i think a lot of this is for people who have not discovered the sources of these bits of material such as black room demo's (which i believe have nothing to do with KLF) so they are bidding for something they cant get elsewhere. jon Doe ----- Original Message ----- From: John Milne <Highlandland@btopenworld.com> To: <klf@mailman.xmission.com> Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2003 8:06 AM Subject: [KLF] Ebay curios and curioser
Some thoughts ...
Isn't it rather dangerous that KLF fans seem to be getting a bit of a reputation in e-bay circles (a very limited amount of people, admitedly) for buying counfeit (or at least suspicious) goods for huge amounts of money? The arguments about the www.brandnew.co.uk mix was just the tip of the iceberg. Things like "This is What the KLF is About" video, "Lost Sounds of Mu 2" and "White Room Soundtrack" regularly go for quite large amounts of money. Everyone knows they're bootlegs - but bid like crazy anyway. Even I'm guilty of that, with the "Pure Trance" CD album, that turned up on e-bay a few weeks ago (I bid $150 but didn't win). Two weeks later, I got an unsolicited e-mail from an e-bay member, offering me another copy (not through e-bay) for the same amount - $150. When I e-mailed back saying I might bid if he put it up for auction, he replied that he would put it up as "buy it now" for $150! It was then I finally e-mailed him saying that I now believed it was a bootleg, and therefore completely worthless (other than the cost of the CDR, paper for the sleeve, and the five minutes spent burning it). He never replied to that one.
I'm sure fans of other groups don't bid huge amounts for a bootleg 7" of Nirvana's "Love Buzz" or the Beatles' "Yesterday and Today" on CDR (but maybe I'm wrong). I sometimes wonder if there's a group of about four or five bootleggers around the world ("The Five"?), who have access to all the real KLF rarities, and just churn out another copy whenever they want a new house. Cynical and over-exaggerated, I know - but shouldn't KLF fans make a stand against these bootlegs (particularly when the e-bayers in question seem to be taking the piss) BY SIMPLY NOT BUYING THEM? Of course, this whole situation is partly due to the rumours and legends that surround Our Favourite Band, and partly due to the fact Our Favourite Band are old fools, who seem to believe that driving round the M25 (yeah! London! Centre of the Universe!) playing out-dated techno-rock (the Black Smoke Organisation are a bit 1997, really, aren't they?) is more interesting than a time when their music was on every radio in the UK and they didn't have grey hair or scatalogical mates. Therefore, they do not re-release their back catalogue - indeed, seem to hold their fans in contempt. Without doubt, the fact that they are prepared to watch people spend hundreds of pounds/Euros/dollars/yen etc. on records that cost a fraction of that when first released (they will know of the prices their records go for now, for sure), and STILL refuse to even considera re-release of some of their back catalogue, just goes to show that they are probably, deep down, self-obsessed berks.
On the other hand, it's a free country, and people can what they like, I suppose.
Now ... where's that copy of "Turn up the Strobe" I have in the attic ...? ;-)
John
PS - Yes, I know, I know, there's a war on. And this what we're fighting for ...
http://www.newamericancentury.org/
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