Stains on the Heartland

"A visitor looks on January 20, 2011 at a poster of British band Sex Pistols during the opening of the 'Europunk' exhibition at the Villa Medici, headquarters of the French Academy, in Rome." Image Source: Andreas Solaro/AFP/Getty Images via ArtNet News.

The post-recession story of rich versus poor ignores the fact that many purveyors of the story are wealthy. Leading figures in politics, popular entertainment and mass media bank on the 99 per cent by claiming to speak for the counter-culture and capturing its power. While one-third of the middle classes in developed countries are on the verge of falling through the cracks, take note of which self-appointed Robin Hoods are members of the so-called 1 per cent. On 16 March 2016, ArtNet News reported that heir Joseph Corré is asserting his counter-culture credentials by burning his USD $7 milllion punk paraphernalia collection on the 40th anniversary of the rise of punk:

"Joseph Corré, son of queen of punk Vivienne Westwood and Sex Pistols impresario Malcolm McLaren, announced yesterday that he will set fire to his entire collection of punk memorabilia, estimated to be worth about £5 million ($7.1 million).

The bonfire is slated to take place in Camden, London, on November 26, to mark the 40th anniversary of the release of the Sex Pistols single Anarchy in The UK, off the album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. ...

According to a press release that went out yesterday, Corré, who is the owner of pricey lingerie line Agent Provocateur and, like his famous mom, a political and environmental activist, made the incendiary announcement (pun intended) in response to Queen Elizabeth II declaring that 2016 is the 'Year of Punk.'

'When the Queen gives a fucking nod to punk's 40th Anniversary Year, you know something has gone seriously wrong,' Corré explains.

He goes on to express his discontent with cultural institutions such as the British Film Institute, the British Library, the Design Museum, ICA, Museum of London, the Photographers' Gallery, as well as Rough Trade, and the Roundhouse for running a series of events under the umbrella of punk's 40th anniversary after Punk London received a £99,000 grant from the Lottery Fund.

'The Queen giving 2016, the Year of Punk, her official blessing is the most frightening thing I've ever heard,' he says. '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.'

He goes on to warn the public of what he perceives as a plague of complacency. 'A general malaise has now set in amongst the British public. People are feeling numb. And with numbness comes complacency. People don't feel they have a voice anymore. The most dangerous thing is that they have stopped fighting for what they believe in. They have given up the chase. We need to explode all the shit once more.'"

From a friend, -C, who sent the link to the report:

"I find it sweet that the son is 'commenting' on the establishment considering he owns an international luxury brand."

From Joseph Corré's Agent Provocateur 2016 Soirée Collection: Akiko Playsuit Rosegold and Silver £1,595; Akiko Eyemask Rosegold and Silver £195; Akiko Garter Rosegold and Silver £195; Akiko G-String Rosegold and Silver £195; and Vanna Pasties Rose Gold £65. Total Rosegold ensemble is £2245 or USD $3220. The matching Inessa Rosegold whip is £695. Just what you need to go with your Apple iPhone 6s Plus 64 GB in Rose Gold, USD $1159. Image Source: Lyst.

You could say that when Joseph Corré gives a fucking nod to punk's 40th Anniversary Year, you know something has gone seriously wrong. Corré's racy Agent Provocateur brassières sell for around £85 to £160, which is standard for lower-end luxe bras. He is an impoverished spokesman for punk: punk was supposed to smash the decadence, wealth, the class hierarchy, and the conspicuous consumerism of the UK establishment. Some pieces in Corré's 'classics collection' look like the models have just sauntered out of a London sex dungeon. His spring 2016 lines are 'The Island Escape,' 'The Chartered Yacht,' and 'The Party Isle.' I'm not saying don't enjoy the thongs and straps, but don't tell yourself they're revolutionary.

Post-punk: Heartland by The The from LP Infected (1986). Reproduced non-commercially under Fair Use guidelines. Video Source: Youtube.

Heartland - The The (1986)

Beneath the old iron bridges, across the Victorian parks
And all the frightened people running home before dark
Past the Saturday morning cinema that lies crumbling to the ground
And the piss-stinking shopping center in the new side of town
I've come to smell the seasons change and watch the city
As the sun goes down again

Here comes another winter of long shadows and high hopes
Here comes another winter waitin' for utopia
Waitin' for hell to freeze over

This is the land where nothing changes
The land of red buses and blue-blooded babies
This is the place, where pensioners are raped
And the hearts are being cut from the welfare state
Let the poor drink the milk while the rich eat the honey
Let the bums count their blessings while they count the money

So many people can't express what's on their minds
Nobody knows them and nobody ever will
Until their backs are broken and their dreams are stolen
And they can't get what they want then they're gonna get angry

Well it ain't written in the papers, but it's written on the walls
The way this country is divided to fall
So the cranes are moving on the skyline
Trying to knock down this town

But the stains on the heartland can never be removed
From this country that's sick, sad, and confused

Here comes another winter of long shadows and high hopes
Here comes another winter waitin' for utopia
Waitin' for hell to freeze over

The ammunition's being passed and the lords been praised
But the wars on the televisions will never be explained
All the bankers gettin' sweaty beneath their white collars
As the pound in our pocket turns into a dollar

This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.
This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.
This is the 51st state of the U.S.A.


ADDENDUM (29 May 2016): On 28 May 2016, BBC interviewed author Roberto Saviano on his work which confirms that the City of London is a centre for money laundering of Mexican drug money and the Italian mafia. Thus, the wealth and lifestyles of the City rest on violence and crime discussed in the following posts:

• Post-Apocalypse Rehab (6 October 2015)
• Quasi Morto (29 December 2015)
• Mysteries of Things to Come (30 December 2015)
• Stains on the Heartland (18 March 2016)
• Quid Pro Quo (3 April 2016)
• Death in Panama (4 November 2018)

BBC interview with Roberto Saviano (28 May 2016). Video Source: Youtube.