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(Redirected from The Sex Pistols)
The 'Sex Pistols' were an iconic and highly influential English punk rock band, formed in London in 1975. The band originally comprised vocalist Johnny Rotten, guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook and bassist Glen Matlock (later replaced by Sid Vicious). Although their initial career lasted only three years and produced only four singles and one studio album, the Sex Pistols have been described by the BBC as "the definitive English punk rock band."[1] The Pistols are widely credited with initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom[2] and creating the first generation gap within rock and roll.[3]
The Sex Pistols emerged as a response to what was perceived to be the "increasingly safe and bloated" progressive rock[4] and manufactured pop music of the mid-1970s. The band created various controversies during their brief career which captivated Britain,[5] but often eclipsed their music.[6] Their shows and tours repeatedly faced difficulties from authorities, and public appearances often ended in disaster and riot. Their 1977 single, "God Save the Queen", was widely regarded as an attack on the British monarchy and British nationalism. "Artists A-Z"
Lydon / Rotten left the band in 1978, amid a turbulent tour of the United States; the remaining trio carried on for the remainder of the year with vocals provided by Jones, Edward Tudor-Pole and Ronnie Biggs but disbanded in early 1979. With Lydon, they reunited in 1996 for the "Filthy Lucre" tour and have staged subsequent reunion tours in 2002 and 2003. On 24 February 2006, the Sex Pistols were officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but they refused to attend the induction, calling the museum a "piss stain".[7]
The Sex Pistols evolved from The Strand, a band formed in 1972 with Jones on vocals, Cook on drums and Wally Nightingale on guitar. Early line-ups also included Jim Mackin (now a GP practising in Lincolnshire) on organ, as well as Stephen Hayes, and later Del Noones, on bass.[8] By 1973 the band members were spending time at Don Letts' "Acme Attractions", and the more upmarket Let It Rock, a 1950s-themed clothes shop in the Kings Road, Chelsea area of London. "Let It Rock" was owned by former New York Dolls manager Malcolm McLaren and his partner Vivienne Westwood; the shop specialised in "anti-fashion", selling the drapes, slashed T-shirts, brothel creepers and fetish gear later popularised by the punk movement. As Rotten observed: "Malcolm and Vivienne were really a pair of shysters: they would sell anything to any trend that they could grab onto." The shop was to become a focal point of the punk rock scene, and brought together many of its primary members, including Jordan and Soo Catwoman, as well as Captain Sensible, John Ritchie (later Sid Vicious), Jah Wobble, Gene October, Mick Jones, Tony James, and Marco Pirroni. All were reacting to a distaste to the prevailing fashion of long hair and flared jeans of the early 1970s. McLaren took over management of the band around this time.
By then renamed "The Swankers",[9] the band began rehearsing at the Crunchy Frog, a studio near the London Docklands. In 1974, they played their first gig at Tom Salter's Café in London. Noones was ejected from the band shortly afterwards, due to his unreliability and unwillingness to rehearse.
Glen Matlock was recruited as bass player in early 1975. Around this time Jones and Nightingale began to argue over the band's musical direction, and Nightingale departed soon afterwards. In August 1975, John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), was spotted by Jones at the now renamed and restyled SEX boutique. According to Jones: "He came in with green hair. I thought he had a really interesting face. I liked his look. He had his 'I Hate Pink Floyd' T-shirt on. John had something special, but when he spoke he was a real asshole - but smart."[10] After miming along to Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen" on the shop juke box and though he had never considered singing before, Rotten was asked to join as vocalist.[11] Rotten and his circle of friends (including Soo Catwoman and Bromley Contingent members Siouxsie Sioux, Steve Severin and Billy Idol),[12] were by now dressing in the torn-shirt, sado-masochistic inspired clothing sold by Vivienne Westwood;[13] the trend quickly spread, and was adopted by the band's fans.
''NME'' journalist Nick Kent used to jam occasionally with the band, but left upon Rotten's recruitment. According to Rotten: "When I came along, I took one look at him and said, 'No. That has to go.' He's never written a good word about me since".10 Following Kent's departure, Cook began to feel that Jones might not be capable enough alone on guitar, and 1976 they placed an advertisement in the Melody Maker for another "Whiz Kid Guitarist"[14] that read "''Wanted Whizz kid guitarist Not older than 20, Not worse looking than Johnny Thunders.''" Steve New answered the advert, and played with the band for a few weeks, though he too left shortly afterwards.
One of McLaren's first acts as manager was to rename the band. Among the options considered were 'Le Bomb', 'Subterraneans', 'Beyond' and 'Teenage Novel'. The band played their first gig as Sex Pistols at Saint Martins College, on 6 November 1975, though they were thrown off before finishing their first song. The gig had been arranged by Matlock, who was studying there at the time. This gig was followed by other performances at colleges and art schools around London. In early 1976, the Sex Pistols began to play larger venues such as the 100 Club, and the Nashville. On 3 September 1976, the Pistols played their first concert outside Britain, at the opening of the Club De Chalet Du Lac in Paris. Their first major tour of Britain soon followed, lasting from mid-September to early October.
Following a showcase gig held during London's first punk festival, at the 100 Club in Oxford Street, in September 1976, the Sex Pistols signed to the major label EMI. The band's first single, "Anarchy in the U.K.", released on 26 November 1976, served as a statement of intent—full of wit, anger and visceral energy. Despite a common perception that punk bands couldn't play their instruments, contemporary music press reviews and live recordings reveal the Pistols to have been a tight, competent, and ferocious live band.[15][16][17]
Their behaviour, as much as their music, brought them national attention. On 1 December 1976 the band and members of the Bromley Contingent created a storm of publicity by swearing during an early evening live broadcast of Thames Television's ''Today'' programme. Appearing as last-minute replacements for fellow EMI artists Queen, band and entourage took full advantage of the Green Room facilities, and consumed large amounts of alcohol. During the interview, Rotten used the word "shit", and host Bill Grundy, who was drunk at the time, flirted openly with Siouxsie Sioux ("We'll meet afterwards, shall we?"). This prompted Jones to call Grundy a "dirty sod". Grundy responded by requesting that the band "say something outrageous",[18] to which Jones replied: "you dirty fucker . . . what a dirty fucking bastard".[19]
Although the programme was only broadcast in the London region, the ensuing furore occupied the tabloid newspapers for days. ''The Daily Mirror'' famously ran the headline "The Filth and the Fury", while the ''Daily Express'' led with "Punk? Call it Filthy Lucre"—phrases Lydon adopted for Pistols projects many years later. Thames Television suspended Grundy, and though he was later reinstated, the interview effectively ended his career.[20]
The episode created mass publicity for the band and brought punk into the mainstream. The 'Anarchy' tour of the UK followed, though many of the concerts were either crowded by hostile press or cancelled by local authorities.11 London councilor Bernard Brook Partridge, during a television interview conducted at the time, declared: "The Sex Pistols would be vastly improved by sudden death . . . I would like to see someone dig a huge hole and bury the lot of them in it".[21]
Following the end of the tour in December 1976, EMI arranged a series of concerts for January 1977 at the Paradiso in Amsterdam.[22] But before boarding the plane at London Heathrow Airport, the band reportedly spat on each other and verbally abused airport staff. "One witness claimed the Sex Pistols were doing something so disgusting that she could not repeat it for publication . . . it became generally believed Jones had been vomiting on old ladies in the preflight lounge," reported ''Rolling Stone''. EMI released the band from their contract two days later.22 "I don't understand it," Rotten remarked at the time. "All we're trying to do is destroy everything."[23]
The Paradiso gigs would be their last with Matlock, who parted company with the band in February 1977. According to popular legend he was sacked because he "liked The Beatles",1 but Steve Jones later claimed the reason was that Matlock didn't "fit in" with the others, stating, obliquely, that Matlock was "always washing his feet".[24] Matlock now claims to have quit voluntarily, mainly because of an increasingly acrimonious relationship with Rotten.[25]
Matlock was replaced by Rotten's friend and self-appointed "ultimate Sex Pistols fan"[26] Sid Vicious (Simon John Ritchie), previously drummer of Siouxsie & the Banshees and The Flowers of Romance. McLaren approved Vicious as a member on account of his look and "punk attitude", despite his limited musical abilities.14 According to McLaren: "When Sid joined he couldn't play guitar but his craziness fit into the structure of the band. He was the knight in shining armour with a giant fist."[27] Lydon later recalled: "The first rehearsals with Sid were hellish. Everyone agreed he had the look. Sid tried real hard... but boy, he couldn't play bass."10
In recent years McLaren stated that Vivienne Westood told him he should "get the guy called John who came to the store a couple of times" to be the singer, and that once he did and Johnny Rotten was recruited for the band, Vivienne said he had got it wrong, "he had got the wrong John." She actually meant John Simon Ritchie (Sid Vicious) to be the singer.[28] According to this version of the events the original plan would have been to get Sid Vicious to be the singer and not Johnny Rotten, and Vivienne had always been interested in Sid but didn't have an opportunity to do so until Glenn Matlock left the band.
Marco Pirroni: "After that, it was nothing to do with music anymore. It would just be for the sensationalism and scandal of it all. Then it became the Malcolm McLaren story..." Vicious' amplifier was often turned down, or off, during live performances,[29] and most of the bass parts on the band's later recordings were played by either Jones or Matlock.10
Membership in the Sex Pistols began to have a destructive effect on Vicious ' personality. As Rotten observed: "Up to that time, Sid was absolutely childlike. Everything was fun and giggly. Suddenly he was a big pop star. Pop star status meant press, a good chance to be spotted in all the right places, adoration. That's what it all meant to Sid." Vicious responded by actively cultivating a notorious persona. Early in 1977, he met Nancy Spungen, a drug addict and occasional prostitute[30] from New York with a history of severe emotional problems. Spungen is commonly thought to be responsible for introducing Vicious to heroin, and the emotional co-dependency between the couple alienated Vicious from the other members of the band. Rotten said: "We did everything to get rid of Nancy. She was killing him. I was absolutely convinced this girl was on a slow suicide mission. Only she didn't want to go alone. She wanted to take Sid with her. She was so utterly fucked up and evil." Sid Vicious debuted with the band at the Screen on the Green in London on 3 April 1977.
