Books with title Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol

Ask anyone who knows about music, and they'll tell you: Without Steve Jones punk rock would not exist. This is not hyperbole. No Steve Jones, no punk rock. Period. The prototypical street urchin turned Sex Pistols guitarist was the sole inspiration and creator of the punk movement that began shaking the culture in late 1970s London and is just as strong today. A pervasive air of gloom and coal smoke hangs over Jones' memoir, Lonely Boy, which is set mostly in working-class London of the '60s and '70s. For the first time ever, he'll illustrate a moment in time when the actions of a loose association of people became the full-fledged punk scene we know so well today. Legendary artist and trendsetter Malcolm McLaren took in the young Jones after noticing him hanging around the sex boutique McLaren owned with his then girlfriend, Vivienne Westwood, on Kings Road in Chelsea. By then Jones was basically homeless, stealing anything and everything to support himself and scratch his itch for theft. He would frequently pop in to McLaren's legendary shop. McLaren was so fascinated by Jones' rough background, wardrobe choices, attitude toward authority, and general aura that he created a cultural movement around it. And so the Sex Pistols, and with them punk rock, was born. Included in the audiobook are never before told stories of sexual abuse Steve suffered at the hands of his stepfather, stories of petty crime and acts of perversion he perpetrated as a young boy in London, the sadness of never knowing his real father (and then meeting him in a tale that bookends this narrative nicely), the early days as a Pistol, breaking into the music business, and how the hell a band with one album meant so much to so many people. Jones will also bring listeners up to speed on his more recent exploits, such as hosting a legendary radio show on KROQ, Jonesy's Jukebox; beginning an acting career by playing Krull on Showtime's Californication; his recovery from both sexual and substance addictions; and his attempts to fall in with the hair metal crowd of the Sunset Strip in the 1980s. You may be asking why Steve has waited until now to write his memoir, and you wouldn't be wrong in asking that. The thing is, I'm not sure we have a good answer. He just feels like now is the time, that most of what he wants to and will achieve in his life has happened, and his current existence lends itself to reflection and sharing. He hopes to do that with listeners the world over. There's also still an intense appetite for punk rock everywhere you look, and he'd like to educate some young people on where it all started, from the guy who inspired the whole scene. No topic is off limits in this grimy, streetwise memoir.

Without the Sex Pistols there would be no punk. And without Steve Jones there would be no Sex Pistols. It was Steve who, with his schoolmate Paul Cook, formed the band that eventually went on to become the Sex Pistols and who was its original leader. As the world celebrates the 40th anniversary of punk--the influence and cultural significance of which is felt in music, fashion, and the visual arts to this day--Steve tells his story for the very first time.Steve Jones's modern Dickensian tale began in the street of Hammersmith and Shepherd's Bush, West London, where as a lonely, neglected boy living off his wits and petty thievery he was given purpose by the glam art rock of David Bowie and Roxy Music. He became one of the first generation of ragamuffin punks taken under the wings of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood.In Lonely Boy, Steve describes the sadness of never having known his real dad, the abuse he suffered at the hands of his stepfather, and how his interest in music and fashion saved him from a potential life of crime spent in remand centers and prisons. He takes readers on his journey from the Kings Road of the early '70s through the years of the Sex Pistols, punk rock, and the recording of "Anarchy in the UK" and Never Mind the Bollocks. He recounts his infamous confrontation on Bill Grundy's Today program--the interview that ushered in the "Filth and the Fury" headlines that catapulted punk into the national consciousness. And he delves into the details of his self-imposed exile in New York and Los Angeles, where he battled alcohol, heroin, and sex addiction but eventually emerged to gain fresh acclaim as an actor and radio host.Lonely Boy is the story of an unlikely guitar hero who, with the Sex Pistols, transformed twentieth-century culture and kick-started a social revolution.

With a foreword by Chrissie HyndeIn Lonely Boy, Steve Jones tells his story for the very first time, describing the sadness of never having known his real dad, the abuse suffered at the hands of his stepfather, and how his interest in music and fashion saved him from a potential life of crime. He takes readers through the recording of "Anarchy in the UK" and Never Mind the Bollocks, recounts his infamous confrontation on Bill Grundy's Today program, and delves into the details of his self-imposed exile in New York and L.A. where he battled alcohol, heroin, and sex addiction but eventually emerged to gain fresh acclaim as an actor and radio host.Lonely Boy is the story of an unlikely guitar hero who, with the Sex Pistols, transformed twentieth-century culture and kick-started a social revolution.

_____________________Foreword by Chrissie HyndeWithout the Sex Pistols there would be no Punk. And without Steve Jones there would be no Sex Pistols. It was Steve who formed Kutie Jones and his Sex Pistols, the band that eventually went on to become the Sex Pistols, with his schoolmate Paul Cook and who was its original leader. As the world celebrates the 40th anniversary of Punk – the influence and cultural significance of which is felt in music, fashion and the visual arts to this day – Steve tells his story for the very first time. Steve’s modern Dickensian tale begins in the streets of Hammersmith and Shepherd’s Bush, West London, where as a lonely, neglected boy living off his wits and petty thievery he is given purpose by the glam art rock of David Bowie and Roxy Music and becomes one of the first generation of ragamuffin punks taken under the wings of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. For the very first time Steve describes the sadness of never having known his dad, the neglect and abuse he suffered at the hands of his step father, and how his interest in music and fashion saved him from a potential life of crime spent in remand centres and prison. From the Kings Road of the early seventies, through the years of the Sex Pistols, Punk Rock and the recording of Never Mind the Bollocks (ranked number 41 in Rolling Stone magazine’s Best Albums of All Time), to his self-imposed exile in New York and Los Angeles where he battled with alcohol, heroin and sex addiction – caught in a cycle of rehab and relapse – Lonely Boy, written with music journalist and author Ben Thompson, is the story of an unlikely guitar hero who, with the Sex Pistols, changed history.

_____________________Foreword by Chrissie HyndeWithout the Sex Pistols there would be no Punk. And without Steve Jones there would be no Sex Pistols. It was Steve who formed Kutie Jones and his Sex Pistols, the band that eventually went on to become the Sex Pistols, with his schoolmate Paul Cook and who was its original leader. As the world celebrates the 40th anniversary of Punk – the influence and cultural significance of which is felt in music, fashion and the visual arts to this day – Steve tells his story for the very first time. Steve’s modern Dickensian tale begins in the streets of Hammersmith and Shepherd’s Bush, West London, where as a lonely, neglected boy living off his wits and petty thievery he is given purpose by the glam art rock of David Bowie and Roxy Music and becomes one of the first generation of ragamuffin punks taken under the wings of Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood. For the very first time Steve describes the sadness of never having known his dad, the neglect and abuse he suffered at the hands of his step father, and how his interest in music and fashion saved him from a potential life of crime spent in remand centres and prison. From the Kings Road of the early seventies, through the years of the Sex Pistols, Punk Rock and the recording of Never Mind the Bollocks (ranked number 41 in Rolling Stone magazine’s Best Albums of All Time), to his self-imposed exile in New York and Los Angeles where he battled with alcohol, heroin and sex addiction – caught in a cycle of rehab and relapse – Lonely Boy, written with music journalist and author Ben Thompson, is the story of an unlikely guitar hero who, with the Sex Pistols, changed history.