Interesting. My drummer is a producer who worked on one of his records and has many stories about how he is basically the same on a personal level as he is as a performer. This was in SoCal - Lydon was (is?) married to a very rich woman and his brother was acting as his assistant and general dogs-body errand boy. I can’t remember any specific stories, but there was a lot of basic drunkenness for days on end, rudeness to service people (“don’t you know who I am?”) type stuff and toying with folks who approached him on the street…
That is amazing to me, from what I saw. Of course, my experience cannot be compared with someone who actually knew him & worked with him.
Definitely… Admittedly there was a huge chunk of hype invovled but, even if you had never heard of them I defy you to not be impressed by God Save the Queen or Pretty Vacant. Those songs kick arse…
I hear you Sarahfeena - by the way, my friend was treated very nicely by Lydon - he (Lydon) can apparently be very charming when he chooses to be, as you experienced…
I came in to post about Jonesy’s Jukebox- it’s awesome! And it’s replayed at odd times during the day and night, apparently, because I seem to hear it all the damn time! 
His interview with Paul Anka was one of the best I’ve ever heard- seriously.
Strip away the hype about the anarchy, the nihilism, the spitting, the ripped trousers, Sid Vicious and Malcolm MacLaren and what’s left? An album of first-class tunes: whatever else they were, what’s often overlooked about the Pistols is that they wrote and performed one of the greatest pop albums of all.
See, I think it was supposed to be just that. I think their lyrics were more to piss people off than that they actually believed them. I mean, “Anarchy in the UK” starts with the line “I am an antichrist”.
I think the Pistols’ album is a classic (although I skip “New York”). We can go on about McLaren’s management, but I didn’t know about the management when I heard the album. I’d never heard of Malcolm. There are a number of songs on there that just grab you and still manage to sound fresh, especially if you know that the songs it’s reminding you of are the imitators, and the Pistols are the originals.
I have to admit, though, when I air-band bass to the the Pistols, I inject a bit more Cream in there. Would more progessive playing ruin it?
I know it’s “punk”, but I’ve posted before about my problems with Jonny’s public persona. Privately, he may be fine (my ex-roomie delivered a tv in Malibu, and the man of the house steadfastly refused to admit he was Johnny, to the most pop-music knowledgable person I’ve ever known), but I saw the Pistols headline at Inland Invasion II at Glen Helen Pavilion (San Bernardino, CA). He insulted the sponsoring radio station from stage, when they were the only people playing the Pistols in the entire L.A. basin. Is that punk, or just offensive?
Eh, that’s just cranky! They are getting older now…
The Pistols were one of the great bands. Forget who they were and listen to the album. As a mangaer McLaren was awful or brilliant, depending on your view. He claims that he honestly thought that the Pistols’ music would be best received in the South. Of course his miscalculation (or more likely calculation) wound up endangering the band and creating a storm of controversy that led to huge album sales and huge revenues for him.
Indy 1031 has a podcast, available through itunes. Some of the podcasts are Jonesys Jukebox episodes, and they are just brilliant. They cut out the music for copyright reasons, but the interview are definitely worth listening to. He’s about the most sincere, laid back guy you could imagine, especially considering his past.
One of the interviews that sticks out in my mind is his interview with Brian Wilson. First question, asked with no trace of irony: “So, do you like music?”*
*or something very similar, it was a long time ago
You know, if it was long enough ago, it may have been a valid, if poorly worded question.
If I had been one to interview Wilson during his reclusive, drug-addled, fat, bearded, unwashed, presumably psycho, non-songwriting, non-performing phase (AKA the 70s and 80s), my first question would probably have been…“so, Brian. Do you like music?”
Otherwise, Steve Jones may just have been doing his best impression of Ali G before the fact. 
My guess is that they used studio musicians to record Never Mind The Bollocks except for Rotten’s vocals. It is just too tight compared to the descriptions of how they could barely play.
You’re gonna need a hefty cite for that one: descriptions of “how they could barely play” live are contradicted by people who actually attended the gigs, and were exaggerated at the time by MacLaren’s Svengali account of how he alone adroitly manipulated a bunch of talentless yobs to stardom: Jon Savage’s book England’s Dreaming provides an excellent account.
Paul Cook and Glen Matlock were a rock-solid rhythm section, and Steve Jones, while not in the widdley-wee technically flash ranks of guitarists - and that, surely, was the point - could make a fantastic racket with those huge crashing clanging power riffs. If you listen to the musicianship it’s perfectly serviceable: what makes the album sound more accomplished than the playing is the excellence of the songwriting. As a band, the Pistols were much greater than the sum of their parts.
Here is an interview with Chris Thomas, one of the producers of the album. He felt like they were up to the task.
Slight OT, but if you wonder what Johnny Rotten’s doing these days, he did a spoken word charity event for Kevin Smith.
The whole evening sounded fabulous, but rather than spoil who else showed up, you may want to take a look. the entry is Smith’s description of the event, including his introductions of the guests. Expect, as usual, plenty of cuss words.
From the speech:
“I’d like to read a note he sent to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, when he declined, on behalf of his band, to attend their induction
“Next to the Sex-Pistols, rock and roll and that hall of fame is a piss stain. Your museum. Urine in wine. We’re not coming.””
Thanks for all of the information guys. I consider my OP answered and answered well. One thing is for sure, I’m a BIG John Lydon fan.
Great interview - Chris Thomas doesn’t talk that much to the press. I can hardly wait to share this with some friends…
Interesting stuff re: the Sex Pistols. As a guitarist, it is easy to hear that the songs are well-produced - compared to true lo-fi indie punk stuff - but it wasn’t clear if the actual Pistols were playing on it (except for Steve Jones, who has an identifiable sound)…
I saw Paul Cook and Steve Jones in the Professionals???
I met them, the rest of the band, hung out at the radio station during their interview. Their private talk was about the youngest sluts they could gangbang. Seriously. We found some 16 year olds in LA and then later in SF a 15 year old.
Deep they weren’t.
I’ve seen the Pistols version of Classic Albums or whatever it is for VH1 (I think it is). The producer and engineer and band all agree that the band played the album, except for Sid. IIRC, Steve did most of the bass tracks.