Malcolm McLaren - Why did Punk happen? (Interview for German TV, 2009)

"Punk went up like a rocket, and caught an entire generation's imagination". The late Malcolm McLaren, former manager of The Sex Pistols, explains the roots and directions within the cultural flash that was punk.
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The first part of an interview with Punk figurehead Malcolm McLaren, who became famous for managing The Sex Pistols. McLaren has always been known for his cutting cultural insight and analysis- a trait which arguably led him to help found the Punk movement: addressing the need for a new cultural movement which could be tied to protest in the 1970s.
0:25 Punk as an artistic genre
3:35 The relationship between punk and the music industry
5:24 Choosing the name Sex Pistols
8:51 The UK in the 1970s
15:58 Technology's new wave in the 1980s
#StarsInterviewed

[@erikdolnack2737]

Retroactive history wants to paint Malcolm McLaren as a cheap huckster and con-artist, but he was a brilliantly perceptive visionary and futurist. Malcolm understood Post Modernism better than anyone. The rest of the world still hasn't caught up with him. He was truly brilliant.

[@Modernmeemsshop]

I agree with your sentiment but he did stick it to The Sex Pistols.

[@bennymayhem922]

This is true

[@simonedwards5564]

Long before Paul Simon's musicsl jaunt with AFRICA,,,, Malcolm was already there,,,he did a tune called SOWETO,,,,,IT IS GENIUS 👍👍👍 PURE GENIUS 👍👍👍 THE MAN WAS,,,,IS A GENIUS,@@@@

[@oswaldmontalmo7631]

dude was true situationist. he also did some shady business.

[@christipping7094]

I love the enthusiasm that Malcolm had , his use of language is interesting and attractive. I hope you're having fun up there Malcolm.

[@ClayAsbury122]

24 years ago my band had the good fortune of opening for Bow Wow Wow. Before the show I found Annabella Lwin seated by herself backstage and spoke with her for 30 minutes about the band, punk, and her take on Malcolm’s controversial role in recruiting her at such a young age to sing. Without hesitation, she replied, “He’s a visionary genius. I am so grateful for all he did for me, for Bow Wow Wow, for music and art in general.”

[@ikemachamer7904]

❤

[@realsinisterminister]

I love the way he almost "tastes" the words b4 he spits them out!

[@jetboy_]

lmaooo

[@jetboy_]

ROTFLMAOOOO it got better!?!

[@Valkonnen]

He's pretty interesting and extremely intelligent.

[@CheechWizard22]

This guy just had so much knowledge and insight. He was also great at taking grand subjects and explaining them in a very digestable and satisfying way. He just condensed two decades of culture and youth movements into a 20 minute talk.

[@maxxxmodelz4061]

Malcolm was a true and rare genius, but also a very bad person deep down. It's true he's responsible for the Pistols, but also attempted to ruined their lives in the process. Lydon himself was also a talented artist and wrote most of the lyrics which are immortalized in their music, but Malcolm tore him apart and nearly ruined him when John wanted out. John saw what Malcolm really was doing with the Pistols, and although it was a little late, he got out. As a result, Malcolm set out to absolutely destroy John and the legacy of the Pistols, and make everyone who was involved in that movement feel like absolute fools.

[@CheechWizard22]

Very interesting to know there is more to the story

[@gregdahlen4375]

@@maxxxmodelz4061 what do you mean, he "attempted to ruin their lives in the process"? what did John see, to quote you, "Malcolm really was doing with the Pistols"?

