Herein find letters to the Sex Pistols from their fans, written during their heyday, and recorded for posterity (and a good laugh) by Fred and Judy Vermorel.


P|_Asti|<Man
12.29.95
**********************************


'FIRE UNDER THEIR BUMS' LETTERS FROM FANS

Dear 'Sex Pistols'!
	There are writing to You, two young, nice and rather fine girls from Poland. What do you think about it? We hope this is the first letter You have got from such an egzotic country like Poland. There's a cold and dark night behind us, we are drinking coffee and writing this letter to You. Our names are B___ and C___.   In Poland, 'punk rock' isn't known very well, but we know quite a lot about You, though we haven't heard any of Yours compositions (songs), yet; but we have heard a lot of goods of yours. Though You aren't known very much, but we'll believe that you'll be famous very soon as for instance: Jimi Hendrix. We are very sorry that we're dared to ask You, but we would like to know, why You are called 'Sex Pistols'. And now something about our hobbies. C___ likes: babies, long hair, play tennis (have You heard about Fibak - he's her ideal), hippies, and she is able to play drums very well and she is in a platonic love with ex-Deep Purple guitarman - Ritchie Blackmore. I like: cats, dogs, golden fishes, speedy motor-cycles, spaghetti and I'm able to play the guitar quite well and I am in a platonic love with Mahavishnu John McLaughlin. We are seventeen years old, we are rather poor girls and we still go to school. We like You as the boys, though we have never seen You, but Your faces seem us very nice and though we don't know You, we think that You are very fine boys. We hope You understand our English, we are very sorry for the mistakes, but we've written this letter as best we could. We are really very sorry. Now we are finishing this letter, and we ask You to remember our words or our oracle: we believe we'll be very famous and you'll be able to go to Poland and we'll be able to come to your concert. If you can, please write us, it will be a great pleasure for us.



 Shandy Street,

 London E1

 5. 4. 77



Dear Glitterbest.

	Maybe I'm stupid & don't have the right connections or something but how come nowadays I only get to hear the Sex Pistols playing after the actual event? I want to be childish & scream 'It isn't FAIR!' at you - well, after all, you do like to get to see your favourite group once in a while! It's rather ironic  after McLaren going on & on about giving 'the kids' what they want - since when has he given a real thought to 'the kids' and not just himself & the Pistols image? I'm sick of being patronized! And you too reading this letter will be smirking away cos it's not Your problem. Maybe I'm self-pitying, maybe I'm misinformed, but I can't help not being as hip as all you lucky people 'in the clique' (& talking of cliques, when is no. 2 of your in-crowd mag Anarchy coming out?) So what if you & Malcolm & Johnny couldn't care less about me, I don't mind, all I want to know is, will the Pistols be doing any more 'secret' gigs in the near future? There are still people who like to go to see rather than be seen, cos they are the greatest group in the world. Please, isn't it possible to let us know via the press rather than the whispered word, when they are appearing? Are they scared of anyone turning up who isn't 'one of them'?
Anyway, despite all the shit going round, here's my best wishes & all the luck in the world - hope they get signed up again soon & nice things start happening.
Yours sincerely & frustratedly, 

Molly Gilligan




Shandy Street, 

London E 1 

18. 8. 77 



Dear Fred & Judy V.,
	Of course you can quote my letter & I'm not such a shrinking violet as to wish it to be anonymous, as long as you don't put it out of context and make me look an old cunt.
I'm glad you're writing a book about the Pistols. I hope it won't be sanctimonious twaddle like Caroline Coon though & you'd better not make Rotten into the fab far-out messiah. If I can be of any assistance, just drop a line, but actually now I come to think of it I can't see any reason why you should want to. The only out of the ordinary experience I had was going to see them in Leeds on the Anarchy tour, which was a right balls-up, everybody loathed them. Leeds is where I come from originally and I can tell you, it's where the thickest cretins in England are bred (ooh, I don't mean ME!)
Oh yeah, I once got my hand cut up at the 100 Club but that must be fairly common.
I'm right pissed off with not being able to see the Pistols. I was going to Sweden last month but some villain nicked my savings. HUH! I also got sacked once for being a Pistol's fan and 1/2 throttled by a Ted. What a wonderful incident packed life I lead eh?
You must be bored stiff with this letter so I'll pipe down now. 

Molly Gilligan

 P.S. Make sure you say what cunts McLaren & Westwood are



. . when are the pistols coming to Hull?

If they can't find anywhere to play, they can come and play at our house, it's only a council tenancy but still I'm sure they won't mind.

OK

Keep rocking

S. R. Mc. D





  Cubbran

  Gwent



Dear Paul,

This letter is from Estel, (remember me from the Caerphilly concert). I don't know if you've read my first letter yet, but I thought I'd write you another one anyway . . . I know you left my phone number in the hotel, so here it is    , just in case you fancy giving me a ring sometime.