Main articles: God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols song), l1=God Save the Queen
On 10 March 1977, at a press ceremony held outside Buckingham Palace, the Sex Pistols signed to A&M Records. They later went back to the A&M offices for what would become an unruly party. Sid Vicious trashed the managing director's office and vomited on his desk. Under pressure from its own employees, artists and distributors, A&M broke contract with the Pistols six days later. In May the band signed their third and final record deal with Virgin Records.
The Pistols' second single, "God Save the Queen", was released 27 May 1977. Though widely perceived as a personal attack on Queen Elizabeth II,11 Rotten later stated that the song was not specifically aimed at the Queen, but was instead intended to critique the deference given to Royalty in general. However, the perceived disrespect to the monarchy caused widespread public outcry. The record was banned from airplay by the BBC, whose Radio 1 dominated music broadcasting at the time. Rotten later remarked, "We had declared war on the entire country—without meaning to!"10
During the week of Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee, the single reached number one in the ''NME'' chart, but number two in the official UK chart. However, many suspected that the chart compilation had been massaged,[31] suggesting that the record had actually reached number one, but that the charts had been rigged to prevent a spectacle.[32] At least one radio station announced the song at number one, but refused to play it, as they had been advised it might cause upset to the national celebrations.[31][34]
The Pistols marked the Jubilee, and the success of their record, by chartering a private boat, intending to perform live while sailing down the River Thames, passing Westminster and the Houses of Parliament. The event ended in chaos, however, when the boat was raided by police, despite a license to perform having been granted in advance. McLaren, the band, and many of their entourage were taken into custody when the vessel docked.[35]
Violent attacks on punk fans were on the increase at this time, and Rotten himself was assaulted by a knife wielding gang outside the Islington Pegasus pub,[36] causing damage to two tendons in his hand. Due to the attacks, a tour of Scandinavia, which would have started at the end of June, was delayed until mid-July. This was followed by a secret tour of the UK at the end of August (known as SPOTS—Sex Pistols On Tour Secretly), with the band playing under pseudonyms to avoid cancellation.[37]
Main articles: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
''Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols'' was recorded between March and June 1977, in Wessex Studios, Highbury, London.[38]
Produced by Chris Thomas, who had previously worked with Roxy Music, the album featured Matlock on bass, redrafted as a session musician to compensate for Vicious' lack of musical ability. According to Jones: "Sid wanted to come down and play on the album, and we tried as hard as possible not to let him anywhere near the studio. Luckily he had hepatitis at the time". Although Vicious did record on one occasion, his contribution was later over-dubbed. Jones recalls: "We just let him do it, innit. When he left I dubbed another part on, leaving Sid's down low. I think it might be barely audible on the track".
''Never Mind the Bollocks'' was released on 28 October 1977, to mixed reviews. ''Rolling Stone'' described the album positively, comparing the sound to "two subway trains crashing together under 40 feet of mud, victims screaming", and praised the band for playing "with an energy and conviction that is positively transcendent in its madness and fever".[39] Some critics, however, were disappointed that the album contained versions of all four previously released singles, and considered the release to be effectively a "Greatest Hits" album.[40] In recent years, the album has come to be commonly regarded to be one of the most influential rock albums of the last 40 years,[41][42][43] and has been described as "one of the greatest, most inspiring rock records of all time".[44]
The album title caused difficulties for the band. Boots, W.H. Smith and Woolworth's refused to stock the album, a Conservative MP condemned it as "a symptom of the way society is declining", and the Independent Television Companies Association refused to carry the album's TV advertising campaign.[45] In Nottingham a record outlet was threatened with prosecution for displaying "indecent printed matter". The case was overturned however, when defending QC John Mortimer produced expert witnesses, who were able to demonstrate that the word ''bollocks'' was a legitimate Old English term originally used to refer to a priest.[46] Although the word in popular slang means testicles, in this context it is intended to signify 'nonsense'; the title had been unwittingly suggested by Steve Jones when, in response to bickering over possible titles, he exclaimed "Oh, never mind the bollocks of it all!"
The Sex Pistols' final UK performance took place at Ivanhoe's in Huddersfield, on Christmas Day 1977, where the band played a matinee and evening show as part of a benefit for the families of striking firemen. The location of the gigs was not announced until shortly before the venue opened, a tactic the band used at the time to avoid the sort of attention that had led to earlier cancellations.
In January 1978 the Sex Pistols embarked on a US tour, consisting mainly of dates in America's Deep South. Though originally scheduled for December 1977, it was delayed due the US authorities reluctance to issue visas to band members with criminal records.[47] Though highly anticipated by fans and media, the tour was plagued by in-fighting, poor planning and physically hostile audiences.[48] Malcolm McLaren has admitted that he purposely booked redneck bars to create those hostile situations.[28] Over the course of the two-weeks, Vicious, by now chronically addicted to heroin,[50]
began to live up to his stage name. According to Rotten: "He finally had an audience of people who would behave with shock and horror. Sid was easily led by the nose."
Early in the tour, Sid wandered off from his Holiday Inn in Memphis, Tennessee, looking for drugs. He was found in a Memphis hospital with the words "Gimme a fix" self-carved in his chest with a razor. During a concert in San Antonio, Texas, Vicious called the audience "a bunch of faggots", before striking a member of the audience across the head with his bass guitar. In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he received simulated oral sex on stage, later declaring "that’s the kind of girl I like".[51] Suffering withdrawal symptoms from heroin, Vicious appeared onstage in Dallas, Texas, with the words "Gimme a Fix" still cut into his chest, and spat blood at a female who had climbed on stage and punched him in the face. He was admitted to hospital later that night to treat injuries resulting from his wounds. Offstage he is said to have kicked a female photographer, attacked a security guard, and was eventually beaten by one of his own bodyguards.
Rotten, meanwhile, suffering from flu[52] and coughing up blood, felt increasingly isolated and distanced from Cook and Jones, and disgusted by Vicious. At the final date at the Winterland, San Francisco, on 14 January 1978 a disillusioned Rotten ended with an encore of a Stooges cover, "No Fun." Sneering at the audience, he exclaimed "This is No Fun, at all", making clear his personal feelings about the gig, the band, and the audience. After the performance Rotten asked the audience "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" before throwing down his microphone and walking off stage.[53] He later observed: "I hated the whole scenario. It was a farce. I felt cheated. Sid was completely out of his brains - just a waste of space. Malcolm wouldn't speak to me. But then he would turn around and tell Paul and Steve that the tension was all my fault because I wouldn't agree to anything. It was all very bitter and confusing."
On 17 January 1978, Rotten announced his departure from the Sex Pistols. Vicious departed for New York, while McLaren, Cook and Jones left for a working vacation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, leaving Rotten in America without money or a plane ticket. He would later state: "'The Sex Pistols left me, stranded in Los Angeles with no ticket, no hotel room, and a message to Warner Bros saying that if anyone phones up claiming to be Johnny Rotten, then they were lying. That's how I finished with Malcolm - but not with the rest of the band; I'll always like them."[54] He eventually telephoned head of Virgin Records Richard Branson, who agreed to pay for his flight back to London, via Jamaica. In Jamaica, Branson met with members of the band Devo, and tried to install Rotten as their lead singer. Devo declined the offer.
The Sex Pistols continued, briefly, with Cook, Jones and Vicious. Attempts were made at finding a new frontman, but the band ended up with all three members taking lead vocal turns with guest vocalists. The group did not perform live in the post-Rotten period, but the majority of the recordings from this time were later released.
After leaving the Pistols, Johnny Rotten reverted to his birth name of Lydon, and formed Public Image Ltd, with former Clash member Keith Levene and school friend Jah Wobble.[55] The band went on to score a U.K. Top Ten hit with their debut single, 1978's "Public Image", and in 1979 recorded the post punk classic ''Metal Box''.[56] In 1978 Lydon initiated legal proceedings against McLaren and his management company, ''Glitterbest''. Among the claims made were non-payment of royalties, usage of the title 'Johnny Rotten', unfair contractual obligations,[57] and damages for "all the criminal activities that took place".[58]
Vicious relocated to New York, and with Spungen acting as his manager, began to perform as a solo artist. He recorded a live album, 1979's ''Sid Sings'', backed by "The Idols" featuring Arthur Kane and Jerry Nolan of the New York Dolls in their line up. On 12 October 1978 Spungen was found dead in the Chelsea Hotel room she was sharing with Vicious, with stab wounds to her stomach and dressed only in her underwear.[59] Police recovered drug paraphernalia from the scene and Vicious was arrested for the murder. In an interview at the time, McLaren said: "I can't believe he was involved in such a thing. Sid was set to marry Nancy in New York. He was very close to her and had quite a passionate affair with her." He died five months later, on 2 February 1979, of a heroin overdose after a party held to celebrate his release on bail.[60] He was only 21. According to Lydon: "Poor Sid. The only way he could live up to what he wanted everyone to believe about him was to die. That was tragic, but more for Sid than anyone else. He really bought his public image."[61] A fictionalised account of Vicious's relationship with Spungen appears in the 1986 film ''Sid and Nancy'', directed by Alex Cox. Lydon has been publicly critical of the film, taking issue both with its portrayal of the main characters and the speculation that Vicious and Spungen had formed a suicide pact.
