couple of thoughts on malcolm mclaren
Regular visitors to these pages will know that Malcolm was a big hero of mine.
Just last week I posted about lessons on creating a movement, inspired by Malcolm, Bernie Rhodes and Jake Riviera.
One of my favourite Malcolm nuggets is from a clip in The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle. Malcolm is facing the press who are outraged that a member of the Sex Pistols had reputededly thrown up in a bin at Heathrow Airport, to the horror of passers-by.
Malcolm replies:
'People are sick all the time.
In fact people in this country are sick and tired of constantly being told what to do'.
It's poignant that Malcolm should pass away the day after the Commons passed the Digital Economy bill.
Well, we are still sick and tired of being told what to do.
A bill spun as 'protecting the creative industries' by creating legislation that would prohibit digital sharing of copyrighted material, films and music principally.
One clause allows the government to order the blocking of 'locations on the internet which the court is satisfied has been, is being or is likely to be used for or in connection with an activity that infringes copyright'.
'Is likely' being the key phrase. Many people are convinced that this in effect a smokescreen for another, more disturbing agenda around free speech and the emerging 'surveillance' economy.
Malcolm would have had something to say about both issues.
Subversive ideas being his stock in trade, and Piracy as a business model was a key theme of his way back in 1980 with his post-Pistols protege's Bow Wow Wow.
C30 C60 C90 Go! being the pre-ipod, walkman generation's riposte to the 'home taping is killing music' bleat from the music business establishment.
It didn't kill music, and neither will digital file sharing.
Goodbye Malcolm, thanks for everything.
Pic from timesonline
