Animation City | Multi-cel composite for The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, c. 1978

Animation City

Multi-cel composite with painted background for The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, c. 1978

(400 x 320mm.), Animation City and promotional label to reverse, framed

This multi-cel composite shows Johnny Rotten being attacked by thugs down an alley off Oxford Street. This refers to an incident which took place over Jubilee weekend, 1977, when Johnny Rotten was attacked, along with Chris Thomas, in the car park of the Pegasus pub, near the Wessex recording studios [England’s Dreaming pp.365- 366]. It was reproduced in the Italian promotional poster for The Great Rock ’n’ Roll Swindle film.

Subsequent to his split from the band, John Lydon refused to take part in the film. As a result Glitterbest decided to construct a small number of animated sequences to aid in the reconstruction of the story of the Sex Pistols. Apart from short sequences of concert footage Johnny Rotten only appears in the film as an animated cartoon character.