The Big Issue - UK (2020-04-30)

34 | BIGISSUE.COM ǾǻVY.=ɯǻȁCyǽǻǽǻ

CULTURE |

BOOKS

A

t theheartoflockdownisitsbiggest

contradiction:whilepeoplearebannedfrom

moving,theworldischangingfasterthanmany

haveeverseen.Whatwaspresentedasfactis

turnedonitshead:“low-skilled”workersareinfactour

mostpreciousasset;the“magicmoneytree”exists;the

DailyMailǜĩŦěŻůĩƪ¦ŻůþűŎþűŁƢƿŎƷᠸƟŎěţĩƢƪ᠐

Manyofuswelcomethis recognition that ‘normal’ was

a systemofprotectionsandchoices for a privileged group.

Manyotherswanttoreturnto it. On March 31, journalist

CharlesMoorearguedina Radio 4 interview that “an

emergencyisnotthesameas normal life”, oblivious to

REVIEW

Greatest showman

Paul Whitelaw is gripped by a Malcolm McLaren

biography that explores beyond the caricature

I

f the late Malcolm McLaren’s sole contribution to popular

culture had been his stage-management of the Sex Pistols,

that in itself would secure his place in the pantheon. But as this

painstaking biography makes clear, his pivotal involvement in

the British punk scene was merely an epic chapter or three in the life

of a polymath artist who never sat still.

In ȃĩhŎŁĩþűĢ¼ŎůĩƪŻŁrþŦěŻŦůrěhþƢĩű, author Paul

GŻƢůþűᠵǜʼnŻţűĩǜrěhþƢĩűƷþűłĩűƷŎþŦŦǢᠵŁƿŦȀŦƪʼnŎƪƪƷþƷĩĢþŎůŻŁ

ƟƢĩƪĩűƷŎűłþƢŻƿűĢĩĢƟŻƢƷƢþŎƷŻŁƷʼnŎƪŻǼƷᠸůŎƪƿűĢĩƢƪƷŻŻĢĩěěĩűƷƢŎě᠐

McLaren was a visionary showman who revelled in self-mythology,

hyperbole and loquacious obfuscation. He was always ‘on’ in public,

hence why he came to be seen as a caricature.

When you hype yourself as an arch-manipulator, a spiv Svengali,

an organised agent of chaos, you have to accept that no one will

ĩǛĩƢƷþţĩþűǢƷʼnŎűłǢŻƿƪþǢþƷŁþěĩǛþŦƿĩ᠐ȃŎƪ᠄GŻƢůþűþƢłƿĩƪ᠄Ŏƪ

something that the surprisingly sensitive McLaren privately came to

ƢĩłƢĩƷ᠐ȃĩƪĩŦŁᠸƪƷǢŦĩĢŁþĞþĢĩŻǛĩƢƪʼnþĢŻǜĩĢʼnŎƪůǢƢŎþĢþěʼnŎĩǛĩůĩűƷƪ᠕

without a hint of hagiography, the book mounts a strong case for

rěhþƢĩűᡒƪƪŎłűŎȀěþűěĩþűĢĩűĢƿƢŎűłŎűǴŦƿĩűěĩ᠐

Gorman has deliberately neglected to interview some of those

who have spoken at length about McLaren over the years. Vivienne

Westwood, for example, is a major – and fairly treated – presence in

the book, but her quotes are taken from pre-existing sources.

He has opted instead to interview a vast cast of lifelong intimates

who have never, or rarely, spoken publicly about their friend and

occasional foe. He’s also gained access to previously unpublished

material from McLaren’s archive.

Over the space of 793 propulsive pages, a portrait emerges of

þĢŎDzȀěƿŦƷǢĩƷĚƢŎŦŦŎþűƷůþűƿƷƷĩƢŦǢŎŦŦᠸĩơƿŎƟƟĩĢŁŻƢþűǢţŎűĢŻŁ

conventional life. A dysfunctional childhood instilled within him a

desire to provoke authority; he was fond of recalling his redoubtable

grandmother’s maxim, “To be bad is good, because to be good is

simply boring.”

McLaren could be callous, dubious, dreadful; an irresponsible

Situationistprovocateurwhousedpeopleforaslongastheyserved

hisuniqueart,fashion,musicandpolitics-meldingpurpose.He

wasalsocharming,funny,generousandkind.Likemostpeople,he

ĢĩȀĩĢĚŎűþƢǢěŦþƪƪŎȀěþƷŎŻű᠐ÃűŦŎţĩůŻƪƷƟĩŻƟŦĩ᠄ʼnĩ ǜþƪ᠄ŁŻƢ ĚĩƷƷĩƢŻƢ

ŎŦŦ᠄ ĩǡƷƢþŻƢĢŎűþƢǢ᠐ƪ ǜƢŎƷĩƢŦþűrŻŻƢĩŻĚƪĩƢǛĩƪŎű ʼnŎƪ ůþłűŎȀěĩűƷ

ŁŻƢĩǜŻƢĢ᠄rěhþƢĩűǜþƪᡉþ łĩűƿŎűĩŦǢƟʼnŻƪƟʼnŻƢĩƪěĩűƷĚĩŎűł᠅þ ȀłƿƢĩ

madeentirelyoutofcounterculture”.Gormandoesanexemplaryjob

ŻŁ ƢĩƪƷŻƢŎűłǴŦĩƪʼnƷŻ ƷʼnŻƪĩƪŦŎƟƟĩƢǢ᠄łŦŻǜᠸŎűᠸƷʼnĩᠸĢþƢţĚŻűĩƪ᠐

ȃĩ£ŎƪƷŻŦƪěʼnþűłĩĢrþƢţhþűĩłþűᡒƪŦŎŁĩ᠐àʼnĩűʼnĩ ĢŎƪěŻǛĩƢĩĢ

themasa teenager,theformerScreamingTreessingerwasa

functioningalcoholicfroma nowhererednecktownwhofoundhis

escapeinmusic.He’dprobablybedeadwithoutitsguidinghand.

Hisbrutallyfrankmemoir,SingBackwardsandWeep, isa dark

yetborderline-hilariouscavalcadeofhorrorandmayhem.Lanegan

getsthemordantjoke;it’swritten,incrispanecdotalstyle,without

a traceofself-pity.He’ssurvivedaneye-poppinglifescarredwith

violence,depressionandseveresubstanceabuse,buthepresentsit all

asa deadpanfarcecontainingfrequentdetoursintoawfulterritory.

/Ǜĩűǜʼnĩűʼnĩ ƪĩƷƷŦĩƪƪěŻƢĩƪ᠄hþűĩłþűűĩǛĩƢʼnþƪƷʼnĩŦþƪƷŦþƿłʼn᠐ȃĩ

exceptionishiswonderfullydevastatingtakedownofLiamGallagher,

whosepathetic‘hardman’frontdidn’tfooltheauthorfora second.

@paulwhitelaw

It’stoughtobeanactivist from your armchair,

butit’snotimpossible.Sophie Walker explains

howtoharnesstheenergy of isolation

Lockdown,

power up

AUTHOR FEATURE

ȄĩhŎŁĩᥡ¼ŎůĩƪŻŁrþŦěŻŦůrěhþƢĩűby Paul

Gorman is out now (Constable, £30)

®ŎűłþěţǜþƢĢƪþűĢàĩĩƟby Mark Lanegan

is out on April 30 (White Rabbit, £20)