Commentary

Sex Pistols want respect, and money

By Ryan Reed
Assistant Diversions Editor

After months of rumors, the Sex Pistols have announced that they will be doing a reunion tour. Those who don't know much about the band may just see this as another `70s rock reunion tour such as the Eagles, Page and Plant, and Kiss. But if you know anything about the band, then you know that the Pistols were supposed to destroy the over-indulgent rock conventions that the previously mentioned bands embodied. They weren't supposed to be one of them.
To understand how and why this is happening, let's first look at the Sex Pistols Myth, which was created through Johnny Rotten's (aka John Lydon) rants and media hype. In short, it holds that the Sex Pistols created punk rock and that they never got the respect or money that they deserved. This was reiterated by Rotten in the Pistols' recent press conference. Deconstructing this myth will inevitably give insight into the reunion tour.
First, the Sex Pistols didn't really create punk rock and it is ludicrous to ever point to one band or artist and say that it is responsible for a music form. Punk rock has its roots in the music of such bands as the Stooges, MC5, and countless garage bands of the mid to late `60s. However, if one were to try to pick one band as the first punk band, it would probably be the New York Dolls or the Ramones.
Rotten states in his book, "Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs," that the Ramones were completely unimportant and irrelevant in the grand scheme of punk. However, it is interesting to note that when the Ramones played in London in 1976, future members of the Sex Pistols (including Rotten), the Clash and Generation X were in attendance. Also, note that the Pistols album didn't come out until `77.
Second, the Pistols have gotten plenty of respect considering that they only managed to put out one album. Try to find a history of rock `n' roll that doesn't include them. You can't unless it was written before 1978 or so. They may now find themselves losing respect thanks to this tour that they are mounting, but up until now, they have been put on a pedestal.
Third, Johnny Rotten said, in a recent MTV interview, that "the Pistols never saw one cent of the money that they deserved." What is this about? If he "invented" punk, then he should know that it isn't about money. Yes, the Pistols were ripped off by Malcolm McClaren, their manager, but so what? Punk is about the music and the kids and the shows and the message. Nowhere in that equation does wealth figure in.
Now that the Sex Pistols Myth is debunked, let's look at the real motivation behind the Pistols reunion.
Rotten has expressed disgust with punk bands that are currently finding mainstream success such as Green Day, Rancid, and the Offspring. In fact, in a Los Angeles Times article, he called Green Day's music "childish prattle." Yet it isn't hard to imagine that the current mainstream success of punk has prompted the Sex Pistols reunion. Rotten can deride Green Day all he wants, but deep down, he knows that without their success, his tour wouldn't be happening (at least, on such a large scale).
Rotten also seems to be insinuating that, somehow, a reunion tour is going to change the world. In fact, in a Los Angeles Times article, he said that "Through the years, we've all gone off and done different things and left it up to others to make waves, but nobody out there has done bollocks to change this world. So here it is: part two." So, let me get this straight, the Pistols rehashing all of their old songs in an arena is going to change the world? Also, does he really discount bands like R.E.M., U2, Rage Against the Machine and Public Enemy? Maybe he was only speaking of punk bands. Well then, how about Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, Black Flag, Fugazi, or, more recently, Pansy Division? Actually, I doubt that he was talking about punk bands, considering he believes that punk doesn't actually exist outside of the Sex Pistols.
So the Pistols are doing the tour. There is no new album. This is just one last dying gasp from a band that was pronounced dead years ago and whose members, outside of Rotten's P.I.L., never really did anything of note outside of the original band.
The Sex Pistols reunion is a lesson in human nature. It tells us that we should not put human beings on a pedestal, even if they make really great artistic statements. They will disappoint us because they are human and, by definition, not perfect. Yes, even Johnny Rotten.