Anyone with even an inkling of interest for British fashion history will recognise Alan Jones from the 1976 photographs taken by David Dagley inside Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s shop SEX, he’s the young blonde in red trousers wearing The London Leatherman studded wristbands and the PERV (spelt out with chicken bones) T-shirt Vivienne made for him. Today he’s an international film critic, author, broadcaster, journalist, a director of the horror genre film festivals FrightFest & Trieste S+F and this year will be releasing his memoirs.
Questions by Bridget Veal
Alan Jones pictured here, third from the left, in David Dagley’s photograph from 1976.
Q. Alan, 2024 is the year you’re releasing your memoirs, an autobiography so many with an interest in subcultures are eager to get their hands on. Without giving too much away how do you synopsize the book? And how have you found the experience?
A: ‘Discomania’ is the title of what I’m calling a semi-autobiography. While I was inner-circle Sex Pistols/ Bromley contingent, I was also heavily into the Disco scene. I found I had more pick-up success in the Earls Court clubs (Catacombs) and pubs (The Colherne) than in the Punk environment. The book begins with how I easily went from working in Vivienne and Malcolm’s SEX shop to cruising the Chelsea streets. I then review 105 disco movies from THE MACK (1973) to THE BEAST IN THE JUNGLE (2023), say why they are Disco important, give a rundown of what Disco music they feature, have interviews with my top Disco star producers of the day and what memories, either from a date or subject point of view they spark about my Punk years, from my T-shirt arrest, first Pistols gigs and the ‘God Save the Queen’ boat party to my role in THE GREAT ROCK ‘N’ ROLL SWINDLE (1980), my friendship with Sid Vicious and advising director Alex Cox on SID & NANCY (1986). For the first time I tell those stories from my angle, rather than read what others have said in their own books on the subject. So what you get is in depth reviews of the movies - obviously I deal with SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER (1977), CAN’T STOP THE MUSIC (1980) etc. but it’s the lesser known gems I wanted to bring to to people’s attention like the Argentine LA DISCOTECA DEL AMOR (1980) and the Italian JOHN TRAVOLTO…DA UN INSOLITO DESTINO (1979) and my insider info on my days working in SEX. The book will be published by FAB Press in July 2024 with a launch at the Fantasia Festival in Montreal, Canada, where I am also curating a Disco movie season including the new Severin 4K restoration of THE MUSIC MACHINE (1979), considered the British answer to SATURDAY NIGHT FEVER.
Q. Your sartorial choices in 1975 through to 1977 are an inspiration for an unmentionable number of designers and fashion houses with your picture having been on studio mood boards for over 45 years now. How would you describe your style back then? Any favourite looks you self-styled?
A: Anything Vivienne designed I wore. I loved the LET IT ROCK pop star silk screens, the ones with names in glitter and the nude playing card plastic windows. The bondage trousers were fabulous, still my favourite Vivienne design. Sometimes I can’t believe I would walk down the street in the Anarchy shirt complete with swastika, the first Pistols group T-shirt with the naked underage boy, the fist-fucking Tom of Finland shirt or the Cambridge Rapist side-tie. It was the 1970s, everything was a ‘fuck off’ to the establishment whether from a sexuality point of view, a political one or a fashion statement. And Vivienne’s scum manifesto shirts said it all. One of my favourite self-styled looks was first covering my torso with fake blood (I knew many make-up artists at the time because I was just starting out in my horror journalism career), applied with a hypodermic syringe, then I put Vivienne’s see-through pink nylon T shirt over the top, slightly smudging the blood, so I looked like I’d just come from an S&M orgy. I lost count of the time people in cars would slow down and offer me a lift!
Q. You’ve held on to many pieces of clothing and accessories from your time as a founding punk rocker, for instance you still have the The London Leatherman wristbands you bought from SEX (430 Kings Road). Of these items are there any you have a particular affection for?
A: Sadly the PERV shirt, spelt out in chicken bones, and the one Vivienne exclusively designed for me, eventually crumbled to dust. I kept the Tom of Finland shirt (aka Two Cowboys) too mainly because I still can’t believe I actually fitted into it, and I have one of the rare ‘Holidays in the Sun’ handkerchiefs, mainly because I stole it from Pistol Steve Jones as he used to wear it knotted on his head like Northern geezers on the Blackpool beaches. I kept all the The London Leatherman accessories mainly because I wore them long after I left the punk scene. They had another 20 years of life in them on the gay scene. Talk about value for money!
Q. I’d love to know your perspective on how leather became part of the punk rock look? And why you and your peers wore studded leather?
