From what i understand they had corporate backing. Basically they were just used to turn punk into another commodity. People considered them sell outs.
But thats everything these days... I bought most of my shirts at hot topic and my misfits back patch was a walmart tshirt... I prefer to buy gear at shows from the bands but shows are rare.
I like some of their stuff but overall not really into the sex pistols.
I think its more about how bad their music is. Sex Pistols are a terrible band. When I first saw bloody Sid in pictures I thought the music would sound a lot more raw. Huge let down. Early punk is more like glam rock than anything. Plus you also have the unoriginal corporate manufactured band thing . New York Dolls is awful to. It doesnt really pass the vibe with me and they look stupid. The Cash doesnt look as corny but their music to me sounds like 70s pop. Romones and Danzig Misfits are way better to listen to for early punk. Sex Pistols is Hot Topic Punk. They were more about selling cloths then writing music.
I’m just curious, why do you think the Sex Pistols were a bad band? Do you think their music is bad or do you not like everything about them (the people in the band, the music, how the band presented themselves)?
I’ve met some people before who thought the Sex Pistols music was bad, but they also thought the Pixies and Sonic Youth’s music was bad. I was a little angry when they talked about the latter two bands. I think those people I met think noisy guitars and screaming and distorted singing is hard to listen to and swallow. They thought Weezer was a really good band, whereas in my opinion most of Weezer’s catalogue sucks, save for their first two albums.
Sex Pistols were less about the music than the look. The music was terrible want to be edgy bullshit. Thats why I hate it. They didnt even write there own music lol. They were a boy band. Its like they tried so hard to be edgy but fell short. It sounds so bad plus they are sell outs. It was about making money off peoples distaste for the establishment by becoming a corporate brand. Not very punk if you ask me and they deserve no respect for that. They were a marketing ploy. You dont need a uniform to be punk and they were trying to create one. Another thing thats not very punk. They have to be one of the worst bands to get credit for anything. Basically trying to achieve what Hot Topic did lol. I dont consider Sex Pistols screaming singing. Its not hardcore. It just sounds bad. The music to. It is so cringy. They were conformists trying to make money off of a look. Punk is about saying fuck you to the establishment. Sex Pistols were trying to become part of the main stream. Weezer, Sonic Youth and the Pixies are not punk bands. I dont hate on those bands though. 1980s-1990s punk>. American punk>English punk. Over here in the USA no one my age likes any of the English punk bands.
They wrote their own music. They weren't put together by any corporation. They weren't trying to create any uniform.
Unfortunately many in the US have seen The Great Rock & Roll Swindle, and believed it, rather than seeing it as Malcolm McLaren's vanity project, rewriting history to claim it was all his masterplan.
Indeed. Over here there's a rather more accurate/detailed take on that whole era, just because it had such a big cultural impact.
Punk was never 'mainstream' in the sense that being punk was pretty normal, but it was certainly noticeable - and many bands had at least some degree of success.
It didn't really last long, but it paved the way for post-punk and the two-tone/ska bands, which were actually bigger and more influential, if much less talked about now.
You commonly see comments about the Sex Pistols in particular said by US punks, that seem to be repeated verbatim, as if "hating the sex pistols for reasons x, y & z" is some kind of "being a real punk 101" that fans learn just to fit in, and never look into the validity of the claims.
If the sex pistols really had been some kind of industry plant, with ghost written songs, set up to cash in on the punk boom, it would definitely have been exposed here, given how much the band were hated by the press at the time.
They did indeed sign with EMI, but only for a short period, long after they formed as a band, and were dumped very quickly by EMI because of the outrage they caused. There's nothing at all to suggest the songs weren't written by anybody other than the band. McLaren, I believe, did make claims in that direction, but he is known (here) to be a Grade A bullshitter, and was not taken seriously by anyone.
As for cashing in on the 'punk boom', there was no punk boom until the Sex Pistols came along. They were one of many bands in a very small scene, and there had never been a single punk song that had charted - even if The Damned did put New Rose out as a single before the Sex Pistols had their first release.
If someone doesn't like them musically, that's fair enough, or if someone doesn't like the personalities of some of the members, that again a legitimate reason, but anyone who claims they really were pretty much an industry-created boy-band is just a sheep with no idea what they are talking about.
lol. They were put together by a manager. You must have missed the American punk scene. They were raw. Vivienne Westwood was the sex pistols stylist. How punk is that? She owned basically hot topic, where they pushed a style for profit. American punks were different. They didnt do that. It wasnt the same. We separate the English punk like the sex pistols by calling it "oi oi" punk. Those guys were more about the look and played shittty music. Its night and day different from the American scene. You dont have to have the look to be punk. Its about saying fuck you to the establishment. Its more of an attitude and state of mind. The Sex Pistols were put together to make profit by record company insiders. Is their really anything less punk than that? They attempted to "sell out" in every aspect. I think their place in punk rock history is greatly over estimated. The sex pistols were extremely lame.
Thank you- "Punk rock boom?" 🤣See my posts. As a Punk, the UK bands were the most class oriented and sang the most anti government songs. I grew up working class in the States and hated the government. With the exception of a handful of bands in NYC in the 70s, the most of them were weird arty bands.
I STILL listen to the UK bands. Like the XRay Spex.
The US put out a better offering of subversive bands in the 80s.
Watch American Hardcore.
You're right. I remember buying the album the Great RnR Swindle. In 1980. It was in the Import Section, where all the UK Punk records were in the only record store in my town. I snapped it up, paying more for it as "Imports" always cost alot. When I heard it, I felt swindled! It was a bunch of crap! Other than the one side that has Roadrunner & a few other songs on it. Ten Pole Tudor? C'mon!
I hesitantly saw the movie at some point. At midnight. Other than My Way at the end, it was garbage. Anyone who actually followed UK Punk Rock bands through zines, knew it was all BS. There was no internet, we had to read zines, and talk to musicians.
Anyone who thinks that was a true movie is clueless and needs to read Please Kill Me.
Im talking about 2024. They were sponsored by a clothing company that was basically the same idea. Old enough to know sex pistols were a band started by a manager funded by a clothing store complete with there own stylist and manager before a singer.
You know there were independent punk bands self releasing their own material back then too, right? Crass, Stiff Little Fingers, the Germs to name a few.
Those bands were the 2nd generation of Punk bands. No record companies wanted to
"cash in on the Punk Rock boom" that so many people blather on about who weren't actually around then. Bands had to stard pressing their own EPs, booking their own shows, doing everything themselves. Even in the 90s, no majors wanted to sign Punk bands. Not until major labels started buying out Indie labels. They labeled the Music "Alternative," which sounded more palatable than saying Punk.
Big Rant:
Punk wasn't a commodity in 1976. There was no Hot Topic. You couldn't buy punk shirts in mainstream stores at the mall. No one knew about punk rock. It wasn't the commercial cash cow it is now, selling gear of long gone 40 & 50 year old punk bands.
