Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol
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- Author：Steve Jones
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Summary
Foreword by Chrissie Hynde
Without the Sex Pistols there would be no Punk。 And without Steve Jones there would be no Sex Pistols。 It was Steve who formed Kutie Jones and his Sex Pistols， the band that eventually went on to become the Sex Pistols， with his schoolmate Paul Cook and who was its original leader。 As the world celebrates the 40th anniversary of Punk – the influence and cultural significance of which is felt in music， fashion and the visual arts to this day – Steve tells his story for the very first time。
Steve’s modern Dickensian tale begins in the streets of Hammersmith and Shepherd’s Bush， West London， where as a lonely， neglected boy living off his wits and petty thievery he is given purpose by the glam art rock of David Bowie and Roxy Music and becomes one of the first generation of ragamuffin punks taken under the wings of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood。 For the very first time Steve describes the sadness of never having known his dad， the neglect and abuse he suffered at the hands of his step father， and how his interest in music and fashion saved him from a potential life of crime spent in remand centres and prison。 From the Kings Road of the early seventies， through the years of the Sex Pistols， Punk Rock and the recording of Never Mind the Bollocks （ranked number 41 in Rolling Stone magazine’s Best Albums of All Time）， to his self-imposed exile in New York and Los Angeles where he battled with alcohol， heroin and sex addiction – caught in a cycle of rehab and relapse – Lonely Boy， written with music journalist and author Ben Thompson， is the story of an unlikely guitar hero who， with the Sex Pistols， changed history。
Without the Sex Pistols there would be no Punk。 And without Steve Jones there would be no Sex Pistols。 It was Steve who formed Kutie Jones and his Sex Pistols， the band that eventually went on to become the Sex Pistols， with his schoolmate Paul Cook and who was its original leader。 As the world celebrates the 40th anniversary of Punk – the influence and cultural significance of which is felt in music， fashion and the visual arts to this day – Steve tells his story for the very first time。
Steve’s modern Dickensian tale begins in the streets of Hammersmith and Shepherd’s Bush， West London， where as a lonely， neglected boy living off his wits and petty thievery he is given purpose by the glam art rock of David Bowie and Roxy Music and becomes one of the first generation of ragamuffin punks taken under the wings of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood。 For the very first time Steve describes the sadness of never having known his dad， the neglect and abuse he suffered at the hands of his step father， and how his interest in music and fashion saved him from a potential life of crime spent in remand centres and prison。 From the Kings Road of the early seventies， through the years of the Sex Pistols， Punk Rock and the recording of Never Mind the Bollocks （ranked number 41 in Rolling Stone magazine’s Best Albums of All Time）， to his self-imposed exile in New York and Los Angeles where he battled with alcohol， heroin and sex addiction – caught in a cycle of rehab and relapse – Lonely Boy， written with music journalist and author Ben Thompson， is the story of an unlikely guitar hero who， with the Sex Pistols， changed history。
Reviews
Mancman
，
Having seen the Disney show recently， I thought I’d investigate the book it was based on。 A wise decision， as the book added a lot more meat to the bones。There weren’t huge revelations in here， but it’s written in a conversational style that drew me in。He’s unapologetic， and certainly has lived a life。 If you’re vaguely into punk， or the Sex Pistols， then you’ll enjoy this。
Jack Youd
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I book I had to read in instalments with a big break。 Truthfully this is a good book but just not really for me。 There are some good stories in there but this is definitely more for a bonafide Sex Pistols fan。 Good read。
Chris
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Fascinating and dark portrait of an amazing period in music history
Mr Roy Davidson
，
Interesting tale from Mr Jones' perspective。 The Sex Pistols is more than just John Lydon， but would not have been anyone without John Lydon。 Yes， Cook and Lydon do not get on， but the band need this chemistry to make it work。 Could have done with a bit more on the Pistols and less on life post Pistols。 Interesting tale from Mr Jones' perspective。 The Sex Pistols is more than just John Lydon， but would not have been anyone without John Lydon。 Yes， Cook and Lydon do not get on， but the band need this chemistry to make it work。 Could have done with a bit more on the Pistols and less on life post Pistols。 。。。more
Jenny
，