[@maxxxmodelz4061]

@@gregdahlen4375 If you follow some of the legal stuff that happened after the Pistols disbanded, and Lydon went on to form PIL, Malcolm was extremely bitter about Lydon wanting his share of the Pistols profits. Malcolm considered the Pistols his "toy", his creation and his device. He formed the band, supposedly, just to promote his Sex shop and his girlfriend's clothing designs. Malcolm didn't give the artists much of the profits from the success they had at first. He also tried to destroy John's reputation when he was forming PIL by claiming that the Pistols were a "joke" band, a farce, and Lydon had nothing to do with the songwriting or success of the band. Lydon had to sue him to get his credit and share of the Pistols fortunes. It was a MESS and really a war between the two back in the early 80's onward. Even after Malcolm's death, i don't believe John ever forgave him or vice versa. They despised each other until the end.

[@maxxxmodelz4061]

@@gregdahlen4375 Also, in addition to what I just wrote, consider the Pistol's final tour in the US. Malcolm had them touring the deep SOUTH, a location he thought might end in over the top chaos and get all kinds of bad press. He sent the boys into a "hostile" territory on purpose. John also spoke of this as a horrible idea, but they did the tour and it was actually a success. However, if you watch their last ever concert in (I believe it was Texas), John says to the crowd "Do you ever get the feeling like you've been cheated"? That was a direct reference to his relationship with Malcolm.

[@Scotty-P]

The 'funny' part being how much it has influenced commerciality ever since.

[@FlipSideCT]

Wow, this was amazing! His link with King Mob was interesting and led to all this, and how fashion was such a major contributor to the Punk movement. Don't know why John could not give him cudos to bringing this band to life.

[@theselector4733]

Don't know who King Mob is BUT John had serious issues with Malcolm. Firstly, they (the Pistols) weren't getting paid..... somehow all the money they made 'disappeared'. Secondly, if u watch "The Great RnR Swindle" Malcolm made himself out to be the mastermind of the whole movement. John denied all this & said the band were grossly mismanaged & most things that happened to the band were accidental & fortuitous eg: The Grundy Show.

[@FlipSideCT]

agreed yes issues for sure....they did both use each other though. Malcom did have more leverage in his sneaky escapades. He could care less about them as a band but wanted his chaos.

[@seekah1]

No one articulates it better whatever you think of him. Great stuff.

[@christopherdennis4280]

Malcolm was a bad ass

[@jakehughes735]

he really wasn't, he was an extremely selfish egotistical person who wanted allllllllllll of the limelight for himself and wanted everything to be his

[@Vstrum]

@@jakehughes735 but he somehow does so in a charming way

[@743lplkp]

he was a nice person

[@chiamakaonyema218]

He's one of a kind McLaren, I always howled with laughter when I watched that video as a child, even up till now. As I found the punk video hilarious and ridiculously entertaining with raw sense of humour .

[@addison2420]

Didn’t this used to be longer? Why did they cut off the part where he actually talks about “karaoke culture?” (The quote they lifted for the thumbnail.) Now it just ends abruptly and we don’t get to hear his thoughts on the contemporary era.

[@jonjennings13]

I love intelligent people. I listened to every word

[@845callaway]

Jonathan Jonathan ...Hello JJ, I feel the same as you...aren't you a bit suprised that this video has sooo few views? I would expect more people to search out content from Malcolm, because he is such a great reference on the culture of London in the 70s (and on).

[@shack7631]

With McLaren it's not so much how many words you listen to, it's how many you can believe. You have to love him for that alone.

[@leemcqueen500]

What about liars?

[@theselector4733]

@@shack7631 He's a storyteller, a brilliant raconteur. Never let the truth get in the way of a good yarn.

[@jonjennings13]

@@leemcqueen500 what about liars? Why do you ask?

[@VincentRE79]

Malcolm was a genius in musical innovation.

[@neilsun2521]

The Pistols were *way* more different than The Ramones at the time. "Name one Ramones song that was remotely political" - John Lydon. And the Ramones still had that surfer-throwback sound, combined with their long hippy hair do's. (I still like both bands very much though.)

[@adamfindlay7091]

Ramones were very Stooges inspired.

[@postpunkprincess]

god i miss him so much

[@aotctd]

Girl, Kim Kardashian Aesthetic is Postpunk now ?

