Just finished watching...

...the mini-series "Pistol" by director Danny Boyle.

This entertaining look at the formation of punk's most influential and recognizable band, The Sex Pistols was directed by Boyle ("Trainspotting," 28 Days," "Slum Dog Millionaire") who lived through this period in England and can helm such a rock and roll biopic with knowledge. The series is based on The Sex Pistols' guitarist Steve Jones' 2017 autobiography LONLEY BOY: TALES FROM A SEX PISTOL and features Toby Wallace as Jones. While it is fun to see Wallace and fellow actors Anson Boon as Johnny Rotten, Jacob Slater as Paul Cook, Christian Lees as Glen Matlock, and Louis Partridge as Sid Vicious, what I found particularly delightful is seeing actors portray the people in The Pistols' orbit...we get to see Sydney Chandler as Chrissie Hynde, Thomas Brodie-Sangster as Malcolm McLaren, Talulah Riley as Vivienne Westwood, Maisie Williams as Jordan. We even get to see flashes of Siouxsie Sioux, Soo Catwman, Billy Idol, and Pete Farndon. And regular readers will know that I am a fan of fashion and fashion history so of course it was a thrill to see Westwood and McLaren's shops recreated: first as Sex, then later rechristened Seditionaries, down to the correct lighting and graffiti on the walls.

If you know this part of rock and roll and cultural history, it's fun to see these references, but I will acknowledge that if you are younger and not familiar, the series does not do a great job of giving you clues as to who these peripheral people are much less delving into the social, economic, and political conditions that gave rise to a movement such as Punk. I guess that can be seen as both a flaw but also a feature in that Boyle and crew and cast simply recreated, understanding that this particular incarnation of the story of The Sex Pistols was not for a deep anthropological study. What we do get is a fast-paced romp through the early days, formation, and rise of the band, told in six episodes, each titled "Track:______" and bearing the name of one of The Sex Pistols' songs. And each actor does a wonderful and thorough job of capturing, through voice and body and facial mannerisms, exactly who each of these historical musical figures were.

Recommend? Yep, great fun. Like I said, if you know the history (or were around for it like I was), dive right in and enjoy. If not, you might want to do a little concurrent research to pick up on the events and personalities that go flying by.

https://www.fxnetworks.com/shows/pistol