Tom Dunne: I didn't expect to see Sex Pistols and Disney in the same sentence
Pistol on Disney+: Jacob Slater as Paul Cook, Anson Boon as John Lyndon, and Toby Wallace as Steve Jones.
As I write this much of Twitter is in open revolt. It’s hard to see that medium, with its reputation for carefully considered, level-headed, non-kneejerk responses, so convulsed. Oddly, at this precise moment and on this precise hashtag, it isn’t airports or TV presenter’s salaries feeling its ire — it’s Disney’s new Sex Pistols drama, Pistol.
Pistol, for those who don’t know, is a new six-part drama directed by Danny Boyle, which tells the story of the Sex Pistols. It is based on the Steve Jones autobiography, at least in part. Johnny Rotten has disowned it, which is, let’s face it, an excellent start.
Before we proceed though I must say one thing: Do not for a second think that writing the words ‘Disney’ and ‘Sex Pistols’ together does not give me pause for thought. But what can I say? This week ABBA are performing as avatars in London. The twin pillars of my youth in unending demand.
Much of the Twitter reaction was fairly visceral. “13 mins and 8 seconds into EP 1,” said one, “turned off, never to be watched again. Utter shite.” The words “utter shite”, with a little more organisation (or a hashtag) could have been trending. It was the go-to dismissal, edged out only by those refusing to watch it at all.
This bemused me. I had always seen punk as an open-minded, welcoming church. It welcomed guitarists that can’t play, actors that couldn’t act, and singers who couldn’t sing. The point was what was in your heart, the skills would follow. But you gave people a chance.
It wasn’t all negative, by any stretch, but you couldn’t help but notice that to a person of a certain age, it was a serious business. This is a sacred cow, a story of great importance. It must be told well, and honestly. Reader, I must admit, I am one such person.
I was in bed when I first heard Anarchy In The UK. It was a late night in my parent’s home in Drimnagh and I had tuned in to a pirate station with no presenter. I was leafing through the NME, reading tales of hairy 1970s bands when it came on. At the end of the first chorus, I was out of bed, staring slack-jawed at the radio.
The next day I was organising my friends into groups on the basis of their taste in music. There were only two groups. You got the Pistols or you didn’t. My records were sorted on the same basis. Thereafter I sought that punk ethos in everything: Films, books, comedy, plays, TV. I had heard ‘the shot that went around the world.’ Its effect on the music world was the most impactful since that of The Beatles. The music of 1975 is that of Little Feat, Led Zeppelin, Bob Dylan, and Joni Mitchel. Two years later it is that of The Sex Pistols, Ian Dury, The Ramones, The Clash, and Talking Heads. A sea-change.
Much of the debate around Pistol centres on how central they were to that revolt. MC5, Iggy Pop, The New York Dolls, and the Ramones all predate them. Some say The Pistols just cashed in all that, poster boys for the new music.
I utterly disagree. The Sex Pistols, and above all else Johnny Rotten, was the point around which the entire punk world coalesced. They were its core, they gave it a past, a present, and a future.
Their impact is hard to exaggerate. Midge Ure immediately left the boy band he was in. Joe Strummer left the 101’s. Bands supported by the Pistols called it a day on the spot saying “No, this is it, this is the future.” Other like-minded groups found purpose and direction.
But how much of Pistol is true to life? Did Malcolm McClaren really have that degree of vision for the band? Did Johnny really so effortlessly put into words what an entire generation was thinking? Like all dramas, it has to make decisions. For the full story let’s hope Dan Carlin might do a Hardcore History podcast!
Pistol is above all else enormous fun. Boyle is a playful director and he has fun here. The cast, too, are wonderful. On Twitter, writer David Quantick summed it up beautifully: “Unconvincing,” he said, ‘look at them, too old, wrong look, trying too hard.” The photo he posted was of The Clash. David wins the internet!