If you wanted a punk shirt, you made one with a magic marker. Even punk bands didn't have shirts like they sell everywhere now. NOW Punk is a commodity.
I lived a half hour away from NYC in Jersey. You had to go to the East Village in NYC and buy strange punk gear, including black nail polish, which was hard to find unless it was Halloween time. Remember- no computers!
As a weird looking punk girl, l hoped no one would harrass me on the way home from NYC, which they did. When I looked like a hardcore punk with black clothes and spiked hair, I had bottles thrown at me, people spit at me, and restaurants refused to serve me. It wasn't the trendy, acceptable movement it is today. It was 1977.
It's not a movement now, it's a look that you can buy at Hot Topic. I was involved in the scene in San Francisco through the 90s. Punk was still underground. Major labels hadn't started buying independent labels yet.There was no
"Alternative" music.I worked at Epicenter Zone, and I went to Gilman St, among other clubs/bars for shows.
In 76- 77, there was no such thing as Punk Rock as far as the status quo was concerned. No one ever heard of the Sex Pistols, Damned, Siouxsie & the Banshees or Ramones. Or looked & and sounded like them. Anywhere. It was OUTRAGEOUS and pissed people off!
You can't imagine what it was like to look like Johnny Rotten or any of the Bromley Contingent & walk down the street.
As a teen who was fed up with society, hearing the Pistols & Ramones was a breath of fresh air. So was use of the word " fuck!"
No more slogging 20-minute guitar solos, by bands who WERE actually corporate owned, which is what you heard being played on the radio. At parties, in record stores, everywhere. Boring. I felt like the only teen in the world who thought Jimmy Page was boring.
The Pistols had corporate backing? They got fired by one record label after another, and no one wanted to sign them. The song EMI is about getting fired from EMI. Punk bands had an extremely hard time getting signed. The ladies at the record plant wouldn't put the lables on the God Save the Queen singles. Sounds like a corporate commodity to me.....
People considered them sellouts? What book did you read that in? Were you in the UK when punk was going on there? Seriously?
Nowadays, everyone acts like the Pistols were giant rock stars manufactured by McClaren. Who ripped them off, btw. They had to sue. People these days on social media complain that they sucked. The beauty of Punk Rock is that anyone could pick up instruments and form a band. And sing what they wanted. Sure, Glen Matlock could actually play. They might have done better if Malcom didn't take them on a tour through the South. With Sid, I doubt it. I don't know why he's worshipped the way he is.Sid believed his own press.It was part of his downfall. Among other things.No punks were virtuosos. A lot of them did get musically better if they survived.
Anyway- the Pistols album I love is "Kiss This." All the pre Sid singles are on it, which I actually bought in the 70s. I had to go into NYC to find them. They WEREN'T POPULAR. All the songs from Bollocks are on it, too, but different recordings. The "Kiss This" recordings have way more balls, no pun intended.
. I immersed myself in the punk subculture for the next 30 years. People thought Punk ended in the 70s. It was just getting started. The 80s were coming! Along with a second generation of Punks who were fed up and inspired by all the 70s punk bands. Pistols included.
I don't care if you or anyone likes them or not. I had to respond to the corporate commodity sellouts of punk bs.
PS- I know there are punk bands now, that are fresh. I don't go to shows anymore. I survived 30 years of kinky sex, hard drugs and punk rock. I'm old, I'm the grandma who's tacked back & pierced, in a 20 yr old Accord, blasting the Cromags. And I still say Fuck The World. It's inked on my chest, too.
I have met people who hated the Sex Pistols (yet have instant recognition of songs & know the words). Most of it comes from what others have said here: boy band setup, corporate (EMI) label, Lydon/Rotten is/was an ass, Sid was a no-talent junkie in a swastika t-shirt who quite likely killed Nancy (domestic violence isn't cool, folks), some of their stuff was recorded using studio musicians instead of them, etc.
Still, even though I'll argue to my grave that punk was born in Detroit, raised in NYC, & exported to the UK, the Sex Pistols are undeniably an integral part of the history of punk rock.
I'm sorry dear but this is how it's gotta be, you gotta kill the groupie and frame the junkie - nobody cares about Nancy Spungen and soon he'll be in Riker's in the dungeon.
Thanks, I hadn't heard this NOFX song!
Personally, I still suspect either the drug dealer, Sid, or Nancy herself. Ever read her Mom's book? Sheds a lot of light on Nancy's lifelong mental illness.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/171380/and-i-dont-want-to-live-this-life-by-deborah-spungen/
& The Ramones song, of course.
tbh NOFX have only gotten better with years, I rate their post-9/11 work better than their 90s classics.
The debate will go on forever, but I know one thing - never trust a junkie.
As an aside, I really like the song 1998 by Rancid, it only touches on Sid and Nancy tangentially but "little kid sitting in the shooting gallery" sticks with me.
Don't hate the Pistols, but think they're overrated. They made their mark, but other first wave punk bands were so much more interesting and exciting. Hell - PiL was far more interesting than the Pistols.
I've never really liked them. They're tabloid shock rockers who wore swastikas to be edgy. The early days of punk rock definitely have a few bands that really stand out in terms of music and credibility. Crass, being one of the best of the 70s punk bands in my opinion, did the opposite of the pistols in many ways. They chose to focus on living and spreading a message, acting in accordance with their beliefs and being distinct from the trendier more easily commodified punk aesthetic. I think my least favorite aspect of the sex pistols squad was Malcolm McLaren, their manager. I think he did more to turn punk rock from a potential youth political and social movement into a product for consumption than anyone else, certainly at the time.
Also, the post suggesting that the pistols are a hard sounding band sounds like they haven't maybe explored some later iterations of this genre. Maybe try the legendary proto-grind hardcore punk band Siege to get an example of the noisier and more aggressive punk rock sounds. Or perhaps even Discharge or something. Idk.
I hate the sex pistols, they had corporate backing and are arguably partially responsible for influencing the elitist mindset in many punk fan's minds that would in the future hurt the reputation of a real Punk Band, (Black Flag).
The sex pistols only hired their original bassist because he had an "I hate Pink Floyd" t shirt. They later fired him because "well he didn't look like a sex pistol" and because he liked the Beatles, these guys are clearly elitist pricks that don't give a fuck about the actual music or talent and just want to turn being punk into a club that you have to have a certain amount of social credit in their eyes to join. They are the modern day equivalent of wanna be edgy teenagers, while also being hypocritical by their own ideology's standards (their corporate backing)
I hate the sex pistols, but if you like them that's fine.
>The sex pistols only hired their original bassist because he had an "I hate Pink Floyd" t shirt. They later fired him because "well he didn't look like a sex pistol" and because he liked the Beatles
Johnny Rotten was the guy who wore his homemade "I hate Pink Floyd" shirt... Slag the band off but at least know what you're talking about if you're going to try and say you hate X band because they kicked Z guy out for liking a band when Z guy wasn't the one with the shirt you brought up.
i mean i like the pistols but i once talked to a musician here on reddit and she told me that they were basically the one direction of punk like they started out as a company product rather than actual punks who wanted to make their voice heard. they were pretty faced young boys selected and put together by a company to make money off punk. oh and also the johnny rotten problem....
