Steve Jones Stole Bowie’s Gear. Bowie Laughed.

Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones has confirmed what many had suspected for decades: yes, he did steal David Bowie’s gear.

But no, he doesn’t regret it. Yes, Bowie knew. And yes, it involved a stolen minivan and some snoring guy in the fourth row.

In a new interview with The Guardian, Jones revisited the now-mythic 1973 heist, which took place after a Ziggy Stardust & The Spiders From Mars show at London’s Hammersmith Odeon. With the band set to return for a second night, the gear was left on stage. That’s when Jones made his move.

“I was like the Phantom of Hammersmith Odeon,” he said. “So I tiptoed across the stage and nicked some cymbals, the bass player’s amp head, some mics… I got Bowie’s microphone with his lipstick on it.”

As for Bowie’s reaction? “He thought it was funny,” Jones recalled. “I don’t think I nicked anything off him, really. The only ones I felt bad for were Woody [Mick Woodmansey] and Trevor Bolder.”

Jones eventually made things right with Woodmansey on-air during his own radio show. “I told him live: ‘I nicked some of your cymbals.’ He goes, ‘Give us a couple hundred bucks.’ I gave him $300. He was well happy.”

It’s exactly the kind of story you expect from Jones equal parts chaos and charm. The guy’s still out here cracking jokes and stealing the spotlight, even in his 60s.

The guitarist recently returned to the stage with Paul Cook, Glen Matlock and new frontman Frank Carter for this year’s Teenage Cancer Trust shows. The updated Pistols lineup landed harder than most expected. You can catch some of the footage from the performance below.

“Frank’s got all the energy, and us old farts can just jam at the back,” Jones said. “I was ready to pack it in, but this is fun.”

If you missed it, Blunt recently caught up with the band earlier this year for a wide-ranging chat covering everything from the Arctic Monkeys to cancel culture, and what punk actually is.

And yes, they’re bringing it to Australia soon. Full dates are coming—start prepping your voices now for ‘Bodies’. Or maybe just lock up your microphones beforehand.