Bill Grundy | |
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Born | William Grundy 18 May 1923 Manchester, Lancashire, England |
Died | 9 February 1993 69) Stockport, England | (aged
Nationality | British |
Occupation | Broadcaster |
Known for | Today interview with the Sex Pistols |
Children | 6 |
William Grundy (18 May 1923 – 9 February 1993) was an English journalist and broadcaster. As the host of Today, a regional magazine programme on Thames Television in London, he gained national attention for an interview with the Sex Pistols in 1976, during which the band swore and traded insults with him on live television. The interview effectively destroyed Grundy's career, elevated the Sex Pistols to notoriety, and signalled the arrival of mainstream punk rock. [1]
The son of a foreman at Gorton Locomotive Works (Gorton Tank), Grundy was born in Manchester in 1923 and educated at the University of Manchester, where he read geology.
He began his career as a geologist and as a part-time journalist. When Granada Television began broadcasting in May 1956, Grundy auditioned for the post of newsreader, which at first he held in tandem with his geological work. During his time at Granada, he established himself as a reporter and presenter for the station's regional programming, including People and Places, Northern Newscast, Scene at 6:30 and Granada in the North, alongside such contemporaries as Gay Byrne, Chris Kelly, Michael Parkinson, Mike Scott and Brian Trueman. [2]
On the night of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Grundy anchored a late-night news special for the Granada region, alongside Mike Scott, who broke the story on Scene at 6:30 that evening. [3] He also fronted Granada's coverage of elections, the main political party conferences and the Trades Union Congress.
Grundy was also a producer at Granada, working on the long-running history series All Our Yesterdays and early editions of the current affairs programme World in Action .
In 1967, he produced a children's drama series, The Flower of Gloster (1967). The serial, about four youngsters who take a narrow boat from North Wales to London, was broadcast as a 13-part weekly series. Based on a 1911 book of the same name by E. Temple Thurston, it was Granada TV's first venture into colour. Grundy also wrote a book of the same name, basically an updated version of Thurston's original. [4]
As well as writing a regular column for Punch magazine, Grundy played himself in the 1974 film version of Man About the House , and hosted the Today show in London, after moving from Granada to Thames. In 1975, he presented an educational programme called The Land for Independent Television's schools and colleges programming.
Queen were booked for the Today show of 1 December 1976, but they cancelled their appearance at the last minute due to vocalist Freddie Mercury needing emergency dental surgery. They were replaced by the Sex Pistols, the punk band, appearing at short notice accompanied by their entourage. [1] [5] The show was broadcast live and uncensored on weekdays in the early evening, a time when spoken obscenities were forbidden.
The interview began with Grundy introducing the band, stating "they are as drunk as I am", although Grundy later denied being intoxicated during the interview to the press. [6]
The interview resumed following a playing of the music video for the song "Anarchy in the U.K.". Grundy was dismissive towards the band, speaking to viewers instead of directly to them and referring to them as "that group" in his challenging of what he felt was hypocrisy over the philosophy of punk. [7] Initially, he received mocking but relatively innocuous responses from bassist Glen Matlock. [7]
Grundy said "I am told... that that group... have received £40,000 from record company.... Doesn't that seem to be slightly opposed to your anti-materialistic view of life?" Matlock replied "No, the more the merrier." [7] When Grundy asked the band to explain further, Steve Jones quipped: "We fuckin' spent it ain't we?" Grundy did not comment on the profanity but responded "I don't know, have you?” Matlock said that the money had all gone "down the boozer". [7] Grundy then asked the band "are you serious?" in reference to their music, comparing them to musicians such as Beethoven, Mozart, Bach and Brahms. Johnny Rotten (John Lydon) sarcastically replied "They're all heroes of ours, ain't they?". When Grundy inquired further, Lydon went on, stating "Oh yes, they’re wonderful people, they really turn us on!" Grundy responded with, "What if they turn other people on?" to which Lydon dismissively remarked, "That's just their tough shit." When challenged by Grundy, Lydon said, "Nothing, a rude word! Next question." Grundy insisted that Lydon repeat what he had said. When Lydon did so, "shit", Grundy tauntingly retorted, "Good heavens, you frightened me to death," to which Lydon called him "Siegfried" as Matlock muttered that Grundy was "like [a] dad... or [a] granddad." [7]
