Monday 21 July 2008

Dear Johnny Rotten.

Oh Mr Lydon, you old fool. You used to be so heroic, so dangerous, so exciting. What happened John? What happened?

Johnny Rotten then. Was it all a front? An act right from the very start? A character you merely played, and we, the idiotic consumer masses bought into?

This brash, confrontational, obnoxious man seemed to really matter. Seemed relevant. The Sex Pistols were like a bomb. You destroyed all in your way, leaving everyone, yourselves included, having to pick up the pieces and decide what to do next.

And what did you do? Public Image Limited. Still in many minds one of the great British bands. PIL seemed to prove that you weren't all talk, you really had the talent and know how to be in the place you were. That material still resonates now. Still matters.

So what happened? When did it become like this? The Sex Pistols re-formed. Why? What was the point? You went on "I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here!" Huh?! Could the figurehead of blistering 70's punk really be doing this tawdry, publicity stunt of a show? Why did you do it?

You seem to have become a living pantomime. Something that just cries out for attention. Is this what you've been all along, a publicity seeker? Are we only now realising this because as time moves on you have become less, well, relevant in the public eye?

Was it all about getting attention? Was there ever any substance at all?

And now this:
http://www.livenews.com.au/Articles/2008/07/21/Johnny_Rottens_racist_tirade_against_Bloc_Party_frontman

Your tirades and outbursts used to be quite funny, relevant sometimes. But this? If this is true, then this is preposterously pathetic. Unbelievable.

So Johnny, my question to you is, who are you?
Are you an old man disillusioned with the fact that you didn't actually win the battle against the right wing and the upper class, who wants a piece of what he feels is owed him?
Are you merely a publicity seeker who's had us fooled all along?
Are you just one of those pathetic people who likes to complain about or find fault in absolutely anything as loud as possible to whoever is within earshot, just to get some attention? Have all eyes on you?

Seriously Johnny Rotten, who are you? Whatever the answer is, if it doesn't include the words "Washed up, bitter old man", I'm gonna find it increasingly hard to believe.

3 comments:

han said...

John Lydon has always been little more than a self-important, sneering one-trick pony.

IMO, nothing he has done in his entire career has ever been worthy of respect, so this turn of events doesn't surprise me at all.

Fat Chan said...

I have to agree with han here, I've never had any interest in the musings and goings on of Mr Lydon, it's quite possibly because I like the establishment (namely I blame David Mitchell's character Mark from Peep Show, being too bloody adorable), but I never found Johnny Rotten interesting or intelligent.....or talented in my opinion! Maybe I'm too old before my time, maybe I'm just not that enlightened, maybe none of us even bloody care? Why can't we all just have a big ball of sex and be done with it eh?

Mr Axl said...

Yeah, I know, I just can't help but be sad when this is the man who made those first 2 Public Image Limited albums. Seriously, those albums fucking rule.

It hurts me to think a man capable of that is just a total cunt.