This week, the rock world lost punk impresario Malcolm McLaren, who passed away yesterday after a battle with cancer. In addition to managing the Sex Pistols and sculpting the look and sound of the punk era, McLaren was a successful musician in his own right, introducing African music and the hip-hop sound to the U.K. with “Double Dutch,” which you can watch above.
In a statement released today, Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones said of McLaren, “I was upset when I heard the news, as I’ve always had a soft spot for Malcolm. I knew him since I was 17 before the Pistols formed — I used to drive him around in Vivienne Westwood’s car to the tailors in London in the days of the ‘Let It Rock’ clothing store. Malcolm was definitely the Brian Epstein of punk — without him it wouldn’t have happened the way it did. But my fondest memory of Malcolm, and I loved the guy, was his birthday gift to me when I turned 21 — he got me a hooker and some heroin.”
Below, watch the video for McLaren’s offbeat hit single “Madame Butterfly,” based on the opera of the same name, and more of McLaren’s work.
“Soweto”
“Buffalo Gals”
“Duck Rock”
Article Source: Rolling Stone : Rock and Roll Daily