[@postpunkprincess]

@@aotctd do you know this is a video of Malcolm McLaren? Nothing to do with that basic woman lol he’s an artist

[@aotctd]

@@postpunkprincess lol No I was wondering about your name and the Kim Kardashian type of Style Avatar Why that would be connected to Our Cultures !

[@aotctd]

@@postpunkprincess Yeah, I know what he is. I was born in London

[@postpunkprincess]

@@aotctd that’s me in the pic haha - hence post punk princess;)

[@krisscanlon4051]

Politics via music if we look at his history...MM was an amazing well spoken showman modern day PT Barnum

[@christomorpho]

brilliant man

[@AppleMan531]

Very smart and important person in the music world, but didn't invent the members of The Sex Pistols. They all had their own identity and music writing talent.

[@guidoahsam8043]

and they'd be living in council flats with fat wives and kids if it weren't for malcolm. They were malcolm's 'art materials'

[@VincentRE79]

@@guidoahsam8043 Agree without him they would never have made it. John Lydon would probably have become a postman if it wasn't for Malcolm McLaren.

[@andreperkowski2082]

Malcolm was a creature of kayfabe and missed his true calling as a pro wrestling manager

[@classicartfoundation639]

@@VincentRE79 agreed

[@kimbozw1808]

without malcy there would have been no sex pistols. period.

[@billybollox5216]

LEGEND

[@jonathanmitchell9886]

Lucky for Malcolm that he encountered some kids who just wanted to play in a band (Jon Savage notes that Steve Jones "chose McLaren, not vice versa"), because his own ideas were so bizarre and fruity and ridiculous that he would never have been able to translate them into real-world results: "I've written lyrics for a couple of songs, one called 'Too Fast to Live Too Young to Die,'" McLaren wrote in 1974. "I have the idea of the singer looking like Hitler, those gestures, arm shapes, etc. and talking about his mum in incestuous phrases." If you can make sense of that, you're welcome to it. McLaren was intelligent but almost unbelievably childish. Whatever it was he wanted to do (and I doubt that he knew himself), it bore no relation to music.

[@marciocelso.7953]

Malcolm McLaren was super amazing person anyway , this is thruth musician and amazing How he says on punk scene did in u.k. super awesome his review ;) no words ;)

[@markgreet3543]

Articulate he was on the baton 2007 and again made some controversial remarks he is a legend respect

[@rapidrhinoplumbing-monrovi3269]

Ask Johnny Lydon about Malcolm,,,,,

[@classicartfoundation639]

"all you had to have was an attitude to be anti everything else" lol to this day I agree with this attitude

[@adamfindlay7091]

He brought fun to what coulda been just a- Lets stare at Robert Plants jeans for the thousandth time. Look what erupted instead.( note: to u may not know: he managed the NY Dolls prior to Sex Pistols fyi).

[@PT_English]

The likes of William Bu ROOOOWSSSSS!

[@LetsGoMetsGo33]

Malcolm could sure talk some crap.

[@numanoid-ll8zb]

Definitely a visionary..great in the Pistol documentary.

[@Muirton66]

Old talcy Malcy changed British music and culture forever, an extremely clever individual who in my opinion did not get the recognition he deserved. Sex Pistols #1.

[@gregdahlen4375]

he looks so much like dustin hoffman in "mrs. robinson" here

[@johnlove140]

Looks more like art garfunkel

[@FF-so3su]

Malcolm always had a camp ness in his voice but he was straight.

[@aotctd]

I think it is a specific Englishness from back then Maybe Eccentrics

[@ikemachamer7904]

Really ?

[@robinlee1972]

What would the Pistols of been without Mclaren what would Mclaren have been without the Pistols ?

