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Descendents members aren’t OK with former Oath Keepers spokesman wearing their shirt

A man in a suit stands and whispers into the ear of a seated, tattooed man in a jean jacket.
Jason Van Tatenhove, a former spokesman for the Oath Keepers, wears a Descendents shirt while testifying at the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday.
(Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times)
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Jason Van Tatenhove, a former spokesman for far-right extremists the Oath Keepers, testified Tuesday on Capitol Hill about the group’s role in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.

In a hearing that attempted to connect the Oath Keepers — along with QAnon followers and the Proud Boys — to what took place on Jan. 6, 2021, Van Tatenhove, who served as the Oath Keepers’ national media director from 2014 to 2016 before he cut ties, outlined how the antigovernment group came to prominence.

For some sharp-eyed viewers, however, it was what was on his black T-shirt that was particularly remarkable: the cover art for “Everything Sucks,” the fifth album by punk-rock band Descendents.

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Descendents got their start in Manhattan Beach in 1977 and played a major role in launching the pop-punk genre. In 1982 they released their first album, “Milo Goes to College,” referencing lead singer Milo Aukerman, who temporarily left the group to pursue a biochemistry degree at UC San Diego.

Stephen Ayres, who pleaded guilty in June to disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building, testified to the House Jan. 6 panel Tuesday.

“Milo Goes to Prison,” music writer Dan Ozzi quipped on Twitter after seeing Van Tatenhove’s shirt.

After a photo of the shirt made the rounds on social media, Descendents quickly distanced itself from the Oath Keepers before someone could get anything twisted.

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“We completely disavow groups like the Oath Keepers and in no way condone their hateful ideology,” the group tweeted.

Those with even sharper eyes also picked up on Van Tatenhove’s Deftones pin, featuring the silhouette of a horse from the alternative metal band’s “White Pony” album against a red background. Deftones hasn’t yet said anything about its brand appearing on his denim jacket.

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