nudie suits are pretty cool, I happy to think a more snappy looking hipster suit looks great, whereas the whole black tie thing says 'cover band' for weddings. If that's your gig, then you have the perfect uniform, if not then I suggest you dress like it's 'Pulp Fiction' with cowboy hats. Very cool.

Regarding Willie Nelson, that clothes he wore in the 1960s made him look like a real stiff, whereas in the early 1970s he had some killer threads before he went for the blue jeans and singlet look which kind of killed the glam.
That's what I like though, you don;t have to look like it's Vegas in the mid 1960s, you can funk it up a little while still having a glam image.. folks want a little glam, at least.

This is really personal opinion, so we're bound to get some wildly different answers, views and opinions. A cool topic Mike

Steve England · Post by **Steve England** » 19 Jul 2001 10:00 am

I'd love to wear nudie suits, if I could find them or afford them. On the whole I would prefer to play in a band that wears uniforms of some kind. They need not be expensive, a polka band I played with for a while used to wear white Guayabera shirts over black jeans or pants. Most of the time, however, a wear what you like situation is the most realistic. One thing I do hate is wearing shorts on the bandstand... No matter how hot it is!!

Steve B · Post by **Steve B** » 19 Jul 2001 10:01 am

Yikes, I should make it clear about my earlier post. Diampond Rio, and the other mullet head bands that I have had the misfortune of seeing are not cool (in my opinion). Saywer Brown in pajamas, not cool either. Chad Brock in a t-shirt, not cool. Texas Music "Frat Rockers" in flip flops...not cool at all.

Junior Brown in a funeral suit, thats cool. Dale Watson in a mechanics suit, thats alright too. Doug Sahm in a bright purple suit and sunglasses, now that dude was the coolest.

Pro Football players in pimp suits..now that is just plain weird...but if / when I make it up the food chain as a musician / country star, I am buying off the Dion Sanders rack. With the exception of those little basket weave loafers those dudes wear, I will stick to boots. And, I couldn't do those little pimp hats either, I need a full on resistol or palm straw.

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 19 Jul 2001 11:03 am

I sorta like the "casual" dress after all the others I've worn, but I find myself once again in a "uniform", and all of the wide-brimmed black hats and faded jeans are back in the closet.

The uniforms in the picture below are not authentic "nudies" but are the wardrobe-ladys' interpretation of Nudies, but I wear them because they go with the job and I don't have to buy them. http://genejones.bizland.com/schedule.htm

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 19 Jul 2001 11:10 am

Nudie was Turk's successor. I love Nudie suits, of course they're polyester, so the band is pretty flammable. If you look at the white Gram Parson's suit, it has marijuana leaves as decorations. Personally, I know I feel different when I'm dressed up.

Michael Johnstone · Post by **Michael Johnstone** » 19 Jul 2001 11:36 am

One time a few years ago,another Hollywood cowboy tailor - "Manuel"(who is the heir apparent to the Nudie throne and has since moved his operation to 'shville)hired me to wire up a suit and pair of boots with flashing lights for some movie or video.I did most of the work down at his shop on Lankershim Blvd in North Hollywood. While I was in the back of Manny's sweatshop,soldering L.E.D.s into place,Dee-Wight Yoakum hisself sauntered in with an armload of brand new jeans to have the knees professionally frayed out by Manuel - which I understand is done carefully with horizontal strokes using the corner of a razor blade.Dwight,if you see this-sorry pal,but I had to bust you on that one....it was just too inviting. -MJ-

Geoff Brown · Post by **Geoff Brown** » 19 Jul 2001 1:17 pm

"I love Nudie suits, of course they're polyester, so the band is pretty flammable."

LMAO

Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 19 Jul 2001 1:34 pm

Greg....those "Bakersville Boys" are dressed mighty sharp...enjoyed the rest of your site also! www.genejones.com

Greg Vincent · Post by **Greg Vincent** » 19 Jul 2001 1:52 pm

Thanks Gene! I dig the western wear!
Folks it's fun to dress like a BAND.

