7. No Fun. Implosion in the USA.

By the end of 1977, the Sex Pistols sat at the top of the UK
charts… while simultaneously hitting rock bottom. Sid Vicious was
imploding, his partner Nancy Spungen was fuelling the chaos and
Johnny Rotten was growing disillusioned with Malcolm McLaren’s
toxic games.


Still, the band pushed ahead with a final run of gigs, including
an unexpectedly wholesome Christmas Day show for children of
striking firefighters. No one knew it then, but it would be their
final UK performance for two decades.


Then came their first American tour. The Pistols were dropped
into the heart of the conservative South. Sid carved into his own
chest on stage and Rotten was nearly broken by paranoia. The tour
descended into violence, vomit, and blood.


And to the end, in San Francisco, with the band on its knees,
Johnny Rotten stared down the crowd and asked: “Ever get the
feeling you’ve been cheated?” With a literal mic drop, he walked
off stage, signalling the end of the Sex Pistols.


Featuring archive interviews from: Nancy Spungen, Johnny Rotten,
Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Malcolm McLaren, Sid Vicious, Sex
Pistols’ roadie Stephen 'Roadent' Conolly.


Presented by Gina Birch and Steve Lamacq


A BBC Audio Production