Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs
"Much has been written about the Sex Pistols. Much of it has either been sensationalism or journalistic psychobabble. The rest has been mere spite. This book is as close to the truth as one can get ... This means contradictions and insults have not been edited, and neither have the compliments, if any. I have no time for lies or fantasy, and neither should you. Enjoy or die."So writes author John Lydon, a.k.a. Johnny Rotten, in his introduction to the bookRotten, an oral history of punk: angry, honest, and crackling with energy. Seventies punk has been romanticized by the media and the up-and-coming punk bands of today, but the sneering, leering disaffection of that time has been lost. Now, Lydon candidly and at times, dare we say it, fondly looks back at himself, the Sex Pistols, and the "no future" attitude of the time.Rolling Stonecalls Lydon a "pavement philosopher whose Dickensian roots blossom with Joycean color," and theSan Francisco ChroniclecallsRottenan "invaluable [book] ... sheds welcome light on that short period of great music and spasmodic cultural change."Bollocks you say? Read, sneer, and enjoy or die.