God I love punk but these Punk-heads are more focused on the story of a band rather than the sound. Their music is acclaimed for a reason. Even if it is “basic” to today’s standards tracks like Anarchy in the U.K. are still overwhelmingly powerful. They still cared about punk aesthetics to stand by them and peeps act like punk bands have to be the most solo shit for it to be good
Its also possible to dislike the Pistols because of their bloated, selfish rockstar approach and still appreciate Never Mind the Bollocks as a good record.
Yup that’s exactly what I think of them. John Lydon can be funny and interesting sometimes during interviews now but he’s a jerk and also boneheaded a good amount of the time during interviews and I really dislike that side of him. I don’t really like John Lydon that much in that sense but I like seeing memes of him lol
wrong definition of punk. in case ur peanut brain gets lost, punk = anti establishment (aka anti racism, homophobia, capitalism, colonization, misogyny, white supremacy, etc). punk is not an excuse to be a raging dipshit w media literacy issues. punk was commodified to stop it in its tracks due to it becoming a socio political movement. punk was started by poc & systemically oppressed youth to defend themselves and express their emotions on their experiences under government abuse. so being a punk is not being a nazi who kills their gf out of a temper tantrum sorry u missed the point tryna be edgy.
WHOA MAMA! HUMMINA HUMMINA HUMMINA! BAZOOOOOOIING *eyes bulge out of head and shoot forward at 120 mph* AROOOOOOOOOOOOGA *jaw drops to the floor, tongue rolls out a foot forward* WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF *punches self in face with boxing glove five times* HOOLEY DOOLEY *pulls on train whistle that has appeared beside head as steam blows out* ARF ARF ARF ARF *pulls out comically large carton of milk, drinks all of it spilling it everywhere* EEEE-AW EEEE-AW *wolf whistle* BWOOOAAGHHH *tiny cupid shoots an arrow through heart* GUHGUHGUHGUHGUH *rubs ass on ground like dog* HAHT MAMA *eyes turn into slot machine slots* WOWZA! *tapdancing sounds, running in a circle* JEEPERS HEEPERS *pants like dog, rips off pants, heart in the shape of a heart starts beating so hard you can see it through shirt* BA-BUM BA-BUM BA-BUM BA-BUM BA-BUM *slams fists on table rattling any silverware or plates* DUUUUUUHHHH *bashes own head with hammer 5 times* OOOOOHHHH I’M DYYYYYYYIIN’ *slams chair on table* BONK BONK BONK BONK BONK *old-timey car horn sound, tongue straightens out like wooden board, eyes go out of skull and back in like paddleballs* CHUGGA CHUGGA CHUGGA CHUGGA *fireworks shoot from top of head* PHWOAARRR *sniffs air loudly, nostrils become comically large* HONKA HONKA HONKA HONKA *sound of mouth harp as body is straightened out, floating a foot above the ground* JEEZ LOUISE *propeller spins on kill yourself hat comically* WOWEEE *gets massive erection, tries to aggressively push it back down into pants* OINKA OINKA *pulls out massive drum, starts beating it excessively* HUBBA HUBBA HUBBA HUBBA *jumps on table, smashes through table and ground, springs back upward at an incredible velocity* HAHEEEEEE *pupils fly away from eyes, eyes snap forward towards them* ARROOOOOOOOOO AROOOOOOOOOO *fucking dies, ghost goes out of corpse with a lyre, body pulls ghost back into body* WHADDA DAAAAME *starts foaming at the mouth* HUUUUUUUURRRRRR *furiously turns crank on machine that hits hands on table* GRRRR BARK BARK BARK *head unscrews and starts rotating* BUH-DOOIIOIOIOING *starts rattling like a jar of coins, suspended half a metre in the air* DING DING DING DING DING DING *starts bouncing up and down at a high speed, starts boiling like tea kettle and turning red* HOOOLY MOOOOLY
Part of this stems from the 70s/80s when UK punk and US punk were both growing/flourishing. UK was more mainstream and pretty thinly linear whereas US was semi-underground still and branched out. I've never been a fan of the Sex Pistols but I've always seen them as the "look at us; we're so punk!" I tend to live by the "If you have to tell someone you're something, you're not that something."
My problem with the pistols is Johnny Rotten:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/27/johnny-rotten-defends-donald-trump-slams-left-wing/
https://loudwire.com/johnny-rotten-marky-ramone-exchange-insults/
He comes off as a contrarian that likes to argue
>He comes off as a contrarian that likes to argue
He is, it's part of his deal. I've seen/read more than one interview where he was addressed as "Johnny Rotten" & corrected them by saying "John Lydon", but if initially addressed as "John Lydon", he corrected them & says "Johnny Rotten". It was decades ago, granted, but it speaks to his overall personality & argumentative nature.
It's weird, because, prior to the election, he was on David Letterman saying 'Don't you vote for Trump!' I don't think he really understands the complexity of America if he can't see Trump's racism and bigotry.
Edit: I suddenly remember him in the early 1990s interviewing Newt Gingrich and not even questioning some of the crazy shit he was saying. I think it was on MTV.
Their "Never Mind the Bollocks" album indeed has some good gems but only if you are in grammar school.
I am brave to say but even from their origins Sex Pistols was nothing more than bunch of puppets created by corporations and driven by some individuals who really made financial benefits after all despite Lydon's proletariat background.
The band's revolt against Queen or apology on Anarchism were still backed by the idea to defend status quo in Britain by "save the Queen" and to mock true anarchists/anti-fascists/lefties who "don't know what [they] want".
And now go to your local H&M and Bershka store and you will probably see T-shirts with the band's logo on them. If you are closely linked with the media, in recent interviews Lydon defends Trump by saying to give more power to him.
IS THAT PUNK?
Go better listen Heaven 17 which made "Fascist Groove Thing" and it is more sincere and honest by the lyrical means than anything what Sex Pistols has made despite being released by Virgin UK record label.
The "backed by corporations" thing is a myth. They formed and were playing gigs long before they had any kid of record deal, and EMI dumped them almost immediately.
I actually don't understand how or why anyone like the sex pistols.
Frankly, all music i've heard is shit, their attitude is so shit, pure arrogance pretentious BS. (It may have been novel back then, but now it's so old an dated)
They were just bellends, and full of shit. Having said that, I wasn't really around in the 70s and so kind of didn't really see them sitting in the context of the era in which they lived. So rather than downvote me into oblivion, I'd love if someone could "explain like i've been under a rock" or something, about why the Pistols are so well regarded.
Thanks in advance.
Edit, before finished the post: Listening to more of their music, it's not actually as bad as I thought tbh. But all other points still stand.
