Malcolm McLaren |
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Sat. January 22.2000 3:00 AM EST |
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Malcolm McLarenby Frank Tortorici |
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Though best known for his work with the Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren also has been a solo artist. ( ) |
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Larger-than-life musical figure Malcolm McLaren is best known as the manager of two of rock's most influential bands, the New York Dolls and the Sex Pistols. But McLaren is also a solo artist who has recorded his own material, including the
McLaren was born in London, on Jan. 22, 1946. He was raised mostly by his grandmother and spent the late '60s hopping between art schools. In 1969 he became romantically involved with fashion designer Vivienne Westwood and began embracing the Internationale Situationist, a French Marxist/dadaist group that played a role in the student-rights protests of 1968. Adapting the Situationist's provocative political slogans, McLaren began to stage events to attract workers' attention to his rock groups. He opened Let It Rock, a clothing store based on the revival of the '50s Teddy Boy fashions, in 1971. There, McLaren met the New York Dolls and soon moved to New York City to manage the seminal glam-rock band. He suggested the band use a Communist flag in its stage show to increase its profile. After the record companies failed to beat a path to the group's door, McLaren and the Dolls parted ways. McLaren returned to London to open the S&M boutique Sex, and he began planning a new band that he hoped would cause ripples in pop culture. In 1975 he picked four lower-income kids who seemed to have the nihilistic qualities he wanted to emphasize and formed the Sex Pistols — and in the process kicked off the punk-rock revolution. With McLaren skillfully promoting their shows, the Sex Pistols became the leaders of the punk scene that begat the Clash, the Buzzcocks, Siouxsie and the Banshees and many other acts. As the obnoxious band's buzz became too loud for record labels to ignore, McLaren got the Pistols signed by EMI and A&M — who both soon axed the profane band. EMI issued the Pistols' first single, "Anarchy in the U.K." (RealAudio excerpt), at the tail end of 1976 but quickly withdrew the single and ended the contract after they used the word "f---er" on British television. Warner Bros. Records then released the band's debut LP, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, which preceded the group's tour of the States. Despite critical acclaim, U.S. record buyers seemed more curious about, than enamored of, the Sex Pistols. Lead singer Johnny Rotten blamed McLaren for the sensationalism surrounding them and disbanded the group in early 1978. McLaren facilitated the filming of Julien Temple's "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle," which included early Pistols footage. The Pistols later sued McLaren for tying up their royalties in management companies. They won $1.44 million. McLaren moved on to manage the short-lived pop-dance band Bow Wow Wow and assisted the careers of Adam Ant and Boy George before commencing his solo career. Duck Rock combined urban dance music with the worldbeat sound later incorporated by artists such as Paul Simon and Peter Gabriel. The album spawned two top-10 UK hits, "Buffalo Gals" and "Double Dutch." Would Ya Like More Scratchin' (1984) was hip-hop oriented, and the same year's Fans flirted with opera and featured the UK smash "Madam Butterfly." Following Swamp Thing (1985), McLaren moved to California to try working in films but ended up accomplishing not much more than meeting with Steven Spielberg and romancing model-turned-actress Lauren Hutton. In 1989 McLaren issued Waltz Darling, under the umbrella of the Bootzilla Orchestra and featuring Jeff Beck and Bootsy Collins. After Round the Outside! Round the Outside! (1990), McLaren relocated to Paris and issued an LP named after the city, in 1995. He issued the single "Revenge of the Flowers" with French singer Francoise Hardy. McLaren's most recent LP is Buffalo Gals Back to Skool (1998). In December, Reuters reported McLaren's plans to run for mayor of the City of London this year, as an independent candidate. He told the wire service that if elected, he would legalize brothels and marijuana, allow people to drink alcohol at libraries and let pubs stay open 24 hours. The election takes place in May. Other birthdays on Saturday: Steve Perry, 51; Steven Adler (Guns N' Roses, L.A. Guns), 35; Jazzy Jeff (DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince), 35; Steve Roachford (Roachford), 35; Mike Glabicki (Rusted Root), 31; Sam Cooke, 1935–1964; Addie "Micki" Harris (Shirelles), 1940–1982; and Michael Hutchence (INXS), 1960–1997. |
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