“I mean, it just amuses me to no end,” says Health’s John Famiglietti, musing on his favourite piece of merch the industrial-rock band have ever produced. He’s talking about the butt plugs that he’ll soon load up for their European tour in support of their brilliant new record ‘Rat Wars’, which will take in UK and Ireland shows in Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Dublin, Liverpool and London.
Few bands take merch as (un)seriously as Health, making them a perfect fit for the latest instalment of The View From The Merch Table — our ongoing series delving into the band-sustaining world of shirts, hoodies, keychains and other ephemera.
Their outlandish, eye-catching merch has become one of the most recognisable elements of their band’s success. From their iconic ‘Sad Music For Horny People’ T-shirts to those branded butt plugs, they’re pushing the envelope and reaping the rewards. Here, Famiglietti shares how some of those left-field ideas came about, the gear they’ve yet to release and the treasured band shirt that started many a conversation, until it got stolen.
What was the first item of merch you remember buying?
I think I bought a Tool T-shirt. No, wait, no, I didn’t. Those T-shirt prices are ridiculous. I think I bought a Pretty Girls Make Graves shirt at a concert in around 2002 or 2003.
What was the most recent merch item you bought?
A Gatecreeper shirt. A lot of bands always give me their shirts if they recognise me at a show, but I think I bought that just because it was a cool shirt.
What was your most treasured piece of band merch when you were growing up?
I had some really cherished T-shirts I would wear a lot. There was this one band called Hint Hint. They were very short lived, but they had a shirt that said ‘Sex Is Everything’ in giant letters on the front. I used to wear that a lot, and I lost it. I think someone stole it from me. I used to wear nothing but band shirts so I think I saved a lot of the old ones. I've got them in, like, in a tupperware in the basement somewhere. I also had a Holy Molar shirt where it looks like your head was cut off. It had blood coming down the front, and then had the band name.
Did that then influence your penchant for particularly outlandish merch?
[The ‘Sex Is Everything’ shirt] started so many conversations. Everywhere, people want to talk to you. I think maybe that put that spark in our heads of having ostentatious merch. We were on tour with Youth Code, and [Sara Taylor] was wearing a Morbid Angel shirt, and it said ‘Extreme Music For Extreme People’. Then there's The Cramps, and it’s ‘Bad Music For Bad People’. I was like, ‘Well, what do you do for our fans?’ — ‘Sad Music For Horny People’. My buddy was like, ‘Put that on a shirt right now!’
What would you say your favourite piece of Health merch has been over the years?
I’ve got a soft spot for the butt plug. It really cracks me up, especially when I have to deliver them or get them through customs – we can't make them in the UK so I'm going to be flying with butt plugs, and I have to explain that at the TSA [US transport authority]. Right now we're trying to do body pillows – and it's really hard to find someone to make body pillows. There’s gonna be one for each member.
It'll be double sided, and on the other side you have one waifu [from the Waifu Dance Team featured in the Children Of Sorrow video]. So you get one waifu, one band guy. I think we will do plushies eventually – we had this idea where we could make John plushies and if you come to the show alone, we’ll just have a box and you can just take a John plushie so you can have a friend.
Haven’t you also got a jigsaw of your face available for pre-order? How did that idea come about?
We were talking about bands doing puzzles with album art and thought ‘Should we do a puzzle? That's kind of fun.’ Then [the others] were like, ‘I want to just make a puzzle of you.’ I’m like, ‘That’s way funnier.’
Did you always set out to make merch that was that distinctive and funny, or was it an ambition that evolved over time?
I’ve always been very passionate about merchandise. I’ve always liked it, and I always go to the merch tables after the show. Up until this year, I always sold the merch personally before and after the show. We like good merch. Great band T-shirts are amazing — you see the Misfits skull and you think, ‘’I have to check out that band.’
How important are merch sales to the operations of your band?
Merch is huge, especially since touring overseas is so expensive. In America, people buy so much merchandise. It is a massive part of our business. It keeps the lights on.
You’re back in the UK for some shows this month – what can we expect from this run?
I mean, this tour is gonna blow you away. We’ve got a full production. It’s gonna be amazing. This is the best Health tour yet. We just did it in the US and we’re really excited to bring it to the UK, and we’re bringing on the merch. Save your lunch money!
You’ve got Zetra and GOST out with you on this run – what do you love about them?
Both are good vibes. Zetra are super hyped right now and GOST are like synthwave royalty. They’re very much like Perturbator, who we did our last big tour with, so I'm sure it's relevant to [the fans’] interests. Come early, have a few pints to get loose. You gotta warm up, you know?
Health Upcoming Tour Dates are as follows:
Tue October 15 2024 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Institute2
Wed October 16 2024 - MANCHESTER O2 Ritz
Thu October 17 2024 - GLASGOW Garage
Fri October 18 2024 - DUBLIN Opium
Sat October 19 2024 - LIVERPOOL O2 Academy2 Liverpool
Sun October 20 2024 - LONDON Electric Brixton
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