McLaren had wanted for some time to make a film featuring the Sex Pistols. In 1977 he hired Russ Meyer to direct a script, ''Who Killed Bambi?'', he had written with Roger Ebert. Production ceased, however, after only a day-and-a-half's shooting when members of the crew, in protest over unpaid monies owed by McLaren, walked off the set.[62] A second attempt was made in mid-1978, with Cook and Jones starring in the McLaren-scripted ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle''. Directed by Julien Temple, the movie was McLaren's fictionalised account of the Pistols' history; in it he claimed he had controlled and manipulated the band from its inception.[63] The soundtrack featured Jones, occasionally Cook or Vicious, and sometimes Edward Tudor-Pole, trading on their vocals and engaging in McLaren-concocted gimmicks, such as recording two songs on the album with notorious British criminal Ronnie Biggs.[64]
Cook and Jones continued to work through guest appearances[65] and as session musicians, and later formed The Professionals. Cook is currently playing in the band Man-Raze. Matlock has been involved in various projects, including The Rich Kids (with Midge Ure) in 1978. Matlock later released solo albums and with a backing band called The Philistines since 2000. McLaren went on to manage Adam & the Ants and Bow Wow Wow, and in the mid-1980s released a number of hit records as a solo artist.[66]
After a drawn out and bitter legal case, in January 1986 the four surviving members of the Sex Pistols as well as the estate of Sid Vicious were awarded control of the band's heritage, which included publishing rights, master recordings, film footage, as well as exclusive rights to the name "Sex Pistols".[67] This access enabled the production of the 2000 Julien Temple documentary ''The Filth and the Fury'', formulated as an attempt to tell the story from the band's point of view, in contrast to the earlier "Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle", told from McLaren's perspective.[68]
In July 2007 came the news that Virgin were to release a special 30th anniversary edition of the classic The Sex Pistols debut album "Never Mind The Bollocks... Here's The Sex Pistols"[69]. The album will be re-issued on October 29 on heavy weight vinyl with a 7" insert of "Submission" and a poster. Fans will have noticed that this is exactly the format used when the record was originally released on October 28, 1977. The 7" "Submission" was not included on the original track listing when the album was 'mistakenly' released a week earlier than planned. A one-sided 7" was added to the first 50,000 copies of the album. Also expected for a re-release are the band's four classic singles: "Anarchy In The UK", "God Save The Queen", "Pretty Vacant" and "Holidays In The Sun". All will be released in October on 7" vinyl. "Anarchy In The UK" on October 1, "God Save The Queen" on October 8, "Pretty Vacant" on October 15 and "Holidays In The Sun" on October 29.
The surviving (original four) members of the Sex Pistols reformed in 1996 for the six-month Filthy Lucre Tour, which included dates in Europe, North and South America, Australia and Japan, as well as appearances at the Phoenix Festival and, in 2002 - the year of the Queen's Golden Jubilee - the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London ("Pistols at the Palace"). In 2003 they toured North America for three weeks, as part of their 'Piss Off Tour.' They have not played live since.
In November 2005, the Sex Pistols were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an honour that the surviving members turned down, with an "obscene gesture" and a suggestion that the Hall of Fame "kiss this".[70] According to Jones: "Once you want to be put into a museum, Rock & Roll's over; it's not voted by fans, it's voted by people who induct you, or others; people who are already in it."[71]
On March 9 2006 the band sold the rights to their back catalogue to Universal Music Group. The sale was criticized as a "sell out".[72]
After The Sex Pistols appearance on the infamous Bill Grundy TODAY show, their story appeared on the front of every national newspaper the next day. The media later raved, "The Sex Pistols sold more papers on Fleet Street than the armistice.".[73] ''Rolling Stone'' suggested the band, responding "to the star trappings and complacency" of mid-1970s rock, "came to spark and personify one of the few truly critical moments in pop culture—the rise of punk". While they were not the first punk band, the Pistols' ''Never Mind the Bollocks'' is a singular achievement within the punk movement and an important event in the history of popular music in general. It is regularly cited on lists of the greatest albums ever: in 2006 the album was voted no. 27 in ''Q Magazine's'' "100 Greatest Albums Ever",[42] while Rolling Stone listed it at 2 in its 1987 "Top 100 Albums of the Last 20 Years".[75] In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked The Sex Pistols[76] #58 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[77]
Their live performances were also influential. A significant show occurred early in their career on June 4, 1976, when they performed to a crowd of just 42 people at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England. It was to become one of the most important and mythologized events in rock history.[78] Among the audience were many who would later form bands or otherwise popularise the embryonic punk movement, including the Buzzcocks (who had organised the gig), Anthony H. Wilson (founder of Factory Records), Bernard Sumner, Ian Curtis and Peter Hook, Adam Ant, Morrissey, and Mick Hucknall.[79][80]
The Sex Pistols are remembered for communicating directly with their audiences. According to Lydon: "If we had an aim, it was to force our own, working-class opinions into the mainstream, which was unheard of in pop music at the time." Whether the Pistols' anti-establishment stance was spontaneous or cultivated has been debated. One reviewer notes that "England's depressed social psyche at the time" was enough to generate a band like the Pistols and that Rotten's "fierce intelligence and astonishing onstage charisma" were important catalysts, but ultimately credits McLaren's history-minded manipulations as the real power behind the band.[81] Bands who have been influenced by the Sex Pistols include The Clash,[82] The Offspring,[83] Siouxsie & the Banshees,[84] Nirvana,[85][86] NOFX[87], Oasis, The Fall,[88] Green Day,[89] and Guns N' Roses.[90] In 1997, paleontologists Adrain and Edgecombe, named a series of fossil trilobite species in honour of the Pistols' members: ''Arcticalymene rotteni'', ''A. viciousi'', ''A. jonesi'', ''A. cooki'' and ''A. matlocki''.[91][92]
★ Johnny Rotten – lead vocals (1975–1978, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2007)
★ Steve Jones – guitar, backing vocals (1975–1978, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2007)
★ Paul Cook – drums (1975–1978, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2007)
★ Glen Matlock – bass (1975–1977, 1996, 2002, 2003)
★ Sid Vicious – bass (1977–1978)
People who sang on ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'' include:
★ Paul Cook – lead vocals on "Silly Thing" (1978)
★ Steve Jones – lead vocals on "Lonely Boy", "Friggin' In The Riggin" and the single release of "Silly Thing" (1978)
★ Ronnie Biggs – lead vocals on "No One Is Innocent", "Rock Around the Clock", "Belsen Was a Gas" (1978)
★ Malcolm McLaren – lead vocals on "You Need Hands" (1979)
★ Edward Tudor-Pole – lead vocals on "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle", "Who Killed Bambi?" (1979)
★ Sid Vicious – lead vocals on "My Way", "C'mon Everybody", "Something Else" (1978)
★ ''Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols'' (28 October 1977) # 1 UK, # 106 US Platinum
★ ''Spunk'' (October 1977)
★ ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'' (26 February 1979) # 7 UK
★ '' (interviews and radio spots) (27 July 1979) # 6 UK
★ ''Flogging a Dead Horse'' (compilation) (16 February 1980) # 23 UK
★ ''Original Pistols Live'' (7 April 1989)
★ ''After the Storm'' (Sex Pistols & New York Dolls) (4 July 1991)
★ ''Kiss This: The Best Of'' (10 October 1992) # 10 UK
★ ''Alive'' (18 September 1995)
★ ''Filthy Lucre Live'' (24 June 1996) # 26 UK
★ ''Live at Winterland 1978'' (11 November 1996)
★ ''Wanted - The Goodman Tapes'' (26 January 1998)
★ ''Pirates of Destiny'' (26 January 1998)
★ ''There Is No Future'' (13 September 1999)
★ ''76 Club'' (22 November 1999)
★ ''Live at Chelmsford Prison'' (21 August 2000)
★ ''Early Daze'' (21 August 2000)
★ ''Better Live Than Dead'' (21 August 2000)
★ ''Live at Winterland'' (23 April 2001)
★ ''Sham Pistols Gig'' (Sham 69 & Sex Pistols) (22 October 2001)
★ ''No Future UK'' (22 October 2001)
★ ''Johnny Rotten'' (10 December 2001)
★ ''Anarchy in the UK'' (25 January 2002)
★ ''Jubilee: The Best Of'' (27 May 2002) # 29 UK
★ ''Sex Pistols Box Set'' (2 June 2002) # 160 UK
★ ''Submission'' (14 October 2002)
★ ''Silver Jubilee'' (4 November 2002)
★ ''Heyday'' (26 May 2003)
★ ''Raw and Live'' (16 February 2004)
★ ''Anarchy Live! At the 76 Club'' (2005)
★ ''Sex Pistols'' (29 April 2006)
★ ''Spunk - Deluxe Edition'' (10 July 2006)
★ ''Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols - 30th Anniversary Edition'' (29 October 2007)
★ from ''Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols''
★
★ 26 November 1976 - "Anarchy in the UK" # 38 UK
★
★ 27 May 1977 - "God Save the Queen" # 2 UK
★
★ 2 July 1977 - "Pretty Vacant" # 6 UK, # 93 US
★
★ 15 October 1977 - "Holidays in the Sun" # 8 UK
★ from ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle''
★
★ 30 June 1978 - "No One Is Innocent" # 6 UK
★
★ 9 February 1979 - "Something Else" # 3 UK
★
★ 30 March 1979 - "Silly Thing" # 6 UK
★
★ 22 June 1979 - "C'mon Everybody" # 3 UK
★
★ 18 October 1979 - "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" # 21 UK
★
★ 4 June 1980 - "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" # 21 UK
★ from ''Kiss This: The Best Of''
★
★ October 1992 - "Anarchy in the UK" (re-issue) # 33 UK
★
★ December 1992 - "Pretty Vacant" (re-issue) # 56 UK
★ from ''Filthy Lucre Live''
★
★ June 1996 - "Pretty Vacant" (live) # 18 UK
★ from ''Jubilee: The Best Of''
★
★ 27 May 2002 - "God Save the Queen" (re-issue) # 15 UK
★ from ''Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols - 30th Anniversary Edition''
★
★ 1 October 2007 - "Anarchy in the UK" (2nd re-issue)
★
★ 8 October 2007 - "God Save the Queen" (2nd re-issie)
★
★ 15 October 2007 - "Pretty Vacant" (2nd re-issue)
★
★ 22 October 2007 - "Holidays in the Sun" (re-issue)
★ Burchill, Julie & Tony Parsons, ''The Boy Looked at Johnny: The Obituary of Rock and Roll'', Pluto Press, 1978. ISBN 0-571-12992-7
★ Dalton, David, ''El Sid Saint Vicious'', St. Martin's Press, July 1997. ISBN 0-312-15520-4
★ Lydon, John, (with Keith & Kent Zimmerman), ''Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs'', St. Martin's Press, May 1994. ISBN 0-312-11883-X
★ Marcus, Greil, ''Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century'', Harvard University Press, 1989. ISBN 0-571-23228-0
★ Matlock, Glen, Silverton, Pete, ''I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol'' - Faber and Faber, October 1991. ISBN 0-7119-1817-1
★ McNeil, Legs, Gillian McCain (ed.), ''Please Kill Me'', Grove Press, 1996. ISBN 0-349-10880-3
★ Monk, Noel, ''12 Days on the Road: The Sex Pistols and America'', Harper Paperbacks, 1992. ISBN 0688112749
★ Morris, Dennis, ''Destroy: Sex Pistols 1977'', Creation Books, 2002. ISBN 1-84068-058-X
★ Nolan, David, ''I Swear I Was There…: Sex Pistols and the Shape of Rock'', Milo Press, May 2001. ISBN 0-9549704-9-7
★ Parker, Alan, ''Vicious: Too Fast to Live'', Creation Books, 2003. ISBN 1-84068-110-1
★ Southall, Brian, ''The Sex Pistols: 90 Days At EMI'', Omnibus Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84609-779-9
★ Savage, Jon, ''England's Dreaming: The Sex Pistols and Punk Rock'', Faber and Faber, 1991. ISBN 0-312-28822-0
★ Vermorel, Fred & Judy, ''The Sex Pistols'', Omnibus Press, April 1981. ISBN 0-7119-1090-1
★ Walsh, Gavin, ''God Save the Sex Pistols: A Collector's Guide to the Priests Of Punk'', Plexus Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-85965-316-1
★ ''Sex Pistols Number One'' (Julien Temple, 1976) (a short of footage shot at early gigs)
★ ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'' (Julien Temple, 1979) (McLaren's version of the Pistols story)
★ ''The Punk Rock Movie'' (Don Letts, 1979) (contemporary independent documentary footage)
★ ''DOA'' (Lech Kowalski, 1981) (includes footage shot during the Pistols' 1978 US tour)
★ ''Sid and Nancy'' (Alex Cox, 1986).
