Customer Reviews

Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks

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As other reviewers have mentioned, this nifty little documentary will take you by surprise and throw you for a loop. Upon initial examination of the case, I was half expecting a cheesy VH-1 or MTV-style piece, poorly researched and rehashing facts and half-truths that us Sex Pistols fans have heard told over and over again. The cliche about not judging a book, er, DVD, by its cover is especially apropos here since the producers have really done their homework and managed to gather revelatory interview footage from all of the culprits involved in the making of the band's "only" (God, does that term rankle me - doesn't "The Great Rock & Roll Swindle" count?) album, including the band (minus Sid of course), Malcolm McLaren, producer Chris Thomas, engineer Bill Price, and record company man Nick Mobbs. Interspersed with the interviews are clips of the band playing live in clubs and on TV and generally wreaking havoc in and around London ("The Bill Grundy Show" anyone?), most of which are familiar to fans of the band, but which never seem to get old. Of particular interest is learning that John Lydon can actually let his guard down and smile (and should do so more often - it suits him), Steve Jones demonstrating just how he gets that guitar sound by effortlessly casting off patented wall-of-noise riffs from his white Les Paul, and Price showing how he combined guitar, bass, drum and vocal tracks in the studio to create a big, beautiful din that a thousand Nirvanas couldn't come close to duplicating if their lives depended on it. Loaded with extras, including an additional segment of Jones basically showing off on guitar (I know I'm dwelling on Jones, but I'm fascinated by the technology of guitars and amps and he's so amiable you just want to buy him a pint) and crystal clear live footage shot in Stockholm, this wonderful disc demands a look. Highly recommended!

I was a bit hesitant about this one, as I had read absolutely nothing about this DVD prior to its release. Man, what a pleasant surprise! There's tons of interview footage with the band and Malcolm McLaren, and it was fun to hear them speak so enthusiastically about the making of the album. Glen Matlock and Steve Jones explain a bit about where riffs for songs came from, and how the songs developed. Also included are interviews with Jamie Reid (cover art designer), Chris Spedding (producer), and Bill Pryce (engineer). One of the highlights for me was listening to Pryce explain how they got the Pistols sound in the studio - he pulls out the original recordings and isolates tracks to aid his explanation! They even found and interviewed the guys from A&M and EMI who were responsible for signing the Pistols. This DVD is invaluable to Sex Pistols fans. You won't be disappointed, I promise.

This DVD was a pure joy from beginning to end. So many questions aswered about an album I listened to hundreds of times. Great photos, interviews, studio insight. The bonus features were even better than the main feature in many ways. A step by step guitar tutorial from Steve Jones was fabulous. So many little things in there. This is simply a must for anyone who ever started a band because of this album.

For several reasons:

1) It's shorter, appropriate to a career as short as the Pistols was.

2) It's less pretentious.

3) It's less burdened by the need to undo "The Great Rock n'Roll Swindle", which was more or less "Fury's" entire purpose. In this we actually get to hear McClaren bubble harmlessly about how he was a "mis-manager" from the beginning.

4) It drives home the point that John Lydon is completely full of offal, and himself. Case in point: in his autobio, Lydon claims that Glenn Matlock directly said to him that he wanted the band to be like the Bay City Rollers: "That's a direct quote from him to me." In this DVD, he says "Turns out, years later, the Bay City Rollers was NOT what Glenn had in mind. That's unfortunate. In a way, I suppose we were both duped." So the "direct quote" appears not to have been instead a complete untruth, yet somehow Johnny's still the victim. When is this fool going to outgrow his adolescence?

5) It nicely affirms my suspicions that the only Pistol you'd ever want to have a beer with is Steve Jones. I suspect that's why he's a DJ on Indie 103 today, and Lydon is...on Judge Judy?

6) It's actually about the MUSIC of the Sex Pistols, as opposed to their place in the sociopoliticoculturoeconomic history of Britain.

7) Very Little Sid. Which is good, because honestly, who cares?

This disc might seem superfluous to those who aren't into DVDs as a rule, and who love their vinyl more than life itself, but as something of a documentary, I found it fascinating (even if I knew most of the information already).

Especially fun are the impromptu 'lesson' sections from Steve and Glen. For once (maybe because he knows it means more money for him), Lydon refrains from the usual posturing and fake indignance and just answers the questions properly.