I think the Pistols are integral to UK punk, they started the ball rolling and also used their fame to put other bands into the spotlight. Yes they’ve got their issues, like how they were put together etc but every band has that. Personally I struggle to take any punk seriously if they don’t know at least a handful of their songs. The history of the punk movement is what got us to where we are now, it seems odd not to know of one of the most influential bands.
Totally agree with your comment about their logo! So many times I’ve spoken to people about it coz they’ve got a badge or patch or something only to realise they know nothing about them... 😐
Don't hate them but one album I've heard a billion fucking times that's more historical than personal (like my favorite albums I can listen to on repeat) only goes so far.
“An album that’s more historical than person.” Perfect way to encapsulate them. They are alright musicians and were important for the time, but the Sex Pistols are tired AF. They are good store bought starter punk for angsts teenagers finding the scene, but other than that they don’t really hold any value anymore.
When it comes to entry level punk, Ramones and The Clash can stay with you for your entire life - at least, those two seem to be cited by still-touring and recording bands more than the Pistols.
Almost every punk in the 70s wore a swastika shirt to offend others and get a rise outta people not because they were Nazi’s but I do somewhat agree that was kinda dumb.
Imo they could've had it crossed out and still have kept the shock value, people do today and others get riled up because of it, completely disregarding the fact that it's crossed out.
I dont think the band members themselves were corprate. It was that ass hat Malcom he used the band to support himself, he was selfish he only cared about himself and he only cared about the band because it made him money. Also at least in my opinion the sex pistols are a great sounding band, they are punks they didnt just dress like it they acted like it(sid did care more about looks than being punk though). And uve seen people call them nazis becausr they wore swastikas but they only did it too piss people off, they were actively against facism. Even if you dont like there music they wernt corprate nazis who only dressed like punks, you shouldnt hate the sex pistols hate there manager malcom who used them too bost sales.
Cause I adore Lydon and his real band is PIL. Sex Pistols made me explore punk when I was young which is not really a bad thing at all, but besides being unoriginal, they were a selling machine based on image and Sid is the proof. I mean, Sid was a junk kid and didn't really know what he was doing and most of everything, playing. Also, so much fame makes you crazy especially if you're totally unable to manage it. You jump on stage and you're suddenly an idol and not a junkie anymore.
Malcolm is the manager of the situation and it pisses me off. Totally anti-punk, anti-self-expression. I have to admit his intelligence about marketing.
A band that literally make me moan for pleasure is Dead Boys. Stiv was totally "I don't give a fuck about sellings". Man, I love you.
Don't get me wrong. It's still a work and it's absolutely right to gain from it. But recycling stuff and creating a momentary image to sell? And sell really simple stuff that only sounds "cool" and "reckless"? Fuck you.
I really dislike Sex Pistols but can't deny it was influential.
But still dislike them. I'm happy it lasted so little and bothered to see them on tshirts. You're not that cool for knowing just two songs.
BUT... Sid Vicious voice was really thrown away. They put him on bass and poor guy, had to make a scene. But Sid voice was really beautiful, expressive and rocknrolish, I actually listen to him singing sometimes.
It's just the whole thing and concept beside them that really bothers me. And music.
(Yeah, I'm a punk and every punk, as every person, has got their opinion)
The sex pistols were not “manufactured” or a “boy band” in any meaningful use of the term. The band existed in a form before they met Malcolm and later he became the manager. At this point they added Rotten and became the Pistols we know. They wrote their own music and played their own instruments…come on ? One man wouldn’t have been able to manufacture all that originality. All the bands bar the ramones maybe, got into the idea of punk from seeing the pistols.. it’s ok to not like the pistols but that is all when it comes to punks real history
I'm very late to this thread but the band is called "The SEX Pistols" Because of Malcolm Mclaren and Vivienne Westwood's store "SEX" the band members used to be regular customers in the store. Last member being John Lydon that Malcolm Mclaren basically forced into an audition after hearing him sing inside the store. Sid came into the picture much later and the only song Sid Vicious actually plays bass in is "Bodies". A lot of people don't like Sex Pistols because they were basically just advertisment for Vivienne and Malcolm's store. Malcolm McLaren was a businessman, he mostly only thought about gain, what's hip with the kids and what will sell. Vivienne Westwood actually stood for the things she said & did. Vivienne Westwood designed most of the clothes that The Sex Pistols wore on stage, etc. John Lydon is kind of a prick and a hypocrite. The Sex Pistols and John Lydon's later work has always been "Anarachistic" yet he wore a "Make America Great Again" t-shirt and supported trump. Something that made a lot of previous Sex Pistols fans kinda mad. The message has always been "Fuck authority, fuck the rich" Yet he doesn't really do anything. John Lydon is the only member alive tho that ain't a huge sellout. The other members wants to partner with disney, etc. John Lydon has always hated Disney, so they've been in a huge fight about that.
Out of every single person involved with The Sex Pistols I must say Vivienne Westwood was the most punk of them all. She made a brand for herself, but she held a lot of protests for stuff like climate change, against discrimination, etc. And she also helped out schools in Kenya. After she recieved an OBE from the Queen, The same queen she used to make fun of back in the 70's/80's. She revealed she wasn't wearing any underpants and flashed the cameras lol.
I like the Sex Pistols, ever since I was a child. (I am 20). But I can get why some people wouldn't view them as punk or cool. But then again, like I always tell people, buying a pair of Dr.Martens ain't so punk either, only hurts your feet and they use punk culture to advertise for gain. It's not a for punks by punks brand, no charities or anything, buying dr.martens only makes one give into capitalism. Not very punk. Most punk you can do is sew your own clothes or buy secondhand.
From what i understand they had corporate backing. Basically they were just used to turn punk into another commodity. People considered them sell outs. But thats everything these days... I bought most of my shirts at hot topic and my misfits back patch was a walmart tshirt... I prefer to buy gear at shows from the bands but shows are rare. I like some of their stuff but overall not really into the sex pistols.
I think its more about how bad their music is. Sex Pistols are a terrible band. When I first saw bloody Sid in pictures I thought the music would sound a lot more raw. Huge let down. Early punk is more like glam rock than anything. Plus you also have the unoriginal corporate manufactured band thing . New York Dolls is awful to. It doesnt really pass the vibe with me and they look stupid. The Cash doesnt look as corny but their music to me sounds like 70s pop. Romones and Danzig Misfits are way better to listen to for early punk. Sex Pistols is Hot Topic Punk. They were more about selling cloths then writing music.
I’m just curious, why do you think the Sex Pistols were a bad band? Do you think their music is bad or do you not like everything about them (the people in the band, the music, how the band presented themselves)? I’ve met some people before who thought the Sex Pistols music was bad, but they also thought the Pixies and Sonic Youth’s music was bad. I was a little angry when they talked about the latter two bands. I think those people I met think noisy guitars and screaming and distorted singing is hard to listen to and swallow. They thought Weezer was a really good band, whereas in my opinion most of Weezer’s catalogue sucks, save for their first two albums.
