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MCLAREN IN THE PITS

Along the way he made some pop records for himself that could be listened to and enjoyed

Malcolm McLaren has rolled into the pits one last time at an untimely 64. Mesothelioma. The godfather of the Sex Pistols, grandfather to Agent Provocateur, an ex Mr Vivienne Westwood, an inventor of bow wow wow and boy did he give Adam Ant the biggest leg up ever. Along the way he made some pop records for himself that could be listened to and enjoyed. There's the New York Dolls dalliance, the shops, the shameless self-promotion when there was no shame in shameless-self promotion. It would be shameful now, but of course now he's not doing it. Now it would take a team of media consultants and they'd still get it wrong. By consensus. Malcolm McLaren was a renaissance man when they were thin on the ground. He was a human sampler, a masher upper before mash ups were. Recently, finding myself at a wildly popular Curryoake evening,  I wondered still, had Malcolm McLaren got a hand in it? It's going to be so big in Little India.

I can't tell you whether there would be an outsideleft.com, I can't tell you whether I'd be happier if I'd never heard of him back when I was a kid. I can't blame him for everything can I? All of the good things would most likely be gone, never have happened. No London, Los Angeles, no St. Leonards, no Kirk, no Ron & Nancy, but, on the other hand, look at well, I won't say, some people I know who've never heard of the guy. They do nothing never endeavor and have very nice lives. So maybe without Malcolm McLaren's influence, I might have never tried to do anything ever. Maybe then I'd be happy now.

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About the Author
Hamilton High
Hamilton High was born on Doheny Ave in the gutter, is a poet, writer and observer of popular culture. Likes fashion and cares less for style. He's on the move, he's an alter ego and we hardly ever hear from him. (biography/all stories)

 

 

MUSIC ARCHIVE

Donny Ducote: My Christmas Wish List is Ancient History now Tav Falco's Christmas Stocking Stuffer Wish List Queens of the Underground - The Rolling Stones Hats Off to Larry Mariel Roberts, Nonextraneous Sounds Shabazz Palaces - Alive Let Your Hair Down Kathleen Edwards Heavier Than Heaven Would it kill Tom Waits to record a collection of late night piano ballads? American Idol in London: Tav Falco's Panther Burns the 100 Club Alive Tav Falco in Your Town Folk Forms: Richard Strauss & Bela Bartok Hot Ginger's 5 Alternative Xmas Swing Tunes Tav Falco's Blue Christmas Tour And they were into music, for real: The Story of Slint My Beady Eye Tangled Foilage and Dusky Air: Ariosto & Vivaldi's Orlando Furioso Deerhunter and the Halcyon Days of Autumn Wondering About the Suburbs Personal Space: Corey Dargel and Matt Marks The National and the Class Song of the Damned Mad Dogs and British Columbians: The Fall and Frog Eyes All Things Raf and O We Like American Music: Titus Andronicus and The Red Krayola Drive-By Truckers Sit Their Narrow Asses Down Beyonce Speaks Out The Light reflecting Off of My Hero's Grave: Berlioz's Symphony Fantastique McLaren in the Pits My Rival - Alex Chilton Remembered Alex Chilton Dead It's Time For Beyonce to Have a Baby Pantha Du Prince: Very Airport Tindersticks Love You Too Much, Baby Heavy Metal Kid Neil Daniels Let Us Remember Beauty A Stay of Execution for Gil Scott-Heron Four Tet: OK, OK, I'll Dance Already Owen Pallett: Sweet Nothings What do you call a bloodsucking fiend in the daytime?
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