L.S. Dunes is the new post-hard band featuring current and former members of Coheed & Cambria, My Chemical Romance, and Circa Survive. The band recently released their new LEGO-heavy music video "Grey Veins" and swiftly received a takedown notice by The LEGO Group.
Guitarist Frank Iero has issued a statement on the matter, pretty much asking why the hell The LEGO Group doesn't want the video to remain online. Iero also points out that he's a lifelong LEGO fan, and feels a little hurt by the interaction.
"Dear @lego, why are you having your lawyers call my record label (@fantasyrecords) and demand we take down the @LSDunes music video we made for our song Grey Veins?" wrote Iero.
"As a card carrying Lego VIP and lifelong creator and builder I am hurt and wildly confused. I have spent more hours than I can calculate, not to mention thousands upon thousands of dollars over the years, buying and building your sets as a child, a teenager, a semi-adult, and now as a dad who builds with his son. An eleven year old who loves Legos more than anyone I have ever met, and even made us dedicate a room in our house to building them. My family and I have vacationed at Legoland and my other band has been voted into your Lego Ideas program by 10k supporters as a potential future build set.
"I love your company because you gave us bricks and taught us we didn't have to accept the world as it was, we could see what was possible and build it ourselves. I have taken that inspiration and created a universe of my own and now you want to squash it, why?
"Let Creators Create.
"Have your people stop calling my people.
"Spread kindness, spread the creativity, spread the word.
"Leggo My Lego.
"KTF ???? xofrnk"
This all seems especially weird considering tons of products make it into tons of music videos, purposefully and just by being in the background. And it's not like the point of L.S. Dunes' music video was to be like "hey, fuck LEGO!" or anything malicious. I guess LEGO is the Nintendo of the toy world.
Anyway, nobody tell the Lite Brite people about Sum 41. They'll have a shit fit.