Punk is not dead. On the 40th anniversary of the Pistols’ now-infamous single ‘Anarchy in the UK’, Joe Corré, son of Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, burnt rare gig posters, one-off recordings and original pieces of clothing worth £5 million ($8.4 million).
His mum, legendary punk fashion designer Vivienne Westwood cheered him on.
Why?
It was a protest against Punk London, a year of events being held to celebrate 40 years of punk which he says proves the movement is now “a McDonald’s brand owned by the state, establishment and corporations.”
The great rock ‘n’ roll swindle
Corré, who founded the £60 million underwear brand Agent Provocateur partly funded by selling and then later re-buying the collection, said he believes his father, who died in 2010, would have “probably” supported the move.
But the plan prompted anger from many music fans and critics and punk veterans, with the exact location of the burning kept secret until shortly before to stop fans and collectors from trying to save the items.
So why didn’t he just sell the collection and donate the money to charity? “We have charities where people are earning £250,000 a year to sit on the board – these things are becoming corporations in their own right,” he said.
Looks like charity is dead too.
Watch the video of the burning here.
Or just catch the original ‘Anarchy in the UK’ here.
