‘Breakdown’, by Buzzcocks
With Howard Devoto on vocals. Footage is from the Lesser Free Trade Hall gig, July 20th, 1976, as a support act for the Sex Pistols.
The music is from their debut EP ‘Spiral Scratch’, produced by Martin Hannett, who later produced Joy Division, New Order, Magazine and many others.
‘Not Empty’, by Blatant Yobs
This was me, some 20 years ago
The Sex Pistols
‘No Fun’, by The Sex Pistols, the very last song of their very last gig, at the Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco, on January 14th, 1978
THE INTERVIEW
GRUNDY: (To camera) They are punk rockers. The new craze, they tell me. Their heroes? Not the nice, clean Rolling Stones… you see they are as drunk as I am… they are clean by comparison. They’re a group called the Sex Pistols, and I am surrounded by all of them…
JONES: (Reading the autocue) In action!
GRUNDY: Just let us see the Sex Pistols in action. Come on kids…
[Film of the Sex Pistols live is shown. Then the camera returns to Grundy.]
GRUNDY: I am told that that group (hits his knee with sheaf of papers) have received forty thousand pounds from a record company. Doesn’t that seem, er, to be slightly opposed to their anti-materialistic view of life?
MATLOCK: No, the more the merrier.
GRUNDY: Really?
(The band and the group of fans stood behind begin waving arms around, and passing cups of coffee back and forth)
MATLOCK: Oh yeah.
GRUNDY: Well tell me more then.
JONES: We’ve fuckin’ spent it, ain’t we?
GRUNDY: I don’t know, have you?
MATLOCK: Yeah, it’s all gone.
GRUNDY: Really?
MATLOCK: Down the boozer.
GRUNDY: Really? Good Lord! Now I want to know one thing…
MATLOCK: What?
GRUNDY: Are you serious or are you just making me, trying to make me laugh?
MATLOCK: No, it’s all gone. Gone.
GRUNDY: Really?
MATLOCK: Yeah.
GRUNDY: No, but I mean about what you’re doing.
MATLOCK: Oh yeah.
GRUNDY: You are serious?
MATLOCK: Mmm.
GRUNDY: Beethoven, Mozart, Bach and Brahms have all died…
ROTTEN: They’re all heroes of ours, ain’t they?
GRUNDY: Really… what? What were you saying, sir?
ROTTEN: They’re wonderful people.
GRUNDY: Are they?
ROTTEN: Oh yes! They really turn us on.
JONES: But they’re dead!
GRUNDY: Well suppose they turn other people on?
ROTTEN: (Under his breath) That’s just their tough shit.
GRUNDY: It’s what?
ROTTEN: Nothing. A rude word. Next question.
GRUNDY: No, no, what was the rude word?
ROTTEN: Shit.
GRUNDY: Was it really? Good heavens, you frighten me to death.
ROTTEN Oh alright, Siegfried…
GRUNDY: (Turning to Siouxsie and friends) What about you girls behind?
MATLOCK: He’s like yer dad, inni he, this geezer?
GRUNDY: Are you, er…
MATLOCK: Or your granddad.
GRUNDY: (to Siouxsie Sioux) Are you worried, or are you just enjoying yourself?
SIOUX: Enjoying myself.
GRUNDY: Are you?
SIOUX: Yeah.
GRUNDY: Ah, that’s what I thought you were doing.
SIOUX: I always wanted to meet you.
GRUNDY: Did you really?
SIOUX: Yeah.
GRUNDY: We’ll meet afterwards, shall we? (Sioux does a camp pout)
JONES: You dirty sod. You dirty old man!
GRUNDY: Well keep going, chief, keep going. Go on, you’ve got another five seconds. Say something outrageous.
JONES: You dirty bastard!
GRUNDY: Go on, again.
JONES: You dirty fucker! (Laughter from the group)
GRUNDY: What a clever boy!
JONES: What a fucking rotter.
GRUNDY: Well, that’s it for tonight. The other rocker Eamonn, and I’m saying nothing else about him, will be back tomorrow. I’ll be seeing you soon, I hope I’m not seeing you [the band] again. From me, though, goodnight.
The signature tune plays and the credits start. Rotten looks at his watch, Jones stands up and starts to gyrate in time to the music. Grundy yells an off-mic ‘Oh shit!’ to himself.
Pure Poetry:
Mark E. Smith reads the football results.
