The Sex Pistols are reportedly locked in a fresh lawsuit over royalties.
Steve Jones and Paul Cook have filed papers suing their ex-bandmates John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) and Glen Matlock for breach of contract, as they believe they are owed money from the pair, court documents have revealed.
It’s also been claimed that the band members are no longer on speaking terms and only communicate through their lawyers, with an insider declaring The Sex Pistols “over once and for all”.
A source told The Sun newspaper’s Bizarre column of the suit: “The guys have always had a pretty fiery relationship, but sadly things are at an all-time low now.”None of them are speaking – only through lawyers – and each reckons the other is to blame for various things over the decades.
“As with most rows, money is the major factor here- Steve and Paul believe they have been denied royalties dating back years, whereas Glen and John think, if anything, they’re owed more money. They could counter-sue if needs be.
“There were chats about a reunion a while ago – but this is now off the table. The Sex Pistols are over once and for all.”
The legal case comes after Glen previously claimed leaving the Sex Pistols in 1977 left him “millions” of pounds out of pocket.
Asked how much it cost to leave the controversial punk rock group, he said: “A lot. Somewhere in the low millions. I couldn’t give you an exact figure. Who knows? But it’s not something I get up in the morning and moan about. It’s just what happened. At the time, money was the last thing on my mind.”
And the bassist insisted he was only ever paid £25 a week to be in the band until the royalties started flooding in.
He added: “My wage when I was in the band was only ever £25 a week. But then, a couple of years later, I started getting royalties. In 1979 I remember the letterbox rattled and in came a songwriting royalties cheque for £14,500 .And when we reformed in 1996 we did a reunion tour and I earned a lot from that. It worked out at £35,000 profit per person per show, and we did the best part of 100 shows, plus we’d get merchandising money and other things on top.”
Over the years, there have been several fallings out over royalties.
While, in 1986, the surviving band members received a £1 million pay-out in a High Court battle with their former manager Malcolm McLaren.
The Sex Pistols – which also briefly featured bass player and backing vocalist Sid Vicious, before his tragic death from a heroin overdose in 1979 – released just one album, 1977’s ‘Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s The Sex Pistols’.
Meanwhile, a new Sex Pistols TV series is on the way from Danny Boyle.
The explosive six-episode limited FX series is based on guitarist Steve’s 2018 memoir ‘Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol’.
The Sex Pistols formed in 1975 and disbanded after just two-and-a-half years together, but have reunited in various forms since.
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