Didnt your mommy tell you?
I have no feelings. No feelings. No feelings. NO FEELINGS! No feelings for anybody else. Except for myself. My beautiful self.
"No Feelings" by Sex Pistols was the one exception to my general loathing of Sex Pistols. Johnny Rotten's harsh vocal delivery, the clatter of music and just everything about Sid Vicious (the punk not the wrestler) all sent me running back to heavy metal. It was the nihilist attitude more than anything else that irked me. After all, as a person who seeks recognition and adulation for achievements with the childhood dream of being immortalized in "A History of the Modern World" by R.R. Palmer and Joel Colton, nihilism stands in stark opposition to who I am.
For the record, the fact that the Sex Pistols were a meticulously, artificially produced brand of revolution never bothered me. People measure their words and put thought into their image. This whole corporate branding of rock revolution thing that Kurt Cobain peddled was petulant. Sex Pistols are the best boy band in the world and the joke is on you, Cobain.
No Feelings was my anthem. The gutter-glam guitars, the energetic, quick burst of words that characterized the vocal delivery, the chants of No Feelings, it was like Chuck Berry and Sweet were dragged through the sewer and given a bad attitude. The song captures the essence of who I am. It is not that I am ice cold and have no feelings whatsoever. I just have "No Feelings" for anybody else, why would I? Just ask my family, I have been entertaining myself in my backyard with my fantasies since they can remember. Amusing myself with my own musings is my bidness and bidness is gooooooooooooooood.
Then a funny thing happened. I was watching the Carnival of Sins tour on TV with my brother. Motley Crue ended with an energetic number that I had heard before, but I couldnt place. I heard the huge chorus-call of "I WANNA BE ANARCHY!". I was like I remember hating this song, but this cover kicks ass.
Dont bother with the Megadeth version (way too tight), Motley Crue's version features bigger production and makes this an anthem for the ages while retaining the noisy, glammy sound. Motley Crue's early trademark was noisy, glam metal so they were the perfect to enhance this song.
I believe Vince Neil was born to do three things. Crash his car. Sing in Motley Crue. Sing Sweet, Cheap Trick and Sex Pistols covers. He is just really good at singing metal versions of the songs from those bands. His version of "No Feelings" rejuvenated my dormant love for that song. This provided the impetus for me to return to the seminal punk record, "Nevermind the Bollocks: It is the Sex Pistols"
I liked it. It was like when Mikey liked Life Cereal for the first time. I really liked it.
Years of listening to horrible sleaze and thrash vocals have mellowed me on Johnny Rotten's vocals. I found myself really digging the polished noise-glam guitars from Steve Jones. "Holiday in the Sun" features a buzzsaw, glam punk riff reminiscent of the New York Dolls that complements Rotten's snark. The repeated chants of "Pretty" on "Pretty Vacant", "No Future" on "God Save The Queen" and "Problems" on "Problem" are great hooks. Steve Jones was too talented to be a punk guitarist and it is displayed all over this album. His main riff on Anarchy in the UK overshadows what should be the greatest chorus of all-time. Partly because of production values on the vocals on that song (they should have went with a gang-shout), but also because that simple, noise riff kicks so much ass.
The Sex Pistols musically were not a punk band. The Ramones were the sound of punk. The Clash was the intelligence and versatility of punk. Sex Pistols were a noisy glam rock band that did not play their instruments as well as the guys in David Bowie and Sweet. Sex Pistols were the attitude of punk. Attitude is more critical than music.
The Sex Pistols never reached the level of savage chaos or the vicious snark of New York Dolls. For me, The Stooges' "Raw Power" is the soundtrack to ANARCHY! But that is ok because I dont like actual danger. I prefer the simulated stuff and Sex Pistols" "Nevermind the Bollocks" is a better record than "Raw Power", but not quite as good as the New York Dolls' eponymous debut. All three are the standout albums of glam punk movement.
Now if you excuse me, I am going to take Dinah's pretty face to Hell with me. Hail Satan! Whoops, wrong genre. I mean, I WANNA BE ANARCHY!
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