Malcolm McLaren, best known as former manager to British provocateurs Sex Pistols, died from a rapacious form of cancer. An art school dropout, McLaren started a career first in fashion as part-owner to an infamous clothes shop on London’s King’s Road in 1971. From there, McLaren helped to form a group of young men into the controversial Sex Pistols, and launched the band’s career with EMI in 1976. Some claim McLaren was the original punk rocker and revolutionized music with his shocking and rebellious antics. He is survived by his longtime partner Young Kim and his son, Corre. He was 64.
The Archives
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Bits & Pieces
Watch Shane MacGowan & Friends Record Haiti Charity Track
02.26.10Last month, in amongst the slew of stories surrounding the earthquake in Haiti, we reported that The Pogues frontman Shane MacGowan had recruited a posse of fellow punks to record a cover of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ I Put a Spell on You, with all proceeds going to the for Dublin charity Concern Worldwide’s Haiti relief efforts. Now, we bring you footage of the crew together in the recording studio, featuring Johnny Depp, Nick Cave, Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders, Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream, The Clash’s Mick Jones, the Sex Pistols‘ Glen Matlock, and of course MacGowan himself. Check it.
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Bits & Pieces
John Lydon to Tour With New PiL Lineup Again
02.24.10“Ain’t a band, it’s a company.” Such was always the premise of John Lydon’s Public Image Ltd. which was what made the punk pioneer’s post-Pistols group all the more awesome, as they had the clever lyrics and uncompromising post-punk grittiness to back it up. Whether that’s still the case is unclear, but they’re being resurrected as a company at least. Following a tour of the UK last year (on which Lydon himself was the only original member of the PiL lineup), the same touring band will reconvene to play a string of US and European dates later on in 2010. It may seem like a lame move on Lydon’s part to take an old band out on the road without any original members, but then again, he’s always been a pretty contrary sort of bloke. You never quite know what’s going on in that scheming head of his. Hey, if you go to the show and close your eyes it might even be good! Just Careering? You decide. (more…)
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Bits & Pieces
Shane MacGowan Recruits his Mates to Cover Screamin’ Jay Hawkins for Haiti
02.03.10As regular readers will note, we’ve covered the details of quite a few Haiti benefit projects in recent days, and whatever you think of the artists involved, it’s certainly an amazing thing that stars with such high earning power have lent their services to the cause. But here comes one even all you punks can sing along to without wincing: Shane MacGowan, the legendarily gin soaked and incomprehensible Pogues singer (who also possibly has the best laugh ever) has put together his own band of merry men to sing for Haiti. Those who’ve been press ganged into the service of Ireland’s drunken poet laureate to cover Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ 1965 tune I Put a Spell on You, for Dublin’s Concern Worldwide charity (with all proceeds going to Haiti) include Nick Cave, Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream, The Pretenders’ Chrissie Hynde, Mick Jones of The Clash, the Sex Pistols’ Glen Matlock, and singer Paloma Faith. Also due to make an appearance is the pirate captain himself, Johnny Depp, who plays guitar on the track. So Shane, we hope you raise loads of cash, and then reward yourself with a pint down the pub. We know you will!
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Bits & Pieces
Butter Fueled Public Image Ltd. Reunion Tour!
11.12.09If you are taking in any of the PiL reunion tour shows (kicking off December 15th at O2 Academy Birmingham), you should be thanking Britain’s own Country Life butter. Johnny “Rotton” Lydon frontman for PiL and formally for the Sex Pistols, says that without the ads the company paid him to do, there would have been no tour. “The money I got from that advert is the advance on this (the tour)” Lydon says. He went on to defend his backing of the butter product, coming back at those who criticize his choices in terms of product endorsement. “Why are they questioning me… I’m promoting a British product which I’m very proud of. Anything I can do to help British industry is fine by me and in return you’ve got PiL.” The way I see it, once you’re out there on stage, very few people will care who is paying for the gig. As long as you don’t throw sticks of butter into the crowd, things will be fine.
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Bits & Pieces
Sex Pistols Sue Icecreamists Over ‘God Save the Cream’ Artwork
10.14.09Lawsuits are so punk rock it hurts. The Sex Pistols’ have lawyers, and they are being sic’d on an ice cream company. An online ad, by British company Icecreamists, featuring the Queen of England in front of the Union Jack, ice cream spoon in her mouth, and the words “God Save the Cream” scrawled across her face, is being accused of being too derivative of Jamie Reid’s artwork on the Pistols’ singles. A letter from the band’s holding company, Glitterbest, demanded that the ice cream company cease using the Sex Pistols infused images to sell their wares, which include deck chairs, as well as iced treats. Founder of The Icecreamists, Matt O’Connor raises an interesting point. “We are a bit dumbfounded that a group that made its reputation for being banned is trying to ban one of our ice creams,” he said. The Sex Lawyers may also be interested to know that there is an absinth ice cream cocktail called the Sex Pistol in the Icecreamists catalogue. I would have used that Bob Gruen photo, of the band with straws… drinking milk? A little photoshop… Ice cream floats! The legal department and Glitterbest would have a field day.
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Bits & Pieces
Mos Def Making Documentary About Death
09.25.09For a second I thought that we might get to see Mos Def dressed as a knight, brooding over a chessboard, Seventh Seal style. This is not the case. A 1974 album from Detroit proto-punk band Death was released earlier this year by Drag City, titled …For the Whole World to See. Now, it seems that this re-issue has found its way into the hands of Mos Def, who is reported to be making a documentary about Death. Mos says “It’s going to be great. These dudes were pre-Sex Pistols, pre-Bad Brains, pre-all that shit, and nobody knows them. I don’t understand how the whole world could forget them.” Mos is working alongside Roc-A-Fella co-founders Damon Dash, his partner in The Black Keys’ rap-collaboration Blakroc. Music video directors Coodie and Chike are tipped to direct. Death themselves are touring the states which marks the reunited Death’s first ever US tour.