As always， I love reading about music and I feel like Jones' story is a positive tale of getting one's life together despite the odds and a traumatic upbringing。 I'd skip watching the FX series though， it's a little too exagerrated for dramatic effedct。 As always， I love reading about music and I feel like Jones' story is a positive tale of getting one's life together despite the odds and a traumatic upbringing。 I'd skip watching the FX series though， it's a little too exagerrated for dramatic effedct。 。。。more
Steve
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I love how it captures his voice。 A working class yob with no pretension
Michelle
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Saw the series and was interested in the book that inspired the series。 Dude isn't a nice person but he had to figure out how to survive on his own from a really young age。 The book is a huge atonement for his sins。 It's also not preachy， which I appreciate。 It also adds more people to my list of people that I don't like from The Sex Pistols。 I imagine him as the uncle in the recliner that says offensive shit then apologizes afterwards when you call him on it。 Which I guess is better than Johnny Saw the series and was interested in the book that inspired the series。 Dude isn't a nice person but he had to figure out how to survive on his own from a really young age。 The book is a huge atonement for his sins。 It's also not preachy， which I appreciate。 It also adds more people to my list of people that I don't like from The Sex Pistols。 I imagine him as the uncle in the recliner that says offensive shit then apologizes afterwards when you call him on it。 Which I guess is better than Johnny Rotten， who would just say offensive shit and when you call him on it would tell you to fuck off。 It blows my mind that these mediocre white dudes have been given so much money over their lifetimes to play pretty crappy music and most of it has been pissed away。 He literally has never had a job in his life。 。。。more
Aimée
，
I really enjoyed this book， it made me laugh out loud multiple times and it was interesting to see a more detailed story about the Sex Pistols and Jonesy himself。 It's the first bio I was ever able to finish so， yeah it was quite good， I'd say I really enjoyed this book， it made me laugh out loud multiple times and it was interesting to see a more detailed story about the Sex Pistols and Jonesy himself。 It's the first bio I was ever able to finish so， yeah it was quite good， I'd say 。。。more
Connie Barfoot
，
very interesting read。 i only just became a fan of the sex pistols in 2022。 this book made me laugh and almost made me cry。 hearing steve stories about being in america， feeling quite lost and struggling to get sober touched my heart， i’d like to give him a big hug to be honest。 glad his life is fresh and happy now :）
Dulcie Forino
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i thought this was very well written， being a fan of the sex pistols you really got an idea about the realistic view of being in the band with the lifestyle。 the honour able mentions of Chrome Hearts creators and Vivienne Westwood is brilliant。
Eleanor Hurley
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Given that Steve Jones couldn’t read or write till his 30’s I’m sure there was a great editing job done here but despite that you can really tell it’s his voice throughout and I think that’s what’s important。I loved this so much， it’s really self aware and honest which I can’t imagine an autobiography by ANy of the other Pistols would be。 I can see why Danny Boyle picked this up， it’s a really great story worthy of being retold on screen， at the end of the day Steve Jones was probably the only o Given that Steve Jones couldn’t read or write till his 30’s I’m sure there was a great editing job done here but despite that you can really tell it’s his voice throughout and I think that’s what’s important。I loved this so much， it’s really self aware and honest which I can’t imagine an autobiography by ANy of the other Pistols would be。 I can see why Danny Boyle picked this up， it’s a really great story worthy of being retold on screen， at the end of the day Steve Jones was probably the only one of the Sex Pistols that really had nothing to lose and I think that’s why it so clearly started with him and his energy， the look was secondary。 。。。more
Mimi Bordeaux
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Jonesy's cool excellent bookHi there I am Mimi Bordeaux a published writer for websites which has nothing to do with this book。 I am a big Sex Pistols fan and I have lately been reading a few books about the scene of 76。 I was harbouring a desire to go down to the King's Road to revisit the old punk stomping grounds。 Instead I found a ton of good books to read that were about the scene and some。 Hence my reading this。 It's excellent reading， a great book if not for the absolute guts it took him Jonesy's cool excellent bookHi there I am Mimi Bordeaux a published writer for websites which has nothing to do with this book。 I am a big Sex Pistols fan and I have lately been reading a few books about the scene of 76。 I was harbouring a desire to go down to the King's Road to revisit the old punk stomping grounds。 Instead I found a ton of good books to read that were about the scene and some。 Hence my reading this。 It's excellent reading， a great book if not for the absolute guts it took him to write it so I applaud you Steve Jones guitar hero and great songwriter。 So to people out there who are wondering if they should read it？ I say yes go for it！ It will make your eyes water from the true beauty of the truth。 Thanks Steve 😅 。。。more