★ ''Sid's Gang'' (Andrew Mcleigh, 1999).
★ ''The Filth and the Fury'' (Julien Temple, 2000) (The Pistols' version of events)
★ ''Blood on the Turntable: The Sex Pistols'' (Steve Crabtree, 2004) (BBC documentary)
1. "Artist Profiles: Sex Pistols" Artist Profiles
2. "The birth of punk"
3. "The Birth of Punk" Robb, John
4. "The Sex Pistols "
5. "2006 inductees"
6. Robb, John, "Punk Rock: An Oral History", Elbury Press, 2006. ISBN 0-09-190511-7
7. "Sex Pistols snub US Hall of Fame"
8. O'Shea, Mick, "The Early Days of the Sex Pistols: "Only Anarchists Are Pretty"", Helter Skelter Publishing (2004), p. 29. ISBN 1-900924-93-5.
9. Frame, Pete, "The Complete Rock Family Trees", Omnibus Press (1993), p. 29. ISBN 0-7119-3449-5.
10. Lydon, John. "No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs", Keith & Kent Zimmerman, St. Martin's Press, May 1994. ISBN 0-312-11883-X
11. Savage, Jon, "England's Dreaming: The Sex Pistols and Punk Rock", Faber and Faber, 1991. ISBN 0-312-28822-0
12. "The Bromley Contingent"
13. "Vivienne Westwood and the Postmodern Legacy of Punk Style" Bell-Price, Shannon
14. Matlock, Glen and Silverton, Peter, "I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol", Omnibus Press, 1990
15. "Club Lafayette, Wolverhampton, UK 21/12/77" Don't Care, Peter
16. Coon, Caroline, "Parade Of The Punks", Melody Maker, October 2 1976
17. "Rock Is Sick and Living in London" Young, Charles M
18. "The Filth and the Fury" Tritelli, David
19. "Ex-Sex Pistol wants no future for swearing" Barkham, Patrick
20. "Manchester Celebrities: Bill Grundy"
21. "The Sex Pistols ARE punk"
22. "''On This Day'': 1977 - EMI fires Sex Pistols" Artist Profiles
23. "Anarchy in the U.K." Album Review
24. "Q&A with Steve Jones" McKenna, Kristine
25. Coon, Caroline, "1988: The New Wave Punk Rock Explosion", Omnibus Press, 1977. ISBN 0-7119-0051-5
26. Butt, Malcolm, "Sid Vicious - Rock'n'roll Star", Plexus Publishing Ltd, 2003. ISBN 0-85965-340-4
27. "So Tough: The Boy Behind the Sid Vicious Myth" Robinson, Charlotte
28. Crabtree, Steve "Blood on the Turntable: The Sex Pistols", BBC documentary (2004).
29. Savage, Jon, ''England's Dreaming: The Sex Pistols and Punk Rock'', Faber and Faber, 1991
30. "Sid Vicious"
31. "Leaders of the Banned" Petridis, Alexis
32. "Quirks Of The Number One Position" Number 1s Index
33. "Leaders of the Banned" Petridis, Alexis
34. "Sex Pistols may play jubilee gig"
35. "Jubilee!" Street-Porter, Janet
36. "Sex Pistols Diary : 1977"
37. "A Northern Soul" Morley, Paul
38. "Wessex Studios: Highbury"
39. Nelson, Paul, 1977, "When the father-house burns...", ''Rolling Stone'', issue 259
40. "When the father-house burns..."
41. "Never Mind Nirvana....Here's The Sex Pistols" Huey, Steve
42. "2006 Q Magazine — 100 Greatest Albums Ever"
43. "Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols" Johnson, Martin
44. "Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols" Huey, Steve
45. Collins, Andrew, 1998, "Never Mind the Bollocks", ''Q'' Magazine
46. Charlesworth, Simon J., "A Phenomenology of Working Class Experience" Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2000
47. "Sex Pistols Biography"
48. "Sex Pistols" White, David
49. Crabtree, Steve "Blood on the Turntable: The Sex Pistols", BBC documentary (2004).
50. "Sid Vicious: Biography" Huey, Steve
51. Klein, Howie, "Sex Pistols: Tour Notes", New York Rocker, February 1978
52. "Sex Pistols Biography pt3"
53. Cooper, Mark, "The Sex Pistols: Winterland, San Francisco", Record Mirror, January 28th, 1978
54. "Jolly Rotten" Das, Lina
55. "Public Image Ltd." Ruhlmann, William
56. Reynolds, Simon, "Rip it up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978–1984", Faber and Faber, 2006. ISBN 0-571-21570-X
57. "PiL chronology" Roekens, Karsten
58. "Plastic Box" Album Review
59. "Sex Pistol Vicious on murder charge "
60. Silverton, Peter, "Sid Vicious's mum", The Observer (UK), 1996
61. "John Lydon improves his Public Image" Gilmore, Mikal
62. "Meyer: The Father of Softcore Erotica" Lilith eZine
63. Gross, Jason, "Rock Doc Pick: The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle," Film Comment, Volume: 41. Issue: 3., May-June 2005
64. "Sex Pistols 'Swindle' Again"
65. "STEVE JONES "Boys will be boys""
66. "Malcolm McLaren" All Media Guide
67. Verrico, Lisa, "Interview with John Lydon", The Times (UK), March 1999
68. "The Filth and the Fury" Swietek, Frank
69. The Sex Pistols to release special vinyl edition of 'Never Mind The Bollocks... Here's The Sex Pistols' album
70. "Sex Pistol to Rock Hall: 'Kiss this!'"
71. "Sex Pistols' Steve Jones, Just Saying No" Brand, Madeleine
72. "Sex Pistols sell out"
73. The Great Punk Swindle on Google Groups
74. "2006 Q Magazine — 100 Greatest Albums Ever"
75. Rolling Stone Top 100 Albums of the Last 20 Years, ''Rolling Stone'', November 1987
76. The Sex Pistols
77. The Immortals: The First Fifty
78. "Sex Pistols gig: the truth"
79. "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" Waxworks
80. Savage, John, "Joy Division: Someone Take These Dreams Away", Mojo, July 1994
81. Wyman, Bill. The Revenge of the Sex Pistols, ''Salon'', April 2000
82. "The Clash were classic punk"
83. http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/...
84. "Siouxsie & The Banshees" Ankeny, Jason
85. "Kurt Donald Cobain"
86. "The Real Seattle Music Story" Humphrey, Clark
87. http://www.nofxofficialwebsite.com/qa/qa_read.php3?page=3
88. "He's still the Fall guy" O'Hagan, Sean
89. "The Sex Pistols" Armstrong, Billie Joe
90. "Biography for Duff McKagan" IMDb Bio
91. Mark Isaak, Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature: Etymologies (personal website). Accessed online 1 September 2006.
92. Ben Goldacre, 'Bad Science' column: "Alternative medicine on the NHS?", ''The Guardian'', February 12, 2004. Accessed online 1 September 2006.
