As it stands, the most coveted possession among Wu-Tang Clan fans, the only copy of their Once Upon A Time In Shaolin album, is in the hands of the last person in the world you want to see own something that exclusive: Martin Shkreli. That may change, however, since it appears that he is currently selling the CD on eBay.
An auction titled “Wu-Tang Clan – Once Upon A Time In Shaolin – Rare CD!” was created last night by a new eBay user named martishkrel_7. It would be easy enough to create a fake Shkreli eBay account, but what makes the auction feel legitimate is the photo of Shkreli holding up a CD case with the Wu-Tang Clan logo and a sheet of paper that reads “9/5/17 Selling WTC album.”
As of this posting, the auction has received 165 bids and is up to $91,400 dollars, but for those of us without bottomless pockets, the most interesting part is what Shkreli writes in the item description.
He says he bought the album as “a gift to the Wu-Tang Clan,” but instead “received scorn from at least one of their (least-intelligent) members.” He adds that he’s not trying to raise cash, he’s donating half of the money to “medical research,” and that he hasn’t actually “carefully listened to the album.” Although he wants the album to go to “someone with a bigger heart for music,” winning the auction doesn’t seem to guarantee you’ll ever get your hands on the CD, since he “may even break this album in frustration.”
“This is the one and only Wu-Tang album.
I 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. I have donated to many rock bands and rappers over the years to ensure they can continue to produce their art when few others would.
At any time I may cancel this sale and I may even break this album in frustration. I will donate half of the sale proceeds to medical research. I am not selling to raise cash–my companies and I have record amounts of cash on hand. I hope someone with a bigger heart for music can be found for this one-of-a-kind piece and makes it available for the world to hear.
Martin Shkreli
Upon sale, I will represent & warranty any copies of the music I have will be destroyed. I have not carefully listened to the album, which is a double CD. There is also a finely crafted booklet which you can read about elsewhere. I will pay legal expenses for the buyer up to $25,000 to ensure the final purchase details are mutually agreeable.”
Read the entire eBay description above, and check out the listing here.