clare hart
，
I was introduced to this book by reading Viv Albertine’s CCC，MMM，BBB’s。 A lot of what Steve wrote resonated my own experience some 10 years later in the early ‘80’s from a girl’s/ woman’s view。 Save the Rock n Roll part。 I reached for my old photo album to a find a photo of me aged 14 with a pink flat top， ripped T-shirt and pink leopard skin jeans emulating Soo Catwoman。 I’d run away from home at the time。 A really good read because I felt I was transported there， alongside it all， as if I was I was introduced to this book by reading Viv Albertine’s CCC，MMM，BBB’s。 A lot of what Steve wrote resonated my own experience some 10 years later in the early ‘80’s from a girl’s/ woman’s view。 Save the Rock n Roll part。 I reached for my old photo album to a find a photo of me aged 14 with a pink flat top， ripped T-shirt and pink leopard skin jeans emulating Soo Catwoman。 I’d run away from home at the time。 A really good read because I felt I was transported there， alongside it all， as if I was in the same room。 I cringed at times， and at times I laughed out loud。 I’m sure others in the same situation will feel the same nostalgia this book brings to life。 Thank you Steve。 。。。more
john
，
Fun and occasionally enlightening read。
Ronna
，
The writing is chaotic and all over the place， but it suits the band。 The first two-thirds were interesting to me; the final third， not so much。 Definitely a good read in general and even more so if you watched/enjoyed "Pistols"， the series about the band。 Jones is very honest about his experiences and issues。 The writing is chaotic and all over the place， but it suits the band。 The first two-thirds were interesting to me; the final third， not so much。 Definitely a good read in general and even more so if you watched/enjoyed "Pistols"， the series about the band。 Jones is very honest about his experiences and issues。 。。。more
Don Evans
，
A fun read if you grew up idolizing the Pistol’s。 Steve’s childhood was a tragedy which lead to his chaotic life as an out of control thief and junkie。 Most of what I was looking forward to， stories from the Pistol days， are lost from his drug numbed memory。 Still enjoyable and quite amazing how he fought his way to sobriety and lived to tell the tale。 Now I will watch the docu-series on Hulu based on this book。 Looks good！
Nicholas Testa
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I am a music fan but what I don’t know could fill a book…this book。 I learned who Steve Jones was through ‘Jones’s Jukebox’ （I didn’t initially know he was in the Sex Pistols - I know - judge me）。 I was new to LA and didn’t understand the city， I had moved from NY and felt out of place and disconnected。 That radio show on 103。1 was one of the first things that I enjoyed and felt was authentic about the city。 Obviously， I caught up quick on who Steve Jones was but ‘Lonely Boy’ gave me insight int I am a music fan but what I don’t know could fill a book…this book。 I learned who Steve Jones was through ‘Jones’s Jukebox’ （I didn’t initially know he was in the Sex Pistols - I know - judge me）。 I was new to LA and didn’t understand the city， I had moved from NY and felt out of place and disconnected。 That radio show on 103。1 was one of the first things that I enjoyed and felt was authentic about the city。 Obviously， I caught up quick on who Steve Jones was but ‘Lonely Boy’ gave me insight into why I connected。 So this review is way too personal and probably unhelpful so I’ll try to say something contributory…the book is a solid recap of the birth of punk through the stories， views and vernacular of someone who was there at the start。 He pushed the button。 You can’t really get any closer。 。。。more
Eric
，
INSIGHT IS REVELATIONSaw the Hulu series so I had to go to the source material。 Well written and informative and it gives a real sense of the eras behind Jonesy's music that I feel I know well。 INSIGHT IS REVELATIONSaw the Hulu series so I had to go to the source material。 Well written and informative and it gives a real sense of the eras behind Jonesy's music that I feel I know well。 。。。more
Ana
，
Originally bought this as a gift for a friend who is a fan of the band， yet ended up reading it myself as I had a few days free before I gave them the book as a gift。 I enjoyed the book quite a bit however did find myself lost when he mentioned fellow band members and referenced rock and punk culture-which lead me to research more about punk history in general as well as the bands history。 All in all a good book and an enjoyable read。
Leza
，
Fun readYou’ll learn a few new things about him and the Sex Pistols and it’s a fun read。 Tons of ffing and blinding， women as birds， his sexual exploits…but roll with it。 He’s an older geezer now and he seems to be pretty straightforward。
