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'Where there's no future, how can there be sin?'- the rise of the age of Brutalism
'Where there's no future, how can there be sin?'- the rise of the age of Brutalism

Daily Maverick

time24-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Daily Maverick

'Where there's no future, how can there be sin?'- the rise of the age of Brutalism

Post-colonialism has given way to Brutalism; social contract to social assault; human rights to human wronging. The world is undergoing a change of age where the future, even the question of whether there is any future, has become extremely uncertain. In June 1977, Malcolm McLaren, the manager of punk rock band the Sex Pistols, stage-managed an enormous ambush. On the late Queen Elizabeth's Silver Jubilee, the Sex Pistols' anthem God Save the Queen made it to number one. In those days, for young people, Top of the Pops was like Sunday church. We waited anxiously to see which group and song would reach No 1 each week. When it was God Save the Queen, the BBC promptly banned the song. In response, the Sex Pistols hired a barge and played it on the River Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament. The police were sent out to commandeer the boat and they were promptly arrested. Prompt was the operative word in the heady days when punk rockers fought the monarchy with music. Cauterise the infection quickly. Or so the establishment thought. What had this motley crew done wrong? In God Save the Queen, an anthem powered by an opening riff to beat all riffs, the Sex Pistols called the Queen's 'a fascist regime'. It wasn't. It was sclerotic and pampered by taxpayers. But the words rhymed, so why not? It was shocking. Believe me. But there was much more to punk rock than exaggeration. One of the lines in the song had much darker implications: 'Where there's no future, how can there be sin?' rasped lead singer Johnny Rotten before adding poetically: 'We're the flowers in your dustbin We're the poison in the human machine We're the future, your future' 'We' were the doomed, thrown-away working-class youth. At a time of rising unemployment, they were in rebellion by making a fashion of torn clothes, Mohican hair cuts and safety pins through their ears and noses. 'Foul-mouthed yobs' the establishment media called them. They made their point and changed the direction of popular music as well as of society. But it didn't end there. Almost 50 years later, the line 'where there's no future, how can there be sin?' reveals a surprising prescience. Looked at carefully, it's an existential statement that may offer a key to understanding the industrial cruelty being inflicted in Gaza and other places that ordinary people are unwilling bystanders to in the world at this moment. For 'sin', not coming from the dispossessed youth, but from the over-possessed elites, is now the name of the game. Post-colonialism has given way to Brutalism; social contract to social assault; human rights to human wronging. The sin pandemic There's a whole lot of sin in the world at the moment. Genocide is sin. Ecocide is sin. Femicide is sin. Infanticide is sin. Democide is sin. What's different is that the sinners have become oblivious to their sinning. They are certainly not sinned against. They don't sugar coat it; they think they are beyond sin. Why? I have been trying to comprehend such a quantum leap in loss of humanity, to work out how elected political leaders and oligarchs have become so brutalised. An epiphany that came to me while walking around Oxford recently. I think I have the answer. The world is undergoing a change of age where the future, even the question of whether there is any future, has become extremely uncertain. As climate chaos explodes, as the sixth mass extinction accelerates and now extends even to human beings, a largely uninhabitable earth may be a real prospect within several generations. The evidence is mounting: Nasa data reveals dramatic rise in intensity of weather events | Extreme weather | The Guardian; WMO confirms 2024 as warmest year on record at about 1.55°C above pre-industrial level; Climate change: World's oceans suffer from record-breaking year of heat – BBC News As the Indian writer Amitav Ghosh pointed out in a lecture he gave at Wits University in September 2024, the ultra-rich, while financing Trump and his climate denialism, are simultaneously preparing for the social breakdown that may be one consequence of the climate crisis. Ghosh writes: 'It is well known now that several billionaire tech entrepreneurs like Mark Zuckerberg, Larry Page and Peter Thiel are preparing for an impending apocalypse by building enormously expensive and heavily fortified retreats on remote islands, or in sparsely populated stretches of the United States and Canada. Not to be left behind, a bevy of America's most popular stars, such as Taylor Swift and Tom Cruise, have also acquired cutting-edge apocalypse shelters. Nor are the ultra-rich the only Americans who are investing in doomsday retreats: so great is the demand that a new and rapidly growing industry has emerged to cater to it.' This is the time of survival of the richest. Democratic restraints and rules that took several centuries to establish are being broken with manic abandon. 'Death capitalism'; 'crack-up capitalism'. Call it what you like. The hypocrisies are worthy of Shakespeare. A political establishment that less than 30 years ago impeached a president for lying about having sex in the sacrosanct Oval Office, now enables a deranged president who blatantly abuses the office for private profit and has appropriated to himself the divine right to permit, stoke, arm or directly make wars that threatens millions of lives. For rulers who would be kings, who believe that the future is uncertain, indeed that for billions of human beings whose lives are extremely precarious, the very idea of a future is becoming untenable, moral rules fall away. Sin becomes permissible. Welcome to the new world disorder. Join the resistance. DM