I'd even recommend it to anybody who hates the band but loves the 'Classic Albums' series. This is one of the best.

I'm an old fogie who actually saw the Pistols perform live in Dallas way back when. I was really entertained and educated by this documentary. Excellent reviews and chronology. For me, as a guitarist, the best part is one of the extras where Steve Jones shows how he plays several of the riffs and leads.

This wonderfully researched DVD goes beyond the tired old "punk" myth to illustrate the people behind it all. Sure there is still some of that bile spewed toward Malcolm, but this goes beyond. It's a much more light-hearted (and truthful) look at the band than the much-hyoed Filth and Fury film. Reminds me of the Sex Pistols version of the Clash's From Westway to the World.

It didn't go through the whole carrier and it mainly talked about their start and their relationships together which is great but didn't talk about the times and the chronological history of the pistols, their American tour and eventual break up.

You must to watch this along with "The Filth and the Fury" if you want to get the whole picture. One thing I really liked about this is you didn't have Johnny Lydon speaking about the history of the Sex Pistols with anger and spite of earlier interviews which distorted the truth, it was more like he was fondly reminiscing factually about being in the Sex Pistols and giving up his ego and telling of his faults.

Another great thing it was just clips of performances, photos and one on one interviews with the band, producers, techincians and record company executives, no dramatics or no other bands or fans talking about them which would muddle the documentary. It's stripped down to the important stuff.

A must see for any fan.

This is a great DVD. Even long time Sex Pistols fans might get a new tidbit of information that they had never known. For the first time maybe in their lives, the members of the Pistols are very candid and maybe even a bit nostalgic, even though none of them are seen together and they are all interviewed seperately. Steve loves Johnny, but that doesn't mean he wants to hang out with him, Johnny is proud of all the members, and Glenn shows no hard feelings. Paul had the least amount to say, but what he said was direct and to the point. Sid Vicious gets very little time. He is seen in the live footage and Johnny talks about him in a short bonus feature. The only idiot on the entire DVD is Malcolm, but that's really no big surprise. He always has and always will be a tool.

We finally learn who played what on the album itself. Glen did play the bass guitar on Anarchy, and Steve played two seperate guitar tracks, one track serving as the bass.

They even tracked down the guy who did the artwork for the Pistols.

I think of all those in the band Steve has the most intelligent insight. He admitted that if they had kept Glen and did not do the TV show where they cursed on the air, the Pistols would have lasted longer and recorded more albums.

I came to my own conclusion that Glen was not fired for 'constantly washing his feet', but because he was the most competant musician of the group. Glen tried to teach STeve how to play what he called 'Beatle chords' and Steve refused to play them and just stuck with the major chords in bar form.

If I have anything negetive to say about the DVD, don't be taken in by the 'Play guitar in a day the Steve Jones Way'. Steve does demonstrate how to play a few riffs, and on his original Les Paul with the pinup girls. But would it have killed the camera man to have the camera straight on the guitar and not film the riffs at a 45 degree angle? I know how to play the songs anyway, I've had the original tab book for years, but the camera angle on the guitar on this sequence is terrible.

The boys are alive and well though and getting ready to do some shows soon (November 2007). On the DVD Paul actually looks pretty good and resembles any number of one hit wonder musicians from the 80's. Glen looks like a rather dapper chap and if you didn't know him, you'd think he was a sales manager and not a musician. Steve Jones looks more like a retired wrestler than a punk guitarist, and Johnny..... Well Johnny has aged some. His earlobes are dangling almost comically. As if he had been wearing 5 pound earrings for ten years, and it is obvious he has never cared about his hair, from his glory days until today. I don't know who painted the blue stripe, but Johnny is Johnny.

And saints be praised. There is not one film cell that contains any image of Nancy Spungen.

I felt pleasantly surprised after watching this. I gained a new respect for the band, and seeing how they created this unique album added a new dimension to the film. I enjoyed the many special features possibly more than the documentary itself.

The band members are in great form and are as candid as you'll ever see them. Glen Matlock and Steve Jones provide many insights, and watching them perform their riffs today is a great pleasure, but it's Johnny Rotten who steals the show with his dark clarity. Amazing words!

It's a fairly low-budget effort, but it's the best Sex Pistols DVD that you can find, and an excellent documentary about the making of legendary music.