Photographer Mark Baker's Xmas Dozen concludes with the 12th of 12 uniquely amazing portraits he has shared with us this holiday season. Today, culture jamming with Malcolm McLaren and Willi Ninja
Mark Baker is talking to Tim London
Baker's Xmas Dozen #12:
Willi Ninja
Malcolm McLaren vs. the label
One of my first acts to work with at Sony was Malcolm McLaren. He was doing this project called Waltz Darling. Malcolm turned up with Willi, a dancer who was in Paris Is Burning. The whole thing about Malcolm was that culture jamming thing. The waltz at the time it came about was considered to be a revolutionary dance. In that era you would hand out a silhouette as a calling card. Willi was this amazing voguing dance, way before Madonna had her hit with Vogue. Malcolm brought it over first, as he did with all these things. I did a series of silhouettes which were used on the album. Malcolm had to fight, big time, to get the identity of that project over. He was getting flack from the record company all the time. I met him on the stairs one time and asked him, how’s it going? He said shit comes out of one hole and you put your hand over it and it comes out another hole. He found it very difficult to deal with that project and I don’t think it was as commercial as it could have been for that very reason. He was immersed in the cultural values of everything he did, completely and utterly.
Essential Information
Baker's Xmas Dozen
#1. Afrika Bambaataa
#2. AR Kane
#3. Carter USM
#4. Crystal Method
#5. Josh Wink
#6. Kevin Mooney
#7. Maxi Jazz
#8. Pete Doherty
#9. Pete Wylie
#10.Renegade Soundwave
#11.Tim Simenon and Paul Conboy
#12.Willi Ninja