Queen drummer Roger Taylor recently opened up about the time Queen and the Sex Pistols crossed paths in the studio. He shared his memories of the period in a recent interview with Louder Sound.
Taylor recalled how Queen and the Sex Pistols ended up recording in the same studio during the making of “Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols.” He credited producer Chris Thomas for shaping the record’s final sound.
“I really loved the Pistols album. It was [made with a] great producer, mate of mine, Chris Thomas,” Taylor said. “Because we were in the same studio for a while in 1976-77, somewhere around there. They were doing their first album, and it was dreadful at first until Chris came in and made a great record.”
The drummer went on to describe a memorable encounter between Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. He then drew a sharp contrast between Vicious and Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon.
“Sid put his head in the studio and said: ‘Hello, Freddie, are we bringing ballet to the masses?’ And Freddie said something like: ‘Oh, Mister Ferocious, we’re doing our best here…'” Taylor continued. “John [Lydon] was alright, actually. He was quite a character. We got on quite well. It’s just that Sid Vicious was such a d*ck.”
Taylor’s comments offer a rare glimpse into the unlikely overlap between two of the era’s most influential bands.
The sessions Taylor described took place at Wessex Sound Studios. Queen were tracking material that would become “News of the World” there while the Sex Pistols were cutting their debut.
Chris Thomas was the producer Taylor singled out for turning the Pistols’ record around. Queen had also worked with Thomas, making him one of the few figures with direct ties to both camps during that Wessex overlap.
Sid Vicious joined the Sex Pistols in February 1977, replacing original bassist Glen Matlock, despite reportedly not knowing how to play the instrument at the time.
John Lydon later admitted he had misgivings about bringing Vicious into the fold, saying his old friend became isolated within the band and was not, in his words, “the sharpest knife on the block.”
That tension inside the Pistols’ camp lines up with the picture Taylor paints from the outside looking in: a band in flux, with Vicious already cutting a disruptive figure before the record was finished.
