Talking About The Kit- Alan Jones

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

Collaborator Profile- Roger K. Burton

Roger is possibly the London fashion industries best kept secret not only because of The Contemporary Wardrobe his loanable clothing archive located by Russell Square but because of his incomparable knowledge when it comes to youth culture, subculture and counter culture. He was part of the group of movers and shakers that dominated the Kings Road in the 60s, 70s and 80s that include his friends Malcolm McLaren, Vivienne Westwood, Lloyd Johnson, Tommy Roberts, Trevor Myles, David Parkinson to name a few. He’s a stylist and the author of the beautiful coffee table book Rebel Threads: Clothing of the Bad, Beautiful & Misunderstood.

 Questions by Bridget Veal

Model wearing the LT2 Leather T-shirt and Pyramid Stud Wristband Cuff.

Q. Walking into The Contemporary Wardrobe one is confronted with floor to ceiling rails of clothing and accessories with Dave (Carroll) particularly impressed by your collection of Seditionaries boots, John Stevens suits, suede head tonic suits, zoot suits and Leigh Bowery suits. If you were to pic one outfit from the wardrobe you have particular affection for, what would it be and why?

A. Sorry Bridget but that’s an impossible ask. I’d prefer to answer it this way..

When I was a young kid there always seemed to be enticing contests to enter where the first prize would be 5 minutes alone in a toy shop or sweet shop and you could literally take whatever you wanted… So if I were given only 5 minutes in my archive, I would at least try to grab a 1940s zoot suit, a 1960s mod suit and suede coat, the 1950s leather biker jacket that my wife bought from Let it Rock, a 1960s leather jacket by Vince, a 1970s bondage coat by Seditionaries, a pair of rare 1940s fetish shoes, a 70s Swanky Mode dress, and as many 1980s Rachel Auburn dresses as I can possibly carry.

Q. At Contemporary Wardrobe you hold a couple of leather and ciré items of clothing made and designed by The London Leatherman from stockists that put their own labels in. One piece is the LT2 Leather T-shirt with zip on shoulder which has a Let It Rock label sewn in. How did you come to be in the procession of this important piece of fashion history?

A. The leather T-shirt you mention belonged to photographer David Parkinson, who apart from being a key figure in the 60s Leicester mod scene, was one of the first photographers to cover Westwood and McLaren’s shops Let It Rock, Too Fast To Live, Too Young To Die and SEX, also John Krivine and Steph Raynor’s Kings Rd shop Acme Attractions. These shoots were featured in the soft porn men’s magazine Club International. The T-shirt is currently on loan from his partner Val Allam and has just been on display in a punk exhibition at Leicester Museum.   

Q. What memories do you have of The London Leatherman clothing, shop or reputation?

A. Between 1973-1976 my partner Ric and I were relentlessly scouring the suburbs of London for deadstock vintage clothes when we came across this curious wooden clapboard fronted shop on Queenstown Road, called The London Leatherman, with its tiny window display containing a few studded belts and accessories, we were very intrigued to find a shop like this in a deeply unfashionable part of Battersea, however it never seemed to be open. It wasn’t until SEX opened in 1975, and found out that Malcolm and Vivienne were stocking the shops leatherwear designs, that we discovered just how important and influential The London Leatherman was on the international S&M and fetish scene.

Q. In 1993 you curated the exhibition Vive Le Punk at your venue the Horse Hospital in Central London, which Dave has always describes to people as being the definitive exhibition when it comes to Westwood McLaren clothing. Whether it be leather clothing or accessories, who of the punk rockers McLaren and Westwood dressed looked the best in leather?

A. No question, my dear friend Jordan Mooney always looked amazing in her leather outfits, and in particular that fabulous leather cape and pencil skirt outfit from SEX, she looked like she had stepped off the pages of Atomage magazine, and it was featured in John Samson’s seminal documentary Dressing for Pleasure. Jordan was totally fearless in the way she dressed and became the perfect role model for Malcolm’s belief that their SEX leather outfits should be worn in the office.

Q. You actively participated in many of the youth-cultures and eras of clothing that make up your archive, from mod to soul boy, punk rock to 80s club culture. Does your bona fide passion for clothing, and seeking out conversations around these clothes stem from being a mod or something else?

A. I would say it was almost entirely down to those formative years I spent in the mod movement. When the mod scene ended around 1966, I was out on a limb clothes-wise because hippie robes just didn’t have the subtlety and sharp elegance I was looking for. However, around this time there was a revival of clothes from the 1930s-1940s being worn by a couple of bands I was into such as Family and the Purple Gang.  I started collecting and wearing second-hand men’s clothing from this period. Although I think subconsciously those glamourous Hollywood styles had already been instilled in me as a kid through watching film noir movies on the TV. I became quite obsessed with the 1930s style during the mid 1960s, and this really shaped my future taste not only in clothes, but also art, architecture and design leaving a lasting impression on me to this day.

