2010 – Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren has died after a cancer battle. He was 64.
He died this morning. Spokesman Les Molloy says: “He’d been suffering from cancer for some time, but recently he’d been full of health. It rapidly deteriorated.”
McLaren was one of the most colourful figures of the mid-seventies punk revolution, manipulating the Sex Pistols’ career so they became the mouthpiece of a generation.
The relationship between McLaren and the Pistols went sour but he remained involved in the music industry, managing bands including the New York Dolls and Bow Wow Wow, and even releasing his own singles.
He was a proponent of situationist art, which tries to encourage social change by underlining the absurdity of the way we’re made to live in the modern world.
Pistols frontman John Lydon, who was encouraged by McLaren but wound up disillusioned by the band’s image and the “Johnny Rotten” character that his manager influenced, says: “Malc was always entertaining, and I hope you remember that. He was an entertainer and I will miss him, and so should you.” On his website he signs his statement “Johnny Rotten”.
Ex-partner and former fashion collaborator Vivienne Westwood says: “When we were young and I fell in love with Malcolm, I thought he was beautiful. I still do. The thought of him dead is really very sad.”
BBC creative boss Alan Yentob comments: “Malcolm was a man of ideas. He was always thinking of the next one. He said his grandmother told him you need to be a bad boy to survive. He wanted to shock and surprise you. He loved the idea of it and sold it to the public, and understood what it meant.”
After the punk era McLaren wanted to manage the Red Hot Chili Peppers, but believed they had to change from their alt-rock ethic to create a more simplistic sound. Frontman Anthony Kiedis said: “We were flattered by his interest, but the answer was ‘no’.”
His body will be returned from Switzerland to the UK for burial at Highgate Cemetary. His son Joseph was with him when he died.
2006 – Metallica inducts Black Sabbath into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Metallica also performs a short set of Sabbath songs during the event at New York’s Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Other inductees include Blondie, Miles Davis, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sex Pistols and A&M Records co-founders Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss.
2006 – Sex Pistols singer John Lydon posts a missive on his Web site claiming the band will not attend their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. “We’re not coming,” he writes, “You’re not paying attention.” World goes back to ignoring him.
2005 - The Sex Pistols were among new names added to a celebrity Walk of Fame in Covent Garden London. Other musical celebrities to immortalised on the Avenue of the Stars include Bob Geldof, Tom Jones, Gracie Fields and Bob Hope.
1980 - Police raided the home of former Sex Pistol John Lydon who greeted them waving a ceremonial sword, the only illegal item they found was a canister of tear gas, claimed to be for defence against intruders.
1977 – The Sex Pistols held a party on a boat as it sailed down The River Thames in London. The Pistols performed ‘Anarchy In The UK’ outside The Houses Of Parliament resulting in members from the party being arrested when the boat docked later that day.
1977 – after being with the label for just six days The Sex Pistols were fired from A&M due to pressure from other label artists and its Los Angeles head office. 25,000 copies of ‘God Save The Queen’ were pressed and the band made £75,000 ($127,500) from the deal.
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