- Oct 7, 2000
- 18,619
- 38,939
- Disclosures
- Endorsing artist: Musicman basses
Nobody's discussing this yet? I thought it was great. I think they'd make the best tribute band ever.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Pistol
- Thread starter Joe Nerve
- Start date
The show was good and interesting, but not totally sticking to the reality (as most of the biopicks I've seen). Good music throughout.
Lydon was not too happy with how it was done and how it turned out, and was in a legal tangle with the other three over it. I probably won’t catch up with it, as these types of things turn out to be a load of, well, bollocks; Sid and Nancy was pretty cringable. So far, the only one done right was Control as far as I’m concerned.
I'm 4 episodes in and quite impressed.
I feel it captures the time and atmosphere pretty well (although it's a subject I know little enough about, never having been a punk fan) and while I'm sure there's some liberties taken with the truth, overall, I reckon it's as good a version as we're likely to get.
I will say the guy playing Johnny Rotten is truly amazing.
Apparently all the actors underwent band camp to realistically play, and they certainly are convincing.
As for the the real Mister Rotten's objections, I reckon he's just sore he wasn't cut in on the money. He refused to be involved in the project before it began, according to Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Danny Boyle and had previously sold his rights to the Pistol's catalogue.
The guy's clearly got several chips on his shoulders...or maybe he's just being Johnny Rotten, the arch-contrarian. Who knows?
Edited just to add that if @Joe Nerve , a man of known punk sensibilities, thought it was great, that alone is good enough for me.
I feel it captures the time and atmosphere pretty well (although it's a subject I know little enough about, never having been a punk fan) and while I'm sure there's some liberties taken with the truth, overall, I reckon it's as good a version as we're likely to get.
I will say the guy playing Johnny Rotten is truly amazing.
Apparently all the actors underwent band camp to realistically play, and they certainly are convincing.
As for the the real Mister Rotten's objections, I reckon he's just sore he wasn't cut in on the money. He refused to be involved in the project before it began, according to Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Danny Boyle and had previously sold his rights to the Pistol's catalogue.
The guy's clearly got several chips on his shoulders...or maybe he's just being Johnny Rotten, the arch-contrarian. Who knows?
Edited just to add that if @Joe Nerve , a man of known punk sensibilities, thought it was great, that alone is good enough for me.
I couldn't get through it. I don't understand the need to take such an interesting, compelling, sensational, cinematic, important true story and fictionalize it. I thought the actors did everything they could with a script that only included one-dimensional cartoon characters.
This documentary is far more worthwhile:
This documentary is far more worthwhile:
Thanks for the heads up. Ill give it a watch. Cast looks good. Lots of up and coming young actors. The one that’ll clinch it for me is how good the portrayal of “whispering” Bob Harris is.
I enjoyed this fun fantasy based on punk rock.
But true to actual events it went south once Sid joined.
But true to actual events it went south once Sid joined.
I went to see PiL on Sunday night here in the uk. Someone shouted out to play god save the queen. Johnny was not impressed. It’s his history too and I think if he wasn’t on board then they should have rehashed it so he could have been involved. What he should do is make a film/series from his pov instead using his book (anger is an energy) which is a great read. not watched pistol yet but I likely will do at some point.
I suppose I'll get around to watching it at some point, probs with my besties over a long weekend at the lake. But I'm not feeling compelled. Skeptical that it'll match the excitement of following the story in real time back when I was a teen.
- Sep 4, 2010
- 3,304
- 2,730
- Disclosures
- Endorsing: Martin Keith Guitars
I did like that the music and energy came across great, that it made sure to depict the social conditions that brit punk was about (protest music of the working class giving middle-class establishment the middle finger), and that there was a balance with the women co-shaping the scene , and not getting the headlines (Vivienne Westwood, Chrissie Hynde, Pamela Rooke to name a few). Bodies is my fave Pistols tune and i was happy to see they went in deep with that one in episode 3. Overall not great, what would be really interesting characters (Malcolm McLaren, acted well) still felt too flat, and thank goodness it wasnt all about Sid & Nancy (but still too much), but all in all, if you keep your expectations low, an enjoyable bingewatch on rainy weekend with great music.
Last edited:
Perhaps not, but if you're making that comment without seeing this, then I'd suggest you give Anson Boon a chance.
I'm no die-hard fan of Mister Lydon, but I've seen enough video, interviews, etc of him over the years, and I think Anson did a fine job.
I hardly get around to watching things on TV, and I'm not feeling drawn to watch Pistol. My instincts tell me I wouldn't be into it, if not annoyed by it. Maybe I'll get around to finding out eventually, maybe not.
I worked at The Horseshoe tavern during it's infamous punk heyday, and my friend John Catto (the Diodes) co founded the Crash n Burn. Touring brought me to most of the famous punk clubs of the Pistols era.
The movie certainly cleaned it up. These places were ultimate dives, with gear held together with tape and good intentions. There was, quite intentionally, nothing pretty about the punk scene, despite Malcolm McLaren's original wish to make punk a fashion label. The movie was...OK...but make Almost Famous look like a documentary.
The movie certainly cleaned it up. These places were ultimate dives, with gear held together with tape and good intentions. There was, quite intentionally, nothing pretty about the punk scene, despite Malcolm McLaren's original wish to make punk a fashion label. The movie was...OK...but make Almost Famous look like a documentary.
While I preferred the Filth and the Fury documentary to this biopic series I still enjoyed Pistol. Some of the aesthetic choices felt quite a bit overproduced and stylized in a way that wasn't very punk to me, but worked well enough for what they were trying to do.
For me the standout character of the whole thing was Chrissie Hynde, and particularly Sydney Chandler's portrayal of her. Sydney's acting felt head and shoulders above everyone else in the series to me.
For me the standout character of the whole thing was Chrissie Hynde, and particularly Sydney Chandler's portrayal of her. Sydney's acting felt head and shoulders above everyone else in the series to me.