 Q. Yours and our mutual friend Lloyd Johnson (of Johnson’s, La Rocka!) was also a mod, his love of clothing is equally as passionate, and you both went on to have esteemed careers in clothing. When out and about I’ve seen you and Lloyd in deep conversation, other than mod what would you say are your other mutual clothing interests?

A. Ha ha ha, we were more than likely discussing a look we’ve seen, or the way an outfit has been worn, or even just a detail that has impressed us. We are both more than just a bit fanatical about obscure subcultures and men’s and women’s clothing styles from the last 100 years or so, but it’s modernism and its origins that really hits the spot, and this shared passion also covers all aspects of design, art, film and architecture.  Having said that we are also equally fascinated by those rarefied individualists who dare to wear clothes with attitude and commitment today, whatever look they may be into. This is almost certainly because style been such a huge part of our lives. And let’s not forget we were fortunate enough to have been involved in pretty much every clothing revival since the mid 60s, and we are now both keen to share our knowledge and experience with those individuals who are curious enough to inquire.

 Q. Since COVID there’s been a trend in vintage clothing dealers closing their shops to open by-appointment showrooms where they instead offer a fashion consultancy service with items they loan out to stylists, exhibitions and fashion houses. A trend has also been to call the clothing they’ve bought second hand or at auction their ‘personal archive’ with the fashion press hailing them as experts and some as ‘guru’s’, yet having little to no provenance. You presented the concept of having a loanable archive for the fashion industry to access decades ago, an archive you have genuine and first-hand knowledge in. Why do you think so many vintage clothes dealers are making this move now?

A. I can only assume that this trend goes hand in hand with the current plethora of fashion influencers/forecasters on social media, that have also set themselves up as self-aggrandising leading lights for a particular generation who need to be shown what to wear, and slavishly follow them. True vintage clothes have always been hard to find, but what I find most shocking is that these new personal archives and some shops are presenting quite recent retro clothes designs from high street stores such as All Saints, Reiss, Zara and H&M etc and palming them off as vintage, not only to an innocent public, but those professional design teams and researchers of big name fashion brands who seem to be seduced by these pretentiously curated archives and will happily buy into it.

It puts me in mind of a prediction an academic friend made in the late 1960s, that within our lifetime modern non-descript artifacts and clothing would be displayed in museums purely because they have dust on them.

Q. Your book Rebel Threads is a must have for anyone with an interest in fashion styling and 20th century clothing. How did you find the process of working on your own book? And how did you edit your huge archive/ wardrobe down to 328 pages? With the amount of fantastic clothes and knowledge you have, you could’ve easily produced multiple volumes. Will you do more books?

A. Having had many years practice as a stylist I love the editing process, so choosing clothes for the book was relatively easy and came naturally, knowing what instinctively feels right to me in a composition and featuring just enough of those clothes to tell the story and no more.

It’s always been important to me that whoever is wearing the clothes look as if they have always worn them, or at least the outfit belongs to them, likewise when I’m designing a set, a shop or exhibition I try to do it in a way that brings people to believe it has always been there.

I plan to do at least two more photographic books, one that features some of the best of the collection, and another sort of mod handbook, which is going to focus on the style of the clothes, and their subtle details, often lost or not even acknowledged in other publications.

Q. To date, what would you say has been your career highlight?

I have been lucky enough to have such a varied career it’s almost impossible pin it down to one highlight, instead here are a few I’m most proud of..

Shop design: Nostalgia of Mud

Styling: a photo of David Bowie peeping out of a Yohji Yamamoto coat

Production Design: the music video, Only When I Loose Myself, Depeche Mode

Costume Design: the movie Hackers

Entity: The Horse Hospital

Q. What are you working on for the remainder of 2023?

A. I’m putting together a semi-biographical exhibition at the Horse Hospital for 2024 about my life and career loosely based around 3 shops I designed, PX, Worlds End and Nostalgia of Mud, which will heavily feature the many diverse influences that have played a part in almost everything I have done..

Signed copies of Roger’s book Rebel Threads are available to purchase here: Rebel Threads by Roger K Burton (Signed) — The Horse Hospital

The legend of The London Leatherman Head Mask, LW11 & LW19

Adam Ant wore his onstage. Malcolm McLaren & Vivienne Westwood put a picture of it on a T-Shirt. Sylvain Sylvain (New York Dolls) owned one in silver leather.

