EPB-E01-S3 EPB-E01-S3 6 www.thisisbristol.co.uk Thursday, July 15, 2010 Thursday, July 15, 2010 www.thisisbristol.co.uk 7 Music STEVE HARNELL crosses swords with John Lydon to talk about the upcoming visit of the reactivated Public Image Ltd, and why Green Day will never be on the iconic punk figurehead’s Above, the final Sex Pistols live show at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco in January 1978; right, joining John Lydon in the new line-up of Christmas card list Public Image Ltd are Lu Edmonds, Bruce Smith and Scott Firth ver get the feeling my friends. The label would say: ‘we work through this emotional trauma. wear some tight black jeans and a Lydon’s never been too far away “I don’t think it is. I didn’t write reunions over the past you’ve been cheated?” can’t sell that. These people are “Yes, that’s true, and here I am being studded belt. Weeeee.’ Well it’s not from controversy over the last 30 God Save The Queen because I decade-and-a-half, Lydon hopes that E all unknowns.’ If they just had a little asked about Malcolm McLaren by punk. It’s manufactured and years. He’s been criticised for wanted to destroy England. Quite the he can produce fresh songs for PiL asks Johnny Rotten at trust in me then they would have other people. It’s dreadful. They just contrived.” appearing on I’m A Celebrity Get Me opposite. It was to get rid of that over the next year. the end of the Sex Pistols’ found they were onto an earner! want to talk about a manager from With many of the rock dinosaurs Out of Here – “I did it for charity! idiotic regime that was just living off “With the Pistols, it was a John’s ready to “Initially, Richard Branson wanted the past as if my real life is of no still stalking the planet –Rick Bloody hell, boo hiss, what a its laurels and daydreaming about a celebration of my ancestry, of my gig at the Winterland me to take some time off and reform interest. Wakeman and Jon Anderson from sell-out!” he protests in mock false empire. That had to go, but that heritage. And there’s nothing wrong Ballroom in San Francisco. with [Sex Pistols’ bandmates] Steve “I had serious trouble with my dad Yes are a questionable highlight of exasperation. “Tell that to the didn’t mean you gave up being with that. It’s a joyous event. That’s It’s January 14, 1978, and the Jones and Paul Cook in a group over the years. But my God, I lost my the forthcoming gig season in Bristol orphanages and the animals that British. what gave me my start and I’m singer has seen the seminal punk called The Professionals. It was best friend. So much was left –does Lydon ever think that punk needed care and attention.” “While I’m still paying tax for extremely grateful for that. band and totemic figures of awful. It would have been two steps uncleared. failed as a concept? He’s also taken some stick for those people I’ve got every right to “Once I get out of PiL mode then I disenfranchised youth fall apart at backwards for me at that time. “I leave myself open to having the “No, good luck to them. It’s more appearing in Country Life butter comment. It’s called freedom of might be able to go back and write the seams during a notorious and “I’d done the first PiL album and p*ss taken, but I wish people would Mick Jagger pretending to be 18 that adverts. Lydon’s keen to point out speech.” new songs for the Pistols. But it’sa fractious US tour. was well on the way to getting Metal see the other side of me.. p*sses me off. He still can’t sing, he though that he’s used the money to It’s clear that reactivating PiL has different frame of mind and Thanks in no small part to the go Public again Box together and realised that the “If anybody wants to know can’t dance and he can hardly write a put PiL back on the road. given John a whole new lease of life. approach. Both are right but they are behind-the-scenes plotting of label just wasn’t grasping what I was anything about me then listen to the song,” he chuckles. “It’s not good “It worked out that way. They gave “I love it. In the 30 years that I’ve from different angles. It’s very hard manager Malcolm McLaren, the band doing.” PiL songs. Plus, with the Pistols I was enough. If it was, then it would be me an opportunity to mess about been around this is probably the to explain, but it’s all emotional. had become little more than a freak PiL’s most influential release was straight off the street when I went irrelevant what age he was. The with the scripts and had respect for most enjoyable it’s ever been on “When I come to grips with it, you show. They never played live again name of John Lydon and recruited “But that will only come after I’ve After forming PiL in 1978, Lydon the aforementioned Metal Box, a into songwriting. I think I did rather Stones show themselves up and have me. They believed that I could pull it stage. I’m still nervous as hell before shall hear the rewards, or the horror, after Rotten’s departure and the final old school friend Jah Wobble to form sorted out a record company for us. faced huge criticism for diverting ghostly collection of experimental well actually! What do people want? I become conceited. They think that off and I did. We made some highly I go on but feel absolutely wonderful of it all. It’s an internal problem that nail in the coffin for the Pistols was a new experimental outfit, Public When I look at the current labels, from the uncomplicated rock’n’roll of sounds and freeform song structures. came fully loaded to the mad hatter’s the imagery and the pop machine are entertaining commercials. And it’sa when I’m there. I have to resolve. It’s not that I can’t the death of bassist Sid Vicious little Image Ltd. their complete lack of empathy with the Pistols. “Yes, it was all about throwing tea party!” more important than the content. British product. Frankly, it’s the most “Singing-wise this is probably the write, but I don’t know how to pick more than a year later. A one-time member of The Clash, us is underwhelming to say the “I never wanted to be different for clichés away,” Lydon explains. Another word that keeps cropping “Punk hasn’t failed for me. I’m still anarchic thing you could think of. best I’ve ever been. There’s no up the pieces from where I left off Despite his disenchantment with Keith Levene, joined as guitarist least.” “However, sometimes I do like to go up in the live reviews of the new PiL here because of it. I can’t help the What’s wrong with promoting British alcohol involved, apart from my with the Pistols. But there’s been rock’n’roll, Rotten wasted little time while Jim Walker took over PiL are considered one of the most back to the pop format –Ilove to shows is ‘challenging’. weak hearts and never wanted to in products?” brandy throat wash. I have a bucket, some faces removed from the band’s in making his next move. Within drumming duties. influential bands of the post-punk write a good pop song because pop “Well it’s only challenging if you the first place. I never wanted to raise Despite being a long-time resident otherwise it would be a slop-fest. It’s history now which might make it a punk flag and say ‘stand behind weeks of leaving the Pistols, Johnny Over the next 14 years, Public era, but record companies still seem does cover areas in the emotional don’t know anything about yourself of California, Lydon claims he’s lost the best throat gargle you can get. easier for me. this, we’ll make loads of money’. It “I can’t just go off and write a song Rotten had reverted back to his birth Image Ltd (or PiL for short) released reluctant to put their hands in their ranges that are quite valid. But I or the world of music. If you’re none of his Britishness and is a firm “I still have problems from the was never like that. then present it to them with a ‘here a string of influential albums pockets and sign them up once more. There are far too don’t like being limited to it. expecting it to be like some believer in hanging on to your roots. illnesses I had from childhood like “I come from absolute poverty and you go boys’. That would just be too including the seminal Metal Box, “Well, ‘influential’is a very serious ‘ “I won’t pander to public taste. I fabulously current indie band then “I’m not running around saying the meningitis. I get sinus infections. reconvening in various new line-ups word in our case,” explains John. many people out want something that lasts.