Manraze Promo Pic with Paul’s Signature
Former Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook was born on this day, July 20th, in 1956. Paul currently plays in the band Manraze with guitarist Phil Collen from Def Leppard and bassist Simon Laffy from Girl (Phil’s old glam band). Their new CD, punkfunkrootsrock will be released on August 2, 2011. Happy Birthday, Paul!
Read my Interview with Paul Cook at This Link!
On This Date, November 26th, in 1976: The Sex Pistols released their debut single “Anarchy in the U.K.,” from the very excellent album, Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols. “Anarchy…” peaked at number 38 on the UK singles chart but did not chart in the US. In 2007, the band’s surviving members (not including Bassist Glen Matlock) re-recorded the song for the video game Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock because the masters could not be found.
The Doctor Is In
It is certainly a rare treat for me, and other art lovers like my chief partner in crime, Geoffrey, when a modern artist of the caliber of Damien Hirst opens a new exhibit here in the city. G and I were understandably excited to attend the opening night reception for an exhibit of Hirst’s Medicine Cabinets at the L & M Arts Gallery on the upper East side this past week.
Continue reading L and M Arts Gallery Presents Damien Hirst’s Medicine Cabinets
Courtesy of Pitchfork:
Arianna Forster, aka Ari Up, front-woman for pioneering English punk band The Slits, passed away on Wednesday, October 20th, according to the website of John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd., who was also Up’s stepfather. According to Lydon’s site, Up died “after a serious illness.” She was 48 years old.
Continue reading Slits Vocalist and Punk Rock Pioneer, Ari Up: Dead at 48
Here is a statement from Sex Pistols’ guitarist Steve Jones about Malcolm McLaren, who passed away on April 8th at age 64 from cancer.
“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. I stayed friends with him throughout the years despite some of our differences. He came on Jonesy’s Jukebox a couple of years ago, and that’s a good memory. 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.”
— Steve Jones, 4/9/2010