"Much has been written about the Sex Pistols. Much of it has either been sensationalism or journalistic psychobabble. The rest has been mere spite. This book is as close to the truth as one can get ... This means contradictions and insults have not been edited, and neither have the compliments, if any. I have no time for lies or fantasy, and neither should you. Enjoy or die." So writes author John Lydon, a.k.a. Johnny Rotten, in his introduction to the book Rotten, an oral history of punk: angry, honest, and crackling with energy. Seventies punk has been romanticized by the media and the up-and-coming punk bands of today, but the sneering, leering disaffection of that time has been lost. Now, Lydon candidly and at times, dare we say it, fondly looks back at himself, the Sex Pistols, and the "no future" attitude of the time. Rolling Stone calls Lydon a "pavement philosopher whose Dickensian roots blossom with Joycean color," and the San Francisco Chronicle calls Rotten an "invaluable [book] ... sheds welcome light on that short period of great music and spasmodic cultural change."
Bollocks you say? Read, sneer, and enjoy or die.
From Library Journal
Lydon is bettern known as Johnny Rotten, leader of one of the most influential British bands in the history of rock music, the Sex Pistols. Although he continues as a force in rock, this autobiography focuses almost exclusively on the brief (1974-78) pyrotechnic career of the Pistols. Well crafted and engaging, Rotten unfurls a tapestry of success, failure, conflict, and survival within the sometimes savage music industry. Admirably, Lydon balances his own recollections with the comments of such participants as Chrissie Hynde, Billy Idol, and, most importantly, fellow Pistols Paul Cook and Steve Jones. Especially valuable is Cook and Lydon's unique track-by-track analysis of the Pistols' studio oeuvre. Given the Pistols' significance in 20th-century popular music and their yet-undiminished popularity, Rotten should be seriously considered for both academic and public music collections.
- Bill Piekarski, Southwestern Coll . Lib ., Chula Vista, Cal.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Lydon, the son of an Irish crane operator, was the consummate outsider: He suffered spinal meningitis at an early age, loved his mother dearly, dyed his hair green, and preferred Oscar Wilde to Rimbaud or Baudelaire. Contemptuous of the herding instincts of the English, he developed his own style and fashions, which he says designer Vivienne Westwood stole. But Westwood owned a boutique with Malcolm McLaren, who invited Lydon to audition as lead singer in a band he managed, the Sex Pistols. Lydon had never sung before but got the job and became Johnny Rotten. What followed is punk rock legend. Cultivating controversy and bad press, the Pistols became notorious and developed a following--the lemming types Lydon so detested. The band hit with "God Save the Queen" and "Anarchy in the U.K.," made a harrowing U.S. tour, and broke up in disarray. Lydon sued McLaren and formed another band, but he couldn't use the name Johnny Rotten (McLaren owned rights to it) until the suit was settled years later. Still angry, Lydon contests McLaren's claim to have masterminded the punk scene and challenges other takes on the era in a repetitive, sloppy account that's still indispensable. Benjamin Segedin
From Kirkus Reviews
An insightful look at punk rock's--and his own--beginnings by former Sex Pistols' lead singer John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten), with some help from enemies and friends. Lydon has a harrowing story, and he tells it with all the rage and disdain that marked his early music. A youthful sufferer of spinal meningitis, he returned home from a long hospitalization at age seven with no memory; his mother spent her evenings for two years outfitting him with a life, telling him all she knew about the world. A poor, hunchbacked adolescent, Lydon suffered shyness and explosive anger; his intensity overpowered all who approached him. His book is a loose series of reminiscences that spares no one--least of all his friends--its honesty and occasional contradictions. He tells how he named Pistols' bassist Sid Vicious for his hamster; how he tried to kill Sid's girlfriend Nancy; how lead guitarist Steve Jones stole equipment for the Pistols; of having his father sleep with his fans; and of being stabbed by royalists enraged by the group's hit ``God Save the Queen.'' Lydon offers plenty of insight into the punk subculture itself, including punk fashion, which flourished and died in just two years in the late '70s and had colorful (not all black-clad) beginnings; the class barriers punk straddled; the opportunities it afforded women, historically marginal to British pop; and the enormous degree to which the music industry--which quickly co-opted punk's energy and narrowed its meaning--influences English life. Included is testimony from Lydon's father and rockers Chrissie Hynde, Billy Idol, and others; a track-by-track analysis of Pistols recordings; and a reading of affidavits in Lydon's suit against former manager Malcolm McLaren for back pay. Though disorganized, occasionally repetitive, its pages afroth with revolting, delightful anecdotes, this book is an informative document and great fun to read. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Review
A pavement philosopher whose Dickensian roots of blossom with Joycean color. (Rolling Stone)
A wrathful Irish poet...Lydon proves to have a keen wit and rare insight. (The Washington Post Book World)
Invaluable...sheds welcome light on that short period of great music and spasmodic cultural change. (San Francisco Chronicle)
Alive at the core...Lydon's quite the humorist...(Full of) cut marks of wit and ego. (The New Yorker)
Review
"Alive at the core . . . Lydon's quite the humorist. . . . [Full of] cut marks of wit and ego."--The New Yorker
"A wrathful Irish poet . . . Lydon proves to have a keen wit and rare insight."--The Washington Post Book World
"A pavement philosopher whose Dickensian roots blossom with Joycean color."--Rolling Stone
"Invaluable . . . sheds welcome light on that short period of great music and spasmodic cultural change."--San Francisco Chronicle
About the Author
John Lydon still performs and tours with the Sex Pistols. He also records and performs both as a solo artist and with PiL (Public Image Limited). He lives in California.
