The Seeker of Good Songs
Well-Known Member
At a recent Sex Pistols/John Lydon press conference regarding Guitar Hero 3, Lydon has a verbal punch up with an NME "journalist" regarding immigration. (Does the NME ask all interviewees about immigration?)
from
http://www.johnlydon.com/press/fence.html
and
http://www.johnlydon.com/press/fence1.html
excerpts:
JL.Com: The day prior to the first Brixton show, Mr Rotten took on the media (and the smoke police) at a press conference for the UK launch of ‘Guitar Hero III’. Sex-Pistols.Net (aka God Save The Sex Pistols) & JohnLydon.Com websites were present (in one shape or another).
(JL.Com: The chap from the NME was the epitome of the kind of chip-on-the-shoulder journalist John talks about at the press conference. He’d already made his mind up long before he got there. His pre-planned agenda stood out like a sore thumb; and so did he. Don’t get it now, and wouldn’t have got it then. He’d have been more suited to Genesis than the Sex Pistols…)
You can’t smoke in America.
John: I can smoke where I like there mate. I’ll tell you now.
Do you vote?
[starts taking cigarette out of box]
John: I voted [crowd laughs] I voted for John Major because I hated Chelsea so much! He’s a Chelsea supporter. It did them no good did it.
[lights cigarette]
Can I have a light?
John: No you may not, you’re one of those wankers that allowed these f***ers to run the laws over you, I’m not. So I’ll smoke all I like.
You had the money to get out.
John: The money? Do you not know how f***ing broke the Pistols are. Until we did that 96 tour we never got a pay-off, at all…
[journalist interrupts]
John: No shut your f***ing face you bearded arsehole, and I’ll tell you a lesson. Listen, reality. Malcolm took all the glory and credit, and you in the media you all suck his…
[journalist interrupts again]
John: You read the book? Did you read my book? Then you know the difference. Are you gonna let me finish or are you gonna be smug…
[journalist keeps talking]
[John lobs the microphone towards the journalist, as if he was throwing a ball to a small child]
John: [shouts] Finish. Finish. There’s the microphone. Finish! There’s the microphone.
[journalist picks up the mic]
[Note: It’s worth pointing out this is the same journalist – minus the beard – who later gave the Monday night Brixton show a dubious review in the NME. Someone like that could only ever be a journalist. Funnily enough, the other 5000 people seemed to enjoy themselves. Funny that…]
I said, it’s easy to moan about this country when you don’t live here.
John: [shouts] Is that right? I’m not moaning, I’m telling you, you wankers have settled for f*** all…
[journalist mumbles something]
John: [shouts] I’m also Irish. Is there something wrong with that? Who’s the f***ing immigrant here? We all are, that’s the way England’s always been. It’s the most excellent point of the culture that we are constantly in change, continuous, but putting bastards in control. Just like in World War I the general that sold us all down the f***ing river, and killed our people – and World War II; and now World War III if we’re not f***ing careful – are still running the show. And you, you fool, you think ‘cos I come from here I have no right to comment ‘cos I’ve gone elsewhere. I AM ENGLAND. You are a bearded f***ing arsehole. You are still here, and you ain’t changed shit. [John gets mic back] You ain’t changed shit. You ain’t changed shit. You are shit. Shit, shit, shit.
I’ve got no right to f***ing talk about this country? I’ve done more for England than you ever f***ing could. Ever. Ever. And I love my Queen by the way, and I miss having sex with the Queen Mother.
[laughs]
from
http://www.johnlydon.com/press/fence.html
and
http://www.johnlydon.com/press/fence1.html
excerpts:
JL.Com: The day prior to the first Brixton show, Mr Rotten took on the media (and the smoke police) at a press conference for the UK launch of ‘Guitar Hero III’. Sex-Pistols.Net (aka God Save The Sex Pistols) & JohnLydon.Com websites were present (in one shape or another).
(JL.Com: The chap from the NME was the epitome of the kind of chip-on-the-shoulder journalist John talks about at the press conference. He’d already made his mind up long before he got there. His pre-planned agenda stood out like a sore thumb; and so did he. Don’t get it now, and wouldn’t have got it then. He’d have been more suited to Genesis than the Sex Pistols…)
You can’t smoke in America.
John: I can smoke where I like there mate. I’ll tell you now.
Do you vote?
[starts taking cigarette out of box]
John: I voted [crowd laughs] I voted for John Major because I hated Chelsea so much! He’s a Chelsea supporter. It did them no good did it.
[lights cigarette]
Can I have a light?
John: No you may not, you’re one of those wankers that allowed these f***ers to run the laws over you, I’m not. So I’ll smoke all I like.
You had the money to get out.
John: The money? Do you not know how f***ing broke the Pistols are. Until we did that 96 tour we never got a pay-off, at all…
[journalist interrupts]
John: No shut your f***ing face you bearded arsehole, and I’ll tell you a lesson. Listen, reality. Malcolm took all the glory and credit, and you in the media you all suck his…
[journalist interrupts again]
John: You read the book? Did you read my book? Then you know the difference. Are you gonna let me finish or are you gonna be smug…
[journalist keeps talking]
[John lobs the microphone towards the journalist, as if he was throwing a ball to a small child]
John: [shouts] Finish. Finish. There’s the microphone. Finish! There’s the microphone.
[journalist picks up the mic]
[Note: It’s worth pointing out this is the same journalist – minus the beard – who later gave the Monday night Brixton show a dubious review in the NME. Someone like that could only ever be a journalist. Funnily enough, the other 5000 people seemed to enjoy themselves. Funny that…]
I said, it’s easy to moan about this country when you don’t live here.
John: [shouts] Is that right? I’m not moaning, I’m telling you, you wankers have settled for f*** all…
[journalist mumbles something]
John: [shouts] I’m also Irish. Is there something wrong with that? Who’s the f***ing immigrant here? We all are, that’s the way England’s always been. It’s the most excellent point of the culture that we are constantly in change, continuous, but putting bastards in control. Just like in World War I the general that sold us all down the f***ing river, and killed our people – and World War II; and now World War III if we’re not f***ing careful – are still running the show. And you, you fool, you think ‘cos I come from here I have no right to comment ‘cos I’ve gone elsewhere. I AM ENGLAND. You are a bearded f***ing arsehole. You are still here, and you ain’t changed shit. [John gets mic back] You ain’t changed shit. You ain’t changed shit. You are shit. Shit, shit, shit.
I’ve got no right to f***ing talk about this country? I’ve done more for England than you ever f***ing could. Ever. Ever. And I love my Queen by the way, and I miss having sex with the Queen Mother.
[laughs]
"I’ve done more for England than you ever f***ing could. Ever. Ever.…"
© Phil Singleton / www.sex-pistols.net
© Phil Singleton / www.sex-pistols.net