The Sex Pistols

The Batlord · 02-05-2022, 02:32 PM

We don't do much.

rostasi · 02-05-2022, 04:22 PM

“Bodies” is Lydon looking at both sides of the abortion issue. It came
about because the band kept getting visits from a psychotic woman named
Pauline who would freely come and go from the asylum where she was supposed
to be living (actually, she lived most of the time in a treehouse just outside of it).
Anyway, she apparently was, at times, raped by male staff there and one time
showed up at Lydon’s house wearing nothing but a see-through plastic bag
and carrying another bag with a fetus in it (she was later arrested at a club when
she showed up there with it too). That was the impetus for the song. You mix in
the fact that Lydon’s “mum” had many miscarriages and since John
was the oldest, he was tasked with tossing out the, sometimes visible, body parts
in a bucket at a toilet just outside the house. He’s talked about having to flush
them a number of times to get the parts fully down the toilet. So, the only song
on the album that has Sid playing bass comes from a pretty traumatizing
experience for Lydon. He’s also said that the song is more “pro” than “anti” abortion,
but this was many years ago before he became an idiotic right-wing tool.

SGR · 02-05-2022, 04:29 PM

rostasi with the goods! Thanks for the insight!

The Batlord · 02-05-2022, 05:01 PM

I was aware of the Pauline story and thought he was mining it for shock value but not the mother thing. That's crazy if true.

Queen Boo · 02-05-2022, 08:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rostasi

“Bodies” is Lydon looking at both sides of the abortion issue. It came
about because the band kept getting visits from a psychotic woman named
Pauline who would freely come and go from the asylum where she was supposed
to be living (actually, she lived most of the time in a treehouse just outside of it).
Anyway, she apparently was, at times, raped by male staff there and one time
showed up at Lydon’s house wearing nothing but a see-through plastic bag
and carrying another bag with a fetus in it (she was later arrested at a club when
she showed up there with it too). That was the impetus for the song. You mix in
the fact that Lydon’s “mum” had many miscarriages and since John
was the oldest, he was tasked with tossing out the, sometimes visible, body parts
in a bucket at a toilet just outside the house. He’s talked about having to flush
them a number of times to get the parts fully down the toilet. So, the only song
on the album that has Sid playing bass comes from a pretty traumatizing
experience for Lydon. He’s also said that the song is more “pro” than “anti” abortion,
but this was many years ago before he became an idiotic right-wing tool.

Oh yeah I remember this story now, I blocked it from my mind, thanks for reminding me.

02-05-2022, 04:22 PM	#362 (permalink)
rostasi . Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 4,007	“Bodies” is Lydon looking at both sides of the abortion issue. It came about because the band kept getting visits from a psychotic woman named Pauline who would freely come and go from the asylum where she was supposed to be living (actually, she lived most of the time in a treehouse just outside of it). Anyway, she apparently was, at times, raped by male staff there and one time showed up at Lydon’s house wearing nothing but a see-through plastic bag and carrying another bag with a fetus in it (she was later arrested at a club when she showed up there with it too). That was the impetus for the song. You mix in the fact that Lydon’s “mum” had many miscarriages and since John was the oldest, he was tasked with tossing out the, sometimes visible, body parts in a bucket at a toilet just outside the house. He’s talked about having to flush them a number of times to get the parts fully down the toilet. So, the only song on the album that has Sid playing bass comes from a pretty traumatizing experience for Lydon. He’s also said that the song is more “pro” than “anti” abortion, but this was many years ago before he became an idiotic right-wing tool.

02-05-2022, 04:29 PM	#363 (permalink)
SGR No Ice In My Bourbon Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: /dev/null Posts: 4,327	rostasi with the goods! Thanks for the insight!