It's the kind of punk rock Cinderella story that could only come from Malcolm McLaren, the famed rock & roll swindler and mastermind behind the Sex Pistols. When McLaren first "discovered" the Burmese-born Lwin back in 1980, she was singing along with a radio in a London dry cleaner. McLaren immediately recognized Lwin's Lolita-esque precociousness and figured that he could build a group around the girl, then named Myant Myant Aye (it means "cool, cool high"). Aye was summarily mohawked, tarted up, and thrust in front of a group comprised of Adam Ant's original bandmates (who were nicked by McLaren after he left the Ant camp in '80)... all before her fifteenth birthday.
Re-christened Annabella Lwin, she and her Bow Wow Wow compatriots went on to create a mesmerizing hybrid of Burundi tribal rhythms and Duane Eddy-inspired guitars. While managing only a moderate buzz in their native England, Lwin's aggro-sexual posturing scored Stateside, highlighted by the video for "I Want Candy," which earned heavy rotation on the then-fledgling MTV and elevated the band's profile (and record sales) almost overnight.
Fourteen years after Bow Wow Wow's breakup, Lwin and original bassist Leigh Gorman have re-formed the group and are in the home stretch of a two-month "reunion" tour that has packed in audiences from coast to coast. (Original guitarist Matthew Ashman succumbed to complications from diabetes in 1995, and original drummer Dave Barbarossa was too busy with his duties in Republica to join the tour; both have been replaced by young guns.) RSN recently caught up with Lwin in her hotel room as she was preparing for back-to-back shows at New York's Wetlands Preserve and talked with her about the band's return, Buddhism and going naked in the countryside.
Did you have a sense when you started out that there were a lot of 14-year-olds out there wishing they were you?
I didn't have a clue that anyone was watching at the time. I was only aware of what I was doing: singing and feeling the music.
But you seemed so mature, like you knew all eyes were on you.
If I seemed mature, that was a fluke! For my first audition with Bow Wow Wow, I went to see them in their rehearsal room, and they said, 'Go ahead and sing into that microphone.' And then I heard my voice coming out, and I said, 'Is that me?' (laughs) And it was really loud, and I just thought it was terrible.
Your mother was famously apprehensive about your involvement with Malcolm and the band, particularly the semi-nude pose you did for the cover of See Jungle!
She was very concerned that when her daughter had left home, left school, and left all of her friends and family behind, what would become of her? And, quite naturally, she did her best to protect me. It's something I didn't appreciate at that time because of my gregariousness and great spirit, wanting to follow my instincts to just sing, be in a rock & roll band and tour the world!
You're a practicing Buddhist. How long has that been a part of your life?
I've followed the spiritual path for the last seven or eight years, but I was born [Buddhist]. When I was three, I was "buddhatized" (laughs) in Burma. I wasn't a monkette, but I had a ceremony. Before you're even born, there are charts done...
And did your charts prophesy that you would become a rock star?
I can't really relay exactly what my mother told me, because that's personal. But she has told me [they said] I was going to be traveling and involved with music.
Speaking of rock stars, the talk is that a lot of big names are coming out to see your shows.
Funny you should mention that. Apparently, Anthony Kiedis used to like our band before he formed the Chili Peppers. And I only found that out when I spoke to him after our show. They have a song on their album Blood Sugar Sex Magik that mentions us. I was like, 'My God!' I never knew anything about it. It was a real thrill to meet him.
How are the crowds reacting to you?
The American audience has been absolutely fabulous. I've felt so much love and understanding, and it really touches me. People are singing along to our songs. It feels like I haven't been away and that Bow Wow Wow have been remembered, which is a huge thrill. Fourteen years ago it was very different.
Like when you toured with Queen?
Oh, that was very painful. We got bombarded by bottles and tomahawks -- anything they could throw or lay their hands on. The European crowd was a heavy-duty rock crowd, especially geared to see a band like Queen. They were not ready for a funky little tribal band with funky little people onstage... especially a girl with a mohawk screaming and shouting. They probably thought I was really bad singer. I was very fortunate to have survived that tour.
Do you feel connected in any way to the other survivors of the early London punk scene?
Not at all. Never. Not me personally. I met various people over the years who were apparently part of what they called the New Wave or New Romantic scene. But I was unaware of our reputation at that time. It all dawned on me afterwards.
SCOTT HESS