Ex Pistols

The Ex Pistols, formed in 1979 by Dave Goodman were the first 'tribute' to the Sex Pistols after they had split. The band itself did not have a solid lineup until 1988, prior to that consisting of various session musicians and, occasionally, input from the Sex Pistols themselves (minus of course, John Lydon). The band caused a lot of confusion to fans at the time due to the sound-a-like music and misleading artwork that led people to believe they were actually new or lost Sex Pistols recordings.

The Swindle Continues

The first Ex Pistols release Land of Hope and Glory was a punk alternative to the old English classic, Land of Hope and Glory by Edward Elgar, using a mix of synth, guitar, drum, bass and vocals. Not only did it confuse fans but it also caused legal trouble between Goodman and publisher of the original piece, Boosey & Hawkes.

After appearing on numerous Sex Pistols albums with songs like "Schools Are Prisons" and "Revolution in the Classroom", the band re-appeared in 1988 with a new album in Japan, The Swindle Continues, made up of Ex' and Sex' tracks. It came in the form of a double picture disc collectable LP, and was also released in plain vinyl form (and later, CD). A single also surfaced a year later.

In 1992 the "Swindle" tracks would surface again on a limited copy promo LP, Deny LP. The album consisted entirely of original Ex Pistols tracks, and was never merchandised but instead, given to fans of the Sex Pistols or left in Virgin stores with a "Free" sticker, much to customer's confusion.

A short while before he died, Dave Goodman had released a new album, "Denial of a Good Man" via his website, featuring remixed versions of some songs from the Deny LP, a video to the song "Don't Fear", and a version of Anarchy in the UK by the Sex Pistols with rewritten lyrics, named "Wedding Day".

After a quiet pause, the Ex Pistols have recently resurfaced with the release of a DVD - "Chaos! - Ex Pistol's Secret History - The Dave Goodman Story", produced by Phil Strongman. The name was given due to copyright reasons, and although it does not actually mention the Ex Pistols, there is a selection of footage available. The soundtrack is mostly made up of Ex Pistols tracks from the Deny LP, and there are a number of tracks available to listen to as DVD extras ("Don't Fear", "Schools are Prisons", "We're Dancing On The Dole", "The Great British Weekend" and "Flowers of Romance"). At the beginning of the film itself there are also segments of footage from the video of "Don't Fear".

The band's material is not once linked to the name "Ex Pistols" on the DVD. Instead, all tracks are credited to "Dave Goodman and Friends".

Connections to the Sex Pistols

While it resembled (and actually was) a shameless copycat band, the Ex Pistols had no more connection to the original band than Goodman being the sound manager for their albums and live performances, but Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock played on two songs from the Deny LP and co-wrote Happy Families. His excuse is the timeless "I was drunk."

John Lydon on the other hand was not so forthcoming. After recently winning the rights to the Sex Pistols music and documentation from Malcolm McLaren and Glitterbest, he was outraged by Dave Goodman using the band's name and image to promote "inferior recordings" to cash in on their name and tarnish the Sex Pistols' reputation, and for using their photographs and likenesses on the Ex Pistols' records without permission. This includes the Land Of Hope And Glory 7" single (which has the Sex Pistols' figures on the disk, albeit with their faces crossed out), the Revolution In The Classroom single and The Swindle Continues. The image on the sleeve of the Deny LP is not actually Johnny, rather Ex Pistols associate Tony Barber (of the Buzzcocks), who uncannily resembles John Lydon.

After a lawsuit ensued, Dave Goodman was banned from producing anymore records made to look or sound like Sex Pistols recordings. The Ex Pistols next album, Denial Of A Good Man, was put on indefinite hold and the band changed their name to Dave Goodman & Friends. After that they re-released one more single entitled Justifiable Homicide (originally released in August 1978 and made commercially available and available for download on Dave Goodman's website) and recorded and released a music video for Don't Fear, segments of which were featured on the Chaos! The Ex Pistols' Secret History DVD. All the manufactured Denial Of A Good Man CDs were sold through Dave's website. The band has since delved to complete and utter obscurity but rumors abound of the existence of unreleased tracks such as "Fascist Regime". Dave Goodman's estate are unable to release further Ex Pistols material, but no other band members face this restriction, leaving open the possibility of future releases.

Until the time of his death in 2005, other than Glen Matlock, the Sex Pistols would have nothing to do with Dave Goodman and refused to have contact with him at all, though he was willing to continue working with them and make new releases.

Band members

Dave Slave - vocals
Alan Lee - guitar, vocals
Dave Goodman - bass guitar, vocals
Bryson Graham - drums

Former members

Dave Spiers (not Blak Twang or Tony Barber) - vocals
Steve Jones - guitar
Del Bartle - guitar
Glen Matlock - bass guitar
Paul Cook - drums
Andy Boreman - drums
Dave MaCintosh - drums
Kevin Murphy - drums
Dave Rose - keyboards

Discography

Release Type	Year Released	Title	Label	Country of Release
12" Single	1984	Land of Hope and Glory	Virgin Records	France
7" Single	1984	Land of Hope and Glory	Virgin Records	UK
12" Double LP	1988	The Swindle Continues	VAP	Japan
12" Promo LP	1992	Deny LP	Mandala Records	UK
Promo CD	2000	Denial of a Good Man	Vagina	UK