Jamie Reid British Artist 1947-2023

Punk wasn't just about the music, when done well it was the full assault on the senses, sound, sights and certainly a few smells.

Whether punk grabbed you from the stage or in front of the stage, visuals were always at the forefront whether your talents lay with your eye for a good photograph (and there were many) or with a cutting board and a sharp blade. 

Jamie Reid has died at the age of 76. A collaborator in all that Sex Pistols did. The band's songs and delivery fueled a musical revolution but Reid's artwork sealed the deal. The very mention of 'God Save The Queen' immediately brings to mind images of the mad Jubilee of 1977 but so much of the outrage was triggered by that image of the glorious monarch with a safety pin through her nose! 

And just reflect on that artwork for 'Anarchy In The UK'. Not a bad way to launch your debut single. A visual salvo that set out the Pistol's stall without the need for a single musical note!

The style of Reid's art was such that it lent itself to a satirical assault on any institution from 1976 right through to the present day.

 

I loved the fact that the Guardian reported the passing of Reid on their front page, surely a deliberate attempt to wind up their competitors of the press on the right!