Not on display

Jamie Reid archive

Artwork
1979 (designed)
Artist/Maker
Place of origin

This is some original artwork related to the song Who Killed Bambi?, designed by Jamie Reid (b.1947). The song was a b-side to the single Silly Thing, which was released as a Sex Pistols single, long after the band had broken up, and Sid Vicious (1957-79), singer on the main track, had died of an overdose.

The image of the dead deer is a still from the mock documentary The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, from footage for an earlier film about the band that Malcolm McLaren had tried to set up. It was to be directed by Russ Meyer, an American director of sexploitation films, and to be entitled Who Killed Bambi?; only a few minutes of footage emerged, however, before the project was abandoned. The title was later reused for a song featuring Ed Tudor-Pole as a replacement singer for Johnny Rotten.

Jamie Reid's cut-and-paste aesthetic developed from his interest in radical politics. His artistic style developed while at art college in Croydon, where he was influenced by the ideas of the avant-garde political group, the Situationist International. The political slant to his art was aroused by the May 1968 Paris student riots, which inspired fraternal protests organised by Reid at the Croydon College of Art. These were directed with fellow student Malcolm McLaren, later to become the manager of the Sex Pistols.

Object details

Category
Object type
TitleJamie Reid archive (named collection)
Materials and techniques
Paper
Brief description
Original artwork for inside back cover of Sex Pistols single, 'Silly Thing', from 1979.
Physical description
Artboard with two collage pieces: one with prose about 'Bambi' and one of a dead deer shot in the neck with an arrow, with ripped edges. Covered by a loose sheet of blue paper.
Dimensions
  • Height: 35.5cm
  • Width: 28cm
Marks and inscriptions
  • Who killed Bambi ? BAMBI IS THE ONE YOU LOVE AND SEX PISTOLS / LOVE ANARCHY! / BAMBI IS UNTAMED INNOCENCE AND AS SUCH / IS ALWAYS A THREAT TO THE POWERS THAT BE - / WHO SEEK TO CONTROL AND CURB INDIVIDUAL / POTENTIAL AND POSSIBILITY. / BAMBI IS IN THE HEART OF EVERY PUNK / ROCKER AND WILL ALWAYS RISE AND STRIKE / AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN! / WE ARE ALL IMBECILES, CROOKS, GIMMICKS / EXILES AND EMBEZZLERS
  • INSIDE BACK COVER (Handwritten note to printers)
  • Transliteration
Subject depicted
Literary referenceBambi by Felix Salten, made famous by the Walt Disney film
Summary
This is some original artwork related to the song Who Killed Bambi?, designed by Jamie Reid (b.1947). The song was a b-side to the single Silly Thing, which was released as a Sex Pistols single, long after the band had broken up, and Sid Vicious (1957-79), singer on the main track, had died of an overdose.

The image of the dead deer is a still from the mock documentary The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, from footage for an earlier film about the band that Malcolm McLaren had tried to set up. It was to be directed by Russ Meyer, an American director of sexploitation films, and to be entitled Who Killed Bambi?; only a few minutes of footage emerged, however, before the project was abandoned. The title was later reused for a song featuring Ed Tudor-Pole as a replacement singer for Johnny Rotten.

Jamie Reid's cut-and-paste aesthetic developed from his interest in radical politics. His artistic style developed while at art college in Croydon, where he was influenced by the ideas of the avant-garde political group, the Situationist International. The political slant to his art was aroused by the May 1968 Paris student riots, which inspired fraternal protests organised by Reid at the Croydon College of Art. These were directed with fellow student Malcolm McLaren, later to become the manager of the Sex Pistols.
Collection
Accession number
S.854-1990

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Record createdMay 13, 2009
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