Joe Corre made a statement on the Thames this Saturday, the anniversary of The Sex Pistols debut single, “Anarchy In The UK.” Punk London is going to mark the 40th anniversary of Punk Rock with “events, gigs, and exhibitions” supported by the Mayor of London and British Film Institute according to the BBC. Corre, the son of former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, decided to criticize this planned anniversary by celebrating in his own way and burning nearly $6 million worth of memorabilia for the band:
The 48-year-old told the crowd that “punk was never meant to be nostalgic”.
The protest was aimed at official plans to celebrate the movement’s 40th anniversary.
Mr. Corre said his collection of clothes, posters and other music-related items was worth £5m.
Dummies of former Prime Minister David Cameron, ex-Chancellor George Osborne and Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson were among those engulfed in flames as part of the protest, on a boat near the Albert Bridge in Chelsea, London.
Corre was joined by Dame Vivienne Westwood during the event that seemed to be a tip of the hat to the band’s trip down the Thames during the Queen’s jubilee in 1977. It isn’t the first inferno Corre has started in his protest and apparently won’t be the last according to The Huffington Post, with Corre hitting at the commercial status of Punk in the modern era:
“Punk has become another marketing tool to sell you something you don’t need.
“The illusion of an alternative choice. Conformity in another uniform.”
Corre calls it the “great punk swindle,” using the Sex Pistols credit card and its 19% APR as an example of how far the movement has fallen in 40 years. You can watch the full event below if you’d like and pretend you were there. The punk thing to do would be to go out and burn your own clothes and start wearing trash bags everywhere. Make it happen and show everybody you’re a true punk.
(Via BBC / Huffington Post / Alternative Press)
