Has Rock Music influenced your leather jacket purchases?

[Doctor Death]

A while back I put up a thread about movies and leather jackets. https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/what-is-your-favorite-movie-leather-jacket.121607/

So it's only natural to continue in that line and ask about what rock music, rock bands influenced you to get a leather jacket. For me, there have been at least four big ones: Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Saxon, *** ******s.

Led Zeppelin: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant. There's an old photo of Page wearing what appears to be a cross zip when he was still with the Yardbirds, around Christmas 1967. And Peter Grant is dressed as Santa Claus (Father Christmas in merry old England). Lots of other photos on the internet of Page and Plant wearing black leather cross zips.

Judas Priest: their albums "Hell Bent For Leather" ("Killing Machine" in the European release) and "Unleashed In The East". If I had to narrow it down to one band that got me into cross zips, this would be it. After all, how can you beat the chorus of that song "Hell Bent for Leather"?

Saxon: their song "Motorcycle Man" and dozens of songs about playing shows in front of rabid fans, including "Denim and Leather". (I think these guys hold the record for the most songs about playing rock music and doing shows.)

*** ******s: There are a lot of iconic photos of Sid Vicious, Johnny Rotten in cross zips. There's even one of Johnny wearing a Schott Perfecto in the book "Schott N.Y.C.: 100 Years of an American Original" by Rin Tanaka.

 

[zebedee]

Not particularly. In my case, I bought one at 18 when I had some money for the first time and needed something sturdy with a lot of pockets in it because I was going travelling for a few months. Then I bought one from EBay years later as the shoulder had torn. Bought a lambskin blazer in Korea at about 24. Bought an Aero at 30 as I wanted a proper, hard-wearing one and now have too many . I wouldn't wear a cross-zip; they don't suit me.

 

[Edward]

For bike jackets, yes. First it was Alice Cooper, then the Ramones. The Clash (and Doctor Frank'n'Furter) turned me on to Lewis.

 

[Bfd70]

Zero. Zero influence.

 

[Turnip]

No influence at all.

 

[raf]

Zip. Zero. Nada.

 

[rickc007]

That was more my inspiration for a Perfecto than bikers

 

[leather_wearer]

A while back I put up a thread about movies and leather jackets. https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/what-is-your-favorite-movie-leather-jacket.121607/

So it's only natural to continue in that line and ask about what rock music, rock bands influenced you to get a leather jacket. For me, there have been at least four big ones: Led Zeppelin, Judas Priest, Saxon, *** ******s.

Led Zeppelin: Jimmy Page, Robert Plant. There's an old photo of Page wearing what appears to be a cross zip when he was still with the Yardbirds, around Christmas 1967. And Peter Grant is dressed as Santa Claus (Father Christmas in merry old England). Lots of other photos on the internet of Page and Plant wearing black leather cross zips.

Judas Priest: their albums "Hell Bent For Leather" ("Killing Machine" in the European release) and "Unleashed In The East". If I had to narrow it down to one band that got me into cross zips, this would be it. After all, how can you beat the chorus of that song "Hell Bent for Leather"?

Saxon: their song "Motorcycle Man" and dozens of songs about playing shows in front of rabid fans, including "Denim and Leather". (I think these guys hold the record for the most songs about playing rock music and doing shows.)

*** ******s: There are a lot of iconic photos of Sid Vicious, Johnny Rotten in cross zips. There's even one of Johnny wearing a Schott Perfecto in the book "Schott N.Y.C.: 100 Years of an American Original" by Rin Tanaka.

Sid also wore a Lewis Leathers Dominator

 

[Doctor Death]

I see the AI Thought Police are out on patrol. Had no idea that the S-- P-----s would get blotted out by the automated intel. Should refer to them instead as the Fornication Firearms. Let's see if that goes through without asterisks.

 

[Doctor Death]

Yeah, Fornication Firearms looks like it passes the test!

 

[Doctor Death]

In my case, I would say that the influence from rock music has been at least as strong as from that of movies. They overlap, so it's hard to isolate one thing from the other. If I did a thought experiment and imagined if I'd never seen movies like "Mad Max" or "Magnum Force" or "The Wild One", would I still be into black leather jackets, and cross zips in particular? Yeah, just from the music I'm into, I'd have to say yes. I'd still be into the Schott Perfecto and its progeny.

 

[TLW '90]

nope not even remotely.

I'm never trying to emulate anybody as far as I'm consciously aware.
it's all about the jacket itself, I'm sure I've seen various celebrities and or musicians wearing the types of jackets I happen to like but I don't like the jackets because of the people I've seen wearing them.
all my influence just comes from seeing jackets that I'm interested in showcased well, and most of that happens here.

even if I were to be influenced by celebrities or musicians, only a minority of my listening habit consists of Rock.
Ted Nugent
Bad company
Lynard Skynard
Molly Hatchet
a bit of assorted staple classic rock
and then everything blackberry smoke ever recorded in studio.

otherwise I'm mostly listening to proper country music and bluegrass, and you don't see a lot of leather jackets there.

 

[Edward]

Sid also wore a Lewis Leathers Dominator

Yes. Far moreso during his short lifetime: the Perfecto came along durinf the ill-fated ******s tour of early 78, and really (much like Sid himself) became cemented as part of the legend posthumously.

 

[agordon256]

JJ Burnel of The Stranglers was always a huge influence on me. As a fellow bassist, his Schott 615 is the reason I always wear my 618 when I play a show or need something to keep me safe if I take a fall in the pit.

The punk battle jacket tradition also inspires me to cover my favorite jackets in pins which always start conversations with cool people!

 

[Iron Horse]

Yep, in the '90s I was too young for it but once I got to college I bought a used 'biker jacket' (don't even know what brand anymore) because that's what thrash metal bands wore, and later I also got a Levi's Type III 'trucker' jacket because that's what Cliff Burton wore:

 

[Edward]

As mentioned above, my early influences in bike leather were Alice Cooper, then Joey Ramone, but these days while I still love those jackets, it's more Brando and older influences. (Anything other than a black bike jacket it was the big screen that ushered that in, initially with Indiana Jones. ) Intrigued me when I first realised that while the jacket style remained the same, my reference point (and how I dress round it) has shifted significantly over time. Mind you, I do still have Dave Vanian as a punk rock style hero: the only man who dresses *down* to go onstage, We've crossed paths at vintage related events, and he's always immaculately turned out like he just stepped out of the 1930s. Genuinely nice man too.

 

[TartuWolf]

I remember reading an interview with or blogpost about Stereophonics Kelly Jones and how he had a passion for leather jackets or that he had a collection of them, something along those lines. Somehow that really stuck with me, despite his leather jackets looking like cheap thin mall **** to me now haha.
Otherwise the Freddy Mercury quilted CHP is super iconic IMO.

 

[Oil Tanned]

Not even a little... and Mr. Mercury's choice would be a cross contamination of sorts in that for him it was BLUF and for record buyers unfamiliar w/ the uniform it would've seemed like a simple expression of style.

 

[Presto12]

It never crossed my mind, but then I don't listen to much rock.