"Welcome to Phoenix, Lower Your Standards" -- Courtesy of Shane Kennedy

Though an atypical character, Shane Kennedy has pretty much typified how many Phoenicians feel about their current residence. Through Zazzle -- a website that allows anyone to create custom designs on all sorts of apparel -- Kennedy has crafted, on a tee shirt, this simple-yet-telling six-word summary of how heaps...

By Steve Jansen

July 23, 2010

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "18478561",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "16759093",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759092",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "17980324",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "16759094",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 24
        }
      ]

Though an atypical character, Shane Kennedy has pretty much typified how many Phoenicians feel about their current residence.

Through Zazzle -- a website that allows anyone to create custom designs on all sorts of apparel -- Kennedy has crafted, on a tee shirt, this simple-yet-telling six-word summary of how heaps of folks feel about this place:

"Welcome to Phoenix, Lower Your Standards."

Even though the bare bones white-text-on-black-shirt design retails at the not-so-affordable $27.95, Kennedy has, to date, sold four shirts. (He also recently created a tee that reads "Your favorite DJ sucks." Nobody has purchased that one yet.)

Says Kennedy, "Originally, it was an idea I had like the 'Welcome to (your state here)' signs where it would say, 'Welcome to Arizona, please lower your standards.' And then I thought we should have a sign when you entered the Valley that says, 'Welcome To Phoenix, lower your standards even further,' but then I just thought I'd simplify and put it on a T-shirt."

Kennedy, an east-coast transplant who has been deejaying in this town for years and years, adds, "Phoenix has its challenges, everybody knows that. But there are many, many great people doing great things, and working very, very hard. If you're waiting for me to say something negative, it ain't gonna happen."

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Phoenix, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.