Ian Simmons launched Kicking the Seat in 2009, one week after seeing Nora Ephron’s Julie & Julia. His wife proposed blogging as a healthier outlet for his anger than red-faced, twenty-minute tirades (Ian is no longer allowed to drive home from the movies).
The Kicking the Seat Podcast followed three years later and, despite its “undiscovered gem” status, Ian thoroughly enjoys hosting film critic discussions, creating themed shows, and interviewing such luminaries as Gaspar Noé, Rachel Brosnahan, Amy Seimetz, and Richard Dreyfuss.
Ian is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association. He also has a family, a day job, and conflicted feelings about referring to himself in the third person.
He scrolled past the sponsored ads until he hit a site that looked like it hadn't been updated since the Dial-up era. It was perfect. There, amidst the grainy thumbnails, was the Gory Days anniversary tee. The graphic was loud, offensive, and exactly what his wardrobe was missing.
He headed back out into the night, the new fabric crisp against his skin, ready to ruin another shirt in another pit. buy necro t shirts
Elias didn't even check his bank balance. He clicked 'Add to Cart' with the muscle memory of a man who spent his rent money on merch more often than he admitted. As he entered his shipping info, he felt that familiar spark of adrenaline—the "pre-order high." He scrolled past the sponsored ads until he
The bass from the club was still thrumming in Elias’s teeth when he slumped into his desk chair at 3:00 AM. His favorite shirt—a vintage, sweat-soaked relic from a 2004 tour—had finally surrendered, the fabric tearing right across the ribcage during the final mosh pit. The graphic was loud, offensive, and exactly what
Three days later, a stiff cardboard envelope arrived. Elias tore it open, the scent of fresh screen-print ink filling the room. He pulled the heavy black cotton over his head and looked in the mirror. He looked like a menace. He looked like he knew every lyric to "The Most Sadistic."
He typed into the search bar, the blue light stinging his eyes. He wasn't looking for the cheap, thin reprints found on mass-market sites. He wanted the grime. He wanted the "Death Rap" era aesthetic that looked like it had been designed in a basement in Brooklyn.
"Rest in peace, old friend," he muttered, opening a browser tab.