One of my favorite bands of all time is Sublime. Recently, I went to go see a concert by a band called “Badfish” which is a tribute to Sublime. Sublime’s lead singer and guitarist, Bradley Nowell, was killed almost twelve years ago by a horrible drug addiction. He overdosed on heroin after years of fighting his addiction. Sublime never hit the big stage until after Nowell’s death, but they are very popular today. The other two members of the band provided a tribute to Bradley Nowell, and as one of their logos for the band’s tribute, they made the above shirt. They are trying to make people aware of the growing drug problem across the world. They lost one of their band mates, and more importantly one of their best friends because of drugs. By printing these shirts, they are persuading people that drug use is not something to experiment with. By posting the picture and the year that Bradley Nowell died, they are effectively appealing to the emotional side of persuasion. They are showing people that a great career as a musician and also a life can be cut short by the use of drugs. I am one of the biggest Sublime fans that you will ever meet, and it is a shame that one of my all time favorite bands can no longer perform because of a horrible drug addiction that killed one of their band members. While some people may think that it is “cool” to go smoke marijuana or shoot up heroin before a rock concert, they should remember the life of Bradley Nowell. It isn’t necessary to do drugs or drink alcohol to enjoy the concert. You should be able to go to a concert and enjoy the music that the band is presenting. That should be enough to get you “high.”

-Thomas Callahan