No future for England’s punk dream?

Former Sex Pistols manager’s son to burn memorabilia

LONDON: The son of former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, Joe Corre, is to burn his £5m collection of punk memorabilia after saying “the subversive music genre has been appropriated by the mainstream”.

On the other hand, punk rock has been increasingly brought into the mainstream over recent years and a series of events under the banner ‘Punk. London’ is being held in London to celebrate its history, backed by the British Library and the National Lottery. Exhibitions, gigs, films and talks will take place, with organisers describing the genre as “a rallying call for direct action”.

But Corre, who co-founded lingerie brand Agent Provocateur, said he would burn his entire collection of punk memorabilia on November 26, the 40th anniversary of the release of the Sex Pistols debut single Anarchy in the UK, bemoaning what he called a general “malaise” in Britain. “People don’t feel they have a voice anymore. The most dangerous thing is that they have stopped fighting for what they believe in,” he said.



The anarchic Sex Pistols band popularised punk music through songs such as God Save the Queen, which attacked the British monarch with lyrics including “she ain’t no human being, there is no future in England’s dreaming”. The BBC had refused to air the song that was released during Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee in 1977.

Formed in 1975, the band sparked controversies galore, with their live appearances often resulting in chaos. 

Published in The Express Tribune, March 20^th, 2016.

Like Life & Style on Facebook, follow @ETLifeandStyle on Twitter for the latest in fashion, gossip and entertainment.