The Sex Pistols are a band that was one of the most popular bands from the Class of 1976 and the only one to continue to play with it's original line up. Malcolm McLaren brought together the band members Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock, After a series of front men in rehearsals, the group spotted John Lydon in a pub and asked him to join the band. He was later dubbed Johnny Rotten because of his nasty looking teeth. The original line up played the circuit whilst McLaren tried to sign them to a record deal. Months passed before they signed with EMI. But their behavior led them to be released by EMI and they immediately signed with A & M. Matlock was fired from the band and replaced with John's buddy Sid Vicious (nee Simon Ritchie /John Beverly). A week later they were dismissed from the record label.
During this time a bit of turmoil was brewing within the band. Sid Vicious started to grow a huge head (inflated by Malcolm and Nancy Spurgen a drug addicted groupie who followed The Heartbreakers to England) and according to McLaren Johnny Rotten was developing a rock star ego . The single God Save the Queen also made them targets out on the street as the band members were assaulted on several occasions. Virgin records signed the band and they released their first and only studio album Never Mind the Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols. Finding a venue was becoming difficult in England because of a "ban" the clubs and auditoriums had on the band.
They were reduced to playing under stage names such as The S.P.O.T.S.
Malcolm McLaren organized an tour of America for the band in 1978. They were going to play in a bunch of seedy clubs in the South. Their final show of the tour would be played in San Francisco.
The tour started off badly and it never got getter. They were supposed to play on Saturday Night Live, but Malcolm gave their spot to Elvis Costello. People were lined up to see the band but unfortunately a lot of them wanted to attack them. In San Antonio, Sid Vicious was attacked on stage, an angry punter challenged Sid to a fight. He promptly smashed him on the head with his bass guitar. By the band reached San Francisco, the band was split apart for good. Cook and Jones sided with Malcolm, Sid Vicious was incapacitated by the fix he was craving for and Johnny Rotten was angry with the decision to fly to Rio to do a "poetry reading" with Ronnie Biggs.
The band was finished, Rottten went back to London followed by Vicious. Cook and Jones went to Rio to record a couple of tracks with Biggs as the new lead singer of the band. Vicious hung around Malcolm to film footage for the movie The Great Rock N' Roll Swindle and to record a few tracks for the film. Cook and Jones continued under The Sex Pistols banner until the formed their own band The Professionals. Rotten reverted back to John Lydon and created Public Image Limited. Tragedy would fall upon Sid Vicious who's career as a punk icon was ended with an overdose. Lydon would sue McLaren over the rights and royalties of The Sex Pistols. Years later, the band would reunite for the Filthy Lucre Tour with original Bass player Glen Matlock. They would tour again several years later doing either a one off gig or a small tour.
Despite the fact that they recorded only one album, the band became the face of punk rock. Sid Vicious would become a cult icon, despite the fact he couldn't play the bass or sing. His name and face would become that of the band.