Grundy then turned his attention to the female members of the band's entourage, known as The Bromley Contingent appearing with them and which included Siouxsie Sioux. He asked, "What about you girls, behind? Are you worried, or are you just enjoying yourself?" To which Sioux responded, "enjoying myself". Grundy responded "Are you?" to which she and Simone Thomas chorused "Yeah." Grundy responded "Ah, that's what I thought you were doing." That prompted a large exhalation from a band member. Sioux said, "I've always wanted to meet you", to which Grundy responded by saying, "Did you really? We'll meet afterwards, shall we?" [7] Interpreting this as a sexual comment, Jones began openly insulting Grundy, calling him a "dirty sod" and a "dirty old man." Grundy asked Jones to "say something outrageous", a challenge that Jones met by calling Grundy a "dirty bastard" and a "dirty fucker". [7] Grundy responded, "What a clever boy!" and Jones added "What a fucking rotter!" As the show ended and the credits rolled, Grundy mouthed, "Oh shit" as the band began dancing to the closing theme. [7]
Although Today was only a regional programme for London, it became a national story due to coverage and comment by the tabloid press. As a result, Grundy was suspended for two weeks. The head of programming for Thames, Jeremy Isaacs, described the incident as "a gross error of judgment" leading from "inexcusably sloppy journalism". The commercial television regulator of the day, the Independent Broadcasting Authority accepted the franchise holders' argument that the incident could not have been prevented. In his defence, Grundy said he had set out "to prove that these louts were a foul-mouthed set of yobs. And that is what I did prove". [6] Today was cancelled two months later. [8] In a 2008 poll conducted by FremantleMedia, at this point Thames' parent company, the Today show interview was the most requested TV clip ever. [9]
The broadcast harmed Grundy's television career. By 1979, he was presenting a book review programme, A Better Read, broadcast not in the early evening like Today, but on Sunday mornings. [10]
His slot on What the Papers Say in the early 1980s was his last on network television, although he continued to present on BBC North West on such regional shows as Sweet and Sour and The Lancashire Lads into the mid-1980s. He also appeared as an interviewer in ITV's adaptation of A Kind of Loving in 1982 and worked on school programmes for Granada, including a stint presenting Politics - What's It All About?.
In July 1986, Grundy was lead compere for the Festival of the Tenth Summer at the newly opened Greater Manchester Exhibition Centre (GMEX), a week-long celebration of the anniversary of the Sex Pistols' performance at the Lesser Free Trade Hall. Grundy was chosen for the role by organiser Tony Wilson, in a nod to the 'Today incident' and Grundy's association with the Sex Pistols. [11]
Grundy died of a heart attack at a nursing home in Stockport, [12] on 9 February 1993, aged 69. [13]
He had four sons and two daughters. [13] His son Tim Grundy was a radio presenter on Piccadilly Radio and Key 103, and a TV presenter, until his death in 2009.
Michael Parkinson, who worked with Grundy at Granada in the 1960s, described him as:
A difficult man to keep sober, but not to produce. He was one of the best front men I ever worked with...At his best he was a superb forensic interviewer...sadly, as his career drifted, he let drink overwhelm his personality. [14]
The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became one of the most culturally influential acts in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspired many later punk, post-punk and alternative rock musicians, while their clothing and hairstyles were a significant influence on the early punk image.
Public Image Ltd are an English post-punk band formed by lead vocalist John Lydon, guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble, and drummer Jim Walker in May 1978. The group's line-up has changed frequently over the years; Lydon has been the sole constant member.
Malcolm Robert Andrew McLaren was a Yemeni-born fashion designer and music manager. He was a promoter and a manager for punk rock and new wave bands such as New York Dolls, Sex Pistols, Adam and the Ants, and Bow Wow Wow, and was an early commercial architect of the punk subculture.
