guerra, paula; moreira, tânia (2014) - i've seen you in the mirror when the story began. legacy and...

I've seen you in the mirror when the story began . Legacy and authenticity of the Sex Pistols in Portugal

Paula Guerra | IS-UP, CEGOT, GCCR, KISMIFTnia Moreira | IS-UP, KISMIF

8th midterm Conference of the European Research Network Sociology of the Arts 4 6 September 2014, Cluj Napoca, Romania

WHY SEX PISTOLS? Sex

Pistols are rooted in the

concept of punk, they mean

the punk in its globalized

cultural form.

I've seen you in the mirror when the story beganLegacy and authenticity of the Sex Pistols in Portugal

OBJECTIVE: To understand the impact, influence and legacy of the Sex Pistols in the line of work of Savage (2002) or Marcus (2000).

BUT to understand the importance and impact of a phenomenon confined to a global mediascape in their local, non-anglo-saxonic, aspects.

- Focus on the Portuguese case -

Punk is not only English, but Portuguese, Spanish or Taiwanese.

The current and previous representation of the Pistols

The legacy of the Sex Pistols in punk and in Portuguese society

The importance of the band in the question of authenticity and market

The Pistols and the spreading of the Do It Yourself (DIY) concept

The importance of the Pistols in the ever unfinished construction of mainstream and underground


We try to understand the following questions:

110 in-depth interviews to key punk actors- different social classes, geographical dispositions, ages, professional

categories and gender

Classical content analysis - nVivo

Elaboration of clusters of connection to the Sex Pistols by our interviewees - Social Network Analysis


Methodology


Who are our interviewees?

Gender %

Female 12,73

Male 87,27

Age %

17-22 7,27

23-28 10,91

29,34 29,09

35-40 20,00

41-46 12,73

47-52 12,73

53-58 7,27

Academic Degree %

Second Cycle of Primary Education 3,77

Lower Secondary Education 11,32

Incomplete Upper Secondary Education

11,32

Upper Secondary Education 33,96

Incomplete Bachelor Degree 20,76

Bachelor Degree 16,98

Master Degree 1,89

Local of residence %

Ave 1,82

Baixo Mondego 3,64

Cvado 1,81

Grande Lisboa 50,91

Grande Porto 18,18

Oeste 1,82

Pennsula de Setbal 10,91

Tmega 7,27

Out of Portugal 3,64


Sex Pistols in Portugal

1976 | Through the radio and voice of Antnio Srgio

Compilation Punk rock 77, New Wave 77 Antnio Srgio edits The Sex Pistols (with the track God Save the Queen) in Portugal for the first time

1979 | Official release of the album Never Mind the Bollocks Heres The Sex Pistols

Antnio Srgio (1950-2009) was an important radio host, radio producer, DJ, record editor and specialist who gave relevance to leading and innovative pop and rock music artists.


Sex Pistols in Portugal

Late 70s and early 80s | punk started being publicized in the Portuguese media:- radio shows of Antnio Srgio- periodical publications (Msica & Som, Rock Week,

and the newspaper supplement Se7e)

Spreading the movement | Concerts of punk bands at bars and discotheques- important moments of trade in cassettes and fanzines

Pistols in Portugal | new universe of possible musical, aesthetic, juvenile and ideological ways

Sex Pistols punk or punk as Sex Pistols?


Talking about Sex Pistols is therefore speak of a triad which includes:

(a) music: the punk of the Sex Pistols was:- very simple, direct style of music- sought to go against the technical mastery of prog-rock- brought the music back to the streets, to little rooms and stages and gave back to music its reason of being: the attitude, communication and simplicity.

(b) aesthetic: the punk of Sex Pistols was:- nihilistic and shocking, attempting to break rules and barriers. Thus, it was usual to find people with dyed hair, extravagantly colored clothes, cut up ties, spikes, Doc Martens, and with certain habits namely alcohol and drugs.

c) attitude: the punk of Sex Pistols was: - punk who wanted to counter the hippie philosophy of life, a philosophy of not-acting. - which did what they liked and contested what they did not. It was a mainstream band in the midst of the underground, some say.