A: I’ve said this many times before but Vivienne was so ahead of the curve in many aspects of fashion. The moment she designed the bondage trousers and then brought in the The London Leatherman wristbands to complete the look, without really thinking about it she crystalised the gay clone look that still perpetuates to this day. I was one of the Village People before that Disco act was even minted by producer Jacques Morali.
Q. In 1977 you and your friend made a fabric version of The London Leatherman LW11 Zip Mouth Mask to wear to a Sex Pistols gig. What do you remember about the leather mask? And the impact it had being in the shop SEX?
A: It was made for the seminal Pistols gig at the El Paradise club in Soho. Essentially I asked my clothes designer best friend Jean Seal to construct a cloth version mainly because I knew wearing the actual leather version was going to be so hot while carrying out my DJ duties. I did a dummy run and the sweat just poured off my face and became a neck fountain! On that particular night I took money at the door of the club, helped the band backstage and then turned DJ before their set started. Jean is one of the unsung heroines of the 1970s. She had designed a onesie outfit for me to wear at a pop star wedding (The Faces, Tetsu married my friend Vanessa) and she was the first person I thought of to sew the mask. In truth, apart from being a visual punchline, I don’t think the mask resonated with punks, perhaps it was too far into the hardcore gay scene than they liked?
Q. What memories do you have of The London Leatherman and the items McLaren and Westwood bought to stock in their shops?
A: The studded accessories were there, we sold them. I wish I could tell you more but I had nothing to do with either acquiring them or ordering them. I was only a lowly sales assistant, all that was left to the far more capable Jordan.
Q. You’ve carved a long and successful career around your enthusiasm for film, in particular horror. Is there a film that ignited this initial interest? Or a film that has significantly impacted your life and career?
A: Horror fans will know the two stories I’m about to relate. The first X certificate horror film I ever saw was Mario Bava’s BLOOD AND BLACK LACE (1964), which is now considered a masterpiece of the Italian giallo/thriller genre. It sparked an interest in the director, his other films, extreme gore, gorgeous production design and Italy in general. In my horror journalism career I have been credited with drawing attention to the, then, unsung heroes of Italian shockers like Lucio Fulci, Bava, Sergio Martino and Antonio Margeriti. And when I saw the 1970 giallo THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE it began my love affair with all things Dario Argento. His 1980 sequel to SUSPIRIA (1976), INFERNO (1980), remains my favourite horror film ever, (it’s tattooed on my arm), it was the reason I met him, became his close friend, went on location with him on every film since OPERA (1987), wrote my book on his work (‘Dario Argento: The Man, the Myths & the Magic’ ) and helped him with his autobiography ‘Fear’ in all language territories. Argento is still my favourite horror director.
Q. What would you say are the three strongest leather looks featured in film?
A: That’s difficult as there are so many. One has to be Marlon Brando in THE WILD ONE (1953) because it’s still the look many in the gay leather community aspire to. I suppose THE LEATHER BOYS (1964) carried that iconic look further. And then there was Mel Gibson in MAD MAX (1979), who wore it so well I tried to copy him (badly!).
Q. What are the best film scenes, if any, that have captured the founding years of punk rock?
A: None because the raw, street authenticity of the period can never be captured no matter how hard people try. Danny Boyle you should be ashamed!
Q. There are legendary stories that have followed you for decades, like how you were arrested in 1975 for wearing the Two Cowboys T-shirt, being part of the Bromley Contingent and for attending the infamous boat party with the Sex Pistols during the Queens Silver Jubilee, all things I’m sure you’ll cover in detail in your book. Is there anything readers may find surprising about the book, and you feel inspired to touch on here?
A: Yes, when top TV producer Mike Mansfield asked me to front a music programme on Punk titled ‘The Best of British’ featuring The Damned, The Adverts and the Rich Kids, what happened I’m not revealing here. And how about my writing mentor at the time being Jackie Collins? Yes, Joan’s sister and Hollywood wife herself. Too many to mention…
Q. For anyone just now discovering FrightFest and Trieste S+F how do you describe them?
A. FrightFest is the UK’s top horror fantasy festival now in its 25th year. Every August Bank Holiday we show over 70 new genre movies to the best community ever. We also stage Halloween events and are the main genre strand at the Glasgow Film Festival every March. If you are a genre fan, you should attend, so what’s stopping you. While I instigated FrightFest with two other people, mainly stemming from my iconic 1980s event Shock Around The Clock (I explain all in the recent documentary SCALA!), I was hired by the Italian City of Trieste to be the artistic director of the Trieste Science+Fiction Festival which has been running off and on for over 60 years now. Because Trieste is my second home, it was an easy decision to make and I love the contrast between both festivals as I continue working as a film critic, journalist and unit publicist.
www.frightfest.co.uk
www.sciencefictionfestival.org
www.fabpress.com
