Lonely Boy

Tales from a Sex Pistol

By: Steve Jones

Narrated by: Steve Jones

Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins

Publisher's summary

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 listeners 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 20th-century culture and kick-started a social revolution.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2017 Steve Jones (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Criminally Addictive....

Where does Lonely Boy rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 5 of all time.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Lonely Boy?

The stories of his childhood, dealing with re-hab, and his struggle with the band.

What about Steve Jones’s performance did you like?

His delivery was perfection. All of those years of radio prepared him well. It was honest, authentic and credible.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

My extreme reaction was addiction. I couldn't turn it off until I finished it. I was humbled by his honesty and touched by his recovery.

Any additional comments?

I'm still reeling from how incredible this book was. I'm trying to determine whether or not I'm surprised. He's always been an incredibly unique and talented character, whether it be from the standpoint of a musician, actor, radio personality and now author....so I suppose it is in his blood. I loved it though...I really, truly loved it.

I pre-ordered the audio version from Audible.com. Hearing him tell his own story, accent and rhyming slang included, makes the book all that more authentic and credible.

I started at 4 in the morning on the date of its release and skipped work to finish it about ten hours later. I couldn't put it down. It is so well written and so well executed. The last book I couldn't put down was "Diary of a Rock n' Roll Star" by Ian Hunter and I was 15 then. That's not to say that I don't read...lol...I finished both Springsteen and Sebastian Bach's books this month. They were both very good, but neither compared to this. It's like the horse that comes in first at the Kentucky Derby...the second and third place finishers were only fractions of a second behind...but the winner seems to be in a class all it's own.

I don't want to give anything away and I had too many favorite parts of Lonely Boy to mention anyway, but I will tell you that he does an amazing job of shining light in the darkest corners of his life and bringing clarity and understanding to a number of crushing events that many of us have experienced in our own lives. All of those parts were really, really cool.

In a nutshell, Steve Jones has a lot of wisdom now...feels kinda funny to say that about a Sex Pistol....but, he does. It hasn’t changed him much on the outside though. He’s still as funny, still as shocking and I imagine will remain as wickedly entertaining until the day that he is ‘Brown Bread’ himself.

Forget giving it a 10...this one goes to 11 for me.

Love Steve Jones Even More Now!

I've been a long time fan of Steve Jones'. I listen to Jonesy's Jukebox, have all of his albums, devoted to his Instagram account and now... This book humanized him even more. I could listen to this over and over! To be honest, I've even purchased the print version. If you're a fan of his, or of punk or of life - do yourself a favour and get this book!

Much better then I thought it would be.

A behind the scenes look we would otherwise never get to know of. How the h@ll did this happen? Read on. Thanks Steve.

Great Story

Thank you Steve for doing this in your own words! Loved every minute and couldn't wait to hear the next. Good job at creating a life you're now proud of. And thanks for rocking me through my angry youth! There's no other band like The Sex Pistols. You truly changed the world!

Steve Jones Is Magnificent

love the story, and the performance. listened to the Johnny Rotten book and decided I might as well check out Steve 's. and wasn't disapointed!

Very entertaining but could be more interesting

Love Jonesy's performance, humor, and perspective. Some parts are not engaging or too vague.

really wonderful

thank you Steve, enjoyed your book immensely; your candor and honest opinions are very much appreciated by this reader.

great book read by the author

as a long time pistol fan I must say this book was awesome. the fact that Steve read it himself is only a plus.

Honest, raw, brave, and funny account by a legend

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Steve Jones about his life. It’s such a raw and honest account. He keeps it real, even when it’s not pretty. What a legend!

Long on charm, short on details

Loved Jonesie's Cockney wit and accent. He's a fun raconteur, but because of the drugs, he doesn't have the recall that you'd want for an in-depth look at his life and times. He never falls in love, never has any longterm relationships, yet includes several photos of important women in his life in the attached photo album. He started therapy late in life, so self-reflection is new to him, but I think a ghostwriter could have helped him fill in the blanks. Or he could have done what Nikki Sixx did for his book, ask friends to write short essays on those moments that he couldn't remember well. If you liked 'Pistol', you'll like this source material, but his podcast is better.