Sex Pistols - Positions and conceptions

Like (77,5%) Dont like (22,5%)

True Admirers (50%)

The Critics(22,5%)

The conquered (2,5%)

The ashamed admirers (2,5%)

Declared dislikers(17,5%)

Faster and younger (5%)


Far from being a consensual, universally acclaimed band

Among our interviewees one can find a wide array of positions and conceptions of the band

This categorization includes positionings not only related to the music or the clothes, but to the band as a creator of collective and subjective identity in punk

Sex Pistols stands out from the rest andbrought something new to music

They opened the door to what would betheir long journey in punk, as fans ormusicians

The True Admirers (50%)


At a starting point, when they wereyounger, they did not like the band, butas time passed they started expressingsentiments of respect and admiration forit considering the Sex Pistols acornerstone of the punk movement


The Conquered (2,5%)

The second most representative amongthe actors of portuguese punk

Liking the Sex Pistols is a complex limboof love and hate

They appreciate the band and its musicalwork but they condemn their attitudes

Contradiction, a feeling of duality whichso perfectly adequates with the band!

The Critics (22,5%)


They feel a certain shame in expressingto their friends and peers their liking ofthe band, because Sex Pistols are oftenassociated with mainstream andcommercial ideals, being sometimesquestioned as truly belonging to thepunk movement

The Ashamed Admirers (2,5%)


What leads some to like the Sex Pistols,makes others detest them

Several interviewees who state they hadno influence whatsoever from the group,and, thus its a band which they do notlike particularly

Its a band which was moved forcommercial and economic interests,being ambiguous

As time passed they got furtherdisillusioned with the band, and whatthey are today

The Declared Dislikers (17,5%)


Younger interviewees, who refer to not liking theSex Pistols because they are looking for fastersounds, musically speaking they are fans ofhardcore

Acknowledgement and respect of all that the bandmeant and created inside the punk movement

The Faster & Young (5%)


Punk

The Sex Pistols

Sold out sell-outs?- a constant debate between what is authentic and what has sold-out

What is authentic?

What is has sold-out?


The very foundations of the movement are called into questionSex Pistols are seen as an incorporated product of the mainstream?

IN PORTUGAL:

1. Most of the interviewees (73%, including the true admirers) talk of the Pistols as a mainstream and commercial band, which contributed to the banalization of punk.

1.1. Some (50%) consider that the selling out was something which started with band itself, with some (17%) arguing it was the manager who created the product, and others (22%), in a reading of autonomy of the band, that it was the Sex Pistols themselves who played the record labels. Others (11%) even see the connection between the Sex Pistols and the labels as an inevitability, since in those days the record labels held a tremendous amount of power, and any band with any sort of fame would be swallowed by them (some say, as a say of controlling anti-system bands).

1.2. Other interviewees (22%) consider that the Sex Pistols only surrendered to the mainstream after signing with EMI, or after the death of Sid Vicious, in the sense that they do not see as right that they continued to make money with a project that, for them, had already finished, and had only released one album.

2. Some (28%), however, understand and respect the reasons which led the Sex Pistols to connect to the music industry (in the sense that everyone seeks to have their work recognized), considering even that their signing with the label did not mean a loss of authentiticy.


Sold out sell-outs?

The majority of the interviewees (80%) believe that if the Sex Pistols had not signed with a major label, punk would not have had the impact it did

- The band reachs more countries (including Portugal), and more people

The connection of The Sex Pistols to the major labels was crucial for the unraveling of the punk movement


Sold out sell-outs?

As the years went by, the importance of the Sex Pistols has changed.- Depletion of the punk of the Sex Pistols: the defense of a self which is different from the rest loses its sense when the self stops being self and becomes a us; when the us comes to be, there is the need for a they society which is necessary to transform.

Sex Pistols end in the 70s!

Sex Pistols are a sort of explosion, so they could not last forever. Its a logical process: an explosion doesnt last forever.

The Sex Pistols could only last if they had had an evolution, in musical and content terms

To continue to be creative and critic, it is necessary to be connected to what is happening in society; otherwise the project can only last for so long

Life, dead and metamorphosis: Sex Pistols as landmark


Sex Pistols are regarded as a mythical band, an essential band, and a reference to those about to be initiated on the punk world

Life, dead and metamorphosis: Sex Pistols as landmark


But...opinions seem to converge when talking about the maintenance of the Sex Pistols as a reference and historical marking

Thank you!

[email protected]

http://www.punk.pt/pt/

guerra, paula; moreira, tânia (2014) - i've seen you in the mirror when the story began. legacy and...

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