Acme Attractions

Acme Attractions was a London clothing store on Kings Road, Chelsea, London, that in the early 1970s provided a place for many punk and reggae musicians and scenesters to hang out.[2] Shop assistant and manager Don Letts described Acme Attraction as a place "where the interaction between the different factions became more important than selling merchandise, even though at that age it was a deadly combination".[3]

Acme Attractions
TypeThrift store
Fetish Store
Record Store
IndustryRetail
Founded1974
HeadquartersKings Road, Chelsea, London
ProductsSecond hand clothing,
footwear,
bedding, furniture,
jewelry, electronics,
toys, and housewares.

History

Acme Attractions[4][5] was inspired by Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's Fifties-inspired boutique Let it Rock (revamped in 1972 and renamed Too Fast To Live Too Young To Die). In spring 1974, a radical change saw the shop become Sex: selling fetish wear and Westwood's innovative designs.[6] Acme's owner, John Krivine, decided to venture into clothing with Steph Raynor.[7] In 1974, Acme Attractions initially opened as a stall in the antiques market Antiquarius on the King's Road, Chelsea.[8][9] While it was owned by Krivine and Raynor its public face was Don Letts who says that Acme was selling, "electric-blue zoot suits and jukeboxes, and pumping dub reggae all day long".[3][10] Acme would actually have to move to the basement, after complaints about Don Letts's pounding dub reggae.[11]

Within two weeks of opening there were queues to get in. Steph Raynor remembers:

We had an office with a (one)-way mirror, and we'd sit in there watching and pissing ourselves because we were so excited at how busy it was ... I'd get home some nights and I'd have thousand of pounds to count out all over the carpet.

— Steph Raynor part owner of Acme [12]
We'd try the clothes on in Acme Attractions, fluffy fake fur jumpers with plastic see-through breast panels, rubber tops and trousers. I wanted plastic dungarees, but they looked horrible. I got Mum to copy the clothes, tight black T-shirts with zips across the nipples. "I should open my own shop. This stuff takes five minutes to make" Mum didn't understand the importance of an original.

Boy George, [13]

By the mid 70s, Acme had quite a scene attracting the likes of The Clash, the Sex Pistols, Chrissie Hynde, Patti Smith, Deborah Harry and Bob Marley. Letts remembers that "Marley ... come by because he knew he could get a good draw from the thriving black-market action that also went on in Acme."[3] The scene created by the shop also led to the formation of Generation X, which launched the pop music career of Billy Idol. The Acme accountant, Andrew Czezowski,[14][15] seeing the potential in the crowd the store attracted, started up The Roxy, the first punk-rock venue in London,[16] so that people could go from the store and have some place to party. Letts was the first house DJ.[16]

Chelsea

Chelsea, a band, formed in August 1976 and were originally managed by John Krivine and Steph Raynor, and was in direct competition with Malcolm McLaren's SEX and Sex Pistols.[17]

Boy London

Seeing the success of punk and how a new market was created for punk related clothing and merchandise John Krevine and Steph Raynor closed Acme Attractions to create Boy London. While Don Letts opened the new store, he soon quit, "It was the bastard child of Acme, created to capitalize on the tabloid punk and although I opened and ran the joint it just weren't my speed. I quit to manage the Slits and headed off on the White Riot tour with The Clash."

Vivienne Westwood licensed designs to Boy, who issued them, some with alterations, over the next eight years.[18] Mr Krivine sold the company in 1984.[19][20]

References
  1. "Keynote Speech Music Industry Uncovered By Jeannette Lee & Don Letts" (PDF). Southwestsound. April 26, 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 29, 2008. Retrieved December 17, 2007. Jeannette Lee is one of the co-owners of Rough Trade Records, one of the iconic record labels within the British Music Industry and a brief lists of bands that have been involved with this are The Smiths, Scritti Politti, the Libertines, The Strokes, it just goes on and on, but we are going to hear a lot more about that… Ladies and Gentlemen, Don Letts and Jeannette Lee.
  2. "ACME ATTRACTIONS -". theblitzkids.net. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  3. Don Letts (October 24, 2001). "Dem crazy baldheads are my mates". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 29 December 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-16.
  4. "~Punk Flows~". wordpress.com. 9 February 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  5. Rimmer, Dave (15 September 2003). New Romantics: The Look. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9781783230273. Retrieved 12 April 2018 – via Google Books.
  6. "The sex behind the pistols". The Times. London. 2003-09-06. Retrieved 2007-12-17. “The idea was we were the Pistols from the SEX shop,” recalls Matlock. “In the King's Road we were near to Granny Takes a Trip and Anthony Price’s shop. You would see the Faces and Bryan Ferry going there to get their clothes. Malcolm told us they were a bunch of wankers and we agreed with him. Even though they were all loaded and we didn’t have a pot to piss in, it was a good attitude to have.”
  7. All about the Boy. Pro-Actif Communications. 24 August 2018. ISBN 9781908211651. Retrieved 12 April 2018 – via Google Books.
  8. "Eight Young Photographers: David Parkinson's mould-breaking contribution to the 1971 exhibition". Paul Gorman is... Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  9. "David Parkinson Shoots Acme Attractions For Club International (1975) - Flashbak". flashbak.com. 8 March 2017. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  10. Marko, Paul (12 April 2018). The Roxy London Wc2: A Punk History. The Roxy Club London:Punk. ISBN 9780955658303. Retrieved 12 April 2018 – via Google Books.
  11. Robinson, Charlotte (2002-07-12). "Don Letts". Pop Matters. Archived from the original on 23 December 2007. Retrieved 16 December 2007.
  12. Gorman, Paul (2007). "THE LOOK". The Look. Archived from the original on 2009-10-25. Retrieved 2007-12-17.
  13. Boy George (2007). "TAKE IT LIKE A MAN". TAKE IT LIKE A MAN. Archived from the original on 2009-10-25. Retrieved December 17, 2007.
  14. "3am Interview: Turning rebellion into money - an interview with Andy Czezowski and Susan Carrington". 3ammagazine.com. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  15. Robb, John (1 December 2012). Punk Rock: An Oral History. PM Press. ISBN 9781604860054. Retrieved 12 April 2018 – via Google Books.
  16. George Palathingal (September 17, 2005). "Good dose of bad attitude". SMH. Retrieved 2007-12-17. "Anyway," Letts continues, "I'm playing hardcore reggae in the shop and it seemed to draw a lot of people in. So the guys that started the Roxy" - the first punk-rock venue in London - "they said, 'Well, Don, you seem to be getting a good reaction with this music, why don't you have a go at DJing?"'
  17. "Chelsea - Discography". punkygibbon.co.uk. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  19. Sherwin, Adam (7 March 2014). "Store withdraws Boy London clothing over 'Nazi' eagle logo complaints". The Independent. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  20. Rashty, Sandy (5 March 2014). "Boy London fashion brand rejects concern over 'Nazi' logo". The Jewish Chronicle.

Sources

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