Britain's most infamous punk rabble rousers are giving the big middle finger to the music industry types who've tapped the band for enshrinement in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, issuing a grammatically impaired open letter (which you can read at their website here) saying they have no intention of attending the induction ceremony scheduled for Mar. 13 at New York's Waldorf Astoria Hotel.
The Sex Pistols, who had been passed over by voters for several years before making the list, had been expected to inject a little anarchy into the proceedings as one of five acts being inducted. Black Sabbath, Blondie, Lynyrd Skynyrd and the late Miles Davis will also be feted.
But, in a nod to the rebel spirit that inspired generations of mohawk-wearing youth, and helped them sell more than a million records, the Sex Pistols made it perfectly clear where their loyalties lie--with themselves.
Despite releasing only one album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here Comes the Sex Pistols, the Sex Pistols--whose lineup included Johnny Rotten, Paul Cook, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and the late Sid Vicious--gave 1970's rock 'n' roll a major kick in the ass with blistering, two-minute odes to self-destruction, rebellion and generally bad behavior, including the indelible punk anthems "Anarchy in the U.K." and "God Save the Queen."
The band split in 1978, but surviving members regrouped in 1996 and 2003 for two extremely lucrative tours, which caused some longtime fans to grouse that the band sold out.
In a 2003 interview with billboard.com, Rotten dissed the band's induction into the "Hall of Shame" and explained why the Sex Pistols have never issued new material since their heyday.
"We only needed to make one album to absolutely define how the world is," the snarling singer said. "Quite frankly, I think it's a miracle that we're still alive, and that's historical in itself. We fought this industry tooth and nail nonstop for 25 solid years, and we're still here."
They just won't be in New York for the ceremony.
Quoted material: eonline.com
