Sub Pop Records, the legendary Seattle based record label first made famous back in the late eighties/early nineties for putting anti-fashion "grunge" acts on the music map, recently teamed up with Nike to launch the slick looking and pricey Sub Pop sneaker line: the Nike SB Blazer Elite Quickstrike -- Sub Pop Records. This high (street) fashion item is available on sites such as Sneaker.com, where the new Nike/Sub Pop collaborative design is described as "a new quickstrike SB. The shoe was made to go along with the Sub Pop Single Club 3.0’s first release “Gebel Barkal” b/w “(Version)” from the band OM. The record label is most known for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney and many other bands. This is a great shoe for any SB or record collector. This is 100% deadstock and considered pure heat!"  

The site Kicks On Fire describes the new line this way: "This pair of Quickstrikes sport a combination suede / leather construction in a green, yellow, and grey color scheme. Other features include white and black accents, as well as a star on the ankle."  And the cost for a pair of these puppies? Anywhere from $140 to $180 + tax depending on where you purchase them, except if you buy them directly from Sub Pop you can get them for the considerably lower price of $90 a pair. Buy the cheaper priced ones directly from the record label by clickng here.  But as the hard-working Sub-Popper Teal Garrels informs me they have less than 300 pairs to offer for sale and that they come in US men's sizes 6 through 13. Teal adds his description on the street fashion footwear as such, "The shoes have their own catalogue number (SP780) which is proudly displayed on the back of the heel. The Singles Club logo (including July 2009- Limited Edition) graces the inside of the tongue while the Sub Pop logo can be found on the front as well as on the insole of the high top sneaker."

I found it surprising that, despite the $5 toll each car is charged to cross its span from Marin into San Francisco, that the Golden Gate Bridge is  still financially strapped and is currently facing a projected deficit of a whopping $80 million. But even  more surprising to me was the news, following an August 24th meeting,  that the operators of this national landmark (one of the top five attractions in the United States) are seriously considering getting corporate sponsorship to cover the historic bridge's overwhelming bills.   What this means is that like SBC Park or Pacific Bell Park or AT&T Park (or whatever name it happens to go by)  that likely soon the Bay's most famous attraction may be renamed something like the Verizon Span, or the  Google Gate Bridge, or perhaps something like "the Golden Gate Bridge brought to you by Pepsi."   Now according to the overseers of the bridge, who will meet again this month to make the final decision on the matter, they are assuring all concerned that they will not do anything "tacky"  like the aforementioned renaming in their handling of this proposed "corporate partnership."  But frankly  I have my doubts and I worry that this type of proposed sponsorship may set an unhealthy precedent with US national monuments and landmarks, and that soon Mount Rushmore, the Grand Canyon, Yosemite, and even the White House will be up for corporate partnership. (If you have any funny or ironic ideas of what sponsors might be matched with what national landmarks please add them in the COMMENTS box below. And if you wish to voice your concerns about the proposal for the GG Bridge email districtsecretary@goldengate.org).