I have a radio show on a local community station near me, WMBR. In honor of Willie Nelson playing in town today we gave away a free Farm Aid shirt. Now I just started this show “If 6 was 9” a couple of weeks ago and haven’t really built a following yet, but when I offered a free Farm Aid shirt before 6:30 AM, the phone rang off the hook! Everybody wants a free t-shirt I guess… except me.

I really can’t figure why people would wait in the long long lines at a garment trade show to get a free shirt, when I know most of the people in attendance know that you can buy a shirt for $2 or less.  Knowing such things takes the thrill out of many a free shirt promotion for me. The funniest occasion was that at a Providence Bruins game they were sending t-shirts via slingshot into the crowd and people were screaming for them. I turned to my friend and said, “$1.39 shirt with probably $.39 for the printer and the radio station gets a free ad out of it, who wants that bullshit.”  Well of course the next shirt came hurtling up into the stands directly at me and I caught it.  In my best imitation of a major league outfielder I turned and threw the shirt way down out of the stands and onto the ice. Several guys came and high fived me and said, “I always wanted somebody to freakin’ do that!” Somebody else then threw another shirt back, then another, and then the promo crew skated off quickly to the sounds of the crowd razzing them. That was way more fun than a free promo t-shirt.

If you listen in to WMBR.org next week at 6:30 AM, you might win a Hillbilly Pride shirt (and if you win, you can’t return it.)