Tony Bowden, Flickr

Happy Birthday “Anarchy in the UK”

One book and one film have confirmed my suspicions that no one really liked The Sex Pistols.

Nov 26, 2018 1:00PM EST

Rosa Lyster @rosalyster

Rosa Lyster is a writer who lives in Cape Town.

I am fully aware that, in making a big performative deal of aggressively not caring about something, I am playing directly into the hands of The Sex Pistols.
When I say that I make a loud exasperated noise at the thought of “Anarchy in the UK,” and that I truly cannot believe that anyone at any point would have been scandalised at the idea of not liking the queen, I am playing straight into the grubby claws of John Lydon and associates.
Me: I don’t care about anything to do with The Sex Pistols and obviously no one likes the damn queen.
The Sex Pistols: Wouldn’t you say that loudly not caring about things and disliking the queen is in many ways what British punk was about? Mm?
The Sex Pistols: Wouldn’t you say that rolling your eyes at stuff that people of an older generation once thought was Subversive is, again, the very glue that held The Sex Pistols together?
Well I don’t know.
Honestly all I know about the Sex Pistols comes from two sources: ‘Please Kill Me’ and ‘24 Hour Party People,’ both of which are absolute masterpieces and both of which make it seem like it was quite shit to be a member of The Sex Pistols.
Both ‘Please Kill Me’ and ’24 Hour Party People’ give credit where it is due, and say that The Sex Pistols were Important in a sort of anthropological way, but no one says anywhere that they were cool or fun to be around.
No one says anywhere that The Sex Pistols had a honeymoon period with hard drugs, even.
“No one says anywhere.”
One book and one film have confirmed my suspicions that no one really liked The Sex Pistols, and with that I am satisfied.
Again, I see that “loudly advertising one’s limited desire or capacity to know anything more than the absolute bare minimum about a given subject” is a very The Sex Pistols move, in a sense.
John Lydon looking at me while he is on stage and mouthing “we be of one blood, ye and I.”
Me: closing my eyes in disgust.
I just don’t think it’s a fun song, and I don’t think anyone else did either.
That’s my opinion, and you are invited to take it or leave it, fellas.
Happy Birthday.

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