Leaf 209 – Looking Back
In the early 1990s, when disgruntled Grunge and Indie music – with American bands such as Nirvana, Peral Jam, and Rage Against the Machine – were at the peak of their transatlantic popularity, it seemed like every teenager in the UK had a “Global Hypercolor” t-shirt. These were pale blue t-shirts which had been treated with a dye that reacted to changes in the wearer’s body temperature, progressively turning to darker shades of blue, mauve and purple. After a few spins in the washing machine though, they seemed to lose this miraculous magical power and eventually became just another slightly faded blue, brand label, t-shirt – much like any other t-shirt, except a lot more expensive. I never succumbed to this fad myself. I’m not sure why. Probably because seemingly everyone had one. Likewise, “Fat Willy’s” t-shirts were similarly popular at this time. But I never was much of a ‘dedicated follower of fashion,’ as the Kinks would say; although I did have quite a spectacular tie-dyed t-shirt, of which I was very proud.
Consequently, the following senryu
probably won’t mean much to anyone who didn’t come of age in the ‘90s as part
of what’s often referred to as “Generation X.”
All the rage,
so long ago –
faded global hypercolor.
