Some of John Lydon‘s handwritten lyrics to Sex Pistols songs are going on auction – find out more below.
In 1977, Lydon – aka Johnny Rotten – penned the lyrics to two Sex Pistol hits, ‘Holidays In The Sun’ and ‘Submission’, on a single sheet of paper when putting together the band’s one and only album ‘Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols‘.
Now, that sheet of paper with Lydon’s handwritten lyrics is being auctioned off for RR Auctions. According to the auction listing on the RR Auction site, the sheet is currently going for $30,800 after 14 bids, but is estimated to fetch up to $80,000. Bidding for the sheet closes at 6pm EST (11pm GMT) on November 21. You can check out the listing and make a bidding here.
Sex Pistols in 1978 CREDIT: Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
Lydon’s handwritten lyric sheet also includes the discarded lyric “A cheap holiday in other people’s misery” at the top corner. The lyric sheet is the spotlight item in RR Auction’s Marvels of Modern Music sale, which also includes a copy of ‘With The Beatles’ signed by all four members, a signed copy of Queen’s ‘A Night At The Opera’, a custom Prince guitar and more.
Most recently, Frank Carter and Sex Pistols’ Glen Matlock, Paul Cook and Steve Jones recently joined forces to perform ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ in its entirety on a run of UK concerts.
Lydon did not participate in the shows. The musician lost a lawsuit against his former bandmates in 2021. Earlier this year, Lydon said he thought immigration had created “division and animosity” in the UK.
However, Lydon and his band Public Image Ltd (PiL) have announced a UK and Ireland headline tour for 2025. Tickets go on general sale at 10am GMT this Friday (November 15) – you’ll be able to buy yours here. An O2 Priority pre-sale is scheduled to go live at the same time tomorrow (Wednesday November 13).
PiL’s ‘This Is Not The Last Tour’ 2025 UK and Ireland dates are:
MAY
22 – O2 Academy, Bristol
23 – Stone Valley Festival South, Ware
24 – O2 Academy, Bournemouth
29 – Birdwell, Barnsley
30 – Boiler Shop, Newcastle
31 – Epic Studios, Norwich
JUNE
12 – 3Olympia, Dublin
13 – Dolan’s Warehouse, Limerick
14 – Depot, Cardiff
26 – White Rock, Hastings
27 – Stone Valley Festival Midlands, Newark
28 – O2 Academy, Oxford
JULY
03 – O2 Academy, Leicester
04 – Engine Shed, Lincoln
05 – Guildhall, Portsmouth
30 – Leadmill, Sheffield
31 – Roadmender, Northampton
AUGUST
01 – Picturedrome, Holmfirth
07 – Rebellion Festival, Blackpool
08 – Stone Valley Festival North, Durham
09 – Empire, Coventry
15 – City Hall, Cork
16 – Putting The Fast In Belfast, Belfast
Lydon will then head out on another UK and Ireland spoken word tour next autumn.
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