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Local Star Wars fan pledges to wear unique t-shirt every day for a year

Longmont Museum Exhibit Fabricator and Erie resident Brack Lee is quite literally wearing his obsession with Star Wars for all to see.

For nearly 45 years, Star Wars has captured the imagination of people around the world. A little closer to home, Longmont Museum Exhibit Fabricator and Erie resident Brack Lee is quite literally wearing his obsession with Star Wars for all to see.

“Star Wars fans, and pop culture fandom in general, celebrate the stories they enjoy through collectables,” Lee said. “I’ve always enjoyed Star Wars artwork and when you see someone else wearing a Star Wars shirt, you know you have something in common.”

To celebrate the 44th anniversary of the original “Star Wars” film in May, Lee made the decision to wear a unique Star Wars shirt every day. The initial idea came ahead of the release of “The Force Awakens,” Lee said, when his friends would wear a new shirt each day to countdown to the film release. The idea took off, inspiring Lee to start a 100-day countdown to the 2019 release of “The Rise of Skywalker,” the last theatrical Star Wars release.

Starting on May 25, Lee began 365 days with a new shirt every day, he said, in anticipation of the 45th anniversary of Star Wars. Lee has tracked his progress through his Instagram, with 192 days and counting.

Lee, born in 1974, recalled seeing the original Star Wars at the drive-in theater as a child. He remembers playing on the playground at the drive-in when he saw the iconic opening crawl. At the time he was  trying to go down the slide and the other children were just as mesmerized.

“That was my very first Star Wars memory, getting stuck in line on the slide,” Lee said.

Star Wars fandom became a touchstone for Lee in the years that followed. Lee’s father made sure  he could see the premiere of “Empire Strikes Back” in 1980 and “Return of the Jedi” in 1983. One of Lee’s first t-shirts was from opening night of “Return of the Jedi,” which doubled as his ticket to the movie. That t-shirt is still a cherished artifact in Lee’s extensive collection of Star Wars memorabilia.

Since his youth, Lee joined the international fan organizations Rebel Legion and 501st Legion and hasn’t missed a film premiere since. Lee was even honored as a guest by Lucasfilm for the world premiere of “The Last Jedi” in California, he said, through his work as a leader of the fan organizations.

“Every movie release or re-release has been an adventurous experience,” Lee said.

From camping out in blizzards at the Continental Theater for early tickets to California movie premieres, Lee’s love of Star Wars is pervasive, he said, and he’s found something to love in every film and television show release. His experience with the Star Wars fandom has given him friends around the globe.

Lee’s love of Star Wars is a vital part of his life and his expansive collection and love of Star Wars is shared by his family, even as it takes up significant parts of his house.

“I have a very patient wife, first and foremost, but when we got married she knew what she was getting,” Lee laughed. “My friends joked that she was marrying the Star Wars collection as much as she was marrying me.”

Lee’s Star Wars collection goes beyond t-shirts, with models of ships, statues, lightsabers and artwork around his house. A seven-foot-long starfighter is suspended from the ceiling in his son’s old bedroom. Lee’s son, in college now, became a Star Wars fan by osmosis and they’ve bonded through Star Wars gaming competitions. Lee said every piece of Star Wars iconography has a memory attached to it, making each one a treasure. Still, Lee’s favorite pieces of memorabilia are his tickets from “Return of the Jedi,” both in paper and t-shirt form.

To keep the shirts organized and make sure he doesn’t repeat himself, the shirts get put aside after he wears them. At the start, Lee estimated around 320 shirts in his collection and he’s picked some up along the way. At this point, Lee suspects he has almost the full year’s worth but he’s on the lookout for more, “just in case.”

With just over 170 days remaining, Lee is hoping to set a unique record with his love of Star Wars. With so many shirts to choose from, Lee said he often chooses them at random unless there is a special occasion. 

Lee’s shirt on Thursday was in honor of his dad, he said, who is in intensive care for COVID-19. The shirt, featuring a scene of Princess Leia and R2D2 from the original “Star Wars: A New Hope” that symbolizes the life-support and intubation keeping his father alive.

“It’s a machine that’s helping my dad through this and providing me and my family hope,” Lee said.