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The story behind the ugliness of the Sex Pistols recent reunion and the Hulu show Pistol. Podcast on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/the-rock-n-roll-true-stories-podcast/id1876614383 My second YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/@RockNRollTrueStories2 Johnny Rotten helped give the Sex Pistols their voice. But when he tried to stop his former bandmates from licensing their music for a television series, they took him to court—and won. Years later, the band was performing with another singer, and Rotten wasn’t holding back. This is the story of how John Lydon’s relationship with Steve Jones, Paul Cook, and Glen Matlock deteriorated into a legal battle over music, memories, and who gets to control the Sex Pistols’ legacy. From their brutally honest reunion to the arrival of Frank Carter, the disagreement went far beyond another rock band struggling to get along. The immediate flashpoint was Pistol, Danny Boyle’s television drama based on Steve Jones’s memoir, Lonely Boy: Tales of a Sex Pistol. Lydon opposed the project and objected to the use of the band’s songs. Jones and Cook argued that a 1998 agreement allowed licensing decisions to be made by majority vote. Lydon maintained that the group had operated through unanimous approval, giving each member the ability to say no. What followed was a seven-day High Court trial that brought the surviving musicians’ strained relationships into public view. Lydon described the agreement as a “total trap or prison.” The judge rejected his arguments, ruling that Jones and Cook could rely on its majority-voting provisions. The decision didn’t determine whether the television drama told the truth about the band. It determined whether Lydon could block the music from being licensed. For a group associated with anarchy, it was a remarkably formal way to settle an argument. But the courtroom defeat was only part of the story. In 2024, Jones, Cook, and Matlock joined Frank Carter for fundraising shows at London’s Bush Hall. What began as an effort to support a local venue developed into a touring partnership, with Carter bringing his own approach to the songs rather than attempting a Johnny Rotten impersonation. Lydon dismissed the performances as karaoke. The others saw an opportunity to play music they had helped create. Behind the insults was a question with no easy answer: does a band’s most recognizable member get the final say, or do the other musicians have an equal right to continue? I also revisit the 1996 Filthy Lucre reunion, when the original lineup openly acknowledged its financial motivation. Their willingness to work together never meant their differences had disappeared. Eventually, those differences became too significant for another reunion to resolve. This documentary follows the competing accounts without treating either side’s recollection as unquestionable fact. It separates the music-licensing judgment from the later live performances and examines why a contract signed decades earlier became so important. If you know the Sex Pistols through Never Mind the Bollocks, “Anarchy in the U.K.,” or “God Save the Queen,” this is the messy aftermath: not another retelling of their original rise, but a fight over what happened next. Subscribe to Rock N’ Roll True Stories for more documentaries about band breakups, bitter feuds, industry disputes, unexpected reunions, and the stories behind the music. Have a video request or a topic you'd like to see us cover? Comment below or send in your idea: https://bit.ly/3stnXlN CONNECT ON SOCIAL TIKOK:https://www.tiktok.com/@rocknrolltruestory Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rnrtruestories/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RNRTrueStories Twitter: https://twitter.com/rocktruestories Blog: www.rockandrolltruestories.com #sexpistols #johnnyrotten These videos are for entertainment purposes only. DISCLAIMER https://rockandrolltruestories.com/youtube-disclaimer/