I always find funerals hard, and writing about them especially so, but I could not allow this one to go unrecognised.  Thursday was the funeral of Malcolm McLaren, former manager of the Sex Pistols and Adam Ant, and later pursued his own musical career.  McLaren had been suffering from a rare form of cancer, and eventually passed away earlier this month.

In much the same way he lived his life, Malcolm McLaren's funeral was a anarchic affair.  His coffin was emblazoned with the slogan "too fast to live, too young to die", and carried through north London by a horse-drawn carriage.  Meanwhile the funeral party travelled through Camden on a green double-decker bus with the destination "Nowhere", and was draped with a banner proclaiming "Malcolm was here 1946-2010".  Mourners, including Dame Vivienne Westwood, Sir Bob Geldof, and Adam Ant, sang along to McLaren’s version of “You Need Hands”, and Sid Vicious's cover of “My Way”.

While many remain bitter over Malcolm McLaren’s management of the Sex Pistols, this is left examined by historians and lawyers.  The impact McLaren had upon the alternative music scene is undeniable.  Many felt his attitude and lifestyle mirrored the exuberance of the punk that he was a fundamental part of.

To quote Dame Vivienne: "I am very, very sad that unbelievably Malcolm is dead and I just wanted to say on this cruel, cruel day... get a life, do something with it.".  Frankly  , as epitaphs go, there are a lot worse.

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