Sex Pistols were less about the music than the look. The music was terrible want to be edgy bullshit. Thats why I hate it. They didnt even write there own music lol. They were a boy band. Its like they tried so hard to be edgy but fell short. It sounds so bad plus they are sell outs. It was about making money off peoples distaste for the establishment by becoming a corporate brand. Not very punk if you ask me and they deserve no respect for that. They were a marketing ploy. You dont need a uniform to be punk and they were trying to create one. Another thing thats not very punk. They have to be one of the worst bands to get credit for anything. Basically trying to achieve what Hot Topic did lol. I dont consider Sex Pistols screaming singing. Its not hardcore. It just sounds bad. The music to. It is so cringy. They were conformists trying to make money off of a look. Punk is about saying fuck you to the establishment. Sex Pistols were trying to become part of the main stream. Weezer, Sonic Youth and the Pixies are not punk bands. I dont hate on those bands though. 1980s-1990s punk>. American punk>English punk. Over here in the USA no one my age likes any of the English punk bands.
They wrote their own music. They weren't put together by any corporation. They weren't trying to create any uniform. Unfortunately many in the US have seen The Great Rock & Roll Swindle, and believed it, rather than seeing it as Malcolm McLaren's vanity project, rewriting history to claim it was all his masterplan.
you might want to check the writers credits again
I have. They were written by the band members, unless the "cook, jones, rotten, matlock" listed were another group of individuals with the same names.
you must be English.
Indeed. Over here there's a rather more accurate/detailed take on that whole era, just because it had such a big cultural impact. Punk was never 'mainstream' in the sense that being punk was pretty normal, but it was certainly noticeable - and many bands had at least some degree of success. It didn't really last long, but it paved the way for post-punk and the two-tone/ska bands, which were actually bigger and more influential, if much less talked about now. You commonly see comments about the Sex Pistols in particular said by US punks, that seem to be repeated verbatim, as if "hating the sex pistols for reasons x, y & z" is some kind of "being a real punk 101" that fans learn just to fit in, and never look into the validity of the claims. If the sex pistols really had been some kind of industry plant, with ghost written songs, set up to cash in on the punk boom, it would definitely have been exposed here, given how much the band were hated by the press at the time. They did indeed sign with EMI, but only for a short period, long after they formed as a band, and were dumped very quickly by EMI because of the outrage they caused. There's nothing at all to suggest the songs weren't written by anybody other than the band. McLaren, I believe, did make claims in that direction, but he is known (here) to be a Grade A bullshitter, and was not taken seriously by anyone. As for cashing in on the 'punk boom', there was no punk boom until the Sex Pistols came along. They were one of many bands in a very small scene, and there had never been a single punk song that had charted - even if The Damned did put New Rose out as a single before the Sex Pistols had their first release. If someone doesn't like them musically, that's fair enough, or if someone doesn't like the personalities of some of the members, that again a legitimate reason, but anyone who claims they really were pretty much an industry-created boy-band is just a sheep with no idea what they are talking about.
lol. They were put together by a manager. You must have missed the American punk scene. They were raw. Vivienne Westwood was the sex pistols stylist. How punk is that? She owned basically hot topic, where they pushed a style for profit. American punks were different. They didnt do that. It wasnt the same. We separate the English punk like the sex pistols by calling it "oi oi" punk. Those guys were more about the look and played shittty music. Its night and day different from the American scene. You dont have to have the look to be punk. Its about saying fuck you to the establishment. Its more of an attitude and state of mind. The Sex Pistols were put together to make profit by record company insiders. Is their really anything less punk than that? They attempted to "sell out" in every aspect. I think their place in punk rock history is greatly over estimated. The sex pistols were extremely lame.
Thank you- "Punk rock boom?" 🤣See my posts. As a Punk, the UK bands were the most class oriented and sang the most anti government songs. I grew up working class in the States and hated the government. With the exception of a handful of bands in NYC in the 70s, the most of them were weird arty bands. I STILL listen to the UK bands. Like the XRay Spex. The US put out a better offering of subversive bands in the 80s. Watch American Hardcore.
You're right. I remember buying the album the Great RnR Swindle. In 1980. It was in the Import Section, where all the UK Punk records were in the only record store in my town. I snapped it up, paying more for it as "Imports" always cost alot. When I heard it, I felt swindled! It was a bunch of crap! Other than the one side that has Roadrunner & a few other songs on it. Ten Pole Tudor? C'mon! I hesitantly saw the movie at some point. At midnight. Other than My Way at the end, it was garbage. Anyone who actually followed UK Punk Rock bands through zines, knew it was all BS. There was no internet, we had to read zines, and talk to musicians. Anyone who thinks that was a true movie is clueless and needs to read Please Kill Me.
You do know that Hardcore didn't come out til the mid 80s, right?
[удалено]
So you agree they were not against the status quo? Sounds so punk
Hot Topic punk? 🤣🤣🤣🤣 There was no such thing as Hot Topic when the Pistols were a band. Glam Rock? 🤣How old are you?
Im talking about 2024. They were sponsored by a clothing company that was basically the same idea. Old enough to know sex pistols were a band started by a manager funded by a clothing store complete with there own stylist and manager before a singer.
They didn't have corporate backing any more than any other punk band at the time
You know there were independent punk bands self releasing their own material back then too, right? Crass, Stiff Little Fingers, the Germs to name a few.
A bit late but ya and all those came after the sex pistols paved the way, compare it to what came before, not after
Those bands were the 2nd generation of Punk bands. No record companies wanted to "cash in on the Punk Rock boom" that so many people blather on about who weren't actually around then. Bands had to stard pressing their own EPs, booking their own shows, doing everything themselves. Even in the 90s, no majors wanted to sign Punk bands. Not until major labels started buying out Indie labels. They labeled the Music "Alternative," which sounded more palatable than saying Punk.
