Sheba Is a Punk Rocker

The concert tee gets an Arabic tweak

October 8, 2007—Most Arab countries aren't exactly known as hotbeds of rock 'n' roll fervor, so, sadly, few Western bands have actually played the Middle East. But wouldn't a concert tee look cool if they had? That's the idea behind 26-year-old graphic artist Brendan Donnelly's newly unveiled collection of shirts, which sport the logos of bands like Joy Division, the Velvet Underground, and the Ramones (left), all translated into Arabic. Obviously intended for audiences with a well-developed sense of irony, the tees subvert the familiar in a way that somehow manages to make fun of both repressive regimes and Western-style consumerism. But what about all that cumbersome translating? "I had a friend help me with the Arabic," Donnelly says. "But some of the words might be off. For instance, Ozzy Osbourne's Blizzard of Ozz: There's no Arabic word for 'blizzard.' So it reads 'Wizard of Oz.' It's got that homemade bootleg quality, which I love." Homemade—and definitely not band-approved. "I guess I'm going to keep going until I get a cease-and-desist order," Donnelly says.

Brendan Donnelly Spring 2008 T-shirts, $45, available at Atrium in NYC and revolveclothing.com in January. Can't wait that long? (Hey, who knows if he'll still be allowed to sell them.) Contact Donnelly via his Web site, and he may sell you one directly. brendandonnelly13.com; Atrium, 644 Broadway, NYC, (212) 473-9200, atriumnyc.com