BILLY CORGAN TO AUCTION ZERO SHIRT TO HELP RAISE FUNDS FOR JAPAN.

                                    Hello, It has been a while. 


Over the weekend Billy Corgan put on his ZERO shirt for the first time since 1997.


Today Billy is putting the shirt up for auction on eBay for Japan earthquake relief.


This is one of only 4 original hand made shirts, designed by Billy Corgan and put together in 1995 for the release and tour of the nine-times-platinum record Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness. This "ZERO" shirt comes with a certificate of authenticity signed by Billy Corgan himself. Worn by Billy for some of the band's best known appearances on stage, television, and for photo shoots, etc., this shirt is one of the most recognizable pieces of the band's iconic history.

SUPERSTAR ARTISTS AND WRITERS SUPPORT SECOND PHASE OF CHARITY AUCTION TO RAISE FUNDS FOR JAPAN

Personal items donated by global stars to aid the Japanese Red Cross’s disaster relief efforts, via charity auction at ebay.com/EMIfamily4Japan

London, 11 April 2011 -- Artists and songwriters including Katy Perry, The Beatles, David Bowie, The Beach Boys, Billy Corgan, Iron Maiden, Gorillaz, Sting, David Gilmour and Tinie Tempah have donated exclusive personal items and memorabilia to the second phase of the EMI family’s charity auction to raise funds to help the Red Cross support people affected by last month’s earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  

The latest round of the charity auction, which is one of the biggest in eBay’s history, kicks off today and closes on April 21. There are still four days to go until the end of the first phase of the auction, featuring items from artists and writers including Coldplay, Beastie Boys, Jane Birkin, Depeche Mode, 30 Seconds To Mars, Simple Minds, Alice In Chains, and The Chemical Brothers.

Items added to the auction today include the 1987 Ferrari 412 as featured in Daft Punk’s film ‘Electroma’, a cupcake trampoline used on stage in Katy Perry’s current California Dreams world tour, access to private concert rehearsal by Sting, a one-off diamante head used onstage by Deadmau5, a limited edition ‘Yellow Submarine’ bicycle issued to mark the re-release of The Beatles’ famous movie, three framed and signed prints of David Gilmour taken in Gdansk, and more than 30 albums individually signed by David Bowie.

Also included in the auction is the MacBook used by David Guetta to create the demos for his hit album ‘One Love’, the hand written lyrics to ‘God Only Knows’ from the Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson, Tinie Tempah’s pink blazer from the ‘Frisky’ video, and one of the four original handmade "Zero" shirts worn by the Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan for the release and tour of ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’.

All funds raised from the charity auction will be used towards the Japanese Red Cross disaster relief efforts to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunami. Funds will be used for the on-going provision of immediate relief to support the affected population during their recovery. EMI Group has committed to match all funds raised from the auction up to a maximum of one million euros.

The first phase of the charity auction ends on April 15^th, with the second phase ending on April 21^st. All the items can be viewed at ebay.com/EMIfamily4Japan.

Beastie Boys said: “Japan has always been a special and important place for us as a band. We've made so many friendships there in our personal and professional lives. We hope in some way that our donation can help the people of Japan rebuild after the devastating earthquakes and tsunami.”

Billy Corgan, the vocalist, lead guitarist and songwriter for The Smashing Pumpkins, commented: "The people of Japan are an incredibly strong and proud people, and their love of life and culture has had a profound and positive affect on the way I view my own life. There are a million things I wish I could do right now to help soothe the pain and sorrow that so many of our fans and their families are experiencing, and my heart hurts when I think of the losses they have suffered, and are still suffering. I wanted to contribute to this auction to show my gratitude to the Japanese people and offer something that was particularly meaningful to me. I'm also proud of all the other artists who have pitched in to help, as well as my old label EMI for stepping in to organize and also match donations."

  

The list of items for sale in the second phase of the charity auction from April 11th – 21st includes the following:

