The Alternative Mayoral Election

Public fruit orchards in the Royal Parks. A ban on politicians standing for mayor of London. Libraries to serve pints of beer and the decriminalisation of soft drugs. This is the mayoral manifesto of the late musician, artist and manager of the Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren who stood for mayor at the turn of the millennium with a truly remarkable campaign.

Rather than talk more about this year’s election, today we’re dedicating the whole show to the story of Malcolm’s bid to be mayor. As he said at the time, "It’s the biggest job in London, don’t give it to a politician". Zoë Cave speaks to McLaren's biographer, Paul Gorman, artist and designer, Scott King and campaign manager, Peter Culshaw.

Listen out for our Thursday morning news show where we will be discussing the 2021 Mayoral Election with Owen Hatherley.

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A big thank you to Paul Gorman for helping lay the foundations of this episode. You can pickup his superb biography, The Life and Times of Malcolm McLaren, from all good bookshops (shop local if you can!).