On Wednesday night, I had a phone call from someone who staying at the Park Hotel, he must have seen the piece of paper that I wrote my telephone number on, and he asked me to meet at my house at two o'clock in the morning. I was a bit worried, he must have been a nympho. He said that he knew me but when my sister answered the phone, he did not know which Estel to speak to (as my mums name is the same).

Hope you had a good time in Holland and I hope you get some gigs in Britain soon, because if you do Laura and I would like to go. As soon as you find out, you can either give me a ring or write to me, to tell me. I would appreciate that very much. I wish that I could have made it to the Plymouth concert, but I couldn't make it, which was a pity because Laura was lumbered with Jeff Spanner all the time. He keeps hanging around us, which is a bloody nuisance because people think that, either Laura or I go out with him (so when you see Steve Jones, perhaps you could mention that). The next time you have a concert, Laura and I are coming without Jeff Spanner, and that will make things quite a lot easier. Neither Laura or I have ever been out with Jeff Spanner and don't intend to. All the boys around here make us sick as Jeff Spanner and we are only interested in you two (i.e. you and Steve Jones) don't laugh about what I've just told you because it's true, all the boys in Wales sicken us. We hope that we get another chance to stay in your hotel again. Show this letter to Steve, because Laura wants you to.

Laura and I have now both got ten copies each of Anarchy in the U.K., and we play them all the time, we can't wait for you to bring out an album.

So, goodbye for now and don't forget to tell me if you play anywhere.

Lots of love and kisses from

     ESTEL    XXXXXXXXXXXXX

P.S. Don't forget to give me a ring.



Ampleforth College, 

Near York



. . . It's really great to know that some people outside Yorkshire realize 'Public School' boys aren't just young 'farts'. A bloke in my house called R____   sez he knows you and sends his regards.

Hardly anyone else is into New Wave. I've even tried to start a group but no one caught on! However there are the faithful few.

Some monk saw the last issue [of 'Anarchy' mag] and tried to find out your address. He also told me to take off the Pistols badges I was wearing. However don't judge them all on that 'cos he was a nurk of the first degree. Give my thanx to the secretary in the office . . .





Hallo Sex Pistols!

I am a 16 years old German girl. I am 171 cm tall, have grey-green-blue eyes and brown hair. I have read your interview in 'Bravo', and I have thought: Gretel, you must write these boys, which have fire under their bum. I like boys, motor-cycles, cars and riding. I hate tedious people who only look in a newspaper or a book. I like to hear music from: KISS, ELO, SAILOR, RICK Dees + Cast of Idiots and also your music. Are you so sexy as your name? If there is any way to meet you, please write it. I am not such a girl, who say I love you or without you I can't live, but I want to speak with you. I have momentary no boyfriend. I wait for the right boy, and I have time. Have you girl-friends? I am ready with school, and now I work. I make an apprenticeship in an law-court. It's a job like an secretary. My friends say it is not the right job for me, I must become an actress because I have the mouth and talent for that. But now I make an end. Please write back to me. Good-bye.

Gretel 

P.S. I wait from now every day for the postman.







Dear Glitterbest,

I am just writing to see if you are still in existence. I am still heartbroken over the Sex pistols choice to break up, I know everyone says they done the right thing but I dont think so. They let the councils win before we all gathered enough people to shout for the pistols. I havent had the chance to see the pistols, now I dont suppose I ever will, it just isnt fair. All my mates are taking it very casually but I cant, I feel as if the bloody world has stopped turning cos you hardly hear anything about the pistols nowadays. I'll love them forever I guess. I really don't know why they're all picking on Sid because it seems to me that he was the only one keeping up the usual Pistols spirit in America. I thought he looked beautiful with his face and chest covered in blood. I honestly think Johnny changed more than anyone else. I mean well this bodyguard business shows he was the one who was turning himself into a rich important star, and I've loved the pistols since he was the cheeky bugger that swore at bill grundy (he doesn't deserve Capital letters) that's the way I liked Johnny. Arrogant with his fixed opinions, but these days he is polite spoken and he talks a load of rubbish, well I think he does cos I collect everything I see with pistols written across it and he can say something one minute and completely change his mind and say the opposite the next. Now what am I, the fan, supposed to believe? I think he's really frightened now and I feel really sorry for him, there will always be a place in my heart for Johnny Rotten. I wasnt lucky enough to be born in London and see the sex pistols in the early days.
Please send me some of those gorgeous glossy pics of the everlasting Sex pistols. I collect them, and I would be very grateful, I've enclosed an SAE. By the way thanx Sue for phoning me back at a telephone booth and talking to me when I needed someone. Anyone who says the pistols are dead are Morons. THE PISTOLS WILL NEVER DIE.
PLEASE PLEASE REPLY- thanks. 

Shirley X