Originally posted by Fruda
It depends on your definition of Rock 'n Roll. If you think that glamorous guitars and long, beautiful hair make for a Rock band, well then... So be it.
The Pistols *were* and still *are* Rock 'n Roll. It was never about complexity (though each musician was exceptional with their respective instruments, Glen Matlock most of all). It was about raw power, the lyrics, and the message. A genuine "we don't care about what you think of us" attitude.
I love the Sex Pistols as much as the next punk does but if you ever see a video recording of any of their live performances, you'll see a member of the band with his instrument not plugged it. For live shows at least, the stage manager was the bassist because Sid Vicious wasn't all that good of a bass player.
And the Sex Pistols were a marketing gimmick. Yep, that's right a gimmick. Their manager/producer and creator, Malcom Mclaren, created the Sex Pistols to help boost sales of his clothing store. so while they did put out good music (with a little production help on their records) they were basically a corporate tool.
ack-ack