Sex Pistols' John Lydon gives the reason why he will never appear on Celebrity Big Brother
Sex Pistols' John Lydon gives the reason why he will never appear on Celebrity Big Brother

Wales Online

time12-06-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Wales Online

Sex Pistols' John Lydon gives the reason why he will never appear on Celebrity Big Brother

Sex Pistols' John Lydon gives the reason why he will never appear on Celebrity Big Brother The Pretty Vacant singer has vowed to never enter the CBB house He left the jungle just a few days into the competition (Image: ITV ) Former Sex Pistols singer John Lydon will never appear on Celebrity Big Brother because the programme is beneath him. The 69-year-old musician - who was known as Johnny Rotten during his time in the iconic punk band - gets offered opportunities to appear on television but is usually uninterested in the shows offered to him. ‌ The Pretty Vacant singer has vowed to never enter the CBB house because he doesn't want to be known as a celebrity. ‌ When asked if he would ever consider going on Celebrity Big Brother, he said: "That's too low for me, that's silly. "I'm not trying to be a celebrity. Whatever I am it's always been done in spite of that nonsense. I'm the accidental celebrity." John did appear on ITV reality show I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! in 2004 and earned many new fans due to his non-nonsense approach to jungle life and his clashes with former glamour model Katie Price, who used the name Jordan for her photo shoots and work at that time. He famously branded Katie a "Page 3 blow-up balloon" during one bust-up. Article continues below Although Lydon quit after a few days, storming out of camp in the middle of the night after he wasn't voted off by the British public, the programme proved to be a significant moment in his later career and he appeared in a series of advertisements promoting Country Life butter afterwards. John - who is currently on tour with his band Public Image Ltd - is grateful he got the chance to appear on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! because it allowed people to see who he really is as a man as opposed what they perceived him to be because of his Johnny Rotten persona. In an interview with website Contact Music, he said: "Things like I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! helped. ‌ "That gave people the chance to see me for how I really was 24/7 with a camera on me. "I'm practical in life. If it's cold I'll light a fire. You can't drink the water in the jungle so you boil it, common sense things. That's just how I am." John did not accept a fee for his time in Australia on the show, instead asking ITV to give money to several charities he supported. Article continues below He said: "My god, they bothered me for years, and I wouldn't do it, but they guaranteed they would pay certain charities that I was affectionate towards. So I did it for that."

Sex Pistols star John Lydon says 'the pain will never go away' after family death
Sex Pistols star John Lydon says 'the pain will never go away' after family death

Edinburgh Live

time21-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Edinburgh Live

Sex Pistols star John Lydon says 'the pain will never go away' after family death

Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. More info Sex Pistols legend John Lydon has opened up about the enduring pain following the loss of his wife Nora, confessing "the pain will never go away". The punk rock pioneer, who shot to fame in the 70s as the Sex Pistols' provocative lead singer. He met Nora, a German publishing heiress, shortly after the band's initial split. Despite their age difference, with Nora being fourteen years older, the pair formed an inseparable bond. In her final years, as she faced Alzheimer's disease, John devoted himself to caring for her full-time. Nora died, aged 80 in 2023. While caring for his wife, John was in a legal battle with the remaining members of the Sex Pistols - guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook - after he attempted to veto the use of the band's songs in a Disney+ series. After losing the legal fight, John cut ties with his former bandmates. Steve and Paul however continued to perform with original bassist Glen Matlock and Gallows' Frank Carter stepping in for John, reports the Mirror US. (Image: 2017 Brian Killian) John has slammed the legal wrangle as "just disrespectful all round" and admits it's something he "won't forget". Despite his history of stirring controversy as Johnny Rotten, the passing of Nora saw fans rally around him with support. Speaking to The Telegraph, he says he has "done my moping" and is now "very much raring to go". He knows he needs to get out of the house and is currently on tour with his band PiL - Public Image Ltd. He is working on a new book and album and has rediscovered his passion for painting. But he still occasionally finds himself stopping to think about his much-loved wife. "The pain will never go away," he told the Telegraph. "She died painfully, suffocating. They call it the death rattle." (Image: Getty Images) He vividly remembers the heart-wrenching moment when doctors questioned whether they should cease life-prolonging efforts. He reflects: "I couldn't say 'yes, stop.' No. I fought for her life as hard as she fought for it. And now I'm on the other side." Despite experiencing a phase of anger, he believes this prevented him from becoming a "sympathetic doddering old idiot". The God Save the Queen singer confesses to having "no regrets" about how he's lived. Nora's passing has altered John's perspective on his own mortality at 69, stating that the thought of death "no longer terrifies" him. He does though say he "misses her like mad" and reveals he sleeps with Nora's ashes by his side. In recent times, John has surprisingly found favour with conservative media circles, puzzling many long-time Sex Pistols fans. He clarifies that his stance isn't black and white, expressing disdain for all politicians. Although he's shown support for former US President Donald Trump, he's critical of him too, labelling Trump as a "wrecking ball" and dubbing him "the Orange Bad Man".

How a Dundee shop out-punked the biggest punk band of them all
How a Dundee shop out-punked the biggest punk band of them all

Scotsman

time14-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Scotsman

How a Dundee shop out-punked the biggest punk band of them all

Sign up to our daily newsletter – Regular news stories and round-ups from around Scotland direct to your inbox Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to The Scotsman, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... According to the Encyclopaedia Britannica, the punk movement of the late 1970s was 'often politicised', 'full of vital energy beneath a sarcastic, hostile facade' and 'armed with a critique of the music industry and consumerism'. So when a Dundee opticians hit upon the name, 'Spex Pistols', they may have thought the most punk of all the genre's bands would have been fine with it. After all, the Sex Pistols' debut single was called Anarchy in the UK. So anything goes, right? Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Wrong. The band's lawyers sent a 'cease and desist' letter, highlighting similarities between the shop's logo and the band's. Not exactly a very punk thing to do. The biggest punks of all: the Sex Pistols perform in San Francisco in 1978 (Picture: George Rose) | Getty Images Following discussions, the lawyers agreed to live with Spex Pistols but wanted a new logo. However, rather than submit to their conditions, shop owner Richard Cook showed his own punk credentials and instead changed the name to Land O'Spex in tribute to former Dundee bakers Land O'Cakes.

Sex Pistol Glen Matlock returns to Edinburgh
Sex Pistol Glen Matlock returns to Edinburgh

