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from the legal-expenses-getting-you-down? dept.
Following Martin Shkreli's conviction for securities fraud, he has listed his unreleased Wu-Tang Clan album on eBay. He purchased the album for $2 million in 2015 and has repeatedly threatened to destroy it:
Martin Shkreli may finally release the one-of-a-kind Wu-Tang album, Once Upon a Time in Shaolin, that he purchased back in 2015. The widely despised pharma bro has listed the album on eBay and is currently taking bids. At the time of publish, offers are hovering around $100,000.
The sale includes the double CD and a "finely crafted booklet," as well as legal expenses up to $25,000 "to ensure the final purchase details are mutually agreeable." In the listing, spotted by Page Six, Shkreli writes that he "decided to purchase this album as a gift to the Wu-Tang Clan for their tremendous musical output. Instead I received scorn from at least one of their (least-intelligent) members, and the world at large failed to see my purpose of putting a serious value behind music. I will be curious to see if the world values music nearly as much as I have." Shkreli claims that he will donate half of the sale proceeds to medical research.
[In the listing], Shkreli notes that "at any time I may cancel this sale and I may even break this album in frustration."
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @07:01AM (8 children)
> Instead I received scorn from at least one of their (least-intelligent) members
You don't need particularly low intelligence to feel scorn for Mr. Shkreli, so I'll have to assume this member has at least 3 PhDs.
> the world at large failed to see my purpose of putting a serious value behind music
Let's see... "Culture, n. - The totality of socially transmitted behavior patterns, arts, beliefs, institutions, and all other products of human work and thought."
Since that is the exact opposite of "lock down and then destroy the only copy", I suspect that the value he's putting is not behind music but behind an unnamed douchebag's enormous ego.
> Shkreli claims that he will donate half of the sale proceeds to medical research.
Could've donated the initial $2million he spent on it, but I guess that's not douchey enough.
> Shkreli notes that "at any time I may cancel this sale and I may even break this album in frustration."
No better way to show the world how great you are than throwing a tantrum. Next he'll demand we buy him candy or he "won't move from this spot, mooom!"
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @08:13AM (3 children)
His attempt to prove that he isn't as big of a dick as everyone thought, has proven that he is as big of a dick as everyone thought.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @08:53AM (2 children)
He isn't trying anything of the sort. The eBay item description is pretty much made to make people rage even more.
In reality it's just the Goldstein du jour, I find it funny how easily people rage about him.
(Score: 2, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @10:36AM (1 child)
Oh I see, he's not really an asshole, it's everyone else's fault. Yeah I never thought about it thatWHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU ON MAN? Seriously.
(Score: 2) by Osamabobama on Friday September 08 2017, @04:41PM
The point is that he's not trying to prove anything; he's satisfied with his reputation as a big dick.
Appended to the end of comments you post. Max: 120 chars.
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @10:43AM (1 child)
Always figured that guy for just another Joe Random arsehole/sociopath from the investment banker scene, dime a dozen.
But looking at a retrospective of his complete works I now come to the conclusion that he can not be a real person. Literally every one of his publicity stunts is so grotesquely over the top... probability alone would suggest that no single person could accidentally miss the mark by 180° in 100% of cases.
I am now convinced that the guy grew up on 4chan and just took the sociopathic troll thing the logical next step. Imagine all those *chan memes, spoken out loud by Shkreli. It kind of makes sense. Exhibit A: for his first real "coup" he went after an AIDS-related drug. The jokes practically write themselves here.
Not sure whether to bow down and worship the master, or pray for a quick and merciful end of humanity in the upcoming Fire and Fury. Because this seems to be the new normal: GIFT [knowyourmeme.com] extended to RL.
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Azuma Hazuki on Friday September 08 2017, @04:58PM
Neither. I'd say let him go free BUT take ALL his assets and money and make it so he can only ever take minimum-wage jobs. For his kind, and all white-collar criminals, that would be hell on earth.
I am "that girl" your mother warned you about...
(Score: 2) by DeathMonkey on Friday September 08 2017, @06:09PM (1 child)
The excerpts from jury selection for his case were pretty funny [complex.com], if you missed them.
The relevant one:
"Juror No. 59: Your Honor, totally he is guilty and in no way can I let him slide out of anything because—
The Court: Okay. Is that your attitude toward anyone charged with a crime who has not been proven guilty?
Juror No. 59: It’s my attitude toward his entire demeanor, what he has done to people.
The Court: All right. We are going to excuse you, sir.
Juror No. 59: And he disrespected the Wu-Tang Clan."
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday September 08 2017, @07:23PM
I believe that trope is called "murder, arson, and jaywalking".