The story of Malcolm McLaren, manager of the Sex Pistols and godfather of punk

Rebellion and counterculture, concepts so difficult to adopt in Great Britain during the 70’s. However, a young man who at the time was everything – musician, designer, producer, manager and businessman – managed to articulate that youthful fury and shape it to turn it into a movement.

Malcolm Robert Andrew Edwards, better known as Malcolm McLarenwas born January 22, 1946in Stoke Newington, north London. Abandoned by his father at the age of two and raised by his grandmother, he was educated in the comfort of home. Then, he began his university life in 1960; He went to Central Saint Martins and later to Harrow Art School, an institution where he began to absorb artistic concepts from France.

In that same place he met Vivienne Westwood, his future partner. After being expelled for misconduct from South East Essex Collegeopened with Westwood a clothing store in Kings Road, Chelsea, south-west London. The goal? “Rescuing fashion from commercialization by the establishment ”in McLaren’s words.

The fashion store not only functioned to sell clothes, but also to rub shoulders with the music scene of the moment. The first case was the New York Dollsto whom he lent clothes and created a logo to promote their music. However, line-up changes within the band and the distance between New York and London caused McLaren to face his ambitions elsewhere.

Wit, controversy and irreverence: the punk life

The store was renamed sexand two key names began to happen in this story: Paul Cook and Steve Jones. McLaren’s eyes lit up when He saw the potential of the band that was made up of the boys who visited the place. He suggested some changes; the bassist had to be Glen Matlockwho would bring aggressiveness and strength to the songs; Then he found, out of nowhere, John Lydonan uncontrollable beast, but with a hypnotic presence on stage.

Lydon, who changed his name for artistic purposes to Johnny Rottenwas the final piece of an explosive gear, called Sex Pistols. McLaren became a cunning and cynical manager, with an impressive power of seductionwhich served to save the Pistols from trouble. To be more specific, they stole music equipment, then destroyed it on stage, encouraged pineapples and spitting, and were politically incorrect.

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The Pistols were the flag of the punk movementa musical and cultural wave that preached rebellion, lack of control and a confrontational attitude towards the establishmenttraditional media and the politics of the moment. They were hope in a hopeless world, and a powerful and uncomfortable light that shone among London poverty. In addition, McLaren and Westwood created the look and image of punk, with unkempt clothing, tight cuts and obscene messages on t-shirts.

Success was as abrupt as it was fleeting. In 1978 everything was going down the drain; Matlock left the band and was replaced by Sid Vicious, a violent, aggressive and overwhelming figure, who died in 1979. Rotten announced the end of the band in ’78 and described McLaren as “the most evil man on earth.”“. Malcolm, for his part, ignored the accusations of treating people like “art or animal projects to earn cash.”

A few years later, they sued him for mismanagement and royalties, to which he responded by saying he wanted to dissolve the band. Then, McLaren filmed a mockumentary to clean up its image, called The Great Rock’n’Roll Swindle, although it was not successful. He went on to be recruited as a consultant for Adam and the Ants in 1979, when the fledgling band released its debut album. However, McLaren did not believe in the talent of his frontman, Adam Ant, so he suggested to the rest of them that they put together a new group called Bow Wow Wow, under your direction and led by Annabella Lwin, a 13-year-old girl he met at a dry cleaners.

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In 1981, he became involved in a new controversy, when He made Lwin, 14 years old at the time, pose naked for the album cover See Jungle! See Jungle! Go Join Your Gang Yeah. City All Over, Go Ape Crazypublished in 1981. The band disbanded three years later, and McLaren went on to advise other groups, such as the Slits and Jimmy the Hoover.

It was after these experiences that the manager became musician. In 1983 public Duck Rockan album inspired by his South American and African influences, mixed with his rock spirit. The project received good reviews and left two hits such as “Buffalo Gals” and “Double Dutch”both in the top 10 of the UK charts. A year later he launched “Madame Butterfly”an electronic and operatic single that achieved worldwide fame, which was followed by Waltz Darlingan album with funk influences. He even composed a song for the film. Kill Bill Vol 2 (2004) of Quentin Tarantino.

In the year 2000 was candidate to be mayor in Londonsupported financially by some record companies. In any case, his controversial campaign – which included allowing alcohol sales in bookstores – left him without an available ticket. He spent his last years between New York and Paris, dedicated to music production and fashion. In October 2009 was diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma and He died from the disease on April 8, 2010 in Switzerland..