Marti
，
This is a little bit like the Kenny Jones [Small Faces] biography as it's an "as told to" format that sounds like the subject is speaking to you。 However， Steve Jones was certainly not the guy who left the party first to get a good night's sleep。 Although Jones' upbringing and schooling was backward compared to his bandmates （he had to fend for himself a lot）， he is not the complete "foul mouthed yob" I was expecting either （yes， he had a knack for stealing anything that was not nailed down， lik This is a little bit like the Kenny Jones [Small Faces] biography as it's an "as told to" format that sounds like the subject is speaking to you。 However， Steve Jones was certainly not the guy who left the party first to get a good night's sleep。 Although Jones' upbringing and schooling was backward compared to his bandmates （he had to fend for himself a lot）， he is not the complete "foul mouthed yob" I was expecting either （yes， he had a knack for stealing anything that was not nailed down， like amps， guitars， clothes， and cars。）。Being the first to be taken under Malcolm McLaren's wing， he eagerly latched on because he thought it was the closest he would ever get to something like The Warhol Factory。 Things might have been different had they not done the infamous Bill Grundy show which set the band on a course to crash and burn by making them Public Enemy Number One。And he makes a good point that the 1990's was the first time the Sex Pistols consistently played for audiences who wanted to hear them。 Prior to that their shows were in all the wrong venues， where religious kooks and rednecks did nothing but throw things at the stage。 The Pistols may be beloved now， but I don't think their music will ever be used in a car ad （at least not in America）。 It's just too bad that Jones and Rotten cannot coexist together for long。The Hulu show may have taken a lot of liberties with the timeline， but it was still pretty accurate。 。。。more
Bob Schnell
，
Watching "Pistol，" the FX/Hulu adaptation of this autobiography， made me realize that I had to read it。 Steve Jones is the founder of the group the Sex Pistols and he has a lot of stories to tell before， during and after their brief existence。 Not being very literate， he has learned to tell a good tale and it is obvious that this book was basically narrated （I wonder if he did an audio version？）。 The part about the Sex Pistols is a good counter-narrative to the movie "The Great Rock & Roll Swind Watching "Pistol，" the FX/Hulu adaptation of this autobiography， made me realize that I had to read it。 Steve Jones is the founder of the group the Sex Pistols and he has a lot of stories to tell before， during and after their brief existence。 Not being very literate， he has learned to tell a good tale and it is obvious that this book was basically narrated （I wonder if he did an audio version？）。 The part about the Sex Pistols is a good counter-narrative to the movie "The Great Rock & Roll Swindle" which was essentially Malcolm McLaren's view。 We also get to learn about Steve's childhood， his projects after the Pistols and his various struggles with alcohol， drug and sex addictions。 It is a wonder that he is still alive to talk about it。A good book and now I want to re-watch the show。 。。。more
Eddie Sangster
，
An amusing （in parts） account of the rise and demise of the Sex Pistols， together with a frank account of the author's ghastly childhood。 But once he gets past the death of his bandmate， Sid Vicious， the book becomes rather boring， and I found myself speed reading to the end。 An amusing （in parts） account of the rise and demise of the Sex Pistols， together with a frank account of the author's ghastly childhood。 But once he gets past the death of his bandmate， Sid Vicious， the book becomes rather boring， and I found myself speed reading to the end。 。。。more
Kate MacPherson
，
As far as rock biographies go， this one was definitely one of my favorites。 I find that most punk/rock stars either glamorize their bad behavior by thinking too highly of themselves or come across as holier than thou and omit the parts of the story that make them look bad。 But Steve did neither， he just told a reflective but entertaining story of one of my favorite bands， and I could not put it down。 It’s amazing how one studio album could have such an impact on the music industry。
Kevin
，
I had a lot of fun with this one。 I read this entirely in his distinctive voice， he has so many funny and interesting turns of phrases in this， I kept cracking up。 I'm sure the audiobook would be great but his voice in my head sufficed。 While focusing mostly on only one tenet of Sex Drugs and Rock n Roll， it's all in good fun and there is enough else here to enjoy。 Pretty surprised how it felt he almost breezed by the Pistols' touring era。 I guess anyone reading this knows the stories， but like I had a lot of fun with this one。 I read this entirely in his distinctive voice， he has so many funny and interesting turns of phrases in this， I kept cracking up。 I'm sure the audiobook would be great but his voice in my head sufficed。 