★ God Save The Sex Pistols
★ John Lydon Official Site
★ The Filth And The Fury
★ Photographs by Bob Gruen
★
★
The 'Sex Pistols' were an iconic and highly influential English punk rock band, formed in London in 1975. The band originally comprised vocalist Johnny Rotten, guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook and bassist Glen Matlock (later replaced by Sid Vicious). Although their initial career lasted only three years and produced only four singles and one studio album, the Sex Pistols have been described by the BBC as "the definitive English punk rock band."[1] The Pistols are widely credited with initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom[2] and creating the first generation gap within rock and roll.[3]
The Sex Pistols emerged as a response to what was perceived to be the "increasingly safe and bloated" progressive rock[4] and manufactured pop music of the mid-1970s. The band created various controversies during their brief career which captivated Britain,[5] but often eclipsed their music.[6] Their shows and tours repeatedly faced difficulties from authorities, and public appearances often ended in disaster and riot. Their 1977 single, "God Save the Queen", was widely regarded as an attack on the British monarchy and British nationalism. "Artists A-Z"
Lydon / Rotten left the band in 1978, amid a turbulent tour of the United States; the remaining trio carried on for the remainder of the year with vocals provided by Jones, Edward Tudor-Pole and Ronnie Biggs but disbanded in early 1979. With Lydon, they reunited in 1996 for the "Filthy Lucre" tour and have staged subsequent reunion tours in 2002 and 2003. On 24 February 2006, the Sex Pistols were officially inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but they refused to attend the induction, calling the museum a "piss stain".[7]
History
Origins and early days
The Sex Pistols evolved from The Strand, a band formed in 1972 with Jones on vocals, Cook on drums and Wally Nightingale on guitar. Early line-ups also included Jim Mackin (now a GP practising in Lincolnshire) on organ, as well as Stephen Hayes, and later Del Noones, on bass.[8] By 1973 the band members were spending time at Don Letts' "Acme Attractions", and the more upmarket Let It Rock, a 1950s-themed clothes shop in the Kings Road, Chelsea area of London. "Let It Rock" was owned by former New York Dolls manager Malcolm McLaren and his partner Vivienne Westwood; the shop specialised in "anti-fashion", selling the drapes, slashed T-shirts, brothel creepers and fetish gear later popularised by the punk movement. As Rotten observed: "Malcolm and Vivienne were really a pair of shysters: they would sell anything to any trend that they could grab onto." The shop was to become a focal point of the punk rock scene, and brought together many of its primary members, including Jordan and Soo Catwoman, as well as Captain Sensible, John Ritchie (later Sid Vicious), Jah Wobble, Gene October, Mick Jones, Tony James, and Marco Pirroni. All were reacting to a distaste to the prevailing fashion of long hair and flared jeans of the early 1970s. McLaren took over management of the band around this time.
By then renamed "The Swankers",[9] the band began rehearsing at the Crunchy Frog, a studio near the London Docklands. In 1974, they played their first gig at Tom Salter's Café in London. Noones was ejected from the band shortly afterwards, due to his unreliability and unwillingness to rehearse.
Johnny Rotten joins the band
Johnny Rotten c. 1977, photographed by Dennis Morris.
Glen Matlock was recruited as bass player in early 1975. Around this time Jones and Nightingale began to argue over the band's musical direction, and Nightingale departed soon afterwards. In August 1975, John Lydon (Johnny Rotten), was spotted by Jones at the now renamed and restyled SEX boutique. According to Jones: "He came in with green hair. I thought he had a really interesting face. I liked his look. He had his 'I Hate Pink Floyd' T-shirt on. John had something special, but when he spoke he was a real asshole - but smart."[10] After miming along to Alice Cooper's "I'm Eighteen" on the shop juke box and though he had never considered singing before, Rotten was asked to join as vocalist.[11] Rotten and his circle of friends (including Soo Catwoman and Bromley Contingent members Siouxsie Sioux, Steve Severin and Billy Idol),[12] were by now dressing in the torn-shirt, sado-masochistic inspired clothing sold by Vivienne Westwood;[13] the trend quickly spread, and was adopted by the band's fans.
''NME'' journalist Nick Kent used to jam occasionally with the band, but left upon Rotten's recruitment. According to Rotten: "When I came along, I took one look at him and said, 'No. That has to go.' He's never written a good word about me since".10 Following Kent's departure, Cook began to feel that Jones might not be capable enough alone on guitar, and 1976 they placed an advertisement in the Melody Maker for another "Whiz Kid Guitarist"[14] that read "''Wanted Whizz kid guitarist Not older than 20, Not worse looking than Johnny Thunders.''" Steve New answered the advert, and played with the band for a few weeks, though he too left shortly afterwards.
One of McLaren's first acts as manager was to rename the band. Among the options considered were 'Le Bomb', 'Subterraneans', 'Beyond' and 'Teenage Novel'. The band played their first gig as Sex Pistols at Saint Martins College, on 6 November 1975, though they were thrown off before finishing their first song. The gig had been arranged by Matlock, who was studying there at the time. This gig was followed by other performances at colleges and art schools around London. In early 1976, the Sex Pistols began to play larger venues such as the 100 Club, and the Nashville. On 3 September 1976, the Pistols played their first concert outside Britain, at the opening of the Club De Chalet Du Lac in Paris. Their first major tour of Britain soon followed, lasting from mid-September to early October.
EMI and the Grundy incident
Following a showcase gig held during London's first punk festival, at the 100 Club in Oxford Street, in September 1976, the Sex Pistols signed to the major label EMI. The band's first single, "Anarchy in the U.K.", released on 26 November 1976, served as a statement of intent—full of wit, anger and visceral energy. Despite a common perception that punk bands couldn't play their instruments, contemporary music press reviews and live recordings reveal the Pistols to have been a tight, competent, and ferocious live band.[15][16][17]
Their behaviour, as much as their music, brought them national attention. On 1 December 1976 the band and members of the Bromley Contingent created a storm of publicity by swearing during an early evening live broadcast of Thames Television's ''Today'' programme. Appearing as last-minute replacements for fellow EMI artists Queen, band and entourage took full advantage of the Green Room facilities, and consumed large amounts of alcohol. During the interview, Rotten used the word "shit", and host Bill Grundy, who was drunk at the time, flirted openly with Siouxsie Sioux ("We'll meet afterwards, shall we?"). This prompted Jones to call Grundy a "dirty sod". Grundy responded by requesting that the band "say something outrageous",[18] to which Jones replied: "you dirty fucker . . . what a dirty fucking bastard".[19]
Although the programme was only broadcast in the London region, the ensuing furore occupied the tabloid newspapers for days. ''The Daily Mirror'' famously ran the headline "The Filth and the Fury", while the ''Daily Express'' led with "Punk? Call it Filthy Lucre"—phrases Lydon adopted for Pistols projects many years later. Thames Television suspended Grundy, and though he was later reinstated, the interview effectively ended his career.[20]
The episode created mass publicity for the band and brought punk into the mainstream. The 'Anarchy' tour of the UK followed, though many of the concerts were either crowded by hostile press or cancelled by local authorities.11 London councilor Bernard Brook Partridge, during a television interview conducted at the time, declared: "The Sex Pistols would be vastly improved by sudden death . . . I would like to see someone dig a huge hole and bury the lot of them in it".[21]
Following the end of the tour in December 1976, EMI arranged a series of concerts for January 1977 at the Paradiso in Amsterdam.[22] But before boarding the plane at London Heathrow Airport, the band reportedly spat on each other and verbally abused airport staff. "One witness claimed the Sex Pistols were doing something so disgusting that she could not repeat it for publication . . . it became generally believed Jones had been vomiting on old ladies in the preflight lounge," reported ''Rolling Stone''. EMI released the band from their contract two days later.22 "I don't understand it," Rotten remarked at the time. "All we're trying to do is destroy everything."[23]
Sid Vicious joins the band
The Paradiso gigs would be their last with Matlock, who parted company with the band in February 1977. According to popular legend he was sacked because he "liked The Beatles",1 but Steve Jones later claimed the reason was that Matlock didn't "fit in" with the others, stating, obliquely, that Matlock was "always washing his feet".[24] Matlock now claims to have quit voluntarily, mainly because of an increasingly acrimonious relationship with Rotten.[25]
Matlock was replaced by Rotten's friend and self-appointed "ultimate Sex Pistols fan"[26] Sid Vicious (Simon John Ritchie), previously drummer of Siouxsie & the Banshees and The Flowers of Romance. McLaren approved Vicious as a member on account of his look and "punk attitude", despite his limited musical abilities.14 According to McLaren: "When Sid joined he couldn't play guitar but his craziness fit into the structure of the band. He was the knight in shining armour with a giant fist."[27] Lydon later recalled: "The first rehearsals with Sid were hellish. Everyone agreed he had the look. Sid tried real hard... but boy, he couldn't play bass."10
In recent years McLaren stated that Vivienne Westood told him he should "get the guy called John who came to the store a couple of times" to be the singer, and that once he did and Johnny Rotten was recruited for the band, Vivienne said he had got it wrong, "he had got the wrong John." She actually meant John Simon Ritchie (Sid Vicious) to be the singer.[28] According to this version of the events the original plan would have been to get Sid Vicious to be the singer and not Johnny Rotten, and Vivienne had always been interested in Sid but didn't have an opportunity to do so until Glenn Matlock left the band.
Marco Pirroni: "After that, it was nothing to do with music anymore. It would just be for the sensationalism and scandal of it all. Then it became the Malcolm McLaren story..." Vicious' amplifier was often turned down, or off, during live performances,[29] and most of the bass parts on the band's later recordings were played by either Jones or Matlock.10
Membership in the Sex Pistols began to have a destructive effect on Vicious ' personality. As Rotten observed: "Up to that time, Sid was absolutely childlike. Everything was fun and giggly. Suddenly he was a big pop star. Pop star status meant press, a good chance to be spotted in all the right places, adoration. That's what it all meant to Sid." Vicious responded by actively cultivating a notorious persona. Early in 1977, he met Nancy Spungen, a drug addict and occasional prostitute[30] from New York with a history of severe emotional problems. Spungen is commonly thought to be responsible for introducing Vicious to heroin, and the emotional co-dependency between the couple alienated Vicious from the other members of the band. Rotten said: "We did everything to get rid of Nancy. She was killing him. I was absolutely convinced this girl was on a slow suicide mission. Only she didn't want to go alone. She wanted to take Sid with her. She was so utterly fucked up and evil." Sid Vicious debuted with the band at the Screen on the Green in London on 3 April 1977.
God Save the Queen
Main articles: God Save the Queen (Sex Pistols song), l1=God Save the Queen
The cover of the ''God Save the Queen'' single was designed by Jamie Reid in the ransom note style so closely associated with the group.
On 10 March 1977, at a press ceremony held outside Buckingham Palace, the Sex Pistols signed to A&M Records. They later went back to the A&M offices for what would become an unruly party. Sid Vicious trashed the managing director's office and vomited on his desk. Under pressure from its own employees, artists and distributors, A&M broke contract with the Pistols six days later. In May the band signed their third and final record deal with Virgin Records.