Edinburgh Reporter

time03-05-2025

  • Entertainment
  • Edinburgh Reporter

Sex Pistol Glen Matlock returns to Edinburgh

The departure of original Sex Pistols' bassist and songwriter, Glen Matlock, is now widely regarded as one significant reason the Pistols imploded shortly after the release of their debut album, Never Mind The Bollocks. That record in 1977 helped thrust punk into the mainstream and is still heralded as a classic. Matlock, however, is on his way for a Scottish tour to celebrate a long career working with the likes of Blondie and the Faces as well as his solo work. Before the Sex Pistols headline in Glasgow at a punk-all-day event in June, Matlock will be touring with his solo band after his most recent long player Consequences Coming and an autobiography Triggers: A Life In Music were both well received by fans and critics. As well as Glasgow and Aberdeen he will return to Edinburgh's Voodoo Rooms where he previously performed Iggy Pop's Lust for Life album in 2023. The record simmered away as a music fan favourite and was given a shot in the arm nearly 20 years later when the lead track 'Lust For Life' featured in Danny Boyle's Trainspotting film, highlighting the album's kudos among Edinburgh's young working-class of the late 1970s and early '80s. The city's Hibernian FC play the track before kick-off with an accompanying video on the big screen. The 2023 show was attended by Irvine Welsh and featured legendary Blondie drummer, Clem Burke, on drums. The news of his death from cancer in April was a shock. Matlock explained: 'We've been friends for fifty years. it's been weird because he would stay with me whenever he was in London and I would stay at his place in L. A when I was over there. Just wandering around the house (since his death) has been a little bit odd. Clem and I were cut from the same cloth. When Debbie (Harry) got Covid the dates were postponed and we ended up kicking about New Jersey where he was from and where his old man lived and worked. He had an American version of my upbringing really.' Burke was that rare example of someone in the music industry that no one had a bad word to say about while being highly regarded as one of rock n' roll's greatest drummers. Glen said: 'He was a fantastic showman and drummer. He would instigate things and make them happen. When I went to America last year he put the band together for me and brought in people like Kathy Valentine (Go-Gos) and Gilby Clarke (ex-Guns N' Roses). He adds that while Blondie has a new album ready to be released the future is uncertain. 'I don't know what will happen, I knew Clem had been ill for a little while and Blondie had been put off, there's a new Blondie album in the can but I don't know what will happen and now the Pistols stuff has come up.' The return of the Sex Pistols is going from strength to strength despite John 'Johnny Rotten' Lydon not being in the line-up. Frank Carter whose punk credentials were cemented with Gallows and Frank Carter & the Rattlesnakes was drafted in to join three of the original Pistols and his performances have helped attract a new generation of fans. 'I could be cynical and say we are helping everyone relive their youth but that's not true,' explained Matlock. 'With Frank being in the band it helps and the music we did is timeless really, we sound like we did (almost 50) years ago.' John Lydon has slammed the reunion saying 'I am the Pistols and they're not' and left the media under no illusion about how he feels. Matlock added that 'it was Steve's band. We were all the songwriters and we all did our bit. It would never have happened without any one of us. The problem is John won't give anyone else any credit which is why we are where we are now. He still can't think it through …. but he can do what he likes. He comes across as bitter and twisted while we are all having a laugh, making some good money and sending everyone home with a smile on their face.' So does that mean there will never be a reunion with Johnny Rotten? 'Never say never. It's sad the way it's unfolded, life is short and the hourglass of time is dripping away for us. Who wants to sit at home thinking about what could have been?' Matlock originally left the Pistols to make way for the late Sid Vicious on bass. While he became a punk icon, especially after his premature death, the band imploded leaving Steve Jones to admit that if Matlock had remained in the Pistols they would have made more records. With former disagreements now put to rest is there likely to be more music? 'I don't know but nobody is saying 'no'. We're not like The Beatles in A Hard Day's Night. When I first saw that I did think they all lived in the same house. On tour now we have breakfast together and get on the same flights and trains in Japan and that's quite a novelty since the days of yore. Steve Jones came round the other day to watch QPR (v Swansea) I'm a QPR fan, he likes to bet on everything. We got beat (2-1) so he went home with £10 of mine in his pocket.' When I ask Matlock about the guitarist's football leanings he compared him to the memorable cigar-smoking Scottish character in a camel coat Charlie Endell (Iain Cuthbertson) from the 1970s television series Budgie also starring Adam Faith. 'When Steve lived in London he would watch QPR, Fulham and Chelsea. When he moved to L. A the team doing best was Chelsea so he had a better chance of watching them on TV and ended up more of a Chelsea fan. He was like Charlie Endell who Budgie was always falling fowl of, he'd say 'Why do you put yourself through it all Budgie? Why don't you just be like me and support the winning team?' Glen Matlock will play The Voodoo Rooms Edinburgh on Tuesday 20th May Glen Matlock Like this: Like Related

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