[@glennmcqueen9475]

he is the real deal. the og unplugged

[@norakat]

Punk - just a bunch of people having fun

[@marsoblivi0n945]

Wasn’t about that or a fashion statement. It was a lifestyle

[@Modernmeemsshop]

Master of ceremony

[@guymacandrew5989]

Great mind 🙏

[@sexobscura]

I've heard it said that the name *Sex Pistols* was thought up by *"some animal"* and that *"it doesn't matter".*

[@Eleventhearlofmars]

Young, dynamic, sexy, assassins , that was how McLaren describes why they were being called the sex pistols lol

[@heikekeppler993]

❤️

[@oldskoolfool141]

He never sold out to truth

[@happyjack1598]

Love you Malcolm.I mean that.Miss you.From Florida via Boston.Im getting up there in age.But,I m gonna do a runner and leave Bernie Rhoades with the check!1😀😄😃😀😃😃😃😃😄😄😃❤❤❤😙

[@bostrickland4970]

He is correct from punks to technology ….The man yes a great storyteller and bullshit artist …...But an intelligent one . Punk taught me the DIY Do it yourself but so did the beats n hippies as well …. this is 2020 and man you got it right ! Buy the ticket and ride the ride .;0 :)Lets enjoy life !! Be yourself !!

[@AFaceintheCrowd01]

What we have today is a karaoke culture and a generic world.

[@aotctd]

Amen

[@marleimiranda6133]

👏👏👏👏❤️🔝🔝🔝🔝

[@gregdahlen4375]

i meant 'the graduate'

[@willieluncheonette5843]

i'm too lazy to listen to this but he better have mentioned the ramones as the first punk band--not the pistols

[@innercityunit2112]

LOL....

[@hawkeyefire6208]

Punk this punk that. The Pistols, definitely were not the Ramones and that’s a fact

[@Eleventhearlofmars]

Punk was a title given to the sex pistols by the British media, not the sex pistols themselves.

[@classicartfoundation639]

I'd say the New York Dolls

[@marsoblivi0n945]

Dead moon & velvet underground predated all those bands.

[@coyhutt8022]

“We had become a nation of liars”. Hmmm.

[@markdobson3740]

WTF is a 'dence club' ?

[@fluxfotos22]

He had a great big ego and never invented punk.

[@tsmay4598]

Not as big as that of Johnny "This Is All About Me" Rotten

[@shack7631]

He didn't invent it, but played a part in it.

[@marsoblivi0n945]

No.. but they were the first to take it to a political place. This was very important.

[@neilsun2521]

I'm pretty sure he had the idea to release God Save The Queen on the Jubilee at the time though! Pretty much the most controversial thing a band had ever done at that point.

[@karoltomis5704]

Neither Andy Warhol invented the pop-art, however become its guru/pin-up boy.

[@thestr8person]

Unbearable

[@lukethedrifter100]

Johnny lydon was just a puppet in the great plans of Mr Malcom Mclearn...a little pawn that he moved at will...Malcom was the ultimate punk..an intelligent punk, with style....not some loud mouth working class fart who thought he knew about music..

[@Lord_Hillcrest01]

You arent so clever trevor you really have no idea . Rotten a puppet , thats the funniest statement ive heard this year . Malcolm was the ultimate spin doctor but didnt have the savvy to manage who were arguably the most meaningful rock n roll band of all time.

[@ianshaw2321]

Malcom "borrowed" the bulk of his ideas from ALO , blatant

[@SevenPr1me]

@@Lord_Hillcrest01 nice opinion bro, shame it cant be backed with facts

[@Lord_Hillcrest01]

@@SevenPr1me Another one who doesnt understand the Sex Pistols . I have all the facts i need , try me.

[@derekdykeman9160]

Incorrect Trepee

[@yvamarquer]

The scope of what he's attempting to cover is as wide (the entire history of youth culture) as his attempt to take credit for it is hilarious. He almost sounds convincing tying "his" invention of punk DIY to hip-hop's DIY sampling.

[@aotctd]

To not see that there were connections back then is hilarious