GV

VERNON PRIDDY · Post by **VERNON PRIDDY** » 19 Jul 2001 4:11 pm

I'm With You Jim Miller. All The Way. SONNY.

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SONNYPRIDDY

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 19 Jul 2001 5:07 pm

Michael Johnstone, aha I always suspected that Dwight had it done professionally.
Seeing as I'm one of the younger forum members I actually came into my teens during the 1980s when the ripped jeans look was BIG.

A lot of teens used to get their mother to especially do their jeans, whereas I just went through the knees quickly. The trick was to sow the edges so the holes didn;t get too big. I really hope Dwight isn't still doing that look, it's getting old!
Anyone remember when k.d lang used to wear those punkish cowgirl outfits, she looked like one of the Dead Kennedy's (1980s punk band in CA) in Western drag.
She still wears a nice understated western style shirt every now and then.

Personally I love the cover pic of Herb Steiner's latest CD, he's dressed in a style similar to early 1950s western swing bandwear. I especially like the scarf, which to many a denim wearing baroom patron may seem a little effite these days. (no offence Herb, I like it).

If you live near Mexico, or have a Mexican tailor in your area you could try getting them to make a knockoff of a Nudie suit, after all the flashy look is partially from Gaucho wedding suits and formal wear is it not?

Greg Simmons · Post by **Greg Simmons** » 19 Jul 2001 7:35 pm

I vote yes for Nudies (suits..)

Probably the closest I'll ever get to a nudie (suit...) is this book I've ordered from Amazon

I also think that:

1) Sneaky Pete's Pterodactyl or whatever jacket on those FBB albums is even cooler than Gram's Marijuana/Cross motif, and

2) Marty Stuart - on occasion - is the current fashion leader in this area.

3) looks like Gram struck the perfect balance between Nudie and Jeans right here.

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Greg Simmons
Custodian of the Official Sho~Bud Pedal Steel Guitar Website
shobud.cjb.net
[This message was edited by Greg Simmons on 19 July 2001 at 09:57 PM.]

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 19 Jul 2001 11:02 pm

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>Personally I love the cover pic of Herb Steiner's latest CD, he's dressed in a style similar to early 1950s western swing
bandwear. I especially like the scarf, which to many a denim wearing baroom patron may seem a little effite these days.
(no offence Herb, I like it).<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
Jason, perhaps you didn't read Herb's post on what he wears; <BLOCKQUOTE>quote:<HR>I wear a cowboy boot on my left foot, and one of my wife's old 4" patent leather pumps on my right foot. Bush is
embarrassed by it, but its the combo that works for me.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Bob Hempker · Post by **Bob Hempker** » 20 Jul 2001 7:52 am

I think that the matter is totally subjective. What works for one, doesn't necessarily work for another. I like the idea of band uniforms, but I don't think a person should be uncomfortable while trying to do their job. I wore Nudie suits for years with Loretta, then in 1984, she went to Tuxedoes with different colored cummerbuns, ties, and hankies. Those, I personally liked. The group I'm in now, wears Manuel suits. Manuel married Nudie's daughter. The rest of the band wears Western boots with their suits, but fortunately, the drummer and I are not required to wear them. I have never been able to play in boots. There we go again. I've known numerous people in the past who couldn't play in anything but boots. I hate playing outdoors, or in a real hot building with gaberdeen suits on. I think we must compromise with the public on this one. I think many people expect to see something different at a concert, although the rhinestones may be a little overkill. By the same token, I don't like to see someone who looks like they just crawled out from under a car performing on stage. That's just a personal preference. I remember as a kid going to see the Texas Troubadours or Cherokee Cowboys. I was fascinated with their attire almost as much as their music. I think that what works for Willie Nelson or Porter Wagoner, works for them, and neither should be imposed on others to have to follow "suit." No pun intended.

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Gene Jones · Post by **Gene Jones** » 20 Jul 2001 8:03 am

Interesting comments about the deliberate cutting of holes in jeans. I suppose that's a hold-over from the hippie era when it wasn't cool to admit to having enough money to afford new stuff.

