Rating: 
Summary: No Blacks, No Irish, No Chronological Order!
Review: Having just finished it, I have no idea what happened when. One minute Sid's dead, then he's alive, then he's dead, then he's alive etc... it all gets rather confusing. Biographies / auto biographies should have some kind of order. This book was assembled in a rather hap-hazardous way. Quotes from different people just stuck in anywhere for the sake of it. There's also a lot of childish pettiness. And why so much pommy-bashing? Being British working class is what helped make the Pistols so cool. This new film that's just been released about the Pistols sounds like a better 'document' on the band. Ok i'll admit I didn't quite make it to the end, but it's not a bad read...
Rating: 
Summary: Rotten to the core
Review: Here Lydon gives his version of the turbulent days of the Sex Pistols plus an insight into his childhood days spent in North London. At the age of 37 when this book was published, Lydon hadn't changed much: burping through a book-signing session, he still despised authority and laughingly concedes that Diana and Fergie had succeeded in what the Sex Pistols first undertook with their mocking version of God Save The Queen: to put a nail in the coffin of the royal family: 'Back in the 1970s we were the only ones who dared to criticize the establishment, especially the royal family. Before then it was practically unheard of.' Even music's royal family gets their share of flack. In a Daily Mirror article, freespeaking Lydon labeled the likes of Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney 'social climbers', branded Elton John 'a fat buffoon' and called Bowie 'a pompous prat.'
Rating:
Summary: Enlightening
Review: History is written by the winners and as such is always one sided. Refreshingly, though, there are enough first hand narratives in this book from numerous people both friends with and not friendly with Johnny Rotten who were there when punk rock was born to give a refreshing, enlightening, but sometimes conflicting and confusing account. As egotistical and difficult as John Lydon is, you have to give him credit for including chapters from people who describe him very unflatteringly. There is great coverage of the background of the band members, the conflicts, events, concerts, and breakup of the Sex Pistols -- perhaps too much. After a while I was hoping the book would hurry up and move on. But the book only covers the Sex Pistols' 15 minutes of fame and chaotic aftermath, not much info on Public Image Ltd. or the 16 years between the band's breakup and the writing of the book. Overall, an interesting read and probably better than any other book since everyone in the book was there seeing punk's birth (and afterbirth). No other book that I know of can offer such a first hand account.
Rating: 
Summary: How about "No Rotten Revisionism"
Review: I agree with the review below. You have to know something about the punk scene of the 70's, otherwise Lydon will con you. It's mostly damage-control.For example, in the book Lydon laughs at the Clash for "starting off so mad" at their gigs that they got knackered halfway through. "We were smart enough to pace ourselves," he claims. The truth is, the Clash stole a lot of the Pistols' audience because of their superior speed and energy. They played with such fury they made the Pistols look like a buncha hippie folk singers. It wasn't a matter of being smart; Lydon's band just wasn't as strong. That's just one instance. The rest of it will be irritating to the British reader because it's very anti-British, and meretricously American-friendly. Lydon squirms his way out of the debate on where punk originated--London or the States. Odd for such a proponent of candor and self-expression. Buy it for a cheap laugh only if you've got the real scoop already.
Rating: 
Summary: Nothing New, Incoherent, Boring
Review: I am a Sex Pistols and PIL fan. I can remember hearing Never Mind the Bollocks for the first time in 78 when I was 15 years old. I've read Greil Marcus's book. I've read Glen Matlock's book. I own the DVD of the Filth and the Fury. So, I was a familiar with the territory when I bought the book. But, I never imagined that Johnny's version would be boring, boring boring. I know the authors/editors were trying to make this like an oral history from the participants. I assume they thought this would make old territory interesting. It doesn't. This book is often a random jumble of paragraphs that jump through time the way 80 year old people talk. It's worse than just printing a series of interviews because here there are no questions. It's just a bunch of stuff thrown together so badly that even if there were something new, there's no one to put it into perspective.
The conclusion I've reached and my advice to all Pistols fans is, "There was the one album. It's one of the best ever. But, there's nothing more. Listen to the record for whatever meaning it has for you. And that's it. No one else has anything new to offer.
Rating:
Summary: Sad reading!
Review: I am sorry to say that this book was a major disappointment. I think it has no focus and deals with too many petty things ...and that's too bad.
Rating:
Summary: Very Funny
Review: I found this to be highly entertaining and well worth checking out. It's less an autobiography than just Lydon writing about his take on things throughout his life. Lydon himself is very funny and I found myself enthralled by his writing, which is more of a stream-of-conscience technique. All of the stuff on the whole Sid and Nancy fiasco is especially fascinating. I see some reviewers complaining about his errors or how this isn't very well done for an autobiography. This isn't the be-all, end-all of books on the punk scene, nor is it meant to be. And as an autobiography, it's kind of a hodge-podge. But, one shouldn't take it as a straight story and just read it. The only real complaint I have of this book is that he devotes too many chapters for other people's scribblings. If he would have just kept it down to his writing only, it would have been much more captivating.
Rating: 
Summary: rotten
Review: i rarely like a book, but this was one of the best books ive ever read. it cleared up alot of questions i had on the pistols, and johnny. good pictures too..
Rating:
Summary: truth? who cares
Review: i read it a while ago, so i don't remember it that well, but i enjoyed it very much. especially references to HAWKWIND
Rating:
Summary: I never wanted to put it down. A very good read.
Review: I read this book cover-to-cover without reading anything else during that brief time, and this was during a final exam period in law school. I was 12 years old and living in London when I first saw the Pistols on Top of the Pops, and the image made deep and profound impression on me and my brother. The book cleared up a lot of misconceptions I had about the band and particularly about Lydon and McLaren. It made Lydon more 3-dimensional character in my mind and made me realize what an interesting study he is, not just as a rock icon, but as a person. It also made me realize that "The Great Rock'n'Roll Swindle" movie was little more than an exercise in low-budget self-aggrandizement by Malcolm McLaren. Apparently, Lydon is in possession of no less than 250 hours of film footage of the Pistols to which he won legal rights. I desperately hope he puts his talents to work in producing something from this archive in the not too distant future. The book left me with the desire to meet the man some day and have a talk over a pint (I'll buy, and I won't feel cheated). The book feels brutally honest, and is consequently painful to read at times, but I would urge anyone who feels permanently affected by the Pistols era to read it. It makes you realize how, had the creativity and imagination of the sheep-like public not been so limited, a movement sparked by a piece of rare art and originality might not have been snuffed out before it had a chance to catch fire.
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