I met him once as he stumbled drunk out of the Black Cap in Camden.

A legend.

www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/m...aged-64-1939621.html

Oh my god, a real end of a legend.

JK, I'd like to quote you on him if I may- do you have something you'd like to say from one legend about another that I could post on other boards?

I've said it on the Velvet Rope - Malcolm didn't invent or discover punk - I think Seymour Stein did that in America - but Malcolm made it mainstream. A very under estimated talent - some of his dance/hip hop sounds were highly original at the time - and a true innovator. I had a lot of time for him and privately so did he for me.

Horrible news. I was only listening a short while ago to a Radio 2 documentary he narrated on Larry Parnes. Sometimes he was infuriating, sometimes silly, but my goodness he made an impact when it mattered most with cool shrewdness and a glorious sense of mischief. A great British situationist, a smart impresario and one of the most memorable characters to have goosed the cultural Establishment in the late 20th century.

sad to hear about the death of the second greatest music impresario that this country has ever produced. I would say that punk was essentially a British thing, the strand of punk in America (The romanes, Blondie etc.) was very different. All the fashion and iconography came from Britain, as far as I'm aware. Anyhow what do I know I was only 9 at the time.

A true individual, which there are far to few of today.

All the fashion and iconography came from Britain, as far as I'm aware

The british punk fashion was a copy / a re-branding (done by McLaren) of the look "invented" by Richard Hell.

Ah yes, Robbie - some of us were far more than 9 and we remember the Ramones and Blank Generation - Punk started at CBGBs in New York and was adopted and styled by Malcolm.

I was 15 when the sex pistols were first banned by the BBC and made Punk popular (an over-reaction or a marketing ploy?), and I was 17 when mainstream Punk was basically finished. I saw it as one of the many stages in pop music. It had very little to offer, as both Malcolm McLaren and John Lydon have since both acknowledged. The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle! There wasn't much left to do in music which would shock society and grab the headlines. Mainstream Punk today is a pale imitation of the Punk of the 70s, maybe because the old style wasn't built to last. Now it's far closer to the US style Punk than the adapted British version.

There's no doubt British 70s Punk left it's mark and still has a few die hard followers, but McLaren's genius went much deeper than this. "Double Dutch" showed one of his many other sides.

Back in the 70s I got a call from my friend Seymour Stein in New York... "Jonathan, I want your band".
"Which one?" - UK Records was very successful at this time - at one point we had three of the UK Top Five simultaneously.
"The Sex Pistols".
"Never heard of them".
"Really. I was certain they must be yours".
"I'll find out who owns them and let you know".
That's how I first heard the name Malcolm McLaren. Later he told me he had, indeed, based much of his method on my activities.

Interesting; dozens of intelligent comments on both your boards as well as a load on the Velvet Rope but hardly any on "other" music boards that don't allow tips. An "age" thing or a music lovers thing?

I think you're seeing the difference between the music industry from the past 50 years (massive) and the current one from the past 10 years (there isn't one).

Given that Malcy seemed to morph slowly - vocally as well as physically - into Kenneth Williams, I suppose BBC4 will be lining up Michael Sheen to portray him in one of those pointlessly rushed 'biopics' they love so much these days. I hope though that, somewhere, he gets a more appropriate tribute, with the kind of irreverence and playfulness that he always used himself.

When I go, in about 30 years (I hope), can you all please lobby the BBC to show Vile Pervert; The Musical on prime time television as a tribute?

You're the last of the bona fide greats now, JK. You need wrapping in cotton wool. (Daily Mail: VILE PERVERT'S NEW COTTON WOOL FETISH!!!!!) Seriously, maybe your next book should be on the art that you mastered - one case study per chapter.

Just bumped into Les Molloy on the street who explained the muddle over where Malcolm died; his partner called Les with the sad news on her New York cellphone and Les put out the story that Malcolm had died there when in fact they were in Switzerland. Just part of the new global telecommunications chaos!

JK2006 wrote:
Just bumped into Les Malloy on the street who explained the muddle over where Malcolm died; his partner called Les with the sad news on her New York cellphone and Les put out the story that Malcolm had died there when in fact they were in Switzerland. Just part of the new global telecommunications chaos!

Reminiscent of when Frankie Howerd died, and Benny Hill's producer, unaware that Benny had already died, issued a sympathetic quote about Frankie by Benny!

Although Malcolm played a great part in musical history, he was also very interesting and entertaining. However he wasn't always loveable, The original Adam & the Ants paid £1000 for his advice, his advice was to get rid of Adam and take the Ants, who later formed Bow Wow Wow with a 14 year old Annabella lwin.

MaClaren came up with the advice for Adam's pirate image with the Barundi drums, which became very successfull for Adam.

JK2006 wrote:
Ah yes, Robbie - some of us were far more than 9 and we remember the Ramones and Blank Generation - Punk started at CBGBs in New York and was adopted and styled by Malcolm.

spot on. Saying one went to CBGBs is like a badge of honour. Punk certainly was a very New York phenomena but picked up by British kids with their own wonderful variations, who sent it mainstream. That was of course though when New York was the most creative city on the planet-all gone now.

McLaren was superb though as a 'huckster' who was able to ride the bandwagon and had some wonderfully creative moments.

I'm glad you pointed out Seymour Stein.I have an amusing tale about him for another time.

How mad to think Iggy Pop is the real godfather and still going strong. What's his secret ?