Photograph: Ki Price/Getty Images

Joe Corré (the son of former Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren and fashion-designer Vivienne Westwood) burned on 26 November 2016, on the 40th anniversary of the release of “Anarchy in the UK” (of Sex Pistols), his punk-memorabilia collection, estimated to be worth £5m, as a protest-act on a boat in London.

His memorabilia consisted of many collector-items and original stuff like clothes worn by Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious and test-pressings of Sex Pistols records.

He said that punk has become nothing more than a “McDonald’s brand … owned by the state, establishment and corporations” and that “punk is dead and was never meant to be nostalgic”.

“The Queen giving 2016, the Year of Punk, her official blessing is the most frightening thing I’ve ever heard” Corré said in a press release. He claims that Punk London, a series of events celebrating the 40th anniversary of punk, sponsored by institutions including the British Library and the Museum of London, are supported by the Queen and are proof that “the establishment” has “privatised, packaged and castrated” punk.

At the same time Vivienne Westwood was giving a speech for Climate Revolution, trying to convince the audience to switch over to green energy. John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) suggested that Corré should have sold the memorabilia-collection and given the proceeds to charity.

Read the news on ‘Love Kills’.

Read the review of ‘Love Kills’.

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil. Besides music I’m also an SEO and AI content flow specialist and have an interest in everything finance from stocks to crypto. There is music in everything!

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No doubt about it, The Neon Judgement has been one of the absolute pioneers and leading formations in history of electronic underground music. After 35 years of commitment Dirk Da Davo and TB Frank decided to leave their sonic brainchild to the collective memory of their numerous fans and electro lovers. They can look back at an impressive career and multiple hits. Enough reasons after the ‘TNJ Farewell Tour – Time Capsule Concerts’ for a ‘farewell interview’.

Part 1 can be read here.

by Stéphane Froidcoeur (picture taken by Chris Stessens)

SL: Who would you like to invite for a jam session in hell: Ian Curtis, Sid Vicious or Frank Tovey? Someone else?

Dirk Da Davo: Ozzy Osbourne.

SL: An interesting subject you’ve often threatened about is the impact and influence of media! How do you look at the media as a citizen and as an artist who was involved into a famous band?

Dirk Da Davo: The media / TV has overtaken the emotions of people for pure commercial reasons. And people do not notice it. That’s just scary 🙁 I look at this as both, a citizen/ a artist. The text for “TV Treated”?

SL: As an artist you’ve been active during the 80s, 90s but still during the years 2000 and 2010! How would you qualify each decade?

Dirk Da Davo: Even in 2015 I have released a new Neon Electronics album! So I will qualify the decades when I’m done with creating new music…

SL: Did you had a kind of relation- and/or friendship with this other famous Belgian pioneer: Front 242? Did you überhaupt made some friends in the music business or is it just fake?

Dirk Da Davo: Especially the latest decades we got closer with the other bands, yes. It feels good. We feel that we are united in something special. So between musicians we are friends. Friends in the music business is another question.

SL: Musicians often have a kind of erotic power on the masses, which is a quite interesting point I think! What have been your experiences with this item?

Dirk Da Davo: That’s private!

SL: Music is often represented as ‘sex, drugs & rock’n’roll’! What do you recognize from The Neon Judgement in this statement?

Dirk Da Davo: I don’t want my mother to read this, still not!

SL: Any idea how many songs you’ve written, how many concerts you did and how vinyls/CD’s you’ve sold?

Dirk Da Davo: No, I will think about that just before I quit music.

SL: The last word?

Dirk Da Davo: Stay in a good health ;))

Inferno Sound Diaries

I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.

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