INTRO: Who are the Sex Pistols? When did they play?

What type of music did they play? What are their

famous songs? Where did they come from? Who is Johnny Rotten? How successful were they?

THESIS: The Sex Pistols could not have succeeded without singer and lyricist Johnny Rotten, who
provided the stage presence, poetry, and authentic working-class rage that galvanized the group’s
English audiences.

I. If it weren’t for Johnny Rotten’s stage presence, the Sex Pistols would not have succeeded.
a. How he performed (illustration, description): how he sang, how he moved, jumped in
the crowd, took off shirt.
b. Talk to fans—quotes from fans, survey of fans. Sex Pistol fan page, VH1 documentary.
Quote from a fan: “Johnny Rotten’s stage presence is what made me go to the
concerts.” “Johnny Rotten is the reason I kept going back.”
c. Biography of Johnny Rotten
d. Magazine articles about the Sex Pistols
e. Fan reactions to Rotten on stage (pictures, videos, magazine articles, books)
II. Not only was it his stage presence, but Johnny Rotten’s poetry also helped make the Sex
Pistols successful.
a. Examples of his lyrics