Burning £5 million of memorabilia isn’t punk – it’s stupidity

On November 26 this year, it will be a staggering forty years since punk was unleashed on mothers, priests, teachers, politics and the general public – with the release of Sex Pistols’ debut single ‘Anarchy in the U.K.’.

There’s no argument that whichever way you want to define the beginning of the punk movement, Johnny Rotten’s first wail of ‘I am an anti-Christ, I am an anarchist’ was a shot in the arm for British popular culture.

And yet, one proposed money-shredding stunt to mark the anniversary feels far too bone-headed to be ‘punk’; and John Lydon himself has hit back.

It seems there’s a battle for the very soul of the movement afoot.

What’s the stunt?

To mark four decades since the seminal release, British businessman Joseph Corré (son of Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, and fashion designer Vivienne Westwood) has arranged a public stunt.

The lingerie mogul is set to hold a ceremonial burning in the centre of the London borough of Camden, where he will set fire to a personal collection of punk memorabilia, valued at around £5 million pounds.

Why is he doing this?

Corre’s plans for a big old bonfire are apparently a protest against the sanctioned ‘Punk London‘ events taking place this year – which sees films, exhibitions and gigs at the British Library, Museum of London and the Design Museum.

This year-long series of events has even been given the blessing of Ma’am herself – despite the reams of less-than-complimentary lyrics about her since punk’s beginnings.

Joseph Corre didn’t agree with this, so is burning his memorabilia as an act of rebellion, writing in his press release:

“The Queen giving 2016, the Year of Punk, her official blessing is the most frightening thing I’ve ever heard. Talk about alternative and punk culture being appropriated by the mainstream. Rather than a movement for change, punk has become like a fucking museum piece or a tribute act.”

How punk!

Getty

We disagree. The punk ethos may have been about the destruction of idols – but this feels like an over-elaborate and contrived take on a scene that thrived on spontaneity and urgency.

The Pistols followed the mantra of ‘cash for chaos’ – causing as much disruption as possible and lining their pockets in the process – but this was linked to the working class routes of many punk figures (Johnny Rotten was the son of working class Irish immigrants), using their artistic talents to raise themselves out of poverty and mess with the structured class system of the time.

Frankly, sending £5 million up in flames is a stunt which most punk bands would never had the opportunity to do.

What’s been the reaction?

Corre’s ceremonial burning has gathered an almighty ‘huh?’ and even some criticism from John Lydon himself, who told The Metro:

“If you’re going to destroy £5 million worth of anything, isn’t it better to sell it and give the money to charity? You selfish f*cking lingerie expert. Why don’t you burn your own bra?”

Who are you criticise? You weren’t there, man

By the time the initial rush of the punk movement was finished and the post-punk scene had gathered around the likes of Gang Of Four and Joy Division – it was 1979 and Corre was just twelve years old.

Corre’s £5 million stash of punk memorabilia is no less of a collector’s archive than the the films and exhibitions at events around London. He’s just choosing to burn it, instead of letting others enjoy it.

Also, the idea that ‘you weren’t there’ serves to underplay how much punk has bled into outsider movements ever since. The music may have passed, but the DIY ethic has been reborn in genres like rave, hip-hop and grime in the generations since.

So how should we mark this punk anniversary?

Doesn’t the idea of a anniversary feel a little too formal for a movement that was all about being in the present?

Just put on some records and throw some V’s at the establishment, man!

Have your say:

Main image: Getty

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John Lydon: “It got to the point where I couldn’t really recognise myself”

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