One day, when I was about nine or 10, maybe younger, my dad took me to Walmart to buy shoes. I didn’t know which ones I wanted, but my dad found some fake Chucks. He said they were really cool shoes, shoes he wore when he was a kid. I wasn’t a teenager yet to doubt him.
So we picked them up, and I wore them for a while, enjoying them the whole time and hearing lots of “Those are the shoes I wore when I was a kid” from grownups. Eventually, though, I outgrew that first pair.
Growing with my interests at the time, I changed to basketball shoes after that, something Jordan might have worn. I played basketball every day for at least a few hours then, so it made sense that I would transition away from Chucks.
My basketball career ended after I turned 14. Guys who are 5’8″ when they’re 11 years old are tall – guys who are that height in high school stop being tall. I was that guy in both cases. By the time I turned 14, I was getting more into music anyway.
So once again, I figured I needed to change my look. I started growing out my hair and, since Chucks were coming back in style, I decided to run with them. I remembered seeing video of my dad wearing pink ones at his wedding reception, so I got a pair of bright orange ones. Those became my signature footwear for years.
After that, I got some striped ones, not real Chucks, but knockoffs made by Fender, the guitar company. I liked those ones too, rainbow colored with brown toes and heels. I still haven’t seen anyone else wearing that style.
And yeah, I’ve been hooked since then. I haven’t been as adventurous with the colors lately, mostly black or blue or gray. But they’re part of my style now. When I’m not wearing sandals in the summer or my black, monk dress shoes for work, I’m probably wearing a classic pair of Chucks.
