Drifting Through The Streets - Episode 1 - Sex Pistols in Rotherhithe and The Crunchy Frog

[@robertneely4813]

I am the original Cruchy Frog person I found the warehouse around 1974 and leased it off the GLC .. yes the Sex Pistols started to practice there I jammed with them a few times Mc Claren used to some along in a green leather suit,, I'm amazed it went on for anothe 25 years ! There's more if anybody is interested ? I now live in Dorset and help run Shaftesbury Fringe .. cheers Rob Neely

[@ControlledWeirdness]

Hi Rob, thanks for commenting. Fascinating stuff and yes it would be great to hear more about the early days of the Crunchy Frog. What's a good way to contact you? My email is [e-mail] if you wanna message me. best, Neil

[@thecityoflivinglights]

In the spring of 1976 I hitched down from Blackpool for the Rotherhithe Free Festival. I arrived around 9.30 at night but there was no sign of the festival. I found a warehouse with some lights on and knocked on the door trying to find out where the festival was. So a girl opened the door and told me the festival wasnt until the following week. But she let me in. The first thing i saw was a man dressed as a blackbird sitting on a theatrical toilet reading a copy of the standard upside down. It was Ian Hinchcliffe the performance artist and i had walked into The Warehouse Theatre. The folks at the Theatre put me up for six months at their squat in Deptford and the next day I watched Ian eat beer glasses at a pub in Rotherhithe as he was want to do.

[@MikeIXWilliams]

Good one boys, love the Pistols info but also enjoy all the west London art/crime/experimental music history as well!!

[@pjmn55]

Thanks guys. An enjoyable hour spent listening to you both. Great to learn about some of the lesser known history of the city I was born in and love. Looking forward to the next one.

[@ControlledWeirdness]

Cheers PJ. Great to know mate

[@markgreet3543]

Ive got a huge collection, demos, soundchecks and lots more seen them 6 timescomeback tours, met glen and john, amazing band thanks for this guys, garden city was an early gig it does exist on a tape.

[@ControlledWeirdness]

Cheers Mark. You certainly know your stuff. Thanks for the detailed comments mate

[@markgreet3543]

@@ControlledWeirdness been a fan since 1980s, as im only 50.

[@brandonSpivey-vx4eu]

Low Culture and Vulgar. Fxckin perfect . Nice one Fellas . Respect from a northern bootboy I really enjoyed that and loved the way you have drawn links through the histories and scenes. P.S. Me and 5 others Squatted County Hall when the GLC Folded just as a stunt .We had a banner that said 'GLC Today , Parliament Tomorrow /No to all Government!!

[@ControlledWeirdness]

Cheers Brandon. Shouts to the County Hall squat crew

[@davewalker5706]

Thanks guys, great video, really interesting and not just the ‘Pistols stuff, am deeply interested in London history. I saw Johnny on his tour when he came here to Chelmsford back in May. Didn’t meet him personally but he was great!

[@ControlledWeirdness]

Cheers Dave. Glad you liked the deeper London history. We wanted to go off on some tangents and dig in to weird connections :) Check out my podcast "Tales From a Disappearing City" on the channel if you're interested in other subcultural stories of the city and beyond

[@louisacath2127]

This is so interesting. Looking forward to the next episode

[@ControlledWeirdness]

Cheers Louisa

[@markforster2794]

The photo shown at 39.18 showing the band playing the Incubus Theatre shows ‘Jesus’ dancing. He was a common sight around London gigs in the 70’s and can be seen dancing to the Pistols at the Nashville Rooms in early 76.

[@ControlledWeirdness]

Top piece of info there. Cheers Mark

[@andrewarthurmatthews6685]

Yes I met him in the 70’s and he was Tim Jellett or ‘Jesus Jellett ‘ and was a legend.

[@Transpontine]

Priceless! Paul Gorman has written about (that) Jesus. Recommend his MacLaren biography of course, think that's where I read the story about David Harrison cormorant spotting on the Thames!

[@DavidLuisMARCA]

There was a Jesus round our way - carried a cross, perhaps another Jesus. Imagine there were loads lol.

[@JohnnySmith.]

​@@DavidLuisMARCAYeah I suppose every town or village needs a Jesus 😂

[@20MetrePeter]

I now live in the old Waterside studios. Have heard some of these stories but very interesting to watch your video

[@ControlledWeirdness]

Thats great to hear Peter. Really glad you enjoyed it. Must have had a lot of resonance with you. I live round the corner in Surrey Quays and pass through that area all the time. If it is possible at all to visit you there I would love to do that after researching and talking so much about Waterside. It would be amazing to be in that space. If not no problem but thought I would ask. Cheers. Neil. My contact email is: [e-mail]

[@zydhockey]

Wasn’t what I expected ( dunno what I was ! ) but really enjoyed the history lesson ! Cheers 👍

[@ControlledWeirdness]

Glad it confounded expectations in a good way ;) cheers

[@PasqualeDeRosa-n1v]

Very informative, cheers.

