Welcome to Disney's Unknown Pleasure Island -- where Love Will Ear Us Apart

Well shit, I just used up my best two puns in the headline. But any goodwill that Pulp's NYC show announcement caused in the Union Jack'd hearts of East Coast anglophiles was quickly swept away this morning by one very real Atrocity Exhibition: this motherfucking Disney shirt featuring JOY DIVISION'S Unknown Pleasures pulsar in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head.

I'll say it again: Love Will Ear Us Apart. If it wasn't actually sold by Disney it'd be a pretty sharp commentary on life or culture or revered things or whatever. But this is a money grab and surely Ian Curtis is on a rotisserie spin right now. 

From the order page: Inspired by the iconic sleeve of Joy Division's Unknown Pleasures album, this Waves Mickey Mouse Tee incorporates Mickey's image within the graphic of the pulse of a star. That's appropriate given few stars have made bigger waves than Mickey!

When I had a conversation with Peter "Captain" Hook a few months ago, he noted that Peter Saville's design -- pulsar CP 1919 -- is actually public record, and the band and Factory Records knew so when they released the groundbreaking post-punk record in 1979. And recently, shops like Urban Outfitters have tweaked the band's namesake -- that doesn't actually say "Joy Division" in whatever language that is, chap -- to sell images of the design under the guise of band t-shirts. 

But this is really next level. Let's just replace the music of "It's A Small World" with "She's Lost Control" and let Martin Hannett control the ride. This is the way to the Matterhorn, step inside.

Have fun placing all those... New Orders. (Hat tip to the Rog for that joke)