I was never into that, but there was a time when no self-respecting young person would ever be caught wearing a "new" pair of jeans. Before wearing them in public, new jeans would be washed with bleach a sufficient number of times to remove all of the new-blue look. Of course the jeans manufacturers finally caught on to that and started marketing "already faded" jeans and doubled the price for the convenience.

The habits of youth are hard to break though......at my "mature" age I still buy the "faded" jeans. www.genejones.com

Shaan Shirazi · Post by **Shaan Shirazi** » 20 Jul 2001 9:46 am

Suits (or at least cool shirts all the way!) My girlfriend got me a cool book called "Hillbilly Hollywood" which goes into great detail about the fashion of the Golden Era of Country created by Nudie, Manuel et al. Buck Owens said "the sound systems were so bad back then nobody could hear the band...so the clothes had to be loud!"

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The Pickin' Paniolo

David Pennybaker · Post by **David Pennybaker** » 20 Jul 2001 10:14 am

Dump the Nudie suits.

Dump the fancy clothes.

Wear some nice, comfortable, casual clothes.

And if it's hot out, put on those shorts and T-shirts if you have to.

I came to hear you play. Not to be impressed with your dress.

If the audience will be casual, so should you. If we'll be in shorts because it's hot, so can you.

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The Unofficial Photographer of The Wilkinsons

Martin Abend · Post by **Martin Abend** » 20 Jul 2001 2:56 pm

You tell'em!

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martin abend my homepage chicotarde@web.de
s-10 sierra crown gearless 3 x4 - Regal RD45 - fender hotrod deluxe

Jason Odd · Post by **Jason Odd** » 20 Jul 2001 5:42 pm

Shorts are what little kids wear. That's my English side coming out.

chas smith · Post by **chas smith** » 20 Jul 2001 7:34 pm

I'm not modest, but I'm not sure I want to be wearing shorts,sitting on stage and having people lookin' up, maybe 30 years ago.

Sage · Post by **Sage** » 20 Jul 2001 7:59 pm

Shorts are reserved for those glorious days in Febuary when the temperature outside gets to 20 ABOVE zero for the first time, and for weeks like this when we have a dewpoint higher than Calcutta. When it comes to playing, I'll go long- My light cotton Carhartts do fine. I must say that Big Sandy and the Boys always look mighty fine. Jason, one of these days someone is going to find a look that is glam without being too retro, and set a new standard. Maybe you? Can you hitch a ride up here with Casey Chambers?

Rick Schmidt · Post by **Rick Schmidt** » 21 Jul 2001 2:17 am

Is'nt it cool when youve heard some live music that was so great that you cant seem to remember what the heck the players were wearing!?!?!

Jim Bob Sedgwick · Post by **Jim Bob Sedgwick** » 21 Jul 2001 4:29 pm

I have to agree with Herb Steiner and Bob Hempker. JMO I think that part of the "respect" that musicians have lost from the public (If we ever had any

) was due to the uniform look that has been thrown away. Maybe I'm just getting old?

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 22 Jul 2001 7:14 am

I knew somebody would say...

To dress more or less like the crowd means to me that the musician is not "better" or elevated or whatever compared with the audience.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I want to feel the guys on stage are better than me. After all, I'm the one payin' $48 to see them! I don't pay good money to see ordinary people, or grungy people. I want the whole package...outfits and all, not just the good music. Hell, I can listen to good music in my living room. I don't want to go to an arena with a bunch of big-mouth sloppy people to see talented sloppy people play good music. Nope! That don't do it for me.

And Mike, sometimes "casual" os OK. But, too often, "casual" is no more than a euphemism for LAZY.

Oh yeah, one more thing (while I'm here). PULLLEASE! No athletic shoes on the stage...sorry, they DON'T belong. Anymore than "wingtips" belong on the basketball court.

Spare me all the bull about "how comfortable they are". On stage, they still look like $#!&.