Malcolm McLaren

 

The story of Malcolm McLaren is the story of English in the last half century. Expelled from a string of art colleges in the 1960s, he fell in love with designer Vivienne Westwood and they became the Bonnie and Clyde of punk, turning the fashion world upside down with their boutique SEX and its eye-popping creations. It was also the birthplace of the Sex Pistols, and McLaren masterminded it all: discovering lead singer John Lydon, achieving a No. 1 single without any airplay, and outraging a nation with "God Save the Queen." After the Pistols imploded in a horror story of heroin, murder, and suicide, a beleaguered McLaren went into self-imposed exile in Paris as years of lawsuits commenced. The rift was never healed, and this book examines the complex relationship between McLaren and Lydon. Malcolm's own musical career was no less amazing—his 1983 album Duck Rock mixed African music with hip hop and was responsible for bringing the fusion to a wider audience, and his other collaborations included working with such diverse talents as guitar hero Jeff Beck and the legendary Francoise Hardy. In later years he even ran for mayor of London, funded by Alan McGee, Creation Records founder.