Great Lives - Series 23 - Malcolm McLaren

Matthew Parris presents the life of the great rock and roll swindler, Malcolm McLaren, who died earlier this year. "I've been called many things," McLaren wrote as advance publicity for his one man show, "a charlatan, a con man, or the culprit responsible for turning popular culture into nothing more than a cheap marketing gimmick. This is my chance to prove these accusations are true." The man behind the Sex Pistols and Duck Rock is nominated by public relations expert Mark Borkowski, author of The Fame Formula, and a man who knew him well. What intrigues Borkowski is not just the success, but the myths that have evolved around this highly manipulative man. Matthew Parris is more sceptical, as is Chris Salewicz. As a journalist for NME between 1974-1981, Salewicz watched McLaren rewrite the rules of management. He also introduced the Sex Pistols to the man from EMI who then signed them up. An intriguing programme about fame, the media, and why the truth should not be confused with an easily believable myth. The producer is Miles Warde. Future subjects in the series include Samuel Beckett, Nye Bevan, and JB Priestley who is nominated by Barry Cryer.