The Pistols' second single, "God Save the Queen", was released 27 May 1977. Though widely perceived as a personal attack on Queen Elizabeth II,11 Rotten later stated that the song was not specifically aimed at the Queen, but was instead intended to critique the deference given to Royalty in general. However, the perceived disrespect to the monarchy caused widespread public outcry. The record was banned from airplay by the BBC, whose Radio 1 dominated music broadcasting at the time. Rotten later remarked, "We had declared war on the entire country—without meaning to!"10
During the week of Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee, the single reached number one in the ''NME'' chart, but number two in the official UK chart. However, many suspected that the chart compilation had been massaged,[31] suggesting that the record had actually reached number one, but that the charts had been rigged to prevent a spectacle.[32] At least one radio station announced the song at number one, but refused to play it, as they had been advised it might cause upset to the national celebrations.[31][34]
The Pistols marked the Jubilee, and the success of their record, by chartering a private boat, intending to perform live while sailing down the River Thames, passing Westminster and the Houses of Parliament. The event ended in chaos, however, when the boat was raided by police, despite a license to perform having been granted in advance. McLaren, the band, and many of their entourage were taken into custody when the vessel docked.[35]
Violent attacks on punk fans were on the increase at this time, and Rotten himself was assaulted by a knife wielding gang outside the Islington Pegasus pub,[36] causing damage to two tendons in his hand. Due to the attacks, a tour of Scandinavia, which would have started at the end of June, was delayed until mid-July. This was followed by a secret tour of the UK at the end of August (known as SPOTS—Sex Pistols On Tour Secretly), with the band playing under pseudonyms to avoid cancellation.[37]
Never Mind the Bollocks
Main articles: Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
''Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols'' was recorded between March and June 1977, in Wessex Studios, Highbury, London.[38]
Produced by Chris Thomas, who had previously worked with Roxy Music, the album featured Matlock on bass, redrafted as a session musician to compensate for Vicious' lack of musical ability. According to Jones: "Sid wanted to come down and play on the album, and we tried as hard as possible not to let him anywhere near the studio. Luckily he had hepatitis at the time". Although Vicious did record on one occasion, his contribution was later over-dubbed. Jones recalls: "We just let him do it, innit. When he left I dubbed another part on, leaving Sid's down low. I think it might be barely audible on the track".
''Never Mind the Bollocks'' was released on 28 October 1977, to mixed reviews. ''Rolling Stone'' described the album positively, comparing the sound to "two subway trains crashing together under 40 feet of mud, victims screaming", and praised the band for playing "with an energy and conviction that is positively transcendent in its madness and fever".[39] Some critics, however, were disappointed that the album contained versions of all four previously released singles, and considered the release to be effectively a "Greatest Hits" album.[40] In recent years, the album has come to be commonly regarded to be one of the most influential rock albums of the last 40 years,[41][42][43] and has been described as "one of the greatest, most inspiring rock records of all time".[44]
The album title caused difficulties for the band. Boots, W.H. Smith and Woolworth's refused to stock the album, a Conservative MP condemned it as "a symptom of the way society is declining", and the Independent Television Companies Association refused to carry the album's TV advertising campaign.[45] In Nottingham a record outlet was threatened with prosecution for displaying "indecent printed matter". The case was overturned however, when defending QC John Mortimer produced expert witnesses, who were able to demonstrate that the word ''bollocks'' was a legitimate Old English term originally used to refer to a priest.[46] Although the word in popular slang means testicles, in this context it is intended to signify 'nonsense'; the title had been unwittingly suggested by Steve Jones when, in response to bickering over possible titles, he exclaimed "Oh, never mind the bollocks of it all!"
The Sex Pistols' final UK performance took place at Ivanhoe's in Huddersfield, on Christmas Day 1977, where the band played a matinee and evening show as part of a benefit for the families of striking firemen. The location of the gigs was not announced until shortly before the venue opened, a tactic the band used at the time to avoid the sort of attention that had led to earlier cancellations.
U.S. tour and the end of the band
Promotional poster for ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle''.
In January 1978 the Sex Pistols embarked on a US tour, consisting mainly of dates in America's Deep South. Though originally scheduled for December 1977, it was delayed due the US authorities reluctance to issue visas to band members with criminal records.[47] Though highly anticipated by fans and media, the tour was plagued by in-fighting, poor planning and physically hostile audiences.[48] Malcolm McLaren has admitted that he purposely booked redneck bars to create those hostile situations.[28] Over the course of the two-weeks, Vicious, by now chronically addicted to heroin,[50]
began to live up to his stage name. According to Rotten: "He finally had an audience of people who would behave with shock and horror. Sid was easily led by the nose."
Early in the tour, Sid wandered off from his Holiday Inn in Memphis, Tennessee, looking for drugs. He was found in a Memphis hospital with the words "Gimme a fix" self-carved in his chest with a razor. During a concert in San Antonio, Texas, Vicious called the audience "a bunch of faggots", before striking a member of the audience across the head with his bass guitar. In Baton Rouge, Louisiana, he received simulated oral sex on stage, later declaring "that’s the kind of girl I like".[51] Suffering withdrawal symptoms from heroin, Vicious appeared onstage in Dallas, Texas, with the words "Gimme a Fix" still cut into his chest, and spat blood at a female who had climbed on stage and punched him in the face. He was admitted to hospital later that night to treat injuries resulting from his wounds. Offstage he is said to have kicked a female photographer, attacked a security guard, and was eventually beaten by one of his own bodyguards.
Rotten, meanwhile, suffering from flu[52] and coughing up blood, felt increasingly isolated and distanced from Cook and Jones, and disgusted by Vicious. At the final date at the Winterland, San Francisco, on 14 January 1978 a disillusioned Rotten ended with an encore of a Stooges cover, "No Fun." Sneering at the audience, he exclaimed "This is No Fun, at all", making clear his personal feelings about the gig, the band, and the audience. After the performance Rotten asked the audience "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" before throwing down his microphone and walking off stage.[53] He later observed: "I hated the whole scenario. It was a farce. I felt cheated. Sid was completely out of his brains - just a waste of space. Malcolm wouldn't speak to me. But then he would turn around and tell Paul and Steve that the tension was all my fault because I wouldn't agree to anything. It was all very bitter and confusing."
On 17 January 1978, Rotten announced his departure from the Sex Pistols. Vicious departed for New York, while McLaren, Cook and Jones left for a working vacation in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, leaving Rotten in America without money or a plane ticket. He would later state: "'The Sex Pistols left me, stranded in Los Angeles with no ticket, no hotel room, and a message to Warner Bros saying that if anyone phones up claiming to be Johnny Rotten, then they were lying. That's how I finished with Malcolm - but not with the rest of the band; I'll always like them."[54] He eventually telephoned head of Virgin Records Richard Branson, who agreed to pay for his flight back to London, via Jamaica. In Jamaica, Branson met with members of the band Devo, and tried to install Rotten as their lead singer. Devo declined the offer.
The Sex Pistols continued, briefly, with Cook, Jones and Vicious. Attempts were made at finding a new frontman, but the band ended up with all three members taking lead vocal turns with guest vocalists. The group did not perform live in the post-Rotten period, but the majority of the recordings from this time were later released.
Post-Sex Pistols
After leaving the Pistols, Johnny Rotten reverted to his birth name of Lydon, and formed Public Image Ltd, with former Clash member Keith Levene and school friend Jah Wobble.[55] The band went on to score a U.K. Top Ten hit with their debut single, 1978's "Public Image", and in 1979 recorded the post punk classic ''Metal Box''.[56] In 1978 Lydon initiated legal proceedings against McLaren and his management company, ''Glitterbest''. Among the claims made were non-payment of royalties, usage of the title 'Johnny Rotten', unfair contractual obligations,[57] and damages for "all the criminal activities that took place".[58]
Vicious relocated to New York, and with Spungen acting as his manager, began to perform as a solo artist. He recorded a live album, 1979's ''Sid Sings'', backed by "The Idols" featuring Arthur Kane and Jerry Nolan of the New York Dolls in their line up. On 12 October 1978 Spungen was found dead in the Chelsea Hotel room she was sharing with Vicious, with stab wounds to her stomach and dressed only in her underwear.[59] Police recovered drug paraphernalia from the scene and Vicious was arrested for the murder. In an interview at the time, McLaren said: "I can't believe he was involved in such a thing. Sid was set to marry Nancy in New York. He was very close to her and had quite a passionate affair with her." He died five months later, on 2 February 1979, of a heroin overdose after a party held to celebrate his release on bail.[60] He was only 21. According to Lydon: "Poor Sid. The only way he could live up to what he wanted everyone to believe about him was to die. That was tragic, but more for Sid than anyone else. He really bought his public image."[61] A fictionalised account of Vicious's relationship with Spungen appears in the 1986 film ''Sid and Nancy'', directed by Alex Cox. Lydon has been publicly critical of the film, taking issue both with its portrayal of the main characters and the speculation that Vicious and Spungen had formed a suicide pact.
McLaren had wanted for some time to make a film featuring the Sex Pistols. In 1977 he hired Russ Meyer to direct a script, ''Who Killed Bambi?'', he had written with Roger Ebert. Production ceased, however, after only a day-and-a-half's shooting when members of the crew, in protest over unpaid monies owed by McLaren, walked off the set.[62] A second attempt was made in mid-1978, with Cook and Jones starring in the McLaren-scripted ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle''. Directed by Julien Temple, the movie was McLaren's fictionalised account of the Pistols' history; in it he claimed he had controlled and manipulated the band from its inception.[63] The soundtrack featured Jones, occasionally Cook or Vicious, and sometimes Edward Tudor-Pole, trading on their vocals and engaging in McLaren-concocted gimmicks, such as recording two songs on the album with notorious British criminal Ronnie Biggs.[64]
Poster for Julien Temple's 2000 rockumentary film.
