In Memoriam: Malcom McLaren (1946-2010)

  • Ashley N. Milholland posted
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Malcom McLarenThe legendary and controversial Malcom McLaren has passed away, reports the Independent. The former manager of the Sex Pistols and had been battling cancer for some time. His condition recently deteriorated rapidly and he died this morning in New York.

PunkNews.org gives a nice summary of the man’s career stating that McLaren was attracted to the Situationist movement as a youth and adopted many of the movement’s ideas into his future work promoting various musical groups. In 1971 he and designer Vivienne Westwood opened the clothing shop in London’s King’s Road that would eventually become the S&M boutique SEX. Following a stint in which he outfitted and promoted the New York Dolls in the United States, McLaren entered the popular consciousness as manager of the Sex Pistols.

It was McLaren that organized such stunts as the band’s Silver Jubilee performance from a boat on the Thames, but the degree to which he controlled the group remains disputed to this day. Competing versions of the truth were maintained over the years by both McLaren and members of the Pistols, notably playing out via the 1980 film The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle and 2000’s The Filth and the Fury. Following the break up of the Pistols ,McLaren went on to release the hit hip-hop styled Duck Rock and pursued a solo musical career.

Our condolences to his friends and family.