Obviously he's a bass player...

[Cleezmo]

A no-hat rule is silly IMO. I wear a hat 99% of the time, a baseball hat with either a hockey, snowboard, or motorcycle reference, my other passions. Our guitar player wears a nicer hat and always gets compliments on it. Our drummer usually has a hat on. When it's crazy stupid hot here in Missouri, we have been known to wear shorts to gigs as well (but no, not cargo shorts). No one cared. The tip jar still got filled up and people dug our set.

If you're playing in a pit orchestra or a wedding gig or a corporate event, sure, I get it, you dress up and do not wear a hat. But for the rest of us playing bars and clubs and outdoor gigs - please.

 

[WI Short Scaler]

Exactly, amazes me all the strong opinions on this subject

Ridiculous that the fashion police on TB are so concerned about others and their gigs.

 

[i_bass_bass]

hat + sunglasses + graphic-tee + shorts + crocs + bass ukulele = good times

 

[Hasty]

Anyone with the "never wear shorts" thing in their head has never had to play an outdoor gig in central Texas in July or August when it's 105f in the shade and 90% humidity.
Everybody wears shorts outdoors here. Everyone.

Not everyone in Texas… I never wear shorts or t-shirts on a gig and I've played outdoor gigs in some insanely unfavorable conditions. However I'm with the "Wear what you want" crowd.

I'd probably wear a hat from time to time if I could find one I liked.

 

[Greywoulf]

Ridiculous that the fashion police on TB are so concerned about others and their gigs.

Agree! ~Wot a bunch of uptight, repressed, controlling types on this thread IMO! They probably wouldn't have played with Monk because of his independent, different attire! ~"!

 

[Crash 56]

I have a love-hate relationship with my hats....I think they look pretty cool, but I never wore them when I actually had hair....

 

[antfarm]

One can have style and wear a hat. One can also never wear a hat and still have no style whatsoever.

 

[Koshchei]

I still have hair, so I'm good with hatless for now. But the Tilly is coming out if I go Friar Tuck in the next few years.

 

[zenrad]

Definitely not just a bass players thing. Guitar players wear some hats I wouldn't wear to a dog fight. I played with one for years. I think he would have worn a road kill if he would have thought about it. Hats worn on stage look dorky. Why wear one? I think of them as some do of cargo shorts.

I usually wear one indoors these days because it was brought to my attention that the shine off the top of my bald dome can ruin the exposure on photos I always have one on outside to protect my head so I don't add to the sun damage I already have.

 

[retslock]

Six pages in and I'm amazed how many people think they know how we ALL should dress and behave.

 

[newwavefrank]

Somehow, y'all are coooler than this guy?

NO. If we were as cool as this guy we could get away with wearing the hat.

 

[Greywoulf]

NO. If we were as cool as this guy we could get away with wearing the hat.

So if you're not as 'cool' as this guy (and you probably ain't) what does not "getting away with it" mean??? ~Would you be booed by massive disapproving crowds? Would absolutely everyone fall over laughing at you because of what you're wearing? And would you then be so frozen with embarrassment you wouldn't be able to play bass and thus ruin the gig???

~Geez, I never realized such awesome power doth reside in one's hat! ~"'

 

[kjp360]

Although I do not wear a hat that often, I inherited a few pretty cool vintage hats from my grandfather (and have bought a few more modern ones since then). If I had a nickel for every time a beautiful woman commented on a hat as a conversation starter...
Something for all of the stone hurlers to consider.

 

[1st Bass]

Would this one be more appropriate?

 

[PennyroyalWe]

I like the mysterious sort of medieval quality. Could be cool on stage but the rest of the band would have to have something mysterious going on to make it work.

Maybe some chanting?

miniature Stonehenge?

 

[1st Bass]

I don't know why it failed the first time…

 

[devnulljp]

Heading out the door to the gig...

 

[Rojd]

Oh yeah, that Lemmy guy thought he was a real bad-ass with his swastikas and suchlike; I'd like to have put him in front of Monsieur Nevot my 3rd grade gym teacher who fought the Nazis with the Free French in Africa. I'll guarantee you M. Nevot was giving Lemmy 20, maybe 30 years, and would STILL have shown him who was REALLY a bad-ass.

Sorry, no swastikas here.

Stop calling Lemmy a Nazi, says Motörhead's Phil Campbell

Speaking in 2009, Lemmy explained: "I only collect the stuff, I didn't collect the ideas. I've always liked a good uniform. Throughout history, it's always been the bad guy who dressed the best. Napoleon, the Confederates, the Nazis… If [England] had a good uniform, I'd collect ours as well, but what does the British Army have? Khaki."

 

[Fishheadjoe]

Well, I have a full head of hair and a forehead that sticks out so far it acts as a hat brim. No need for a hat ever, with this head.
Fishheadjoe

 

[SOUTH PAW]

I have no problem with someone wearing a hat, onstage or off, indoors or out, to each his own. However, and I don't know if anyone else has this problem, hats make my head sweat profusely. The only time I can comfortably wear one is when it's below sixty degrees. I usually only wear a hat (baseball cap) at the start of the day to cover bed head before I get a chance to shower, and as I begin to have sweat head, I can hardly wait to do it.