7. No Fun. Implosion in the USA.

7. No Fun. Implosion in the USA.

From The Rise and Fall of ... by BBC Radio 6 Music

October 27, 2025 · 20 min · Season 4 · Episode 8

About this episode

The episode explores the chaotic final days of the Sex Pistols, culminating in their disastrous American tour and the band's eventual disbandment.

By the end of 1977, the Sex Pistols sat at the top of the UK charts… while simultaneously hitting rock bottom. Sid Vicious was imploding, his partner Nancy Spungen was fuelling the chaos and Johnny Rotten was growing disillusioned with Malcolm McLaren’s toxic games. Still, the band pushed ahead with a final run of gigs, including an unexpectedly wholesome Christmas Day show for children of striking firefighters. No one knew it then, but it would be their final UK performance for two decades. Then came their first American tour. The Pistols were dropped into the heart of the conservative South. Sid carved into his own chest on stage and Rotten was nearly broken by paranoia. The tour descended into violence, vomit, and blood. And to the end, in San Francisco, with the band on its knees, Johnny Rotten stared down the crowd and asked: “Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” With a literal mic drop, he walked off stage, signalling the end of the Sex Pistols. Featuring archive interviews from: Nancy Spungen, Johnny Rotten, Steve Jones, Paul Cook, Malcolm McLaren, Sid Vicious, Sex Pistols’ roadie Stephen 'Roadent' Conolly. Presented by Gina Birch and Steve Lamacq A BBC Audio…

People in this episode

Hosts: Gina Birch, Steve Lamacq

Topics covered

  • Sex Pistols
  • punk rock
  • American tour
  • 1970s music history
  • band dynamics
  • disillusionment

Keywords

  • Sex Pistols
  • Sid Vicious
  • Johnny Rotten
  • Nancy Spungen
  • Malcolm McLaren
  • American tour
  • punk rock
  • 1977
  • music history

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Sex Pistols

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