Backstage Pass Decades Of Sex – JD DeCosta (1)

They were laughing, talking shit, and winding each other up. Steve Jones looked over at Lydon and said, “Hey John, are you sure you did all those cardio workouts I told you about? From the looks of it—well, old chap—it doesn’t look like it.” Lydon fired back without missing a beat: “Well, looky who’s callin’ the kettle black,” jabbing a finger into Steve’s big belly.

After that bit of ribbing, their crew gave the signal—it was go time. The Roxy curtain was down, Bolle started turning off the house lights, and the crowd’s roar was building like a damn freight train. I gave the hand signal to start, and in all the chaos, Bolle somehow forgot to kill the bright stage lights. The curtain began to rise. I started flashing my flashlight and yelling to get his attention, but the place was deafening—no one could hear or see a thing. Halfway up, Lydon yelled out, “Bloody hell!”

and they ripped straight into the opening chords of “Holidays in the Sun.” Like a volcano blowing its top, the crowd went completely unglued— singing so loud you could barely hear Lydon’s mic. Right at that instant, Bolle realized the white lights were still blaring. In one motion, he killed them and fired up the colored light show.

The effect was actually perfect—bright white glare to total darkness, then an explosion of flashing reds just as Lydon started snarling: “A cheap holiday in other people’s misery… I don’t wanna holiday in the sun, I wanna go to the new Belsen…” Yeah, he forgot a few lyrics, but nobody gave a damn. For most of that room—and definitely for me—this was the first time seeing the Sex Pistols live.

I didn’t know a single person in the music business who’d ever seen them before they broke up in ’78. They only played a handful of shows and did a short-lived, completely disastrous U.S. tour in ’77, so for a lot of us, this night was history. The crowd was throwing drinks, and I got splashed a few times standing at my spot next to the stage.

It was unreal. Lydon bantered with the audience—sometimes insulting them, sometimes dropping sharp, witty takes on life, politics, and whatever else popped into his head. He was on a magic carpet ride, and this felt like his full-throttle comeback to the world.

All photographs © JD DeCosta unless otherwise credited. Images are used for editorial and illustrative purposes only. Any resemblance or reference to real persons or events is presented as part of the author’s personal experiences and does not imply endorsement. Some images have been artistically altered or redacted for privacy and creative effect. This is a work of nonfiction. Events are portrayed to the best of the author’s memory. Certain names, locations, and identifying details have been changed to protect privacy.

No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise—without the prior written permission of the publisher, except as permitted under U.S. copyright law for brief quotations in reviews or articles. Book cover ©2025 by JackBrandoMedia LLC Jacket design ©2025 by Stonehouse Press UK Foreword ©2025 Kevin Estrada For inquires/permissions: [email protected] First edition, 2025 Published by Stonehouse Press UK Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data DeCosta, JD (Musician, author) Backstage Pass: Decades of Sex, Drugs, Tragedy, and the Darker Side of Rock & Roll : a memoir / JD DeCosta.

Description: First edition. | Stonehouse Press U.K., 2025. | Memoir / Personal narrative. Identifiers: ISBNs: eBook 979-8-9932316-0-0 Paperback (Amazon) 979-8-9932316-6-2 Paperback (Ingram) 979-8-9932316-1-7 Hardcover (Amazon) 979-8-9932316-5-5 Hardcover (Ingram) 979-8-9932316-3-1 (audiobook) 979-8-9932316-2-4 (special signed edition) 979-8-9932316-4-8 Subjects: LCSH: DeCosta, JD—Anecdotes. | Rock music—United States—Anecdotes. | Music trade —United States—Personal narratives. | United States—Social life and customs—20th century— Personal narratives.

| Sunset Strip (Los Angeles, Calif.)—Social life and customs. | Hollywood (Los Angeles, Calif.)—Music. LCGFT: Personal narratives. | Memoirs. Classification: ML419.D46 A3 2025 (print) | DDC 787.87/166092 [B]—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2025920875 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The “mad dog” quote is from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, screenplay by Eric Roth. © Paramount Pictures/Warner Bros. All rights reserved by the copyright holder. 1kitap1.com/en DISCLAIMER This memoir is a work of nonfiction.

It reflects the author’s personal experiences from 1996 to 2011 at the Roxy Theatre, Whisky a Go Go, and other venues, along with earlier insights from 1989 onward in the music industry through his roles as a production, stage, hospitality, and general manager, and as a signed major-label artist and musician. The events and conversations described are based on the author’s recollections to the best of his memory. Some details—including dates, timelines, and dialogue—have been reconstructed, condensed, or paraphrased for clarity and narrative flow.

While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, others may remember the same events differently. This book represents the author’s perspective and truth. It is not intended to defame, malign, or harm the reputation of any person, living or deceased, or any organization or entity. Any errors or omissions are unintentional.

This is a short excerpt from the opening of “” by Unknown, quoted for review and introduction purposes. All rights belong to the copyright holders.

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• Title: –
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• ISBN: 9798993231600, 9798993231662, 9798993231617, 9798993231655, 9798993231631, 9798993231624, 9798993231648
• Pages: 280
• Language: English (en)

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