Malcolm McLaren is dead
- Thread starter Ponder
- Start date
mjp
Founding member
The man who ruined the New York Dolls! If you could really ruin something already so fucked up.
More notable perhaps for commercializing the stereotypical "punk rock" look. You know, the one they use in TV commercials or in the movies when they want to say punk rock. Big spiky hair, pants with lots of straps, zits, bad teeth...
That's too bad. He was a genuine character. And as Jimmy Snerp intimated, a successor to P.T. Barnum. Which is a good thing.
And anyone who brought us Annabella Lwin can't be all bad...
More notable perhaps for commercializing the stereotypical "punk rock" look. You know, the one they use in TV commercials or in the movies when they want to say punk rock. Big spiky hair, pants with lots of straps, zits, bad teeth...
That's too bad. He was a genuine character. And as Jimmy Snerp intimated, a successor to P.T. Barnum. Which is a good thing.
And anyone who brought us Annabella Lwin can't be all bad...
Gerard K H Love
Appreciate your friends
Digney in Burnaby
donkeys live a long time
Yeah, it was on the 4 p.m. (Pacific time) CBC radio one newscast. I caught the name, figured "this isn't good news", and checked the web to "confirm" (like, the web has never got it wrong). I suppose I should have started a thread re. his passing but was running out of time and I have conflicting opinions concerning MM. And I am tired of death at the moment. Too many people, most not famous, have gone recently. But I have always liked the Boys' Chorus song from Fans. It was at youtube (sometimes is deleted due to record label copyright muscle) so I did a (very) minor nod to him that way. I'm not psychic, mostly "a dull boy". By 5:15 I had got dressed, made my lunch and was out the door for the "killing floor" and it's music going through my head.
mjp
Founding member
Well, I think everyone who knows anything about him feels the same way. Which is just what he wanted, of course.
Big controversary at the music board I go to over his "contribution." I think the best thing said was he hurt his legacy by overstating his influence while he's obviously has had some input. He did get the Pistols together, made some atrocious moves unconciously that now seem pretty neat. Brought Bow Wow Wow to us and made some interesting conglomerations of music himself. At the very least an interesting chap though he seems quite the bastard as well.
What's most astounding is Johnny Rotten-Lydon's nice comments about him, thought I'd never read that. Rotten's seems to be mellowing in his old age or it might be his father passing him that puts him in this reflective mood.
What's most astounding is Johnny Rotten-Lydon's nice comments about him, thought I'd never read that. Rotten's seems to be mellowing in his old age or it might be his father passing him that puts him in this reflective mood.
hard to believe than John didnt get a few shots in on him.
just shows John is a class act.
McLaren deserved it.
you do have to commend him for bringing us such amazing acts.
i feel he was universally hated for good reason.
just the fact that he left Johnny stranded in SF following the end of the Pistols US tour should be enough.
just shows John is a class act.
McLaren deserved it.
you do have to commend him for bringing us such amazing acts.
i feel he was universally hated for good reason.
just the fact that he left Johnny stranded in SF following the end of the Pistols US tour should be enough.
nervas
more crickets than friends
He always seemed intriguing to me, through all the books on the ramones, new york dolls, thunders, etc... Anyway Steve Jones released a nice fitting statement to him. I thought the end was the best part "But my fondest memory of Malcolm, and I loved the guy, was his birthday gift to me when I turned 21 "” he got me a hooker and some heroin."
The article/statement is in the L.A. Times.
But still and I apologize to fans, I never got the sex pistols.
The article/statement is in the L.A. Times.
But still and I apologize to fans, I never got the sex pistols.
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mjp
Founding member
People say this all the time, and it's usually just an excuse for something that has been BUILT UP but is really not so great, but - you kinda had to be there. Now it's just, "Whatever. Heard that before, what's the big deal?" And out of context and after so much water under the bridge, it is just more noisy rock and roll.
