Rogers & Clarke (80's Tour Style Tee)

Rogers & Clarke — Ishtar 80s Tour Tee

In 1987, Warren Beatty and Dustin Hoffman gave us Lyle Rogers and Chuck Clarke, two spectacularly untalented singer-songwriters convinced they were one break away from greatness.

Ishtar, directed by Elaine May, was savaged on release and quickly became shorthand for “Hollywood disaster.” The budget, the production problems, and the reviews became almost more famous than the movie itself. For years, people joked about Ishtar without necessarily having seen it.

Which is a shame, because I actually love Ishtar.

Over time, the film has developed a genuine cult following, with critics and fans reevaluating it as a very funny, very strange comedy about friendship, failure, ego, and two men whose complete lack of talent somehow never damages their confidence. The deliberately terrible songs are a huge part of the joke, and Beatty and Hoffman fully commit to playing two guys who sincerely believe they are the next Simon & Garfunkel.