The session was hosted expertly by the knowledgeable and amiable Mark Ellen. 

John took the stage – suffering from “ploppy botty” – hence the use of Imodium. 

The talk was built around a selection of photographs displayed on screen. This allowed us to walk through various periods of his life. His early years -having no birth certificate, meningitis and its life changing impact including losing the ability to speak & walk – were all openly discussed, without any hint of self-pity. Hospital had told John’s parents to keep him agitated as this would help prompt memory through rage. Anger is an Energy.

The positive way he talked about his childhood obstacles set up the pattern for the evening.

Debunking myths along the way, John was hilarious, particularly with his pops at Vivienne Westwood (with visual proof to back up his opinions!)  John had to buy Vivienne’s clothes, which were often inspired by John himself! Outrageous.

Interesting words about Malcolm, a charlatan of the first order, John felt there was still something enjoyably right about him. “Charlatans - they keep us sane but never buy a round.”

Sid was also on the agenda; from the humorous - his Leo Sayer perm – to the sinister -  his mum giving him heroin & needles for his 17th birthday. Heroin was always there in Sid's life, made worse by the arrival of The Heartbreakers & Nancy in the UK.  Sid used it to cover his inadequacies, whereas John uses his own insecurities as a strength, including turning stage fright into a positive.  “Don’t worry about being judged, look at the arsehole that’s judging you.”

By way of complete contrast, the love of his life, Nora, was tenderly discussed.

The talk was wide-ranging throughout: Police incompetence got hilariously put in the spotlight, from the Jubilee Boat Trip to the raids on his home in Gunter Grove,  his admiration for Ray Davies, the collaboration with Leftfield, and so much more. Tucked in amongst it all was the nugget that John used to look after problem children before the Pistols came along. As did Neil from Leftfield.

On the topic of the Sex Pistols, we learnt that the 1996 Sex Pistols Filthy Lucre Tour was a “reaffirmation” that went on too long: “An excuse to have a fucking good fight. An attempt to find what was missing. Although it didn’t do that, it was nevertheless an achievement." John stressed how the aggressive tension between the Pistols worked and that he has nothing but love for the lads for that. Even though they did hate each other!

During the Q&A, the question was asked: Are the Sex Pistols finished? “Yeah. Reckon! They need me & I’m fed up with it. Whenever I go back & muck in with them, they manage to turn it into another bag of poison. I just don’t need it. I can’t write songs for them anymore. They wanna imitate the past. They don’t know how to move on. That’s the land that time forgot. A fucking great band, but you don’t need an imitation of it.” Hopefully, that’s put the topic to rest.

The hour flew by. If you have a chance to see John at one of his talks, go! As John said: “The Johnny way fills town halls. It’s more than the mayor can do!”

Review by Phil Singleton (11th October 2014)

Birmingham 14th October 2014 Book Launch Photographs >