I was not a fan of the Pistols, but you know, 30+ years ago, Anarchy in the UK and God Save The Queen could really make the hairs on your arms stand up. And that is all on Lydon. He was an original, and his bottomless well of anger and disgust at everything (everything but himself, apparently) really came through when he sang.
nervas
more crickets than friends
Well, I think Bodies, Holidays in the Sun and Pretty Vacant are great songs, but it ends there. The part I never really get is how big they are with, just that one album. I also never understood, how Sid was so sensationalized, after being on what, one song on that album? It just always seemed to me, he was only copying Dee Dee, Thunders, etc. Yes, the whole murder accusation made the Sid persona more sensationalized, but still. I will admit, I was not there, and I guess at this point I have pledged myself to the ramones, the stooges, even the dolls too much, and maybe all their rantings about how the pistols ruined any chance for them at U.S. success has brainwashed me.
Yes, and I see I concentrated on Vicious, because it seems to me more people would recognize the name Sid Vicious, before they would recognize the name Johnny Rotten? I may be mistaken, and I guess he was quite different from Johansen, Ramone, Pop, etc? He was original there, but I still, personally don't get their music. A few songs were good, but give me anything off the first 5 Ramones records, and I'd never need to listen to the Pistols again. (hmmm, sounds funny, cause I have everything off the first 5 ramones albums, so I guess I just said it in public, now I can never listen to the pistols again.)
Yes, and I see I concentrated on Vicious, because it seems to me more people would recognize the name Sid Vicious, before they would recognize the name Johnny Rotten? I may be mistaken, and I guess he was quite different from Johansen, Ramone, Pop, etc? He was original there, but I still, personally don't get their music. A few songs were good, but give me anything off the first 5 Ramones records, and I'd never need to listen to the Pistols again. (hmmm, sounds funny, cause I have everything off the first 5 ramones albums, so I guess I just said it in public, now I can never listen to the pistols again.)
A+ on that. I never really cared for the whole punk (music) thing, and the hairs on my arm never stood up for cheap "musical" hacks who eschewed melody for the concept of "exposing" society to the dark junk side of life (as if we needed music to accomplish this) and somehow, they sold it - but they had balls and they changed a whole cavern of shit into something very else, so I begrudgingly give props for influencing masses of angst-laden lemmings into thinking they were good; no, not good, but entertaining. Or something, if nothing else.
But seriously; music needed to change at that time, and they did it - I really do think they deserve some credit. For better or for worse.
But RIP, Malcom, as everyone should.
But seriously; music needed to change at that time, and they did it - I really do think they deserve some credit. For better or for worse.
But RIP, Malcom, as everyone should.
chronic
old and in the way
How dare you call the Pistols musical!
mjp
Founding member
Because he was of some notoriety and he died young, and amid scandalous circumstances.
If James Dean and Marilyn Monroe would have lived to be old and washed up and in a bunch of TV movies, they would not be the "icons" they are today. Same with Jim Morrison. They died young and pretty (well, with the exception of Morrison), and that's how they will always be remembered. That's just the way it goes.
There's melody all over punk rock. Not all of it, but much of it. You generalize. As for the "dark junk side of life," I'm not sure what you mean. Unless you're talking about the Heartbreakers or some other heroin group. If that's what you meant by junk.
The Sex Pistols and the Clash were products of an England that was falling apart at the seams, economically and socially, and much of what they sang was protest music (I use the enemy/I use anarchy). There is a long tradition of that, and they were just part of that tradition.
It's no accident that punk started in New York city, which, as anyone who was there in the mid 70s can tell you, was a festering shithole, and also on the brink of collapse.
That's what I mean by context. If you analyze this shit now, you loose the context of its creation, and it's impact is lessened.
And I don't know if music itself needed changing in the 70s, but the business of music sure did. And punk rockers were the first ones to come along and say, "It seems like we could just do all this ourselves..." and actually did. The vast majority of them (us) without so much as a penny from the big record companies. Those DIY seeds eventually sprouted and changed everything.
You were once an angst ridden young lemming, Mr. Deep Purple. We all were. So don't be so quick to dismiss the lemmings that came after you.