Cook and Jones continued to work through guest appearances[65] and as session musicians, and later formed The Professionals. Cook is currently playing in the band Man-Raze. Matlock has been involved in various projects, including The Rich Kids (with Midge Ure) in 1978. Matlock later released solo albums and with a backing band called The Philistines since 2000. McLaren went on to manage Adam & the Ants and Bow Wow Wow, and in the mid-1980s released a number of hit records as a solo artist.[66]
After a drawn out and bitter legal case, in January 1986 the four surviving members of the Sex Pistols as well as the estate of Sid Vicious were awarded control of the band's heritage, which included publishing rights, master recordings, film footage, as well as exclusive rights to the name "Sex Pistols".[67] This access enabled the production of the 2000 Julien Temple documentary ''The Filth and the Fury'', formulated as an attempt to tell the story from the band's point of view, in contrast to the earlier "Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle", told from McLaren's perspective.[68]
In July 2007 came the news that Virgin were to release a special 30th anniversary edition of the classic The Sex Pistols debut album "Never Mind The Bollocks... Here's The Sex Pistols"[69]. The album will be re-issued on October 29 on heavy weight vinyl with a 7" insert of "Submission" and a poster. Fans will have noticed that this is exactly the format used when the record was originally released on October 28, 1977. The 7" "Submission" was not included on the original track listing when the album was 'mistakenly' released a week earlier than planned. A one-sided 7" was added to the first 50,000 copies of the album. Also expected for a re-release are the band's four classic singles: "Anarchy In The UK", "God Save The Queen", "Pretty Vacant" and "Holidays In The Sun". All will be released in October on 7" vinyl. "Anarchy In The UK" on October 1, "God Save The Queen" on October 8, "Pretty Vacant" on October 15 and "Holidays In The Sun" on October 29.
Reunions
The surviving (original four) members of the Sex Pistols reformed in 1996 for the six-month Filthy Lucre Tour, which included dates in Europe, North and South America, Australia and Japan, as well as appearances at the Phoenix Festival and, in 2002 - the year of the Queen's Golden Jubilee - the Crystal Palace National Sports Centre in London ("Pistols at the Palace"). In 2003 they toured North America for three weeks, as part of their 'Piss Off Tour.' They have not played live since.
In November 2005, the Sex Pistols were inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, an honour that the surviving members turned down, with an "obscene gesture" and a suggestion that the Hall of Fame "kiss this".[70] According to Jones: "Once you want to be put into a museum, Rock & Roll's over; it's not voted by fans, it's voted by people who induct you, or others; people who are already in it."[71]
On March 9 2006 the band sold the rights to their back catalogue to Universal Music Group. The sale was criticized as a "sell out".[72]
Influence and cultural legacy
After The Sex Pistols appearance on the infamous Bill Grundy TODAY show, their story appeared on the front of every national newspaper the next day. The media later raved, "The Sex Pistols sold more papers on Fleet Street than the armistice.".[73] ''Rolling Stone'' suggested the band, responding "to the star trappings and complacency" of mid-1970s rock, "came to spark and personify one of the few truly critical moments in pop culture—the rise of punk". While they were not the first punk band, the Pistols' ''Never Mind the Bollocks'' is a singular achievement within the punk movement and an important event in the history of popular music in general. It is regularly cited on lists of the greatest albums ever: in 2006 the album was voted no. 27 in ''Q Magazine's'' "100 Greatest Albums Ever",[42] while Rolling Stone listed it at 2 in its 1987 "Top 100 Albums of the Last 20 Years".[75] In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked The Sex Pistols[76] #58 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[77]
Their live performances were also influential. A significant show occurred early in their career on June 4, 1976, when they performed to a crowd of just 42 people at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in Manchester, England. It was to become one of the most important and mythologized events in rock history.[78] Among the audience were many who would later form bands or otherwise popularise the embryonic punk movement, including the Buzzcocks (who had organised the gig), Anthony H. Wilson (founder of Factory Records), Bernard Sumner, Ian Curtis and Peter Hook, Adam Ant, Morrissey, and Mick Hucknall.[79][80]
The Sex Pistols are remembered for communicating directly with their audiences. According to Lydon: "If we had an aim, it was to force our own, working-class opinions into the mainstream, which was unheard of in pop music at the time." Whether the Pistols' anti-establishment stance was spontaneous or cultivated has been debated. One reviewer notes that "England's depressed social psyche at the time" was enough to generate a band like the Pistols and that Rotten's "fierce intelligence and astonishing onstage charisma" were important catalysts, but ultimately credits McLaren's history-minded manipulations as the real power behind the band.[81] Bands who have been influenced by the Sex Pistols include The Clash,[82] The Offspring,[83] Siouxsie & the Banshees,[84] Nirvana,[85][86] NOFX[87], Oasis, The Fall,[88] Green Day,[89] and Guns N' Roses.[90] In 1997, paleontologists Adrain and Edgecombe, named a series of fossil trilobite species in honour of the Pistols' members: ''Arcticalymene rotteni'', ''A. viciousi'', ''A. jonesi'', ''A. cooki'' and ''A. matlocki''.[91][92]
Band members
| 1975–1977 | ★ Johnny Rotten – lead vocals ★ Steve Jones – guitar, backing vocals ★ Glen Matlock – bass, backing vocals ★ Paul Cook – drums, backing vocals |
|---|---|
| 1977–1978 | ★ Johnny Rotten – lead vocals ★ Steve Jones – guitar, backing vocals ★ Sid Vicious – bass ★ Paul Cook – drums, backing vocals |
| 1978 | ★ Steve Jones – guitar, vocals ★ Sid Vicious – bass, vocals ★ Paul Cook – drums, vocals |
| 1996 | ★ Johnny Rotten – lead vocals ★ Steve Jones – guitar, backing vocals ★ Glen Matlock – bass, backing vocals ★ Paul Cook – drums, backing vocals |
| 2002-2003 | ★ Johnny Rotten – lead vocals ★ Steve Jones – guitar, backing vocals ★ Glen Matlock – bass, backing vocals ★ Paul Cook – drums, backing vocals |
| 2007 | ★ Johnny Rotten – lead vocals ★ Steve Jones – guitar, bass, backing vocals ★ Paul Cook – drums, backing vocals |
Band members
★ Johnny Rotten – lead vocals (1975–1978, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2007)
★ Steve Jones – guitar, backing vocals (1975–1978, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2007)
★ Paul Cook – drums (1975–1978, 1996, 2002, 2003, 2007)
★ Glen Matlock – bass (1975–1977, 1996, 2002, 2003)
★ Sid Vicious – bass (1977–1978)
Post-Rotten Sex Pistols
People who sang on ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'' include:
★ Paul Cook – lead vocals on "Silly Thing" (1978)
★ Steve Jones – lead vocals on "Lonely Boy", "Friggin' In The Riggin" and the single release of "Silly Thing" (1978)
★ Ronnie Biggs – lead vocals on "No One Is Innocent", "Rock Around the Clock", "Belsen Was a Gas" (1978)
★ Malcolm McLaren – lead vocals on "You Need Hands" (1979)
★ Edward Tudor-Pole – lead vocals on "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle", "Who Killed Bambi?" (1979)
★ Sid Vicious – lead vocals on "My Way", "C'mon Everybody", "Something Else" (1978)
Discography
Studio albums
★ ''Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols'' (28 October 1977) # 1 UK, # 106 US Platinum
Compilation and bootleg albums
★ ''Spunk'' (October 1977)
★ ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'' (26 February 1979) # 7 UK
★ '' (interviews and radio spots) (27 July 1979) # 6 UK
★ ''Flogging a Dead Horse'' (compilation) (16 February 1980) # 23 UK
★ ''Original Pistols Live'' (7 April 1989)
★ ''After the Storm'' (Sex Pistols & New York Dolls) (4 July 1991)
★ ''Kiss This: The Best Of'' (10 October 1992) # 10 UK
★ ''Alive'' (18 September 1995)
★ ''Filthy Lucre Live'' (24 June 1996) # 26 UK
★ ''Live at Winterland 1978'' (11 November 1996)
★ ''Wanted - The Goodman Tapes'' (26 January 1998)
★ ''Pirates of Destiny'' (26 January 1998)
★ ''There Is No Future'' (13 September 1999)
★ ''76 Club'' (22 November 1999)
★ ''Live at Chelmsford Prison'' (21 August 2000)
★ ''Early Daze'' (21 August 2000)
★ ''Better Live Than Dead'' (21 August 2000)
★ ''Live at Winterland'' (23 April 2001)
★ ''Sham Pistols Gig'' (Sham 69 & Sex Pistols) (22 October 2001)
★ ''No Future UK'' (22 October 2001)
★ ''Johnny Rotten'' (10 December 2001)
★ ''Anarchy in the UK'' (25 January 2002)
★ ''Jubilee: The Best Of'' (27 May 2002) # 29 UK
★ ''Sex Pistols Box Set'' (2 June 2002) # 160 UK
★ ''Submission'' (14 October 2002)
★ ''Silver Jubilee'' (4 November 2002)
★ ''Heyday'' (26 May 2003)
★ ''Raw and Live'' (16 February 2004)
★ ''Anarchy Live! At the 76 Club'' (2005)
★ ''Sex Pistols'' (29 April 2006)
★ ''Spunk - Deluxe Edition'' (10 July 2006)
★ ''Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols - 30th Anniversary Edition'' (29 October 2007)
Singles
★ from ''Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols''
★
★ 26 November 1976 - "Anarchy in the UK" # 38 UK
★
★ 27 May 1977 - "God Save the Queen" # 2 UK
★
★ 2 July 1977 - "Pretty Vacant" # 6 UK, # 93 US
★
★ 15 October 1977 - "Holidays in the Sun" # 8 UK
★ from ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle''
★
★ 30 June 1978 - "No One Is Innocent" # 6 UK
★
★ 9 February 1979 - "Something Else" # 3 UK
★
★ 30 March 1979 - "Silly Thing" # 6 UK
★
★ 22 June 1979 - "C'mon Everybody" # 3 UK
★
★ 18 October 1979 - "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" # 21 UK
★
★ 4 June 1980 - "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" # 21 UK
★ from ''Kiss This: The Best Of''
★
★ October 1992 - "Anarchy in the UK" (re-issue) # 33 UK
★
★ December 1992 - "Pretty Vacant" (re-issue) # 56 UK
★ from ''Filthy Lucre Live''
★
★ June 1996 - "Pretty Vacant" (live) # 18 UK
★ from ''Jubilee: The Best Of''
★
★ 27 May 2002 - "God Save the Queen" (re-issue) # 15 UK
★ from ''Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols - 30th Anniversary Edition''
★
★ 1 October 2007 - "Anarchy in the UK" (2nd re-issue)
★
★ 8 October 2007 - "God Save the Queen" (2nd re-issie)
★
★ 15 October 2007 - "Pretty Vacant" (2nd re-issue)
★
★ 22 October 2007 - "Holidays in the Sun" (re-issue)
Further reading
★ Burchill, Julie & Tony Parsons, ''The Boy Looked at Johnny: The Obituary of Rock and Roll'', Pluto Press, 1978. ISBN 0-571-12992-7
★ Dalton, David, ''El Sid Saint Vicious'', St. Martin's Press, July 1997. ISBN 0-312-15520-4
★ Lydon, John, (with Keith & Kent Zimmerman), ''Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs'', St. Martin's Press, May 1994. ISBN 0-312-11883-X
★ Marcus, Greil, ''Lipstick Traces: A Secret History of the Twentieth Century'', Harvard University Press, 1989. ISBN 0-571-23228-0
★ Matlock, Glen, Silverton, Pete, ''I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol'' - Faber and Faber, October 1991. ISBN 0-7119-1817-1
★ McNeil, Legs, Gillian McCain (ed.), ''Please Kill Me'', Grove Press, 1996. ISBN 0-349-10880-3
★ Monk, Noel, ''12 Days on the Road: The Sex Pistols and America'', Harper Paperbacks, 1992. ISBN 0688112749
★ Morris, Dennis, ''Destroy: Sex Pistols 1977'', Creation Books, 2002. ISBN 1-84068-058-X
★ Nolan, David, ''I Swear I Was There…: Sex Pistols and the Shape of Rock'', Milo Press, May 2001. ISBN 0-9549704-9-7
★ Parker, Alan, ''Vicious: Too Fast to Live'', Creation Books, 2003. ISBN 1-84068-110-1
★ Southall, Brian, ''The Sex Pistols: 90 Days At EMI'', Omnibus Press, 2007. ISBN 978-1-84609-779-9
★ Savage, Jon, ''England's Dreaming: The Sex Pistols and Punk Rock'', Faber and Faber, 1991. ISBN 0-312-28822-0
★ Vermorel, Fred & Judy, ''The Sex Pistols'', Omnibus Press, April 1981. ISBN 0-7119-1090-1
★ Walsh, Gavin, ''God Save the Sex Pistols: A Collector's Guide to the Priests Of Punk'', Plexus Publishing, 2003. ISBN 0-85965-316-1
Films
★ ''Sex Pistols Number One'' (Julien Temple, 1976) (a short of footage shot at early gigs)
★ ''The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle'' (Julien Temple, 1979) (McLaren's version of the Pistols story)
★ ''The Punk Rock Movie'' (Don Letts, 1979) (contemporary independent documentary footage)
★ ''DOA'' (Lech Kowalski, 1981) (includes footage shot during the Pistols' 1978 US tour)
★ ''Sid and Nancy'' (Alex Cox, 1986).