While focusing mostly on only one tenet of Sex Drugs and Rock n Roll， it's all in good fun and there is enough else here to enjoy。 Pretty surprised how it felt he almost breezed by the Pistols' touring era。 I guess anyone reading this knows the stories， but like the Grundy incident， he doesn't even introduce it to someone who wouldn't be familiar， he's assuming everyone would know about it already。 My favorite part is him copping to liking big bands and really wanting the Pistols to be the best they can be。 I do like it when punks come out and say that they actually were trying hard to write great songs， play well， and record well。 His diss of the sound of the first Clash album made me laugh。 People who say the Pistols couldn't play are wrong of course （except for dumb Sid）。 Steve Jones' guitar tone on that record is in my top 3 of all time。 I'm so glad it wasn't sloppily recorded， it leaps from the speakers and love hearing his deviousness to get the right producer for the job。Anyhow， this is no great document of the Pistols' phenomena but a lot of great dirt and frank assessments of his life。 A+ 。。。more
Simon
，
Entertaining， refreshingly candid， and wonderfully nostalgic for someone who lived in Huddersfield and was 18 in 1976。My friend Jane was the first to pick up on the name Sex Pistols and we twice dragged out afternoons travelling on buses and trains to see them for them to be cancelled at the last minute。。。the only band I’d never heard that I’d travelled twice to see。。。 and the only band I’ve travelled twice to see that I never got to see。 Jane eventually tracked them down and became devoted to t Entertaining， refreshingly candid， and wonderfully nostalgic for someone who lived in Huddersfield and was 18 in 1976。My friend Jane was the first to pick up on the name Sex Pistols and we twice dragged out afternoons travelling on buses and trains to see them for them to be cancelled at the last minute。。。the only band I’d never heard that I’d travelled twice to see。。。 and the only band I’ve travelled twice to see that I never got to see。 Jane eventually tracked them down and became devoted to them for a while。A couple of years later the number of people in Huddersfield who were at the famous Christmas Day concert at Ivanhoes defied belief。。。and the capacity of Ivanhoes。 Richard Glover was a huge fan and spent many an evening trying to persuade me to listen to Sid Vicious’s My Way and we’d wander through the early morning streets out Manchester Road way singing “Friggin' in the Riggin’”。 Martin had a “If it ain’t stiff shirt” but I can’t remember him being too much into the Pistols。 We saw Huddersfield go punk with poet Evil Roman breaking beer glasses into his own face in The Wharf and The Killermeters in their early punk （pre Steve Dorril taking over as their manager and putting them into Parkas and mod-revival style） phase。 It was all very exciting。I had a good deal in common with Mr Jones。 A lack of respect for any form of authority， a desire to be drunk and a strong interest in sex as well as been drawn to music。 We too hated Genesis， Henry Cow and Steve Hillage and loved early Rod Stewart， The Faces （who we never saw）， Ian Dury and Bebop Deluxe （who we did）。 We never went punk but by the time Mohawks and safety pins reached Huddersfield （which it has never quite let go the fashion） the music had moved on。 We lost the flares but never really gave up the long hair and it was good to see the Jonesey joined us in this later on （by which time we’d either gone respectable or bald。。。or both。 Mind you， I always regarded Jones and Paul Cook as the heart of the Pistols and neither of them ever really went punk。 It’s still a treat to hear a Pistols song。 They really were extremely good and the music stands out even today。 Unlike Jane I was never a die-hard fan but I feel it yet another blessing to have been young and into music in the hot summers of 1975 and 76 and the slightly gloomier summer of 77。 。。。more
Matthew
，
Excellent
Diana
，
"One thing I've realized about myself when I was growing up is that I never asked questions the way other kids did。 I think I'd have felt like I was bothering someone， so rather than ask 'why？' if there was something I didn't understand， I just let it go and glossed it over。 It wasn't that I wasn't curious or didn't notice what was going on around me， but if I was confused about something I never expected anyone would want to help me。" -pg。 49-50 "One thing I've realized about myself when I was growing up is that I never asked questions the way other kids did。 I think I'd have felt like I was bothering someone， so rather than ask 'why？' if there was something I didn't understand， I just let it go and glossed it over。 It wasn't that I wasn't curious or didn't notice what was going on around me， but if I was confused about something I never expected anyone would want to help me。" -pg。 49-50 。。。more
Kevin Grinham
，
Felt like a true and honest insight to his life so far。 I Didn't realise he was more the back bone of the group than the obvious characters Felt like a true and honest insight to his life so far。 I Didn't realise he was more the back bone of the group than the obvious characters 。。。more
Joel Adamson
，