Malcolm Mclaren.Personal View.
Welcome Everyone
This is a Personal View of a person I admired for changing Pop culture and Design culture in Britain in the 1970s.Malcolm Mclaren.
I first visited his store “Sex” in London during a wander around before an FA Cup Final game at Wembly Stadium. May 1975 from memory.
The “Sex Pistols” had not made it at that time,but his Punk Culture was already expanding.
Wierd kids in mainly black leather gear with huge pins thru everything they could get their hands on.Clothes with chains,body bits with pins.It was a totally radical scene.
Ridiculed by many passing the shop.However you could not get into the shop!It was packed,and people,Punks were pushing to get inside!The pavement was packed.From Memory,hundreds outside and it was about 9.30am Saturday.
I had no idea I had just Witnessed the birth of a Culture Revolution that would eventually engulf the World.
Short fast forward.
I was the Assistant Manager of a Night club just outside Liverpool in England.I had left and was waiting to start a new job in a brand new bar on the coast.
As a fill in I was working as a night worker at a Gas Station just 2 minutes from the Night club.
Glad I was.Introducing the “Sex Pistols”.
Time, about 3am.A white battered van parked up by the(if I remember right)by the Diesel bowser.Out jumped a load of kids from the front and back of the van,5 or 6 not to sure.
They started running around the forecourt,pulling all the oil displays over,I had to run outside and stop one of them running off the forecourt with one display!Swearing,fighting kicking the oil cans around.
Then I turned around and they were trying to pull the cigarette machine from the wall!Then entered the man.Malcolm Mclaren.All calm.telling them to behave themselves and calm down.Paid for the fuel AND the cigarettes.He told them to get back in the van and away they went.10 minutes of mayhem and bedlam,over.
30 minutes later,my friend and ex colleague arrived from the Nightclub to fill his car.He was the DJ.
I mentioned what had just “occurred”(that ones for you “Alex Jeffreys”)about all these crazy kids and their weird dress.I had no idea where they had come from.
“Oh” he said,”we’ve just had that crowd on at the Mr Digbys Club.Crazy bunch,spitting at the audience,fighting,we had to throw them out in the end.They call them the “Sex Pistols”.
The following Monday night it was announced on the “6 o’clock News” that a group called the “Sex Pistols” had been thrown off the “Eamonn Andrews Show” for swearing and being out of control on the Sunday night.
Year 1977 from memory.My memory of Malcolm Mclaren was he was a real nice guy!Sadly missed.
The exact times,dates etc have been forgotten,to protect the innocent.Plus I’m getting older.
Hope you enjoyed the post.
Which Famous person or Celebrity have you met or come across on your travels?
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Thanks for visiting
Ray