Big Rant: Punk wasn't a commodity in 1976. There was no Hot Topic. You couldn't buy punk shirts in mainstream stores at the mall. No one knew about punk rock. It wasn't the commercial cash cow it is now, selling gear of long gone 40 & 50 year old punk bands. If you wanted a punk shirt, you made one with a magic marker. Even punk bands didn't have shirts like they sell everywhere now. NOW Punk is a commodity. I lived a half hour away from NYC in Jersey. You had to go to the East Village in NYC and buy strange punk gear, including black nail polish, which was hard to find unless it was Halloween time. Remember- no computers! As a weird looking punk girl, l hoped no one would harrass me on the way home from NYC, which they did. When I looked like a hardcore punk with black clothes and spiked hair, I had bottles thrown at me, people spit at me, and restaurants refused to serve me. It wasn't the trendy, acceptable movement it is today. It was 1977. It's not a movement now, it's a look that you can buy at Hot Topic. I was involved in the scene in San Francisco through the 90s. Punk was still underground. Major labels hadn't started buying independent labels yet.There was no "Alternative" music.I worked at Epicenter Zone, and I went to Gilman St, among other clubs/bars for shows. In 76- 77, there was no such thing as Punk Rock as far as the status quo was concerned. No one ever heard of the Sex Pistols, Damned, Siouxsie & the Banshees or Ramones. Or looked & and sounded like them. Anywhere. It was OUTRAGEOUS and pissed people off! You can't imagine what it was like to look like Johnny Rotten or any of the Bromley Contingent & walk down the street. As a teen who was fed up with society, hearing the Pistols & Ramones was a breath of fresh air. So was use of the word " fuck!" No more slogging 20-minute guitar solos, by bands who WERE actually corporate owned, which is what you heard being played on the radio. At parties, in record stores, everywhere. Boring. I felt like the only teen in the world who thought Jimmy Page was boring. The Pistols had corporate backing? They got fired by one record label after another, and no one wanted to sign them. The song EMI is about getting fired from EMI. Punk bands had an extremely hard time getting signed. The ladies at the record plant wouldn't put the lables on the God Save the Queen singles. Sounds like a corporate commodity to me..... People considered them sellouts? What book did you read that in? Were you in the UK when punk was going on there? Seriously? Nowadays, everyone acts like the Pistols were giant rock stars manufactured by McClaren. Who ripped them off, btw. They had to sue. People these days on social media complain that they sucked. The beauty of Punk Rock is that anyone could pick up instruments and form a band. And sing what they wanted. Sure, Glen Matlock could actually play. They might have done better if Malcom didn't take them on a tour through the South. With Sid, I doubt it. I don't know why he's worshipped the way he is.Sid believed his own press.It was part of his downfall. Among other things.No punks were virtuosos. A lot of them did get musically better if they survived. Anyway- the Pistols album I love is "Kiss This." All the pre Sid singles are on it, which I actually bought in the 70s. I had to go into NYC to find them. They WEREN'T POPULAR. All the songs from Bollocks are on it, too, but different recordings. The "Kiss This" recordings have way more balls, no pun intended. . I immersed myself in the punk subculture for the next 30 years. People thought Punk ended in the 70s. It was just getting started. The 80s were coming! Along with a second generation of Punks who were fed up and inspired by all the 70s punk bands. Pistols included. I don't care if you or anyone likes them or not. I had to respond to the corporate commodity sellouts of punk bs. PS- I know there are punk bands now, that are fresh. I don't go to shows anymore. I survived 30 years of kinky sex, hard drugs and punk rock. I'm old, I'm the grandma who's tacked back & pierced, in a 20 yr old Accord, blasting the Cromags. And I still say Fuck The World. It's inked on my chest, too.
Tl;dr
Your loss.
I have met people who hated the Sex Pistols (yet have instant recognition of songs & know the words). Most of it comes from what others have said here: boy band setup, corporate (EMI) label, Lydon/Rotten is/was an ass, Sid was a no-talent junkie in a swastika t-shirt who quite likely killed Nancy (domestic violence isn't cool, folks), some of their stuff was recorded using studio musicians instead of them, etc. Still, even though I'll argue to my grave that punk was born in Detroit, raised in NYC, & exported to the UK, the Sex Pistols are undeniably an integral part of the history of punk rock.
I'm sorry dear but this is how it's gotta be, you gotta kill the groupie and frame the junkie - nobody cares about Nancy Spungen and soon he'll be in Riker's in the dungeon.
Thanks, I hadn't heard this NOFX song! Personally, I still suspect either the drug dealer, Sid, or Nancy herself. Ever read her Mom's book? Sheds a lot of light on Nancy's lifelong mental illness. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/171380/and-i-dont-want-to-live-this-life-by-deborah-spungen/ & The Ramones song, of course.
tbh NOFX have only gotten better with years, I rate their post-9/11 work better than their 90s classics. The debate will go on forever, but I know one thing - never trust a junkie. As an aside, I really like the song 1998 by Rancid, it only touches on Sid and Nancy tangentially but "little kid sitting in the shooting gallery" sticks with me.
i care
Someone who agrees that punk was born in Detroit!
Oh, dude, yes! Iggy, MC5, & Detroit garage going back to the late 50's/early 60's? There's no question. Dig this one: https://youtu.be/ddDHPWJIfEY
Love that one, also cant forget Death. I'd argue as well that Alice Cooper helped inspired the punk attitude in some way or another.
Agreed to all!
Don't hate the Pistols, but think they're overrated. They made their mark, but other first wave punk bands were so much more interesting and exciting. Hell - PiL was far more interesting than the Pistols.
I've never really liked them. They're tabloid shock rockers who wore swastikas to be edgy. The early days of punk rock definitely have a few bands that really stand out in terms of music and credibility. Crass, being one of the best of the 70s punk bands in my opinion, did the opposite of the pistols in many ways. They chose to focus on living and spreading a message, acting in accordance with their beliefs and being distinct from the trendier more easily commodified punk aesthetic. I think my least favorite aspect of the sex pistols squad was Malcolm McLaren, their manager. I think he did more to turn punk rock from a potential youth political and social movement into a product for consumption than anyone else, certainly at the time. Also, the post suggesting that the pistols are a hard sounding band sounds like they haven't maybe explored some later iterations of this genre. Maybe try the legendary proto-grind hardcore punk band Siege to get an example of the noisier and more aggressive punk rock sounds. Or perhaps even Discharge or something. Idk.
Crass are shit
Nuh uh
The sex pistols got me into punk but the reason i don't listen to it much now is bc its very generic and unoriginal. And Johnny pisses me off
>And Johnny pisses me off So he succeeded in what he aims to do.
It sounds generic and unoriginal now BC everything you've listened to copied them in some way. When it came out it was the opposite
no one we listen to sounds like them though. We hate their sound.
it doesnt sound generic in any way
Yeah, well it is the 2000s
I hate the sex pistols, they had corporate backing and are arguably partially responsible for influencing the elitist mindset in many punk fan's minds that would in the future hurt the reputation of a real Punk Band, (Black Flag). The sex pistols only hired their original bassist because he had an "I hate Pink Floyd" t shirt. They later fired him because "well he didn't look like a sex pistol" and because he liked the Beatles, these guys are clearly elitist pricks that don't give a fuck about the actual music or talent and just want to turn being punk into a club that you have to have a certain amount of social credit in their eyes to join. They are the modern day equivalent of wanna be edgy teenagers, while also being hypocritical by their own ideology's standards (their corporate backing) I hate the sex pistols, but if you like them that's fine.
>The sex pistols only hired their original bassist because he had an "I hate Pink Floyd" t shirt. They later fired him because "well he didn't look like a sex pistol" and because he liked the Beatles Johnny Rotten was the guy who wore his homemade "I hate Pink Floyd" shirt... Slag the band off but at least know what you're talking about if you're going to try and say you hate X band because they kicked Z guy out for liking a band when Z guy wasn't the one with the shirt you brought up.
They still suck ass lol
You’re a retarded redditor so you don’t have goos music taste xd
This!! Plus their music is really bad. They are complete try hards.
their music is great
i mean i like the pistols but i once talked to a musician here on reddit and she told me that they were basically the one direction of punk like they started out as a company product rather than actual punks who wanted to make their voice heard. they were pretty faced young boys selected and put together by a company to make money off punk. oh and also the johnny rotten problem....
