The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle

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The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle
Directed by Julien Temple
Produced by Don Boyd
Jeremy Thomas
Written by Julien Temple
Starring Johnny Rotten
Steve Jones
Glen Matlock
Paul Cook
Sid Vicious
Malcolm McLaren
Mary Millington
Irene Handl
Music by Sex Pistols
Release date(s) May, 1980
Running time 103 min.
Language English
IMDb profile


The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle (1980) is a fictional "documentary" (a "mockumentary") film directed by Julien Temple about the seminal British punk band, The Sex Pistols. It starred the band: singer Johnny Rotten as "The Collaborator", guitarist Steve Jones as "The Crook", bassist Sid Vicious as "The Gimmick", drummer Paul Cook as "The Tea-Maker", and the band's infamous manager, Malcolm McLaren, as "The Embezzler". It also features original bassist Glen Matlock, who appears briefly in some live scenes.

Contents

[edit] Plot and overview

The film tells the story of the rise and fall of the Sex Pistols from the viewpoint of their manager Malcolm McLaren. This is done by footage shot by director Julien Temple of the band from their beginnings, live and interview footage from various sources, animated sequences, as well as scenes featuring McLaren explaining his own personal philosophy behind the band.

As the film was made after the break up of the band, no participation from Johnny Rotten occurred (he only is represented in archival footage and in cartoon form, as is original bassist Glen Matlock) and the film has been accused by Rotten as being a personal attack on himself by McLaren. The other members of the band, Sid Vicious, Steve Jones and Paul Cook did participate in the making of the film and appear throughout with Jones acting the part of a detective trying to piece together the story of the band.

British diva Marianne Faithfull was asked to appear as Sid Vicious' mother, but when she read that her character was to have a sex scene, she declined. However, Sting, bassist and lead singer of the band, The Police had a bit part but the scene was cut and later appeared in The Filth and the Fury (see below).

The aim of the film, released after the band's breakup, was to explicitly present how Malcolm McLaren created and used the band to attain his stated goal of "making a million pounds". McLaren further implies that he created punk music, hence it was a swindle.

However, by the time filming on "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" had begun, Johnny Rotten left the band and began touring with his own band, Public Image Ltd., under his birth name, John Lydon. Reportedly, Lydon wanted nothing to do with the film.

Arguably, the film appeals mostly to hardcore Sex Pistols fans. Critics derided it as uneven (at best), base, and unentertaining, citing, in particular, a scene depicting an aging Nazi officer chasing the band (sans Lydon), and demanding they re-write their song, "Belsen Was a Gas". The film also features copious amounts of full-frontal nudity (both male and female).

The screenplay began as a fictional work called "Who Killed Bambi", co-written by noted film critic Roger Ebert as a vehicle for controversial director Russ Meyer. After Meyer quit the project, Julien Temple rewrote it to focus on Malcolm McLaren's lofty goal of taking a horrible rock and roll band and making it successful, all the while proudly scamming the people and record label executives.

"The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" also contains Sid Vicious' rendition of Frank Sinatra's signature song, "My Way". Vicious' infamous girlfriend, Nancy Spungen, appears uncredited in the film.

The film was heavily criticised at the time for being too skewed towards McLaren's view and although some critics considered it to accurately show the Punk scene of the time, it was considered to be a failure at making a Sex Pistols film which really represented the band.

The film was part of the legal battle between the remaining members of the band and McLaren which started in 1978. The case was an attempt by the band to regain the legal ownership of their music as well as everything bearing the name of The Sex Pistols. The judge ruled that whoever owned the band's assets, the film was the group's only remaining asset and as such it had to be finished and released. The film finally made it out in 1980, by which time Malcolm McLaren had fallen out with Temple and had his name taken off the credits.

Rotten and the others won the case in 1986 and they regained the trademarks to their name and images from McLaren and formed a new business partnership called Sex Pistols Residuals (a collective d/b/a for Lydon, Jones, Cook, Matlock, and the estate of John Richie (Sid Vicious)). This allowed the film to receive a home video release in 1993 and a DVD release in 2005. Among the extras on the DVD is a commentary by Temple explaining the making of the film. Among the things that are revealed, is that a short segment of very poor silent b&w concert footage was shot on super-8 by Derek Jarman in 1975, making it the oldest document of the group.

The Sex Pistols made The Filth and the Fury in 2000, a similar film also directed by Julien Temple, but this time it was told with the full participation of the band (McLaren never took part and his footage in the film is taken from The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle and its outtakes) and is seen as telling a more accurate version of the history of the Sex Pistols.

The term "Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" was also used by Jello Biafra referring to his former Dead Kennedys bandmates' "reunion" tour with singers other than Biafra. This outraged some fans, and Biafra called the newly dubbed "DK Kennedys" the "greediest karaoke band ever".

