Better music writers than me can tell you all about the earthquake that the Pistols were to popular music in the mid 70's. The reverberations are still being felt today. The Pistols have always been a very personal band for me. They have been in and out of my life over the last 32 years, during good and bad times.
At some point between Saturday 27th November 1976 and Sunday 28th November 1976 my Dad had his second heart attack. The first I knew about it was on the Sunday morning. My Mom was nowhere to be seen, but my Aunt was sitting in the living room. My Aunt did not live with us. My Aunt told me that my Dad had been taken away during the night and that my Mom was at the hospital. Later that day my Mom turned up. She told us that my Dad had stabilised and that we could go to see him on the Monday, which we did. He looked grey and half dead, but he was OK.
My Dad was out of hospital before Christmas. He lived nearly two more years. My Dad died on 13th August 1978. He was 43. It was his third heart attack. One heart attack was not enough to kill my Dad. It took three. He was a tough motherfucker.
At the time that my Dad died he had been given only a few months to live, but we knew nothing about it. We later found out that the only person my Dad had told about his ill health was my Mom's Aunt. My Mom's Aunt was always at the house in the Summer of 1978. Basically she was waiting for my Dad to die. When he finally left us she wasn't just a rock, she was a monolith.
But I am getting ahead of myself.
On Thursday 2nd December 1976 I went to visit my Dad in hospital. Afterwards I walked to the terminus to catch a bus home. On the back seat of the bus there was a newspaper that somebody had discarded. This was the cover.
(I hope you can see the picture. It's the famous Daily Mirror cover "The Filth And The Fury", detailing the fallout from the Pistols appearance on the Today show.)
That was the first time I became aware of the Sex Pistols.
Memories.
November 1977. I bought the "Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols" album. It was the third album I ever had. (The first two were "A Hard Day's Night" by the Beatles and "The Best Of The Monkees".) I was never a great record buyer. I am still not. My Dad thought it was very loud and 'A bit different to the Beatles, son'. Er... Yeah!
July 1978. I bought the "No One Is Innocent/My Way" single. Not the Pistols finest moment, I must admit. Lydon had departed by that point. I played the single for my Dad. He pronounced it 'rubbish'. He was right too.
February 1979. I was deeply in lust with a girl called Gillian in the 5th form. I was 15. Gillian had white streaks in her hair, wore Siouxsie Sioux style eye makeup, skirts that were so short you could see what she had for breakfast, and she had great tits. When the news of Sid Vicious' death broke on 2nd February 1979, Gillian said that it was 'A shame'. Beautiful and sensitive, eh? What a woman. She was 15.
Bit of a gap here...
23rd June 1996. I had met Jennifer. I was in love. Britpop was in full flight. Oasis and Blur were in the charts. Swinging Britain all over again. I was in a job that I loved. England were through to the quarter finals of Euro 96. I went to see the Pistols at Finsbury Park in London. Everyone on the bill that day were awful, except for Iggy Pop and the Pistols. The Pistols were sensational. Stuart Pearce and Gareth Southgate introduced them onstage.
I am going to see the Pistols again. I am a happy boy, at least for today.
Have a good weekend, all. I intend to.
(I will add links next time. "Peep Show" beckons.)
2 comments:
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See you there. You will be fine company.
Excellent. I will email you closer to the time.
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