Unpublished interviews with The Clash, Sex Pistols, Vivienne Westwood and Adam Ant will finally see the light of day in Punk: The Last Word, a new book celebrating 50 years since the genesis of punk.
Written by Chris Sullivan and Stephen Colegrave, the book gathers more than two decades of unheard conversations with the people who made punk what it was.
Joe Strummer, Paul Simonon, every member of the Sex Pistols, Vivienne Westwood, Jordan and Adam Ant all feature. It also reveals the true story behind the Sex Pistols’ first gig at Central Saint Martins in November 1975 and includes Strummer’s last ever interview.
The book also features rare, previously unseen photographs by Leee Black Childers, including portraits of David Bowie, Billy Idol, Lou Reed and John Lydon.
Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream called it “the definitive book on punk”. Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock described Sullivan as someone who’s lived it all, “from the shabby stowaways of the valleys to the hotspots of Soho.”
Punk: The Last Word follows Sullivan and Colegrave’s best-selling Punk: A Life Apart. This new volume looks at punk as more than a music scene.
The book tracks that energy through centuries of counter-culture, from bohemians and Beats to McLaren, Westwood and the chaos of the 70s. It moves through reggae, 2 Tone, the Blitz Club and early hip hop, showing how punk never stayed in one place.
Sullivan knows that world firsthand. As the founder of the Wag Club and a member of Blue Rondo à la Turk, he helped shape London nightlife and gave a platform to outsiders long before the mainstream caught up. Colegrave, now editor of Byline Times, brings his journalist’s eye to the story, documenting the movement’s raw, political energy.
Published by Omnibus Press on 6th November 2025, Punk: The Last Word lands on the 50th anniversary of the Sex Pistols’ first show.
(Featured image: Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood, Credit: Leee Black Childers)
Editors’ Picks
- Chris Sullivan
- Joe Strummer
- Leee Black Childers
- Omnibus Press
- Punk
- Sex Pistols
- Stephen Colegrave
- The Clash
- Vivienne Westwood