[edit] Soundtrack

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle
The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle cover
Soundtrack by The Sex Pistols
Released February 26, 1979
Recorded 1978
Genre Punk rock
Length 77:06
Label Virgin Records
Producer(s)  ???, Dave Goodman
Professional reviews
The Sex Pistols chronology
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols
(1977)		 The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle
(1979)		 Flogging a Dead Horse
(1980)


The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle was also the name of the Sex Pistols' second album (and a song from that album). Though billed as a Sex Pistols album, it is actually the soundtrack of the film, and also includes performances by several other artists.

[edit] Soundtrack listing

Version 1

  1. "God Save the Queen" (Cook/Jones/Matlock/Rotten)
  2. "Johnny B. Goode"/"Roadrunner" (Berry)/(Richman)
  3. "Black Arabs" (AKA Disco Medley): "Anarchy in the UK"/"God Save the Queen"/"Pretty Vacant"/"No One is Innocent" (Cook/Jones/Matlock/Rotten/Biggs)
  4. "Anarchy in the UK" (Cook/Jones/Matlock/Rotten)
  5. "Substitute" (Townshend)
  6. "Don't Gimme No Lip" (Thomas/Richards)
  7. "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" (Boyce/Hart)
  8. "Anarchie Pour Le UK" (Cook/Jones/Matlock/Rotten)
  9. "Belsen Was a Gas" (Cook/Jones/Vicious/Rotten)
  10. "Belsen Vos A Gas" (Cook/Jones/Vicious/Rotten)
  11. "Silly Thing" (Cook/Jones)
  12. "My Way" (Anka/Francois/Revaux)
  13. "I Wanna Be Me" (Matlock/Cook/Jones/Rotten)
  14. "Something Else" (Cochran/Sheeley)
  15. "Rock Around the Clock" (Myers/Freedman)
  16. "Lonely Boy" (Cook/Jones)
  17. "No One Is Innocent" (Cook/Jones/Biggs)
  18. "C'mon Everybody" (Cochran/Capehart)
  19. "EMI" (Cook/Jones/Matlock/Rotten)
  20. "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle" (Cook/Jones/Temple)
  21. "Friggin' in the Riggin'" (Traditional; arranged by Jones)
  22. "You Need Hands" (Bygraves)
  23. "Who Killed Bambi" (Tudor/Westwood)

Version 2

  1. "God Save the Queen" (Symphony)
  2. "Rock Around the Clock"
  3. "Johnny B. Goode"
  4. "Road Runner"
  5. "Black Arabs"
  6. "Anarchy in the UK" (New Version)
  7. "Watcha Gonna Do About It?"
  8. "Who Killed Bambi?"
  9. "Silly Thing"
  10. "Substitute"
  11. "Don't Give Me No Lip Child"
  12. "I'm Not Your Stepping Stone"
  13. "Lonely Boy"
  14. "Something Else"
  15. "Anarchie Pour Le UK"
  16. "Belsen Was a Gas" (live in San Francisco)
  17. "Belsen Was a Gas" (with Ronnie Biggs)
  18. "No One is Innocent"
  19. "My Way"
  20. "C'mon Everybody"
  21. "EMI" (Orchestra)
  22. "The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle"
  23. "You Need Hands"
  24. "Friggin in the Riggin'"

[edit] Notes

The album cover gives no musicians' credits, only a list of singers. Though most of the songs were performed by the Sex Pistols in some form, there are notable exceptions. "God Save the Queen" was an orchestral rendetion with Malcolm McLaren speaking over the music about how he "invented" punk rock and the Sex Pistols. EMI is done in the same manner, but with Steve Jones speaking the lyrics. The four song medley was a disco adaptation performed by a group called Black Arabs. "Anarchie Pour Le U.K." was done by a trio of French street musicians led by singer Louis Brennon, with accordion and fiddle. "Who Killed Bambi", one of Edward Tudor-Pole's creations, was performed by himself and an orchestra.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Sex Pistols
Johnny Rotten | Steve Jones | Glen Matlock | Paul Cook | Sid Vicious
Discography
Studio albums: Never Mind the Bollocks, 1977
Singles: Anarchy in the UK, 1976 | God Save the Queen, 1977 | Pretty Vacant, 1977 | Holidays in the Sun, 1977 | No One Is Innocent, 1978
Live and compilation releases: Some Product: Carri on Sex Pistols, 1979 | The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, 1980 | Flogging a Dead Horse, 1980
Related articles
Public Image Ltd. | Malcolm McLaren | Jamie Reid | Ronnie Biggs | Edward Tudor-Pole | The Professionals | The Filth and the Fury | Punk rock
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