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The Kirsty MacColl web site
Strange Facts
This section deals with Kirsty's childhood, schooldays and early adult life.
Kirsty Anna MacColl was born at Mayday Hospital in Croydon (South London) on 10th October 1959. This did not make her Scottish. Or Irish. Or called Kristy.
Croydon also spawned the wonderful saint etienne and Robin Scott (who had a smash as "M" with Pop Muzik), while Malcolm McLaren, Svengali of the Sex Pistols, went to the local Goldsmith College art school as did the band's artwork designer Jamie Reid. Ray Davies of The Kinks is another alumnus. While living in Croydon, Kirsty drove a huge white BMW with fuzzy dice but no power steering. She called it Bob Marley & the Wailers.
Kirsty's father was the legendary communist folk singer Ewan MacColl, but she grew up seeing him only at weekends, being raised by her dancer/choreographer mother. Ewan of course had by then married Peggy Seeger, sister of Pete Seeger, who was the sidekick of legendary communist folk singer Woody Guthrie. Woody also married a dancer/choreographer (Marjorie), and due to his poor health their daughter Nora only saw him at weekends. Recently Nora has been working with Billy Bragg to recreate Woody's unfinished songs. Billy of course was a great friend of Kirsty's and wrote songs for her.
Kirsty attended Monks Hill High comprehensive school (in Selsdon) and John Newnham schools (at the latter she played lead in a school production of Oh what a lovely war!) She played violin and oboe in the orchestra and made quite a reasonable fuzz box! She also took metalwork as an option at school - she was the only girl in a class of boys and when she showed up on the first day, she was met with a sneering, "you can't come into this class, you're a girl." When asked a month later how she was getting on with metal work, Kirsty replied breezily, "Oh, they come and ask me for help now." Kirsty worked briefly as a tele-sales girl on Exchange and Mart, and also cleaned flats.
Source: Essential Collection liner notes, and MS/Jean MacColl.
© freeworld 1995 - 2008 [ www.kirstymaccoll.com ]
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