For Ian Lemmonds, the grit and grind of the Grizzlies goes beyond basketball - it is integrated into the lives of Memphians every day of their lives.
According to the 41-year-old Memphis transplant, the 901 area-code gets a bad rep when stacked against other cities in Tennessee. Areas like Nashville and Chattanooga have a glossy veneer that shower over the people who live there, and, unless they're passionate about Elvis Presley or barbecue, many Tennesseans scoff at the city.
This is what Lemmonds jokingly calls the "Memphis Threat," which shares the name of his T-shirt company. Started in 2008, the self-run business grew from the gritty, unpolished aesthetic of the city he inhabited. It was the broken cracks in the sidewalk and the people who weren't afraid to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty that inspired him.
"People outside of the city seem to see living in Memphis as a punishment, as if we didn't choose to live here," Lemmonds said. "It's as if gritty, hardworking and blue-collar is something to be ashamed of."
Lemmonds grew up listening to punk rock bands such as Minor Threat, Black Flag and Joy Division. Popping in and out of house shows and venues such as the Hi-Tone, he saw musicians like The Oblivians and Jay Reatard. For him, Memphis music was more than the clean-cut days of Sun Studio recording artists. Stretching from Midtown to the river, the Memphis punk scene mirrored the city in a big way.
He began to conceive the idea that Memphians should celebrate being viewed as "the bad guys." After much graphic design work and some screen-printing, "Memphis Threat" was born.
Since its birth, the brand has grown into a local icon that's plastered across the chests of many people throughout the city.
What started as taking a band's logo and replacing their name with "Memphis" (I.e. the most popular of the brand's items, a shirt boasting the Misfits' skull, but instead of saying 'Misfits' in a shaky white outline, 'Memphis' replaces it.) has morphed into a variety of T-shirts that represent not just punk music but the gritty independence that Memphis inherently possesses.
"It's about seeing these iconic things and then subverting it to Memphis' benefit," Lemmonds said. "You're keeping the sense of nostalgia."
Bands claiming trademark rights generate concern among the customers but not Ian. Many of the logos used in the shirts, such as Danzig and the Misfits, weren't original themselves. The Danzig logo was taken from a cover of Marvel Comics' Crystar, while the Misfits' logo came from the film The Crimson Ghost.
"The only way I could be sued for a trademark claim is if I was making bootleg shirts," Lemmonds said. "Which I'm obviously not doing."
Alexander Swilley, a student at the Memphis College of Art, believes that the brand is a gross misrepresentation of the city but one that he is hopeful for.
"I think one is to see a Misfits logo with the word Memphis and assume it's a very punk rock city or has some history with the Misfits," he said.
While Memphis may have no direct association with the Misfits, and Swilley may not see the punk rock heritage that Lemmonds found in Memphis, he believes it is a step in the right direction for the city.
"It's cool to have a Memphis shirt without a gun on it," Swilley said. "That joke is played out."
Julien Baker, a Memphis-native who attends Middle Tennessee State University, believes that Memphis Threat embodies the heart of her hometown.
"I love the fact that a punk brand is successfully representing my city," Baker said. "I wear my shirt on campus, and people are immediately taken aback. When I got to Murfreesboro, I realized that the shirt had a real effect on people. It was a great icebreaker and helped me make friends in college."
Lemmonds prints his shirts on organic material with the intention of creating a lightweight product to combat Memphis' devastatingly hot, humid summers.
For anyone interested in purchasing a shirt, they are available at MemphisThreat.com or at special events like Cooper-Young Festival and other pop-up shops around the city.
