The moment that marked “the beginning of the end” for Sex Pistols
Whilst there are many notorious moments from the short career of punk pioneers Sex Pistols, according to guitarist Steve Jones, one in particular marked “the beginning of the end” for the band.
Although the group wouldn’t be officially over until frontman Johnny Rotten announced it in a newspaper on January 18th, 1978; according to Steve Jones, it was their notorious appearance on Today with Bill Grundy on December 1st 1976, that signalled that the end was nigh.
Considering that it is historically noted as the moment that punk arrived as a mainstream force, where Sex Pistols marked their dominance of the British music scene, Jones notes as the moment things began to unravel.
Writing in his 2016 memoir, Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol, Jones reflected: “Grundy was the big dividing line in the Sex Pistols’ story. Before it, we were all about the music, but from then on it was all about the media. In some ways it was our finest moment, but in others, it was the beginning of the end … In terms of the Sex Pistols having any kind of long-term future, this sudden acceleration was the worst thing that could possibly have happened.”
It’s one of British television’s most iconic – and infamous – moments. After making waves as the most exciting band in Britain, the whispers about the force of punk became a reality when the underground converged with the mainstream in such a spectacularly disastrous way on December 1st. Punk had come into the light, and it was to galvanise the youth and anyone sick of the establishment.
It was the first time that the quintessential punk image of Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook had been broadcast directly into the homes of everyday Britons, meaning that punk had now infiltrated society after years of knocking on the door. It wasn’t just the band who were notable, though. Behind them smirked four members of their entourage, who would go on to find varying degrees of fame and cultural relevance themselves: goth high-priestess Siouxsie Sioux, Steven Severin, Simon ‘Boy’ Barker and Simone Thomas.
Famously, the band would divide the nation with their taboo-busting use of numerous profanities live on air and their belligerence towards the host Billy Grundy, who was well into his 50s and was well out of his depths, “Good heavens, you frighten me to death,” he cowered at one point.
Reflecting the social polarisation, some would think the quartet were the musical messiahs and a perfect conduit for vocalising their emotions about the dire state of Britain, yet, on the other hand, others would be shocked, questioning how such an egregious gang of ruffians could be afforded prime airtime.
Whilst it might have spelt the end for Sex Pistols to Steve Jones, their appearance on Today also signalled the end of Bill Grundy’s career. Not only did he introduce the group by saying, “They are as drunk as I am,” at one point, he also entered into a weird conversation with Siouxsie Sioux, which had clear sexual connotations. Jones called him a “dirty sod” and a “dirty old man” in response. After being prompted to say something else “outrageous” by Grundy, Jones brought the curtain down on the show with calls of “dirty bastard” and “dirty fucker”. As the guitarist said, “What a fucking rotter!”, Grundy mouthed “Oh shit,” as the credits rolled, and the group started mockingly dancing to the show’s theme tune.
Given the era, Sex Pistols on Today became a national scandal. Grundy was suspended for two weeks for a “gross error of judgment” and “inexcusably sloppy journalism”. The regulator of the day, the Independent Broadcasting Authority, later accepted the argument from Thames Television that Grundy could not have prevented what occurred. The host even maintained that he had endeavoured “to prove that these louts were a foul-mouthed set of yobs. And that is what I did prove”.
Only two months later, Today was cancelled. Interestingly, in light of Jones’ comments about the significance of the appearance, Sex Pistols hadn’t even released their only album yet. Never Mind the Bollocks wouldn’t arrive until October the following year.
