Malcolm McLaren facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Malcolm McLaren
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McLaren in 2009
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren |
| Born | 22 January 1946 Stoke Newington, London, England |
| Died | 8 April 2010 (aged 64) Bellinzona, Ticino, Switzerland |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, singer-songwriter, producer, band manager, entrepreneur, music businessman. |
| Years active | 1971–2010 |
| Labels | Charisma, Island/Atlantic, Epic/SME, Gee Street/Island/Polygram, Virgin/EMI |
| Associated acts | Sex Pistols, New York Dolls, Bow Wow Wow, The World's Famous Supreme Team, Art of Noise, Jimmy The Hoover |
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren (born January 22, 1946 – died April 8, 2010) was an English fashion designer and music manager. He became famous for promoting and managing punk rock and new wave bands. These included the New York Dolls, Sex Pistols, Adam and the Ants, and Bow Wow Wow. He played a big part in shaping the early punk subculture.
Malcolm was raised by his grandmother after his father left the family. He went to several art colleges in the 1960s. There, he got involved in underground art and left-wing activism. From 1974 to 1976, he ran a clothing shop in Chelsea with his girlfriend, Vivienne Westwood. This shop helped create early punk fashion and became a key meeting place for the punk scene in London.
After advising the New York Dolls in the United States, McLaren managed the Sex Pistols. He found their lead singer, Johnny Rotten. In 1977, the band released a controversial song called "God Save the Queen." It made fun of the Queen's Jubilee. This was a typical "shock tactic" for McLaren. He even got arrested after a boat trip near the Houses of Parliament to promote the song, which brought him a lot of attention.
In the 1980s, McLaren continued to manage other bands. He also started his own music career as a solo artist. He first focused on hip hop and world music. Later, he explored funk, disco, and electronic dance music. When people said he turned popular culture into a cheap marketing trick, he joked that he hoped it was true. His first album, Duck Rock, sold well in the UK. It featured hit songs like "Buffalo Gals" and "Double Dutch."
In his later years, Malcolm McLaren lived in Paris and New York City. He passed away from a serious illness in a hospital in Switzerland.
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Malcolm McLaren's Early Life
Malcolm McLaren was born on January 22, 1946. He was born in Stoke Newington, a part of north-east London. His father, Peter McLaren, was an engineer. His mother, Emily Isaacs, came from a wealthy family.
Malcolm's parents separated when he was two years old. After that, his grandmother, Rose, raised him. He lived next door to her.
At 16, Malcolm left school with a few qualifications. He worked a few small jobs. Then, he went to art classes at St Martin's School of Art. He also studied at Harrow School of Art. Over the next seven years, he attended other art schools. These included the South East Essex School of Art and Goldsmiths.
Fashion and Music Career
Starting a Fashion Shop
In October 1971, Malcolm McLaren took over a shop space. It was at 430 King's Road in Chelsea, West London. He first sold rock and roll records and old clothes. He called his shop "In The Back Of Paradise Garage." With help from a friend, he turned the whole ground floor into a store. He renamed it "Let It Rock."
The shop became popular. Malcolm then asked his girlfriend, Vivienne Westwood, for help. She was a designer. She would fix up old clothes and create new ones.
"Let It Rock" was a favorite spot for teddy boys. McLaren and Westwood's designs also appeared in movies. These included The Rocky Horror Show. In 1973, they changed the shop's name to "Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die." They started selling leather clothing inspired by the 1950s. They even made costumes for the film Mahler.
In August 1973, McLaren and Westwood went to New York. They met the New York Dolls, a band. They started supplying the band with stage outfits. They even joined them on tour in the UK and France. In 1975, McLaren and Westwood designed red costumes for the New York Dolls. They used a Soviet-style hammer and sickle symbol. This was meant to cause a stir. But it didn't work, and the band soon broke up. McLaren returned to Britain in May 1975.
Managing the Sex Pistols
From 1974, Malcolm McLaren advised Paul Cook and Steve Jones. They wanted to start a band. McLaren suggested that one of his shop assistants, Glen Matlock, join them. He named the group "Kutie Jones and his Sex Pistols." In 1975, McLaren removed the singer, Wally Nightingale. He felt Wally didn't fit the band's image.
A friend of McLaren's, Bernie Rhodes, saw a new singer. It was John Lydon. He had green hair and torn clothes. McLaren liked him and called him "Johnny Rotten." He shortened the band's name to just "Sex Pistols."
In May 1977, the band released "God Save the Queen." This was during Queen Elizabeth II's Silver Jubilee. McLaren organized a boat trip down the Thames. The Sex Pistols performed outside the Houses of Parliament. The police stopped the boat, and McLaren was arrested. This stunt got them a lot of publicity.
The band released their album, Never Mind the ..., Here's the Sex Pistols, in October 1977. They played their last UK show before a US tour in January 1978. The band members later accused McLaren of mismanaging them. They said he didn't pay them when they asked for money. McLaren claimed he had planned the Sex Pistols' whole career. This idea was shown in his film The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle.
Working with Other Artists
Adam Ant asked McLaren to manage his band, Adam and the Ants, in 1979. Soon after, three members of the band left. They formed Bow Wow Wow under McLaren's management. McLaren continued to advise Adam Ant as he formed a new band. He also advised Jimmy the Hoover.
The members of Bow Wow Wow wore clothes designed by McLaren and Westwood.
