1976 was such an important cultural milestone as it was when the British Punk Revolution started. They rejected contemporary mainstream discarded nostalgia with many in the scene adopting a nihilistic attitude summed up by the Sex Pistols slogan “No Future” One social observer noted that amid the unemployment and social unrest in 1977, “punk’s nihilistic swagger was the most thrilling thing in England.”
The Sex Pistols were managed by Malcolm Mclaren, who wore many hats at the time, including being the partner of Vivienne Westwood and together they owned a boutique called SEX on London’s King Road. It became the unofficial HQ for all punks and it was where Jordan (Mooney) came alive.
Born Pamela Mooney to a nice middle-class family in rural England but when she moved to London in the mid-1970s she adopted an outre wardrobe and a fearless attitude which landed her a job at SEX.
Even in those days way before Social Media if you were living in London at the time, it was impossible to miss knowing about Jordan and her outrageous and inspired outfits. She was pivotal to the aesthetic of both the Sex Pistols and Adam and the Ants, and a muse to Derek Jarman – who cast her as Amyl Nitrate in the cult movie Jubilee.
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Learning of her death this week conjures up very fond memories of her and the punk movement. as being one of the bright spots in a country that was about to have a single spark of joy knocked out of it by the advent of Thatcherism and the ‘me’ generation she actively fostered.
Jordan’s legacy is that we should all be fearless in how we dress “you should wear what you like – it’s about being comfortable in your own skin. People would say to me: ‘What the fuck do you think you look like? They didn’t realize that how I looked was what I was trying to tell them.”
Her moment in the light may have been 50 years ago. but it is very interesting now in some of the obituaries this week she is credited with influencing Lady Gaga’s wardrobe and even Cara Delevingne’s eye make-up.
JORDAN; QUEEN OF PUNK 23 June 1955 - 3 April 2022 R.I.P.
Labels: 2022, Jordan, Kings Road, Malcolm Maclaren, obituary, Queen of Punk, Sex Pistols
