What Happened To the Sex Pistols ?

[ibook30]

As the title implies- I'm dismayed at recent news of the Sex Pistols (John Lydon) selling the rights to their songs to be used as the back drop for advertisements.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18360623%255E2703,00.html

I don't know if this is a reliable news source - there are plenty of stories about the Pistols not appearing at their induction to the 'Rock Hall of Fame' - this was the only one I found claiming:

Thirty years afer the British punk pioneers screamed defiance at the establishment, the surviving members will cash in with a multi-million-pound deal partnering blue-chip corporations as advertisers seek an association with rebellion.

I have no problem with Lydon or the rest of the band making some cash- but in light of the premium brands that are paying for their material- it screams of sell out. Brands that fail to represent the sentiments that brought fame to the band... Punk is dead (?)

 

[treblah]

Punk is dead (?)

Punk was D.O.A.

Flame on!

 

[LethalWolfe]

As the title implies- I'm dismayed at recent news of the Sex Pistols (John Lydon) selling the rights to their songs to be used as the back drop for advertisements.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5744,18360623%255E2703,00.html

I don't know if this is a reliable news source - there are plenty of stories about the Pistols not appearing at their induction to the 'Rock Hall of Fame' - this was the only one I found claiming:



I have no problem with Lydon or the rest of the band making some cash- but in light of the premium brands that are paying for their material- it screams of sell out. Brands that fail to represent the sentinments that brought fame to the band... Punk is dead (?)

Reminds me a quote from the movie "Swimming with Sharks", "...if you're not a rebel by 21, you've got no heart, and if you haven't gone establishment by 30, you've got not brain."


Lethal

 

[treblah]

Reminds me a quote from the movie "Swimming with Sharks", "...if you're not a rebel by 21, you've got no heart, and if you haven't gone establishment by 30, you've got not brain."
Lethal

If you are not an idealist by the time you are twenty you don’t have a heart, but if you are still an idealist by thirty you don’t have a head.

– Randolph Bourne

 

[LethalWolfe]

If you are not an idealist by the time you are twenty you don’t have a heart, but if you are still an idealist by thirty you don’t have a head.

– Randolph Bourne

I figured the movie was quoting someone else I just never knew who. And now I do.


Lethal

 

[dornoforpyros]

John Lydon's been a money grubbing prick since day one. Seriously this isn't the first time he's whored out the sex pistols name and it won't be the last.

 

[ibook30]

John Lydon's been a money grubbing prick since day one. Seriously this isn't the first time he's whored out the sex pistols name and it won't be the last.

Yes- there's not a lot of purity to the Sex Pistols brand name. This is not entirely shocking.

One reason it grabs my attention is the timing of events-
1. Give the Rock Hall of Fame the finger publicly - yar - punk rawk!
2. Quietly sell yar catalog to Blue Chip investors - gar - sell awt!

It could just be me getting cynical about things.

 

[dornoforpyros]

Yes- there's not a lot of purity to the Sex Pistols brand name. This is not entirely shocking.

One reason it grabs my attention is the timing of events-
1. Give the Rock Hall of Fame the finger publicly - yar - punk rawk!
2. Quietly sell yar catalog to Blue Chip investors - gar - sell awt!

It could just be me getting cynical about things.

haha are you some kind of punk rawk pirate? Cuz that would be pretty damned cool

 

[IJ Reilly]

Malcolm McLaren created the Pistols to make money.

 

[frankblundt]

"ever get the feeling you've been cheated?"
They asked it then, they're still asking it now. It was never obvious if they meant the audience or themselves, or (most likely) both.
The question is: who got the cash? not them then, if them now, then about time

 

[DrEasy]

Wasn't there a recent reunion also (obviously without Syd)? And wasn't it openly meant to be just to make some more dough?

 

[bartelby]

Malcolm McLaren created the Pistols to make money.

I'm glad someone knows what the Pistols were all about.

 

[iGav]

Malcolm McLaren created the Pistols to make money.

And sell more clothes from his and Vivienne Westwood's shop.

The Sex Pistols are about as 'punk' as Westlife.

 

[iGav]

Wasn't there a recent reunion also (obviously without Syd)? And wasn't it openly meant to be just to make some more dough?

Yep... the original line up with Glen Matlock reformed back in '96 for the 'Filthy Lucre Tour'.

Saw them at Phoenix that year and they were *****.

 

[Mord]

my mother lived with John Lydon for a while while she was at art school...

 

[XNine]

iGav's right, it was always about $$$$$$$$$$$$ for Mr. McLaren.

I remember years ago hearing "What Do I get?" by the Buzzcocks being played on a car commercial.

As far as punk being DOA.. Please. Without Punk we would have stayed in the stagnant disco era for many more years. Punk thrusted a whole new version of rock and roll into the world, and without it, techno, industrial, and heavy metal would have never been what thjey were and are.

Bands like The Exploited, Vice Squad, The Boys, the Dead Kennedys, and Riot Squad paved the way for bands like Metallica, which if you see photos of them in the early years, they all had band logos like GBH, Misfits, and Anti-nowhere League.

The sissy emo/college crap you hear today is as much punk as the Sex Pistols were. It's all crap, and I wish nothing but the worst for these "punk" asses.

Real punk will never die, cos there's guys like iGav out there that know the truth.

 

[IJ Reilly]

iGav's right, it was always about $$$$$$$$$$$$ for Mr. McLaren.

Actually, I made that observation first.