Malcolm McLaren's Solo Music
In 1983, McLaren released Duck Rock. He worked with producer Trevor Horn and the World's Famous Supreme Team. This album blended music from Africa and the Americas, including hip hop. It helped bring hip hop to more people. The songs "Buffalo Gals" and "Double Dutch" became top-10 hits in the UK.
In 1984, McLaren explored electronic music and opera. His song "Madame Butterfly" reached No. 13 in the UK.
McLaren's 1989 album, Waltz Darling, was a funk and disco album. It was inspired by the voguing dance style. The songs "Waltz Darling" and "Something's Jumpin' in Your Shirt" were popular in Europe. A remix of "Deep in Vogue" helped make voguing and ball culture widely known. It topped the US dance chart in July 1989. This was before Madonna's famous song "Vogue."
In 1989, McLaren and composer Yanni created "Aria on Air." This song used the "Flower Duet" theme from a French opera. It was used in British Airways commercials.
In 1994, he recorded the album Paris. It featured famous French stars. These included actress Catherine Deneuve and musician Françoise Hardy.
In 1998, McLaren released Buffalo Gals Back 2 Skool. This album had hip hop artists like Rakim and De La Soul remixing songs from Duck Rock.
McLaren's song "About Her" was on the soundtrack for Quentin Tarantino's 2004 film Kill Bill: Volume 2. The song used parts of "She's Not There" by the Zombies. It also looped a phrase from Bessie Smith's "St. Louis Blues." McLaren was accused of using parts of the song without permission. But in November 2005, a court ruled in his favor.
Other artists have used parts of McLaren's solo work in their songs. In 1997, Mariah Carey's "Honey" sampled "Hey DJ." In 2002, Eminem's song "Without Me" used "Buffalo Gals." In 2007, R&B singer Amerie sampled McLaren's "World's Famous."
Film and TV Work
In 1984, McLaren started working on theater and film projects. He worked on a musical version of his Fans album. He also worked on a film idea called Fashion Beast. This film combined the story of Beauty and the Beast with the life of fashion designer Christian Dior.
In 1985, McLaren worked for CBS Theatrical Films. He developed ideas for movies. He also worked for Steven Spielberg's company, Amblin Entertainment.
In the early 1990s, McLaren returned to Europe. He produced several film and TV projects. He co-directed and starred in The Ghosts of Oxford Street. This musical history of London's Oxford Street was shown on British TV in 1992. It featured performances by popular musicians.
In 2000, McLaren wrote and performed in a six-part TV series called Being Malcolm. In 2006, he produced the film Fast Food Nation. It was based on a book about the fast food industry.
Other Projects
Running for Mayor
In 1999, Malcolm McLaren wrote an article called "My Vision for London." This made people think he might run for Mayor of London. He launched a campaign to be an independent candidate in the May 2000 elections. However, he pulled out when another strong candidate, Ken Livingstone, entered the race.
Radio and TV Shows
In 2006, McLaren hosted a radio series for BBC Radio 2. It was called Malcolm McLaren's Musical Map of London. In 2007, he hosted Malcolm McLaren's Life and Times in L.A.
Also in 2007, McLaren was on a reality TV show called The Baron. It was filmed in a Scottish village. He also joined I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! but left before it started. He said it felt "fake."
Malcolm McLaren once said about his work: "I have been called many things: a charlatan, a con man, or, most flatteringly, the culprit responsible for turning British popular culture into nothing more than a cheap marketing gimmick. This is my chance to prove that these accusations are true."
Art Exhibitions
Malcolm McLaren had his first art exhibition in 1967. It was an installation at the Kingly Street Art Gallery in London.
In 1988, an exhibition called Impresario: Malcolm McLaren and the British New Wave was held. It showed his work in activism, art, design, fashion, and music. This was at the New Museum Of Contemporary Art in New York.
The 1996 London exhibition I Groaned With Pain showed the fashion designs McLaren created with Vivienne Westwood. McLaren said about the clothes, "I don't know whether it's art. It might be bigger than art."
In his later years, McLaren returned to visual arts. In 2005, his installation Casino of Authenticity and Karaoke was shown in Germany.
In 2008, McLaren's sound painting series Shallow was shown in Times Square in New York City. The full series was later shown at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) in Philadelphia.
In 2009, McLaren's book Musical Painting was published. It included work from artists like Damien Hirst.
After his death, several exhibitions honored McLaren's work. In 2014, "Let It Rock: The Look of Music The Sound of Fashion" showed his fashion designs. Another exhibition, "Art in Pop," focused on his background in visual arts.
Personal Life
Malcolm McLaren's relationship with Vivienne Westwood ended around 1980. Their son is Joseph Corré.
Later, McLaren was in relationships with Andrea Linz, Lauren Hutton, and Eugena Melián. He lived in Los Angeles and Paris with them. He recorded his Paris album because Eugena Melián encouraged him.
His last long-term partner was Young Kim. They met in Paris and lived together for 12 years. She is the main heir to his estate.
Later Life and Death
Malcolm McLaren was diagnosed with a serious illness in October 2009. He passed away from this illness on April 8, 2010, in a hospital in Switzerland. His son, Joseph Corré, said McLaren's last words were "Free Leonard Peltier".
McLaren was buried in Highgate Cemetery in North London. The song "My Way" (Sid Vicious's version) was played at his burial.
In 2012, Young Kim was granted control of McLaren's will. His son, Joe Corré, was not included in the inheritance.
In 2013, a headstone was placed on McLaren's grave. It says: "Better a spectacular failure, than a benign success." This was a saying McLaren believed in.
Images for kids
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McLaren in 2009
See also
In Spanish: Malcolm McLaren para niños