• Anne Murray - 18 holes of golf with Anne Murray at the prestigious Angus Glen Golf Club course
• Arcade Fire - four VIP tickets to their Hyde Park show on 30^th June 2011
• B-52s - signed guitar
• Beach Boys - signed limited edition Pet Sounds plaque, plus hand-written, autographed & framed lyrics to The Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" from Brian Wilson
• The Beatles – the last of an extremely limited edition Schwinn bicycle featuring the ‘Yellow Submarine’ artwork
• Billy Corgan (Smashing Pumpkins) - one of the four original handmade "Zero" shirts worn by Billy Corgan for the release and tour of ‘Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness’, with a letter of authenticity signed by Billy
• Billy Idol - limited edition portrait print by Shepard Fairey, signed by Billy Idol and Shepard Fairey
• Bret Michaels – signed cowboy hat
• Chris Tomlin - handwritten and signed lyrics
• Coldplay – a framed guitar signed by all members of the band and a triple platinum sales award from Canada for ‘Viva La Vida’
• Corinne Bailey Rae - a personal favourite Prada dress worn by Corinne on her first album tours, along with a note from Corinne
• Daft Punk - 1987 Ferrari 412, used in the Daft Punk film Electroma
• David Bowie - 35 albums signed by the artist
• David Crowder Band - signed Yamaha keytar
• David Gilmour - three framed and signed prints of David Gilmour in Gdansk, photographed by Anna Wloch, including David, Polly and Lech Walesa, David on stage at soundcheck and a selection of David's guitars.
• David Guetta - his Apple MacBook, used to create the demos for his album ‘One Love’.
• Deadmau5 - his famous diamante mau5head stage costume, autographed, plus VIP tickets to Deadmau5’s live concert in London’s Victoria Park later this year
• Dean Martin - the opportunity to record a duet with Dino at the world-famous Capitol Studios
• Duffy - the bicycle used by Duffy in the making of her 2009 Diet Coke commercial
• Duran Duran - a painting by the band signed by Simon Le Bon
• A Fine Frenzy - the outfit worn by Alison to the 2011 Grammys, plus the handwritten lyrics to a song of the winning bidder’s choice
• Gorillaz - limited edition lithograph, with certificate of authenticity, signed by Jamie Hewlett and Damon Albarn  
• Helene Fischer - a dress worn by Helene on stage
• Huey Lewis & The News - hand-written, autographed & framed lyrics, plus a personalized gold album award for Greatest Hits, and a VIP concert experience & personal phone call from Huey to the winner
• Iron Maiden - exclusive limited edition ‘Ed Force One’ A2 print signed by Iron Maiden, two pieces of original Iron Maiden Japan 2011 event artwork signed by artist Herve Monjeaud, plus signed Nicko McBrain drumsticks as used on The Final Frontier World Tour
• Jeff Bridges – signed guitar including a drawing of a symbol that is meaningful to him, “The Seed”
• JLS - Aston and Ortise’s bowling shirts from the filming of ‘Stars & Strikes’, plus two signed albums
• Jonas Brothers - signed record bag
• Juan Luis Guerra - the hat worn on the cover of ‘La Llave De Mi Corazon’, signed by the artist
• Katy Perry - a cupcake trampoline featured on stage on her current California Dreams tour
• Kylie Minogue - signed ‘Kylie’ large lettering in white wood, from the ‘Fever’ album promotional campaign
• Lykke Li - waistcoat worn by Lykke at the Way Out West festival last year
• Marisa Monte - signed limited edition CD kit
• Megadeth - a guitar signed by Dave Mustaine
• Norah Jones - a signed guitar
• Pat Benatar - Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo autographed B.C. Rich Eagle 1 electric guitar
• Pet Shop Boys – the Rubik’s Cube jacket worn by Chris Lowe on the US leg of the Pandemonium tour in 2009
• Philippe Jaroussky - signed and framed gold disc
• Priscilla Ahn - a watercolor painting created by Priscilla following the Japanese earthquake, entitled ‘Falling, Tumbling, Raindrop Hearts’
• The Prodigy - Signed Roland tr707 drum machine used by Liam Howlett on 'Invaders Must Die', along with a signed 7” limited edition of the single
• Professor Green - large signed poster of the album art to ‘Alive Till I’m Dead’
• Rosanne Cash - the blouse designed by Catherine Malandrino that Rosanne wore on ‘The Tonight Show with Jay Leno’ in 2006, autographed copies of her "Black Cadillac" and "The List" albums, autographed copy of her memoir "Composed,” and two tickets to any concert of the winning bidder’s choice with a meet and greet backstage
• Scouting For Girls - signed Brits memorabilia
• Selena - framed commemorative Selena stamp, signed by the Quintanilla family and Chris Perez
• Simply Red - signed and framed setlist from their last ever gig in Japan
• Slash - signed Gibson Slash ‘Appetite For Destruction’ Les Paul electric guitar
• Sting - attend the private rehearsal for Sting’s forthcoming exclusive fanclub-only show at the Apollo Theater in New York featuring the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as VIP tickets to the show itself on the 28th April
• Tinie Tempah - his pink blazer worn in the video for ‘Frisky’
• VV Brown - signed megaphone as used on stage
• Willie Nelson - signed guitar

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