Wilco might have just won the battle for the wildest piece of merch, with the iconic indie-rockers now offering a limited edition axe.
Over the years, we’ve seen some pretty strange pieces of merch. Why, Kanye West recently released his line of Pornhub Awards merch for sale, and the Flaming Lips have sold a foetus-shaped soap dish (amongst other things). But these pale in comparison to the unwieldy behemoth that is Wilco’s official axe.
Yes, over the years, Wilco have cemented themselves as some of the finest purveyors of indie-rock, but they’ve not exactly been ones to dabble in the field of outlandish merch. However, with the band now teaming up with outdoor lifestyle brand Best Made Co., that’s just changed.
As Pitchfork reports, Best Made have just launched the Wilco collection, which features a range of intriguing items. While the company is selling vinyl copies of the band’s records, they also offer bandanas, and a $178 pennant. They’re also selling an axe for some reason, because nothing says “outdoor lifestyle brand” like the word ‘axe’.
Inspired by the cover of Wilco’s 2004 record A Ghost Is Born (which earned Best Made founder Peter Buchanan Smith a Grammy for his artwork), the axe is extremely limited to just 15 copies.
Dubbed ‘The Gray Ghost‘, the hand-painted axe will set you back a mighty $448, and ships in a custom, hand-made wood crate.
To be quite fair, while the very concept of an axe as a merch item is almost laughable, both Wilco and Best Made have actually created a rather impressive piece of equipment here, and if it weren’t for the high-price (and likely outrageous shipping), could make for a rather intriguing addition to your collection.
Of course, if you’re not in the mood for spending half a grand on an axe, you can always invest over a grand in The Wilco Box Set, which Best Made are also offering their music-loving clientele.
Limited to just ten copies, this pricey box set features all of Wilco’s studio albums on vinyl, signed by frontman Jeff Tweedy, and housed in a bespoke wooden box. Like the axe before it, this is an impressive bit of gear, but likely one that would only appeal to the diehard fans.
Check out the Wilco collection from Best Made Co. here.
Check out Wilco’s ‘Heavy Metal Drummer’:
