Palmolive (musician)
Encyclopedia
Palmolive was the stage name for Spanish-born drummer Paloma McLardy, née Paloma Romero. Palmolive was a songwriter and the original drummer for influential punk
groups The Slits
and The Raincoats
.
into a family of nine children and shared a room in their family's apartment with her four sisters. She attended Catholic school
, but by age 13 had grown bored and begun to challenge authority. She moved to Madrid
and found that she was still unhappy with life in Spain. In 1972 Romero moved to London, England. In West London she lived in squats with different groups of hippies.
While living in London, Romero moved into a flat with her boyfriend John Graham Mellor (then nicknamed "Woody") whom she dated for two years. At this time punk was exploding in London, Mellor had just joined The Clash
and changed his name to Joe Strummer
. When Romero met Clash bassist Paul Simonon
, he asked what her name was. Unable to easily pronounce "Paloma", Simonon wise-cracked, "Palmolive?" Finding this amusing, Romero decided to adopt Palmolive as her stage name
.
Strummer introduced Palmolive to future Sex Pistols
bassist
Sid Vicious
with whom she played in the band The Flowers of Romance
alongside future Slits guitarist
Viv Albertine
. After attending a Patti Smith
concert, Palmolive met 14-year-old Ari Up
whom she invited to form an all-female punk band, which they dubbed The Slits. Early on The Slits
gained attention through their brash, raw and wild antics, often playing gigs with The Clash, the Sex Pistols, the Buzzcocks
, Subway Sect
and other groups from London's early punk scene. During her time in the band, Palmolive wrote several of The Slits' songs, including "Shoplifting", "Number One Enemy", "New Town", "FM" and "Adventures Close to Home", some of which were recorded for The Slits' 1977 Peel Sessions with Palmolive playing drums. By 1978, however, tensions with other band members and their manager, Malcolm McLaren
, led to Palmolive's departure, and though many of her songs appear on the group's 1979 debut LP
, Palmolive had already moved on.
After filling in on drums for the pre-Spizzenergi duo Spizzoil, Palmolive joined another female punk band, The Raincoats
in 1979, with whom she recorded one single and an album
for Rough Trade Records
. The band toured the UK with Swiss label-mates Kleenex before Palmolive grew dissatisfied with the music business and left the Raincoats just six months after joining.
in India
. During this time she met and married her husband Dave McLardy. In 1981 Romero gave birth to her first child, Sandy, after moving back to Spain. Returning to England and feeling unhappy with life in general, Romero became a born-again Christian. In 1989 the family relocated to Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the United States
where they continued to raise their three children. , Paloma and her husband led a cover band called Hi-Fi, rewriting key lyrics to reflect their Christian beliefs. Included in their repertoire is The Slits' song "FM", with the chorus' lyrics changed from "Frequent Mutilation / Transmits over the air" to "Jesus is the answer / Why don't you let him in?"
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
groups The Slits
The Slits
The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...
and The Raincoats
The Raincoats
The Raincoats are a British post-punk band. Ana da Silva and Gina Birch formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art, London, England.-Career:...
.
Early life and punk rock career
Romero was born in Southern SpainSpain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
into a family of nine children and shared a room in their family's apartment with her four sisters. She attended Catholic school
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
, but by age 13 had grown bored and begun to challenge authority. She moved to Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and found that she was still unhappy with life in Spain. In 1972 Romero moved to London, England. In West London she lived in squats with different groups of hippies.
While living in London, Romero moved into a flat with her boyfriend John Graham Mellor (then nicknamed "Woody") whom she dated for two years. At this time punk was exploding in London, Mellor had just joined The Clash
The Clash
The Clash were an English punk rock band that formed in 1976 as part of the original wave of British punk. Along with punk, their music incorporated elements of reggae, ska, dub, funk, rap, dance, and rockabilly...
and changed his name to Joe Strummer
Joe Strummer
John Graham Mellor , best remembered by his stage name Joe Strummer, was the co-founder, lyricist, rhythm guitarist and lead vocalist of the British punk rock band The Clash. His musical experience included his membership in The 101ers, Latino Rockabilly War, The Mescaleros and The Pogues, in...
. When Romero met Clash bassist Paul Simonon
Paul Simonon
Paul Gustave Simonon is an English musician and artist best known as the bass guitarist for punk rock band The Clash. Recent work includes his involvement in the album The Good, the Bad & the Queen with Damon Albarn, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, released in January 2007...
