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Malcolm McLaren, the British icon renowned for his contributions to punk culture, fashion design, music, and entrepreneurship, passed away in a Swiss hospital on April 8th, 2010, following a six-month battle with peritoneal mesothelioma.
He was 64 years old.
Born in 1946 in Yemen to British parents who divorced when he was young, he was brought up by his maternal grandmother. After finishing school at 16 with a few "O" levels, he went on to study at different art institutions like St Martin's School of Art, Harrow, and SE Essex Schools of Art.
Promoter of the Punk Rock Scene
Mclaren was synomous with the British punk rock scene along with his fashion partner and ex girlfriend the late Vivienne Westwood. They had designed clothing and stage motifs for The New York Dolls in the mid-seventies. He was the creator and manager of The Sex Pistols. A band that became notorious for it's anti-establishment songs such as "God Save The Queen", "Anarchy In The UK" and "Pretty Vacant". Led by frontman Johnny Rotten (John Lydon) they promoted an agressive image and led the punk rock scene in the late 70s. Westwood designed many of the punk outfits they wore. McLaren replaced bassist Glen Matlock with Sid Vicious and from there the infamous Sid and Nancy incident unfolded.
From a personal perspective, I had an affinity for punk music, although my preference leaned more towards ska. Nonetheless, I found the fashion, featuring mohawks, piercings, and vibrant colours, to be quite impressive and indeed attractive. During that period, some of my cousins immersed themselves deeply in the punk subculture, embracing its associated drinking and drug habits. Regrettably, the lasting impact on them has been addiction to heroin, methadone, and alcohol—a grim aftermath of this movement.
McLarens' Continued Exploits
ALongside the Sex Pistols he also managed Adam Ant who sang "Prince Charming" and "Stand & Deliver" amongst others. He created the short-lived pop punk band Bow Wow Wow, although the only good song I think they really did was "C30 C60 C90 Go".
In 1983, McLaren began creating his own music. He worked with producer Trevor Horn and a renowned hip hop DJ duo from New York to release the album "Duck Rock," which produced two UK hits: "Double Dutch," with its strong African influence, and "Buffalo Girls." The next year, he released "Madame Butterfly," which fused electronica with opera. Throughout the eighties, nineties, and the noughties McLaren produced various pieces of music for television and movies. I say produced as he couldn't play one instrument and I don't think he could actually compose music either. Lyrics and the creative seed of the idea - well yes, definitely. 1994, he brought out the album "Paris," featuring Catherine Deneuve, Francoise Hardy, and Amina. The album, with its jazzy tones, serves as a love letter to Paris, a city he adored. French culture was his guilty secret it seems. McLaren's voice was not particularly pleasing but the album itself is beautiful. The song with Francoise Hardy "Revenge of the Flowers" is quite sublime. For taphophiles, one of the tracks is titled "Père Lachaise."
The standout track for me is "Paris Paris," with Catherine Deneuve - my all time favourite actress - maybe that's why I married a French woman and live in France!
Note: The album was re-released in June this year to coincide with the Paris Olympics.
He went on to campaign for Lord Mayor of London, created both visual and sound art installations and exhibitions aswell as writing for and appearing on television, radio and film. There is much to read about him.
McLaren was certainly creative and energetic and controversial. A conformist and a contrarian. He was certainly touched by brilliance. What more would he have achieved if he had lived on?
Publisher Lionel Bovier remarked, "Malcolm McLaren has been an artist in the purest sense throughout his entire adult life." John Lydon, despite his long-standing differences with McLaren, expressed, "Malc was always entertaining to me, and I hope you remember that. He was, above all, an entertainer, and I will miss him—and so should you."
The Funeral
Mclaren was buried in Highgate Cemetery following a service at the deconsecrated church of Holy Trinity Church, Marylebone, London. A beautiful church designed by Sir John Soane, a renownded architect and collector. Indeed, you can visit the house of Sir John Soane in the Holborn area of London. It is uniquely preserved and, as an aside, he designed various famous mausolea himself , a blog post for another time.
McLaren's coffin was decorated with graffiti style art, and the sides bore the phrase "Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die," the name of his and Westwood's shop on the King's Road, London in 1973. The large rectangle funeral wreath bore the words "Cash from Chaos".
Carried on a horse-drawn glass hearse the funeral processed through Camden, London, followed by a double decker bus with friends and mourners. The streets were lined with people and of course punk rockers paying their own hommage to him. The funeral was attended by his son with Vivienne Westood - Joseph Corre, an activitst and entrepeneur. Mourners also included, amongst others, the artists Tracey Emin ( as an aside an old acquaintance of my dear late friend Hilary Bockham) and Dinos Chapman, musicians such as Adam Ant, Bob Geldof, Edward Tudor-Pole, poet John Cooper-Clarke, and his ex-girlfriend the renowned fashion designer Vivienne Westwood.
The Tomb
The tomb stands out for several reasons, especially due to the prominently featured death mask of McLaren, crafted by artist Nick Reynolds. The tombstone exudes sheer boldness, with his initials styled in a manner reminiscent of the DC Comics Universe, commanding attention in the plot.
Inscribed at the base of the tombstone is the phrase, "Better a spectacular failure, than a benign success," reflecting McLaren's sentiment that the finest counsel he ever received came from an art teacher who advised him it was preferable to be a flamboyant failure than a benign success.
Nick Reynolds - the Death Mask
Reynolds, the son of the infamous British Great Train Robber Bruce Reynolds, had no formal art training. However, his interest in art and sculpture was nurtured by his father during their time on the run in South America and later through correspondence from Bruce's prison cell. In his thirties, Reynolds was inspired by the work of British sculptor John Somerville, who mentored him in the craft, especially in his fascination with death and life masks.
Reynolds distinguished himself by reviving the ancient craft of creating death masks. After death, usually at the morgue itself, Reynolds starts the work of creating the death mask. This process entails applying a moulding compound to the face, ears, neck, and upper head. A casing, like a plaster bandage, is then applied to secure the mould in place. Once removed, Reynolds employs meltable wax to sculpt any necessary details. The process concludes with a silicone rubber mould, which is used to cast the final bronze or metal face mask.
Malcolm McLaren was interred to the Sid Vicious version of the song "My Way".
Acknowledging his contribution to the punk movement and his fondness for Paris, paying tribute to the singer Claude Francois who originally wrote the song.
References
The Terrestrial, Behind The Death Masks: Nick Reynolds Artist/Sculptor
The Guardian 22 April 2010
YouTube
The Life and Times of Malcolm McLaren - Paul Gorman
Wikipedia
My own photographs of his tomb
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