Sense of Sound

"About Her"

One of the most influential people in modern musical history passed away yesterday. Malcolm McLaren, aged 64, lost his battle with mesothelioma. McLaren was the man behind the New York Dolls and quite possibly the most important band of the punk rock genre, The Sex Pistols. As manager of the Sex Pistols, he was the central figure behind the band's craziest and most iconic moments. He helped orchestrate the release of "God Save the Queen" during the Queen's Silver Jubilee. He had the band performed on boat on the Thames so he can have them perform in front of the House of Parliament. A musician in his own right, McLaren's influence was seen in a variety of ways in the music world. His song, "Buffalo Gals", was sampled and referenced to in Eminem's "Without Me".

My introduction to McLaren was through his song "About Her" appearing in a pivotal scene in one of my favourite films by my favourite director--Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill (Vol. 2). Sometimes a great scene needs the right bit of music to truly create the perfect mood and atmosphere. There's this great chill in the air when the song starts playing in the movie. The protagonist, the Bride, has a major dilemma on her hands; she has just learned that the entire basis for her mission to get revenge has been misguided. The rhythm, as well the lyrics, complement the Bride's dilemma perfectly.

One of the things I admire about Tarantino is his ability to match great music to his great scenes. He has never used an original score in his films and in a strange way it works in his favour. His latest film "Inglourious Basterds" takes place in World War II and he takes no shame in taking liberties with history (and of course spelling). And that's why it's only fitting he uses a David Bowie song from the 80s as the perfect way to encapsulate the mood needed to start the film's final chapter.

Whether it's from your iPod or in a movie theatre, music and sound have this great power of creating familiar feelings and emotions, sometimes in very unconventional ways.