The Pistols were conceived by Malcolm McLaren as sort of a punk version of the Monkees. It was a brilliant bit of marketing, but I was always surprised at the number of serious people who took the Pistols completely seriously. In their short life-span they did manage to change the direction of rock music quite a bit, but what came afterwards was really much more interesting.

BTW, I have in my record collection the UK pressing of "Who Killed Bambi" with the original grisly back cover. Mint condition. Worth a fortune?

 

[ibook30]

As far as punk being DOA.. Please. Without Punk we would have stayed in the stagnant disco era for many more years. Punk thrusted a whole new version of rock and roll into the world, and without it, techno, industrial, and heavy metal would have never been what thjey were and are.

Bands like The Exploited, Vice Squad, The Boys, the Dead Kennedys, and Riot Squad paved the way for bands like Metallica, which if you see photos of them in the early years, they all had band logos like GBH, Misfits, and Anti-nowhere League.

The sissy emo/college crap you hear today is as much punk as the Sex Pistols were. It's all crap, and I wish nothing but the worst for these "punk" asses.

Real punk will never die, cos there's guys like iGav out there that know the truth.

Good points- it reminds me of a similiar situation 10 years ago (?) - details are shakey - so feel free to correct me - the Dead Kennedys were offered cash for one of their tunes (east bay ray's licks on viva las vegas I think ) to be featured on a Levis commercial or something - Jello stopped it and as a result the rest of the band sued him.

I regret the bandmates not making money- I think they should all be fabulously wealthy- but I respect Jello for sticking with principals.

 

[bartelby]

The sissy emo/college crap you hear today is as much punk as the Sex Pistols were. It's all crap, and I wish nothing but the worst for these "punk" asses.

I couldn't agree more!

I have one Sex Pistols record."Never Mind..." it has the wrong track list on the back, so I hope it'll be worth something at some point in time.

 

[mac 2005]

And sell more clothes from his and Vivienne Westwood's shop.

The Sex Pistols are about as 'punk' as Westlife.

It is funny now to listen to the Pistols and think of how they would have been perceived in the mid-to-late 70s. The songs now strike me as good pop songs, with obvious political and social messages. Nothing too heavy, but they do communicate a very real anger and sense of disenfranchisement -- even if it is a bit tongue-in-cheek and cashing in on the punk craze. I imagine the Pistols likely were pretty shocking to the 1970s "mainstream," which was more accustomed to disco and "lite" rock at the time.

 

[Lord Blackadder]

Subculture in general has become mainstream...'nuff said. Maybe the term "selling out" meant something 20 years ago, but there are few groups that avoid commercialism. Fight the good fight. Oi. Buy my albums.

 

[IJ Reilly]

It is funny now to listen to the Pistols and think of how they would have been perceived in the mid-to-late 70s. The songs now strike me as good pop songs, with obvious political and social messages. Nothing too heavy, but they do communicate a very real anger and sense of disenfranchisement -- even if it is a bit tongue-in-cheek and cashing in on the punk craze. I imagine the Pistols likely were pretty shocking to the 1970s "mainstream," which was more accustomed to disco and "lite" rock at the time.

The Pistols weren't the only happing thing in rock at the time, by any means. Radio was still dominated by fluff, but since the Pistols (and most of the rest of punk/new wave movement) never really broke through into the mainstream, radio didn't change much as a result -- outside of college radio, which was what I was doing back then. I imagine the shock impact was felt much more keenly in Britain. After all, the Pistols were attacking British society and norms. But by any standard, they were unbelievably rude and foul -- some of the best bad music to ever make it to record.

 

[XNine]

Sorry IJ, I'll give you credit for stating McLaren was a money hungry bastard first.

As far as the Dead Kennedy's suing Jello, I'm not sure about that. I never heard that (but that doesn't mean it didn't happen). I do know that Tipper "NaziSlut" Gore tried taking the DK over their HR Geiger artwork "The Penis Landscape" on their record, to which Zappa came to their aid and helped fight off that fanatical whore. In fact I believe that's when the law of the EXPLICIT CONTENT stickers went into effect, right after that trial.

Punk was awesome. I've got some good vinyl. Hard to find stuff. That I SHOT BAMBI record may be worth a bit of cash IJ, even though the song sucked (and was from the soundtrack of an even crappier movie.) lol

Man, I've got vinyl from Action Pact to Special Duties to 999, to The Exploited, and at one point, about 10 years ago had the NAZI PUNKS F*** OFF EP from Dead Kennedy's, including the arm band, but then gave it to a friend (hits self for that).

I got into more industrial music after listening to Punk for a long time, and some techno. I've always listend to rock and roll and bands like Motorhead, and let's not forget the "oldies."

 

[IJ Reilly]

Sorry IJ, I'll give you credit for stating McLaren was a money hungry bastard first.

First and foremost. Oh wait, you're talking about me, not Malcolm McLaren.

Personally, I lost interest in punk pretty soon after the Pistols faded from view. New Wave was a lot more diverse and interesting.

I've tried to value the "Bambi" record a couple of times but didn't come up with anything. The album was reissued pretty soon after it came out, with a less-offensive back cover. I think mine is somewhat rare, but I'm not sure. I've kept it in a plastic sleeve since it was new, thinking it would be valuable some day. I'd certainly be willing to part with with this little bit of my misspent youth for the right price.

 

[bartelby]

The rest of DK sued Jello as he stopped a track being used in a Levis commercial