★ ''Sid's Gang'' (Andrew Mcleigh, 1999).
★ ''The Filth and the Fury'' (Julien Temple, 2000) (The Pistols' version of events)
★ ''Blood on the Turntable: The Sex Pistols'' (Steve Crabtree, 2004) (BBC documentary)
References
1. "Artist Profiles: Sex Pistols" Artist Profiles
2. "The birth of punk"
3. "The Birth of Punk" Robb, John
4. "The Sex Pistols "
5. "2006 inductees"
6. Robb, John, "Punk Rock: An Oral History", Elbury Press, 2006. ISBN 0-09-190511-7
7. "Sex Pistols snub US Hall of Fame"
8. O'Shea, Mick, "The Early Days of the Sex Pistols: "Only Anarchists Are Pretty"", Helter Skelter Publishing (2004), p. 29. ISBN 1-900924-93-5.
9. Frame, Pete, "The Complete Rock Family Trees", Omnibus Press (1993), p. 29. ISBN 0-7119-3449-5.
10. Lydon, John. "No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs", Keith & Kent Zimmerman, St. Martin's Press, May 1994. ISBN 0-312-11883-X
11. Savage, Jon, "England's Dreaming: The Sex Pistols and Punk Rock", Faber and Faber, 1991. ISBN 0-312-28822-0
12. "The Bromley Contingent"
13. "Vivienne Westwood and the Postmodern Legacy of Punk Style" Bell-Price, Shannon
14. Matlock, Glen and Silverton, Peter, "I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol", Omnibus Press, 1990
15. "Club Lafayette, Wolverhampton, UK 21/12/77" Don't Care, Peter
16. Coon, Caroline, "Parade Of The Punks", Melody Maker, October 2 1976
17. "Rock Is Sick and Living in London" Young, Charles M
18. "The Filth and the Fury" Tritelli, David
19. "Ex-Sex Pistol wants no future for swearing" Barkham, Patrick
20. "Manchester Celebrities: Bill Grundy"
21. "The Sex Pistols ARE punk"
22. "''On This Day'': 1977 - EMI fires Sex Pistols" Artist Profiles
23. "Anarchy in the U.K." Album Review
24. "Q&A with Steve Jones" McKenna, Kristine
25. Coon, Caroline, "1988: The New Wave Punk Rock Explosion", Omnibus Press, 1977. ISBN 0-7119-0051-5
26. Butt, Malcolm, "Sid Vicious - Rock'n'roll Star", Plexus Publishing Ltd, 2003. ISBN 0-85965-340-4
27. "So Tough: The Boy Behind the Sid Vicious Myth" Robinson, Charlotte
28. Crabtree, Steve "Blood on the Turntable: The Sex Pistols", BBC documentary (2004).
29. Savage, Jon, ''England's Dreaming: The Sex Pistols and Punk Rock'', Faber and Faber, 1991
30. "Sid Vicious"
31. "Leaders of the Banned" Petridis, Alexis
32. "Quirks Of The Number One Position" Number 1s Index
33. "Leaders of the Banned" Petridis, Alexis
34. "Sex Pistols may play jubilee gig"
35. "Jubilee!" Street-Porter, Janet
36. "Sex Pistols Diary : 1977"
37. "A Northern Soul" Morley, Paul
38. "Wessex Studios: Highbury"
39. Nelson, Paul, 1977, "When the father-house burns...", ''Rolling Stone'', issue 259
40. "When the father-house burns..."
41. "Never Mind Nirvana....Here's The Sex Pistols" Huey, Steve
42. "2006 Q Magazine — 100 Greatest Albums Ever"
43. "Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols" Johnson, Martin
44. "Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols" Huey, Steve
45. Collins, Andrew, 1998, "Never Mind the Bollocks", ''Q'' Magazine
46. Charlesworth, Simon J., "A Phenomenology of Working Class Experience" Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2000
47. "Sex Pistols Biography"
48. "Sex Pistols" White, David
49. Crabtree, Steve "Blood on the Turntable: The Sex Pistols", BBC documentary (2004).
50. "Sid Vicious: Biography" Huey, Steve
51. Klein, Howie, "Sex Pistols: Tour Notes", New York Rocker, February 1978
52. "Sex Pistols Biography pt3"
53. Cooper, Mark, "The Sex Pistols: Winterland, San Francisco", Record Mirror, January 28th, 1978
54. "Jolly Rotten" Das, Lina
55. "Public Image Ltd." Ruhlmann, William
56. Reynolds, Simon, "Rip it up and Start Again: Post Punk 1978–1984", Faber and Faber, 2006. ISBN 0-571-21570-X
57. "PiL chronology" Roekens, Karsten
58. "Plastic Box" Album Review
59. "Sex Pistol Vicious on murder charge "
60. Silverton, Peter, "Sid Vicious's mum", The Observer (UK), 1996
61. "John Lydon improves his Public Image" Gilmore, Mikal
62. "Meyer: The Father of Softcore Erotica" Lilith eZine
63. Gross, Jason, "Rock Doc Pick: The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle," Film Comment, Volume: 41. Issue: 3., May-June 2005
64. "Sex Pistols 'Swindle' Again"
65. "STEVE JONES "Boys will be boys""
66. "Malcolm McLaren" All Media Guide
67. Verrico, Lisa, "Interview with John Lydon", The Times (UK), March 1999
68. "The Filth and the Fury" Swietek, Frank
69. The Sex Pistols to release special vinyl edition of 'Never Mind The Bollocks... Here's The Sex Pistols' album
70. "Sex Pistol to Rock Hall: 'Kiss this!'"
71. "Sex Pistols' Steve Jones, Just Saying No" Brand, Madeleine
72. "Sex Pistols sell out"
73. The Great Punk Swindle on Google Groups
74. "2006 Q Magazine — 100 Greatest Albums Ever"
75. Rolling Stone Top 100 Albums of the Last 20 Years, ''Rolling Stone'', November 1987
76. The Sex Pistols
77. The Immortals: The First Fifty
78. "Sex Pistols gig: the truth"
79. "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out" Waxworks
80. Savage, John, "Joy Division: Someone Take These Dreams Away", Mojo, July 1994
81. Wyman, Bill. The Revenge of the Sex Pistols, ''Salon'', April 2000
82. "The Clash were classic punk"
83. http://media.www.dailytrojan.com/media/storage/...
84. "Siouxsie & The Banshees" Ankeny, Jason
85. "Kurt Donald Cobain"
86. "The Real Seattle Music Story" Humphrey, Clark
87. http://www.nofxofficialwebsite.com/qa/qa_read.php3?page=3
88. "He's still the Fall guy" O'Hagan, Sean
89. "The Sex Pistols" Armstrong, Billie Joe
90. "Biography for Duff McKagan" IMDb Bio
91. Mark Isaak, Curiosities of Biological Nomenclature: Etymologies (personal website). Accessed online 1 September 2006.
92. Ben Goldacre, 'Bad Science' column: "Alternative medicine on the NHS?", ''The Guardian'', February 12, 2004. Accessed online 1 September 2006.
External links
Official
★ God Save The Sex Pistols
★ John Lydon Official Site
★ The Filth And The Fury
★ Photographs by Bob Gruen
Unofficial
★
★
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psst.. try this: add to faves
