Joe Corré’s plans to burn 35 million worth of punk memorabilia, in protest of ‘queen sanctioned’, comes across as little more than a spoiled kid’s flaccid PR stunt that would achieve little other than jerking off his own ego.

As a piece of punk memorabilia himself – the son of Dame Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren, it bears the question whether he plans to jump onto the fire himself. We’ll have to wait until November to find out.

What’s more pressing, and infinitely more grating, is his comment:

“The Queen giving 2016, the year of punk, her official blessing is the most frightening thing I’ve ever heard.”

Most. Frightening. Thing. Really? Well, if you’re financially comfortable enough to be able to piss away, or burn, £5 million in assets, the apparent ‘misappropriation’ of something as meaningless as a genre probably is the most frightening thing you’ve ever heard. More frightening than John Lydon’s butter ads (man’s gotta pay bills like the rest of us) and definitely far more frightening than mass genocide or the displacement of millions of people from their homes. And easily more frightening than gluten free pizza.

Do Something Useful

But, let’s say some of those things are more frightening than public acceptance of punk, whatever punk happens to be on that given day. Maybe, just maybe, there’s something better Corré could do with this memorabilia.

Plenty of people have suggested the logical solution – sell it. Not for his own gain, man has enough of his own money – but then do something useful with it.

What could that be? Anything, literally anything would be better. Perhaps a homeless charity, an animal sanctuary, one that deals with mental illness, or donates to refugees.

Hey, you what the establishment really hates? Those pesky refugees. And there’s thousands of them out there needing help. Maybe if he wants to protest against ‘the man’ he could auction off all this punk shit he owns and give the money to a charity that’s going to help out all those migrants the government can’t stand.

Or, he could just burn it. Bonfires are legal and sanctioned. Thumbs up, you mad punk you.

Money Where His Mouth Is

If he, or anyone else to be fair, is really so worried about the ‘state of punk’ there’s even the option of selling all that memorabilia and perhaps pumping it back into supporting whatever it is he feels punk is, be it a label, a studio, helping small artists get noticed, whatever.

Because not all kids out there who still believe in punk have £5 million of historical junk to support themselves. Instead they’re out working shitty jobs, playing shitty bars trying to get enough together and spending hat they do have on gig tickets, albums of bandcamp and the latest band’s vinyl.
But maybe it’s them that’s got it all wrong. Maybe instead they should be collecting all that stuff up that they’ve bought and burn it too.

Fuck it, while he’s at it, why doesn’t he trot down the road and burn afifty0 in front of a homeless guy as well. Bonus punk points too for burning an image of the queen. He’ll love that, the little rascally punk.

Joking aside, while the press would love a big, pointless gesture like setting fire to things, it’d be nice to see someone with money and exposure to do something good with what they have. But that probably wouldn’t make sure good news, would it?

“Will punk rock ever die?” “Pal, if you have to ask it’s dead to you” Henry Rollins