The Filth And The Fury

"Now is the winter of our discontent
Made glorious summer by this sun of York."
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England was burning, a country brought to it's knees. The late seventies was characterized by turmoil, poverty and misery, the likes of which had not been seen for a very long time. Unemployment rocketed to 30 percent, while labour strikes in conjunction with violent protest became common place, not just in England but the rest of Europe as well. Ill-conceived Liberal policies originally adopted as an effort to assist working class had just the opposite effect, widening the gap between rich and poor, feeding the fires of discontent, and marking the most miserable era's since the great depression.
Enter The Sex Pistols, from all the carnage and misery arose one of the greatest and influential, but also short lived bands of all time. Truly a product of their own environment, bread of the discontent that surrounded them, the Sex Pistols were the quintessential backlash to a government, and a social system that had for all intensive purposes declared war on it's own population. "The Fifth and the Fury" is one of the best rock documentaries ever done. Weather you're a fan of punk rock or not, you will enjoy watching this film. In my opinion, it's as much a portrait of England, and in particular the lower class of the time , as it a documentary on the band.
....A Julian Temple film, The Filth and the Fury covers the entire story of the Pistols in a way that's never been done before. From their humble beginnings, growing up in the poor working class neighborhoods of London, thought their meteoric rise to stardom, and finally the utter implosions only 26 months after their formation. It's amazing story of success and failure, both happy and humorous, also sad and tragic. It includes some of the best video footage I've ever seen of the Pistols filmed during the pinnacle of their success. It also includes fascinating, and revealing interviews from all four member of the band who each give an account of the events with their own unique perspective. It helps paint a vivid picture of band awash in turmoil, and yet so intriguingly special, one can't help but be absolutely fascinated at the impossibility of it all. Every time I watch this documentary (and I watch it often) I find myself asking how the Sex Pistols could possibly have come to exist... in the immortal words of Johnny Lydon, "It shouldn't have worked, but it did."
....The DVD also contains a full length commentary by film maker Julian Temple, and a exception documentary called "Un-defining Punk", which is a very interesting in-depth examination of the Punk movement, a must see if ya haven't seen it already.
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Fineline Features
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a Jersey Shore/Nitrate Film a Julian Temple Film
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Paul Cook......Steve Jones......Glen Matlock......Johnny Lydon......Sid Vicious

Malcolm McLaren dead at age 64

....I was saddened to hear Malcolm McLaren, the former manager of The Sex Pistols and The New York Dolls has died, he was only 64. McLaren was one of the guiding forces behind the punk movement in the 1970's, he gained most of his notoriety as manager of The Sex Pistols, who shot to fame with irreverent songs like "God Save The Queen" and "Anarchy in the UK", during 1977. To help boost publicity for the band, McLaren organized a boat charter, having the Pistols play God Save The Queen on the River Thames, in front of the British House of Parliament. The Pistols split up after only one year but their influence continues to be felt to this day. Legal battles between McLaren and John Lydon continued until Lydon successfully sued McLaren in 1987 for contract rights and unpaid revenues. I think it's safe to say Johnny won't be attending the funeral.
...I think in a thousand years, three bands, above all others will define the Rock Music era of the twentieth century. The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Sex Pistols. Admittedly, I've never has much use for the first two, but the Pistols have always been among my favorite bands of all time.

Sex Pistols DVD

I'm looking forward to picking this up, It's hard to believe that there's never been an official Sex Pistols concert DVD. The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle, The Punk Rock Movie, D.O.A. and The Filth And The Fury featured live Pistols footage, but there hasn't been an official DVD or video of the Pistols in action. That changed on Oct. 14 when Rhino Records released " There'll Always Be An England ". The footage is from a show that the band's original lineup (singer Johnny Rotten, guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Glen Matlock and drummer Paul Cook) performed at London, England's Brixton Academy last November. The set list features songs from Never Mind The Bollocks, their cover of The Stooges' "No Fun," the B-side "Did You No Wrong" and covers of The Monkees' "(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone" and Jonathan Richman's "Roadrunner" from The Great Rock 'N' Roll Swindle.The DVD also comes with more than 90 minutes of bonus material, including a documentary called The Knowledge. Julien Temple directed the piece, in which he follows each Sex Pistol around London as they revisit their old stomping grounds and see how they've changed.