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Punk, God, and my search for truth

Punk's Palmolive grew up in Franco's Spain and played the drums with iconic punk bands The Slits and The Raincoats - but turned her back on music to embark on a religious quest

When 17-year-old Paloma Romero travelled to the UK in the early 1970s, she was in search of freedom and opportunities that didn't exist in her native Spain, ruled at the time by the dictator Franco. Soon, Paloma fell in with the world of punk music, and (following a mixup over her name) called herself Palmolive. She started a relationship with Joe Strummer from The Clash, taught herself to play drums and joined a band with Sid Vicious. When he kicked her out for refusing his advances, she formed a band of her own - The Slits. With their all-female lineup and collaborative approach to songwriting, The Slits are now regarded as iconic punk pioneers. Later, Paloma would play drums in another highly influential all-female punk band, The Raincoats - before turning her back on music altogether to seek spiritual truth. Now a retired teacher living in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, Paloma is thinking about a return to music. She tells Anu Anand about punk, faith, and the art of walking away. This interview was first broadcast in July 2021.

Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com

Presenter: Anu Anand
Producer: Laura Thomas

(Photo: Paloma McLardy. Credit: Getty Images)

27 minutes

Last on

Sun 2 Jan 2022 22:32GMT

Broadcasts

  • Sun 2 Jan 2022 09:32GMT
  • Sun 2 Jan 2022 22:32GMT

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Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary

Step into someone else鈥檚 life and expect the unexpected