, he asked what her name was. Unable to easily pronounce "Paloma", Simonon wise-cracked, "Palmolive?" Finding this amusing, Romero decided to adopt Palmolive as her stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
.
Strummer introduced Palmolive to future Sex Pistols
Sex Pistols
The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians...
bassist
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious
Sid Vicious was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols...
with whom she played in the band The Flowers of Romance
The Flowers of Romance (band)
The Flowers of Romance were an early punk band, formed in mid-1976 by Jo Faull and Sarah Hall. The band never played live or released any recordings, and, like London SS and Masters of the Backside, are more famed for the number of band members that later became well known, including: Sid Vicious...
alongside future Slits guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Viv Albertine
Viv Albertine
Viv Albertine is a British singer and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for the influential, all-female English punk group, The Slits....
. After attending a Patti Smith
Patti Smith
Patricia Lee "Patti" Smith is an American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist, who became a highly influential component of the New York City punk rock movement with her 1975 debut album Horses....
concert, Palmolive met 14-year-old Ari Up
Ari Up
Ariane Daniele Forster , better known by her stage name Ari Up, was a German-born vocalist, best known as a member of the English punk group, The Slits.-Career:...
whom she invited to form an all-female punk band, which they dubbed The Slits. Early on The Slits
The Slits
The Slits were a British punk rock band. The quartet was formed in 1976 by members of the bands The Flowers of Romance and The Castrators. The members were Ari Up , who died of cancer in October 2010, and Palmolive , with Viv Albertine and Tessa Pollitt replacing founding members, Kate Korus and...
gained attention through their brash, raw and wild antics, often playing gigs with The Clash, the Sex Pistols, the Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks
Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band formed in Bolton in 1976, led by singer–songwriter–guitarist Pete Shelley.They are regarded as an important influence on the Manchester music scene, the independent record label movement, punk rock, power pop, pop punk and indie rock. They achieved commercial...
, Subway Sect
Subway Sect
Subway Sect were one of the original British punk bands. Their influence was limited by the very small amount of recorded material they released.-The early days:...
and other groups from London's early punk scene. During her time in the band, Palmolive wrote several of The Slits' songs, including "Shoplifting", "Number One Enemy", "New Town", "FM" and "Adventures Close to Home", some of which were recorded for The Slits' 1977 Peel Sessions with Palmolive playing drums. By 1978, however, tensions with other band members and their manager, Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm McLaren
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was an English performer, impresario, self-publicist and manager of the Sex Pistols and the New York Dolls...
, led to Palmolive's departure, and though many of her songs appear on the group's 1979 debut LP
Cut (The Slits album)
Cut is the debut album by The Slits. It was originally released in September 1979 on the Island Records label in the UK and on Antilles in the U.S...
, Palmolive had already moved on.
After filling in on drums for the pre-Spizzenergi duo Spizzoil, Palmolive joined another female punk band, The Raincoats
The Raincoats
The Raincoats are a British post-punk band. Ana da Silva and Gina Birch formed the group in 1977 while they were students at Hornsey College of Art, London, England.-Career:...
in 1979, with whom she recorded one single and an album
The Raincoats (album)
The Raincoats, released in 1979 , was the debut album by The Raincoats. The album is perhaps best known for its off-kilter cover of "Lola" by The Kinks and the album's seventh track "The Void", which was covered by Hole in 1994. The album was re-released by Rough Trade in 1994, with liner notes by...
for Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records
Rough Trade Records is an independent record label based in London. It was formed in 1978 by Geoff Travis who had opened a record store off Ladbroke Grove...
. The band toured the UK with Swiss label-mates Kleenex before Palmolive grew dissatisfied with the music business and left the Raincoats just six months after joining.
Post-punk life
After leaving The Raincoats, Romero looked at changing her life around and spent the next six months on a spiritual pilgrimagePilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. During this time she met and married her husband Dave McLardy. In 1981 Romero gave birth to her first child, Sandy, after moving back to Spain. Returning to England and feeling unhappy with life in general, Romero became a born-again Christian. In 1989 the family relocated to Cape Cod, Massachusetts in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
where they continued to raise their three children. , Paloma and her husband led a cover band called Hi-Fi, rewriting key lyrics to reflect their Christian beliefs. Included in their repertoire is The Slits' song "FM", with the chorus' lyrics changed from "Frequent Mutilation / Transmits over the air" to "Jesus is the answer / Why don't you let him in?"
External links
- Palmolive 2 Day, Palmolive's website, last accessed on October 22, 2010.