#10 - Danny's Red Pants

Ah, the red pants. I am no more in a position now to explain why I like them so much than I ever was. They are a trademark, inseparable from the man himself. Elvis had his flipped up collars. Elton John has his enormous glasses. Slash has the top hat. Danny Weinkauf has the red pants.



For me, the red pants are often the first signal that it is going to be a good show. They are happy and energy lifting and impossible to miss. And, hell with it, Danny looks really good in them!



One of my dreams is to someday get a kick-ass, epic picture of Danny, in the red pants, leaping into the air at the end of Doctor Worm in the same fashion that he did in front of us in Richmond. For it is that image, blazed on my memory, that comes to mind when anyone mentions the pants. So far this is as near as I have come and it isn't even close.



I know there has been a fair amount of debate in the fandom over whether Danny has been wearing the same pair of red pants for the last 12 years. As TDK already mentioned in the comments of the Stripes, Plaids and Geeky T-Shirts post, he was among a group of fans who witnessed Danny purchasing a pair of red pants in Philadelphia in October of 1998. I can't say one way or another if he's been wearing that same pair ever since but I can prove that there was at least one other pair that he had prior to that point.

I will submit three pieces of evidence. The first is this photo from the liner notes of the Lincoln album (the self-titled by Lincoln as opposed to Lincoln by TMBG) released in 1997. Please note the pants on the 3rd gentleman from the left. (Apologies for the poor photo quality. I don't have a scanner and the picture really is that blurry in real life.)

The second is this footage from a show in Atlanta, in May of 1998, which (correct me if I'm wrong) has to be among Mr. Weinkauf's earliest appearances with the band. It's hard to see in the beginning, but if you stick around until Danny's bass solo at about 2:45, the red pants are in the spotlight. And even if you don't care what color pants he's wearing, stick around for the bass solo. Seriously, trust me on this one. Danny kicks some serious ass. 

And finally, there is this video. I am not sure of the exact date in 1998 of this one. It is possible that it is actually post-October and thus could be a complete failure of an example. I am making an assumption on timeframe based on the lack of Dan Miller. But it really doesn't matter because it's just a cool video.



Totally not related to red pants but on the subject of band members wearing the same clothes for 12 years, I do believe that Dan Levine is wearing the same shirt in that video that he is wearing in this picture that was taken at the show just this past New Year's Eve. Huh.



(See, I managed to work the pants in there after all :-) And with my favorite pants/shirt combo too!)