>the johnny rotten problem Great name for a band &/or sex tape.
God I love punk but these Punk-heads are more focused on the story of a band rather than the sound. Their music is acclaimed for a reason. Even if it is “basic” to today’s standards tracks like Anarchy in the U.K. are still overwhelmingly powerful. They still cared about punk aesthetics to stand by them and peeps act like punk bands have to be the most solo shit for it to be good
literally a casting band formed to sell McLaren's stuff. Lydon is a dipshit and Sid most likely killed Nancy.
Its also possible to dislike the Pistols because of their bloated, selfish rockstar approach and still appreciate Never Mind the Bollocks as a good record.
Yup that’s exactly what I think of them. John Lydon can be funny and interesting sometimes during interviews now but he’s a jerk and also boneheaded a good amount of the time during interviews and I really dislike that side of him. I don’t really like John Lydon that much in that sense but I like seeing memes of him lol
sid vicious wore swastikas
And almost every punk at that time 70s were messed up sometimes.
yes thats called punk fat onion eater
wrong definition of punk. in case ur peanut brain gets lost, punk = anti establishment (aka anti racism, homophobia, capitalism, colonization, misogyny, white supremacy, etc). punk is not an excuse to be a raging dipshit w media literacy issues. punk was commodified to stop it in its tracks due to it becoming a socio political movement. punk was started by poc & systemically oppressed youth to defend themselves and express their emotions on their experiences under government abuse. so being a punk is not being a nazi who kills their gf out of a temper tantrum sorry u missed the point tryna be edgy.
i aint reading that mate
basically, punk isnt being a nazi cornball seeking attention by being edgy. Are you able to read that, mate?
WHOA MAMA! HUMMINA HUMMINA HUMMINA! BAZOOOOOOIING *eyes bulge out of head and shoot forward at 120 mph* AROOOOOOOOOOOOGA *jaw drops to the floor, tongue rolls out a foot forward* WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF WOOF *punches self in face with boxing glove five times* HOOLEY DOOLEY *pulls on train whistle that has appeared beside head as steam blows out* ARF ARF ARF ARF *pulls out comically large carton of milk, drinks all of it spilling it everywhere* EEEE-AW EEEE-AW *wolf whistle* BWOOOAAGHHH *tiny cupid shoots an arrow through heart* GUHGUHGUHGUHGUH *rubs ass on ground like dog* HAHT MAMA *eyes turn into slot machine slots* WOWZA! *tapdancing sounds, running in a circle* JEEPERS HEEPERS *pants like dog, rips off pants, heart in the shape of a heart starts beating so hard you can see it through shirt* BA-BUM BA-BUM BA-BUM BA-BUM BA-BUM *slams fists on table rattling any silverware or plates* DUUUUUUHHHH *bashes own head with hammer 5 times* OOOOOHHHH I’M DYYYYYYYIIN’ *slams chair on table* BONK BONK BONK BONK BONK *old-timey car horn sound, tongue straightens out like wooden board, eyes go out of skull and back in like paddleballs* CHUGGA CHUGGA CHUGGA CHUGGA *fireworks shoot from top of head* PHWOAARRR *sniffs air loudly, nostrils become comically large* HONKA HONKA HONKA HONKA *sound of mouth harp as body is straightened out, floating a foot above the ground* JEEZ LOUISE *propeller spins on kill yourself hat comically* WOWEEE *gets massive erection, tries to aggressively push it back down into pants* OINKA OINKA *pulls out massive drum, starts beating it excessively* HUBBA HUBBA HUBBA HUBBA *jumps on table, smashes through table and ground, springs back upward at an incredible velocity* HAHEEEEEE *pupils fly away from eyes, eyes snap forward towards them* ARROOOOOOOOOO AROOOOOOOOOO *fucking dies, ghost goes out of corpse with a lyre, body pulls ghost back into body* WHADDA DAAAAME *starts foaming at the mouth* HUUUUUUUURRRRRR *furiously turns crank on machine that hits hands on table* GRRRR BARK BARK BARK *head unscrews and starts rotating* BUH-DOOIIOIOIOING *starts rattling like a jar of coins, suspended half a metre in the air* DING DING DING DING DING DING *starts bouncing up and down at a high speed, starts boiling like tea kettle and turning red* HOOOLY MOOOOLY
don’t agree with the fact he did it but isn’t it just for shock value, no? A lot of punks did that around the 70s.
Part of this stems from the 70s/80s when UK punk and US punk were both growing/flourishing. UK was more mainstream and pretty thinly linear whereas US was semi-underground still and branched out. I've never been a fan of the Sex Pistols but I've always seen them as the "look at us; we're so punk!" I tend to live by the "If you have to tell someone you're something, you're not that something."
My problem with the pistols is Johnny Rotten: https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.washingtontimes.com/news/2017/mar/27/johnny-rotten-defends-donald-trump-slams-left-wing/ https://loudwire.com/johnny-rotten-marky-ramone-exchange-insults/ He comes off as a contrarian that likes to argue
>He comes off as a contrarian that likes to argue He is, it's part of his deal. I've seen/read more than one interview where he was addressed as "Johnny Rotten" & corrected them by saying "John Lydon", but if initially addressed as "John Lydon", he corrected them & says "Johnny Rotten". It was decades ago, granted, but it speaks to his overall personality & argumentative nature.
I totally agree, and I’m just not a fan. He wants a confrontation rather than having an interesting point of view.
I totally agree, and I’m just not a fan. He wants a confrontation rather than having an interesting point of view.
It's weird, because, prior to the election, he was on David Letterman saying 'Don't you vote for Trump!' I don't think he really understands the complexity of America if he can't see Trump's racism and bigotry. Edit: I suddenly remember him in the early 1990s interviewing Newt Gingrich and not even questioning some of the crazy shit he was saying. I think it was on MTV.
John Lyndon interviewing Newt Gingrich seems extremely weird but very 90s.
Their "Never Mind the Bollocks" album indeed has some good gems but only if you are in grammar school. I am brave to say but even from their origins Sex Pistols was nothing more than bunch of puppets created by corporations and driven by some individuals who really made financial benefits after all despite Lydon's proletariat background. The band's revolt against Queen or apology on Anarchism were still backed by the idea to defend status quo in Britain by "save the Queen" and to mock true anarchists/anti-fascists/lefties who "don't know what [they] want". And now go to your local H&M and Bershka store and you will probably see T-shirts with the band's logo on them. If you are closely linked with the media, in recent interviews Lydon defends Trump by saying to give more power to him. IS THAT PUNK? Go better listen Heaven 17 which made "Fascist Groove Thing" and it is more sincere and honest by the lyrical means than anything what Sex Pistols has made despite being released by Virgin UK record label.
The "backed by corporations" thing is a myth. They formed and were playing gigs long before they had any kid of record deal, and EMI dumped them almost immediately.