[@flintmichigan1]

The Two Neils! Give em their own channel. Ha Ha They've got one already!!

[@markgreet3543]

Day by day lee wood book is good, and mal 1 book is amazing, ive got 60 pistols books love them all, i saw johnlydon question and answers recently, ive from leicester east midland, sids cousin lives there, and his old dear moved to south derby last few years of her life.

[@markgreet3543]

He was going to catch 73 bus back to finsbury park. Glad he choose pistols👍

[@davidgoodfellow2384]

It shows that 4 kids who didnt get on liked different music gelled together well the power of them 4 kids is over whelming

[@ControlledWeirdness]

The differences and friction certainly combined to make something truly special and unpredictable

[@markgreet3543]

Ive been norfolk pub west runton, pistols played there 1976, i went there 1989-1993 period found out a few months later, wehn i bought day by day book, john nearly had a fight at nashville with glen, he then walked off stage and malcy shouted get back or thats it rotten.

[@MysteryProductsLtd]

Crunchy Frog was also one of the flavours in a box of chocolates in a Monty Python sketch.

[@ControlledWeirdness]

Yeah we do mention this. Think the original animation company who first moved into the building named themselves after it

[@MysteryProductsLtd]

Apologies. I didn't end up listening to the rest of the video because the soundtrack came out louder than the narrator track on my device and I found myself having to strain to listen to the narration. Didn't want to mention that. The soundtrack is actually a really interesting sound and the story is good but the mix just seems to come out imbalanced through my device's speakers.

[@ControlledWeirdness]

@@MysteryProductsLtd No problem. Sorry to hear about the audio, not sure what happened there as seems to be fine on my devices

[@Vinnieman70]

It was “Bernie Rhodes” that accompanied Malcolm McLaren to Glasgow when they tried to tap up Midge Ure to join the Sex Pistols as Malcolm and Bernie also tried to sell Steve Jones’s nicked music gear to midge which jones stole from The Spiders from Mars gigs at the Hammersmith Odeon..😉

[@ControlledWeirdness]

Cheers for the info Vinnie. Always forget how much Bernie was involved with Malcolm in the early days

[@mjh5437]

@@ControlledWeirdness He even launched his own copycat boy band called The Clash😁

[@ControlledWeirdness]

@@mjh5437 True 😂

[@JohnnySmith.]

@@mjh5437 Tut Tut naughty naughty 😉

[@jonhelmer8591]

Derek and Clive do Punk Rock! I'm subscribed.

[@ControlledWeirdness]

Love the description :)

[@luggylugworm]

Peter Cook was asked to work on the Pistols film but didn't have time to do it.

[@ControlledWeirdness]

@@luggylugworm Might have been a better film if he had :) He was also on the So it Goes episode that Tony Wilson presented with Clive James in 1976 when the Sex Pistols played live on TV for the first time, maybe he connected with McLaren then

[@mjh5437]

@@luggylugworm I reckon Peter Cook was probably something of an influence on Johnny`s onstage persona.

[@SpectreAtTheFeast-sx8gq]

@@ControlledWeirdness Not forgetting 'Revolver'....

[@markgreet3543]

I liked all the post pistols songs, etc my way, friggin in the riggin, but again there was only one real band, never mind the bollocks simply is amazing and spunk demos are great as well, they sound very good on most of the bootlegs, glen was a very good bass player, lydon superb and articulate frontman loved his vocals, paul heavy drummer, steve an amazing guitar player. Sid was very basic but he was not bad at times, he had a good vocal on cm9n everybody, my way,and something else.

[@ControlledWeirdness]

I've got an OG copy of Spunk and its great! Rawer but more like the live shows

[@markgreet3543]

@@ControlledWeirdnessmy copy was no future uk, very good.

[@markgreet3543]

@@ControlledWeirdness my other copy was white but repress cd album etc.

[@markgreet3543]

​@@ControlledWeirdness ive also go spunk 7inch box set, colour vinyls, with a nice booklet a great item.

[@rdgrdg1632]

British punk started in west london

[@rdgrdg1632]

Ive followed the pistols since the start i have never. Heard of thiis story the crunchy frog

[@Transpontine]

Yes its not widely known but it is mentioned in Glen Matlock's book and also in Jon Savage's England's Dreaming