Simon John Ritchie, better known by his stage name Sid Vicious, was an English musician, best known as the bassist for the punk rock band Sex Pistols. Despite dying in 1979 at age 21, he remains an icon of the punk subculture; one of his friends noted that he embodied "everything in punk that was dark, decadent and nihilistic."
The Bromley Contingent were a group of followers of the Sex Pistols. The name was coined by Melody Maker journalist Caroline Coon, after the town of Bromley where some of them lived. They helped popularise the fashion of the early UK punk movement.
Glen Matlock is an English musician, best known for being the bass guitarist in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is credited as a songwriter on 10 of the 12 songs on the Sex Pistols' only officially released studio album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, although he had left the band early in the recording process, credited as bassist and backing vocalist on only one song on the album, "Anarchy in the U.K.". However, on the bootleg album Spunk, Matlock played bass on all the songs, which included earlier studio recordings of 10 of the 12 songs that later appeared on the Bollocks album.
Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols is the only studio album by English punk rock band the Sex Pistols, released on 28 October 1977 through Virgin Records in the UK and on 11 November 1977 through Warner Bros. Records in the US. As a result of the Sex Pistols' volatile internal relationships, the band's lineup saw changes during the recording of the album. Original bass guitarist Glen Matlock left the band early in the recording process, and while he is credited as a co-writer on all but two of the tracks, he only played bass and sang backing vocals on one track, "Anarchy in the U.K." Recording sessions continued with a new bass player, Sid Vicious, who is credited on two of the songs written by the band after he joined. While Vicious's bass playing appeared on two tracks, his lack of skill on the instrument meant that many of the tracks were recorded with guitarist Steve Jones playing bass instead. Drummer Paul Cook, Jones and singer Johnny Rotten appear on every track. The various recording sessions were led alternately by Chris Thomas or Bill Price, and sometimes both together, but as the songs on the final albums often combined mixes from different sessions, or were poorly documented who was present in the recording booth at the time, each song is jointly credited to both producers.
"Anarchy in the U.K." is a song by English punk rock band the Sex Pistols. It was released as the band's debut single on 26 November 1976 and was later featured on their album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. "Anarchy in the U.K." was number 56 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and is included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.
Stephen Philip Jones is an English guitarist, best known as a member of the punk band Sex Pistols. Following the split of the Sex Pistols, he formed the Professionals with former bandmate Paul Cook. He has released two solo albums, and worked with Johnny Thunders, Iggy Pop, Cheap Trick, Bob Dylan and Thin Lizzy. In 1995, he formed the short-lived supergroup Neurotic Outsiders with members of Guns N' Roses and Duran Duran. He played with Suicidal Tendencies frontman Mike Muir's Cyco Miko, which is still an ongoing project. Jones was ranked #97 in Rolling Stone's 2015 list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".
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"Pretty Vacant" is a song by the English punk rock band the Sex Pistols. It was released on 2 July 1977 as the band's third single and was later featured on their only album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, released during that same year. It is the first song written by the band.
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Warwick Alan "Wally" Nightingale was an English guitarist. He co-founded the band that went on to become the Sex Pistols.
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"Bodies" is a song by the Sex Pistols, from their 1977 album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols. The song tackles the subject of abortion with lyrics described as "some of the most uncompromising, gut-wrenching lyrics imaginable".
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D.O.A.: A Right of Passage is a 1980 rockumentary film directed by Lech Kowalski about the origin of punk rock. The rockumentary takes interview and concert footage of some of punk rock's earliest bands of the late 1970s scene. It features live performances by the Sex Pistols, The Dead Boys, Generation X, The Rich Kids, X-Ray Spex, and Sham 69, with additional music from The Clash, Iggy Pop, and Augustus Pablo.
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Today is Thames Television's first regional news magazine programme, shown in the London area from 1968 to 1977. It was hosted by Eamonn Andrews, Bill Grundy and others.
Pistol is a British biographical drama television miniseries about British punk band the Sex Pistols. It was created by Craig Pearce for FX and directed by Danny Boyle. The series follows Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones and the band's rise to prominence and notoriety. It premiered on FX on Hulu in the US and Disney+ in the UK on 31 May 2022.
You cannot do a job like I do without being sober.