Outside of South Station this evening, I saw an elderly man wearing a Ramones t-shirt. I first zeroed in on the shirt: Black, with a stark white Ramones banner above the iconic eagle logo. Good condition, but not brand-new. Then I zoomed out and took in the man: 75 (give or take 5 years), tall for his age but shorter than me, with a shock of gray hair that has held onto his wrinkled skull reasonably well. Standing and walking on his own. Again, good condition, but not brand-new.
Other than the shirt, the elderly man wore a geriatric uniform of roomy tan cotton shorts that grazed his kneecaps, white socks pulled to mid-calf, and loafers. Given this context, my first thought was that he found the shirt at a Salvation Army or a yard sale, saw the bald eagle seal, and thought the shirt made a statement of patriotism. Never mind that the eagle is holding a baseball bat instead of arrows and a scroll that says “Hey, ho! Let’s go” instead of E Pluribus Unum. These are confusing times, after all.
But maybe he was a Ramones fan. If someone between the ages of 30 and 50 wore a Ramones shirt, that person would look exceeding lame. A man over the age of 70, however, is at an age of profound wisdom and insight. He has seen it all, done it all, and chooses to glorify the Ramones above all else. He was suddenly the coolest guy in Boston.
