UPDATE: The item described below has been removed from Etsy following a complaint from the internet troll who has been harassing me and the Louise Brooks Society. Apparently, this troll thinks he owns the intellectual property rights of the the OMD t-shirt I was hoping to sell. I guess I should inform the band and Virgin records, their label at the time. I have appealed to Etsy, but considering what numskulls they are, I don't expect a favorable response. Following the Etsy take-down, the Louise Brooks Society Instagram was also suspended (again) following yet another complaint from the same troll.
UPDATE #2: I just posted a complaint - my third - on the Etsy Forums. I doubt it will do any good.
UPDATE #: Today, on 4/18/2023, the Louise Brooks Society Etsy account was "permanently suspended" due to the fact that my account received multiple ALLEGATIONS of intellectual property infringement - not actual infringement, just allegations - the most recent example is detailed below. Its ridiculous, I know. But there you go.
When ever I want a pick-me-up, I watch one of the many videos of Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) performing their hit song "Pandora's Box (It's a long, long way)". YouTube has a number of similar videos. What I love about this particular video, in which the song is performed live in concert, is that images of Louise Brooks are projected on screen behind the band. The song's introduction is given by OMD singer and big-time Louise Brooks fan Andy McCluskey.
I love that band, and I love that song. I remember how thrilled I was to discover the LP and CD (and also a limited edition single depicting Louise Brooks which featured a remix of "Pandora's Box") at a record store on Haight Street in San Francisco, where I then lived and worked. I believe it was a branch of Rough Trade records, sometime in the early 1990s. (Another highlight was seeing the Violent Femmes playing for free outside the store. Or was it the Replacements? I must be getting old....)
Well anyways, I have also had great affection for OMD, as discovering that song was intimately tied in to my discovery of Louise Brooks. Sometime around then, in the early to mid-1990s, I was walking around Berkeley, California and went into one of its many record stores - and guess what I found. It was an OMD t-shirt depicting Louise Brooks. SCORE!!!!!
I now need to raise some money, so I am willing to sell that very collectible shirt. I have put it up for sale on my Louise Brooks Society Etsy account as a fundraiser. In case you are wondering why my Etsy account is no longer named Louise Brooks Society - it is now called lulupandorasbox - that's because Etsy forced me to change it because a certain internet troll complained. What a grumpy pants. Here is the picture of the front and back of the t-shirt. (Don't worry, I have laundered it more than a few times.)
Here is my Etsy product description: "Offered here is a very cool, very rare VINTAGE t-shirt, dating from the
early 1990s. It depicts Louise Brooks, the iconic silent film star, on
the front. On the back are the words "Pandora's Box" and "Orchestral
Manoeuvres in the Dark". This t-shirt was issued in the early 1990s as a
promotional tie in to the Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) song
"Pandora's Box" (subtitled "It's a Long, Long Way" for US release) from
the band's 1991 album "Sugar Tax."
This is an official
t-shirt, not some counterfeit knock-off. I bought this shirt in a store
in Berkeley, California. I have owned this t-shirt for nearly 30 years.
It is in good though used condition, and has been worn a number of
times. There is one whole on the left sleeve, and another smaller whole
below the image of Louise Brooks, pictured from her Denishawn days. (The
same image was used on other OMD releases from the time.) There is some
yellowing around the collar. The tag is missing. My wife describes it
as a "wrinkled old t-shirt," though I think of it as precious. You may
too."
* * *
And, here for good measure, is the original 1991 video for the song. Once, when I had the chance to chat with Andy McCluskey online, he mentioned how determined he then was to put out a video for the song which featured imagery of Louise Brooks - despite the fact that they had to pay a good deal to license the material. I love it.
THE LEGAL STUFF: The Louise Brooks Society™ blog is authored by Thomas Gladysz, Director of the Louise Brooks Society (www.pandorasbox.com). Original contents copyright © 2023. Further unauthorized use prohibited.
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