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Oh, he’s going to hate me for writing this post.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my brother like, you know, a brother, but there just are certain characteristics that he seems to have in common with Kid Carson, a local radio personality here in Vancouver (not to be confused with Kit Carson, who was an American frontiersman from the 1800s). I guess I kind of knew all along, but the connection really solidified yesterday when my brother got me to buy him something on eBay.

He doesn’t have an account of his own and I have some money in my PayPal account, so I usually don’t have a problem with buying things for him on eBay and then he pays me back in cash. In the past, I got him stuff like iPod skins, but yesterday’s purchase was a little different. It was an overpriced t-shirt from Christian Audigier, a brand that markets itself as luxury streetwear. You could say that it’s similar to brands like Ed Hardy and Affliction.

I don’t personally have a problem with this style of clothing, but it never ceases to amaze me that people are willing to spend upwards of $100 (or more) on a rather normal-looking t-shirt. Knockoffs can be had for less than ten bucks. Maybe I should get Ed Lau to explain this phenomenon to me, because he seems to have little trouble spending hundreds on designer hoodies and limited edition sneakers.

Getting back on topic, Kid Carson also owns some Ed Hardy and Affliction gear, and I get the feeling that both of them are wearing this kind of clothing to be “couture”, so to speak, while maintaining a bit of an edge. It’s almost like he’s trying to present the facade of “I’m so tough, but I want to look good too,” when we all know that he isn’t tough at all. I can’t imagine Kid Carson belonging to the Hell’s Angels or something, and the same applies to my brother.

But it doesn’t end with clothes. Both Kid Carson and my brother could probably be labeled as metrosexual. They “take care of themselves” by buying a series of designer skin care products, using salon shampoos and conditioners, and taking more time to prepare for a casual dinner than their female counterparts. I can’t even begin to count the number of times I hung out in the living room with my brother’s (now ex-)girlfriend as he was still showering, primping, or pruning himself upstairs.

Speaking of girls, the one other commonality between Kid Carson and my brother is that both look like they’re going to be single forever. They may have a certain level of charm and wit, but they’re too in love with themselves to ever fall in love for another. Who needs a significant other on Valentine’s Day when you’ve got yourself, right? Right.

I wonder if my brother will ever see this post…