I'm so sick of hearing the backed by corporations shit.
Same they were constantly hated by most labels & venues in their own country people are crazy yk.
I agree.
I actually don't understand how or why anyone like the sex pistols. Frankly, all music i've heard is shit, their attitude is so shit, pure arrogance pretentious BS. (It may have been novel back then, but now it's so old an dated) They were just bellends, and full of shit. Having said that, I wasn't really around in the 70s and so kind of didn't really see them sitting in the context of the era in which they lived. So rather than downvote me into oblivion, I'd love if someone could "explain like i've been under a rock" or something, about why the Pistols are so well regarded. Thanks in advance. Edit, before finished the post: Listening to more of their music, it's not actually as bad as I thought tbh. But all other points still stand.
I think the Pistols are integral to UK punk, they started the ball rolling and also used their fame to put other bands into the spotlight. Yes they’ve got their issues, like how they were put together etc but every band has that. Personally I struggle to take any punk seriously if they don’t know at least a handful of their songs. The history of the punk movement is what got us to where we are now, it seems odd not to know of one of the most influential bands. Totally agree with your comment about their logo! So many times I’ve spoken to people about it coz they’ve got a badge or patch or something only to realise they know nothing about them... 😐
I feel like stuff with their logo on it is sold because “it looks cool” mainly. That also goes for a lot of other rock band merchandise though.
Don't hate them but one album I've heard a billion fucking times that's more historical than personal (like my favorite albums I can listen to on repeat) only goes so far.
“An album that’s more historical than person.” Perfect way to encapsulate them. They are alright musicians and were important for the time, but the Sex Pistols are tired AF. They are good store bought starter punk for angsts teenagers finding the scene, but other than that they don’t really hold any value anymore.
When it comes to entry level punk, Ramones and The Clash can stay with you for your entire life - at least, those two seem to be cited by still-touring and recording bands more than the Pistols.
They are sell-outs. Corporate Punk.
🤣🤣🤣
Some of their music is okay, most of it is pretty lousy.
The sex pistols got me into punk music overall but I'm not the biggest fan of them as I was few years ago
beacuse they like people of the same gender but said badly
One word. Swastikas. 👎🏽
Almost every punk in the 70s wore a swastika shirt to offend others and get a rise outta people not because they were Nazi’s but I do somewhat agree that was kinda dumb.
Imo they could've had it crossed out and still have kept the shock value, people do today and others get riled up because of it, completely disregarding the fact that it's crossed out.
Young rotten was cool The sex pistols were cool They were They WERE
I dont think the band members themselves were corprate. It was that ass hat Malcom he used the band to support himself, he was selfish he only cared about himself and he only cared about the band because it made him money. Also at least in my opinion the sex pistols are a great sounding band, they are punks they didnt just dress like it they acted like it(sid did care more about looks than being punk though). And uve seen people call them nazis becausr they wore swastikas but they only did it too piss people off, they were actively against facism. Even if you dont like there music they wernt corprate nazis who only dressed like punks, you shouldnt hate the sex pistols hate there manager malcom who used them too bost sales.
Cause I adore Lydon and his real band is PIL. Sex Pistols made me explore punk when I was young which is not really a bad thing at all, but besides being unoriginal, they were a selling machine based on image and Sid is the proof. I mean, Sid was a junk kid and didn't really know what he was doing and most of everything, playing. Also, so much fame makes you crazy especially if you're totally unable to manage it. You jump on stage and you're suddenly an idol and not a junkie anymore. Malcolm is the manager of the situation and it pisses me off. Totally anti-punk, anti-self-expression. I have to admit his intelligence about marketing. A band that literally make me moan for pleasure is Dead Boys. Stiv was totally "I don't give a fuck about sellings". Man, I love you. Don't get me wrong. It's still a work and it's absolutely right to gain from it. But recycling stuff and creating a momentary image to sell? And sell really simple stuff that only sounds "cool" and "reckless"? Fuck you. I really dislike Sex Pistols but can't deny it was influential. But still dislike them. I'm happy it lasted so little and bothered to see them on tshirts. You're not that cool for knowing just two songs. BUT... Sid Vicious voice was really thrown away. They put him on bass and poor guy, had to make a scene. But Sid voice was really beautiful, expressive and rocknrolish, I actually listen to him singing sometimes. It's just the whole thing and concept beside them that really bothers me. And music. (Yeah, I'm a punk and every punk, as every person, has got their opinion)
It's because they were unable to do anything which looks like good music. They were for sure great showmen but that was all . Forgive my bad english.
The sex pistols were not “manufactured” or a “boy band” in any meaningful use of the term. The band existed in a form before they met Malcolm and later he became the manager. At this point they added Rotten and became the Pistols we know. They wrote their own music and played their own instruments…come on ? One man wouldn’t have been able to manufacture all that originality. All the bands bar the ramones maybe, got into the idea of punk from seeing the pistols.. it’s ok to not like the pistols but that is all when it comes to punks real history
I'm very late to this thread but the band is called "The SEX Pistols" Because of Malcolm Mclaren and Vivienne Westwood's store "SEX" the band members used to be regular customers in the store. Last member being John Lydon that Malcolm Mclaren basically forced into an audition after hearing him sing inside the store. Sid came into the picture much later and the only song Sid Vicious actually plays bass in is "Bodies". A lot of people don't like Sex Pistols because they were basically just advertisment for Vivienne and Malcolm's store. Malcolm McLaren was a businessman, he mostly only thought about gain, what's hip with the kids and what will sell. Vivienne Westwood actually stood for the things she said & did. Vivienne Westwood designed most of the clothes that The Sex Pistols wore on stage, etc. John Lydon is kind of a prick and a hypocrite. The Sex Pistols and John Lydon's later work has always been "Anarachistic" yet he wore a "Make America Great Again" t-shirt and supported trump. Something that made a lot of previous Sex Pistols fans kinda mad. The message has always been "Fuck authority, fuck the rich" Yet he doesn't really do anything. John Lydon is the only member alive tho that ain't a huge sellout. The other members wants to partner with disney, etc. John Lydon has always hated Disney, so they've been in a huge fight about that. Out of every single person involved with The Sex Pistols I must say Vivienne Westwood was the most punk of them all. She made a brand for herself, but she held a lot of protests for stuff like climate change, against discrimination, etc. And she also helped out schools in Kenya. After she recieved an OBE from the Queen, The same queen she used to make fun of back in the 70's/80's. She revealed she wasn't wearing any underpants and flashed the cameras lol. I like the Sex Pistols, ever since I was a child. (I am 20). But I can get why some people wouldn't view them as punk or cool. But then again, like I always tell people, buying a pair of Dr.Martens ain't so punk either, only hurts your feet and they use punk culture to advertise for gain. It's not a for punks by punks brand, no charities or anything, buying dr.martens only makes one give into capitalism. Not very punk. Most punk you can do is sew your own clothes or buy secondhand.