The leather Head Mask is a garment that featured consistently in The London Leatherman ‘Exotica’ mail order catalogues from 1971 through to the 1990s, available predominately in black leather it was also offered in silver and in red leather too.

The new for 2021 LW19 Head Mask

Page from the The London Leatherman ‘Exotica’ Catalogue 1974 featuring the LW11 & LW19 mask with detachable blindfold.

A true underground fetish item that clients would order from Ken (Heddle Magson) discretely, until, like many The London Leatherman designed items it made its way into the public eye, taking on a life of it’s own in the mid-1970s, a life that included being worn on stage by Adam Ant for his first gig at the ICA in May 1977 in London and being featured on T-shirts designed by Malcolm McLaren & Vivienne Westwood that are today held in the V&A and The Met Museum collections (scroll to bottom of page for pictures).

Here we wanted to address the legend that follows The London Leatherman mask, the association to the boutique SEX, the influence it had on Malcolm McLaren & Vivienne Westwood and Alan Selby (who later founded Mr. S Leather) and the implications that a The London Leatherman mask was worn by the convicted criminal named by the press as the Cambridge rapist. We feel the best way to do this is to share with you the article that featured in the Sunday Mirror in 1975. See the scan and relevant text below:

Page 4. Sunday Mirror, May 11, 1975

By George Martin, Terry Willows and Chris Hampson.

The trail of the Cambridge rapist led last week to the world of London’s ‘kinky gear’ shops.

There on Friday, Sunday Mirror reporters bought two black leather hoods from separate shops. Identical to the one worn by the rapist. Not many of these masks have been sold in Britain and police believe that the Cambridge maniac bought his mask from one of the same sources.

The man who makes the sinister hoods is 37 year old Heddle Magson. He runs a shop called The London Leatherman in Queenstown Road, Battersea.

He supplies them to two shops in Chelsea, as well as running an export and mail order business. Mr. Magson estimates that he has sold about 100 since Christmas.

The hoods cost £10.25 each- with or without a zip across the mouth- complete with detachable Lone Ranger type eye masks. These hoods cover the head, with eye slits, a shaped nose space, mouth slit and laces up the back. Mr. Magson, tall and slim with a ring in his left ear, said: “I’ve already had the police here. I gave them two names. I went through the records for them. I didn’t let them go through my files. I have a kind of doctor relationship with my clients. I treat my business with confidentiality.” One of our hoods was brought from Magson’s shop and with it he gave us two brochures.

One- Exotica- consists of bizarre leatherwear.

Mr. Magson said “The names I gave to police were of clients in the Cambridge area.”

Does Mr. Magson not worry that he may unwittingly be selling such equipment to mentally unbalanced people such as the rapist?

He replied: “How does one make that judgement?”

‘Normal guy’

“He doesn’t have two heads and five legs. In genuine circumstances he could be an absolutely normal guy.”

One of the other shops selling the hood, in Kings Road, Chelsea, simply has the word “SEX” in 3ft.- high mauve letters above the door.

The manager, Mr. Michael Collins, said: “I have sold a dozen hoods in eight months. I can’t remember much about most of the people. But there was one chap who bought one a couple of months ago. He was short and dressed in a black leather jacket, dark trousers and black boots. He was carrying a motor-cyclist’s crash helmet. Last week he came in again and bought a rubber hood with no eye slits and only a rubber tube to breathe through the mouth.”

Half a mile away at another shop in New Kings Road, Mr. Alan Selby said: “I know most of my customers personally. One is a millionaire and managing director of one of the best know firms in the land. I’ve met his wife too. They use my gear for their private sex. I have never, as far as I know, sold a mask to someone from the Cambridge area.” ….. (end text).

The London Leatherman LW11 Head Mask made front page news in May 1975. It was thought at the time that the criminal may have worn a LLM mask, he didn’t.

Adam Ant wearing The London Leatherman LW19 Head Mask and The London Leatherman LB9 Ring Clipper Bikini with Zip, May 1977.

Michael Collins, Manager of the boutique SEX as interviewed for the Sunday Mirror newspaper wearing a version of the T-shirt designed by McLaren & Westwood featuring the LW19 Head Mask. Photographer Homer Sykes

Steve Jones (right) wearing the T-shirt by Maclaren & Westwood featuring image of The London Leatherman Head Mask LW19 in Oslo 1977. Steve is also wearing The London Leatherman jeans. Photographer Henrik Laurvik.

Photo credit: Christie’s. The LW19 Head Mask in silver leather, once owned by Sylvain Sylvain.

Today we produce both the LW11 (zip mouth) and the LW19 (soft lip) Head Masks hand made to the same specifications as the mask offered in 1975 with upgraded detailing for 2023.

The Head Masks are available to order via WWW.THELONDONLEATHERMAN.COM