John Lydon talks about Punk then and now - 2011

John Lydon talks about Punk then and now. Video is from festival Colours of Ostrava (2011, Czech Republic). I'm sorry for my bad English, and stammering. I was nervous;).
This video is property of e-magazine www.lacultura.cz.

[@reggielovato9525]

"I'm Johnny Rotten and I don't take it up the arse for no one!"

[@TobiasC-mg4zk]

Unless it’s got country life butter on it. Fancy Nice bit of country life buggery John?

[@MASSOBITERATION]

Hot topic needs to hear this!

[@gretscher]

Good interview. Your English is good and I can understand what you are saying and so can he because he answered the question. Thanks for posting the interview, nice job!

[@randomdude9698]

A king is an authority. Punk is giving the middle finger to authority. So how can punks have a king?

[@roxannestorm2616]

John Lydon is absolutely right and I highly agree with him.

[@johnsmith-so5do]

Don't get stuck into the first year kids, real punk rock is an attitude against anyone in power who abuses it, from mayors to the president himself. Take a stand for what's right FOR THE MAJORITY!! PUNKER FOR LIFE!

[@dskywalker3397]

Truth

[@mrbiggleswurth69]

Punk is an attitude, it's not a sound or a style

[@LetsGoMetsGo33]

so why does 90% of it feature fast, distorted barre/power chords, short songs, and colorful lyrics?

[@voyeurcoma638]

Cheetah Thunders. because people drone what someone like the clash created, the sex pistols songs are not fast they are of a normal tempo on all songs

[@voyeurcoma638]

Cheetah Thunders. if you take away the attitude, the sound and style is just much like led Zeppelin or black Sabbath, Punk is 100% about attitude and 100% about lyrics and 40% of it is to do with the tune, and clothing had fuck all to do with it.

[@LetsGoMetsGo33]

well, that's your take. the similarity to zep/sab is superficial, those guys were very proficient and practiced a ton before they "made it". by comparison the punks were amateurs. they had energy and youthfulness, and took their guitars to stage often the day after someone showed them a couple of chords. it's hard to say it was all about lyrics when the buzzcocks sung traditional pop love songs, the damned about horror concerns, generation x about being in love with the beatles, stones, and "Kathy macgowow". as far as clothes, that helped express the attitude. for me, it's about music first, it's the common thread. the pistols didn't always play fast (although "I wanna be me", their cover of "steppin' stone", "bodies", these and others were fast enough), but they had more in common musically with their peers than lyrically. who else sung about anarchy or facist regimes?

[@brianbirc]

Biggles Wurth That is right a person who has never heard punk can be punk. Punk is standing up for what you know is right not changing your way for others. Telling it like it is weather they like it or not. Offending others with reality is a good feeling. Shocking people by what they see or what you say is fun and them complaining and getting laughed at is a bonus. It is not harming stealing. Punk rock music has a lot of that in it and a lot of punk rockers are that way. Being Punk is a good thing and punk rock is great music

[@dskywalker3397]

Great little interview.

[@thejesman]

I agree with this 100%.

[@R.S_Howell]

What an amazing quote 👏

[@matthatter2849]

It's so true. If you're gonna talk about American punk, look at pictures of the crowds at CBGB's from 1977. Not a single mohawk to be seen in any of those pictures. I HATED the whole portrayal of CBGB's in "Summer Of Sam."

[@biteycat]

Mohawks didn't come around until the 80s.

[@bizyizziaz4831]

@@biteycat lol they were old by the fucking early 80´s are you having a laugh ?

[@karlbertilsvennson7671]

Johnny rotten is the king of punk

[@zapapelttari8226]

Well spoken.

[@sojnab1]

gwan the John.hammering on the eye of the nail

[@noname-yt7uf]

"How do you compare British punk to Czech punk"...... I love Czech people but my word... There's literally no comparison. Britain is the true European Rock power house and I don't think that's even debatable when you look at the history of British rock bands (not just punk) and the music they produced: The beatles, the stones, Cream, the who, Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath, Pink Floyd, Deep Purple, sex pistols, The Clash, The Police, The Cure, Def Leppard, Motor head, Oasis, The Artic Monkeys etc. (I could carry on going)

[@geotechmore8855]

Very well said by John 😁. Listen to him you young punks (^_-)/.

[@nunyabusiness2280]

Johnny knows what's up lol

[@mummyd1990]

Rip Keith Levene.

[@Dodgers-sw2uk]

0:36 Sid was a true punk. Went to prison and got turned out for real

[@wetigaz]

?? he was asked to compare punk in Britain and Czechoslovakia.

[@TheIPGCorporations]

He doesn't agree with categories because it stifles individuality.

[@stefanoseverini3133]

He never n will fall in this silly trap. He always answer in his way. How supposed to be. For example if someone ask a un appropriated question, he will answer with another question or, he'll automatically think quicker and formulate a proper explanation to not make in embarrass the interviewer. B4 he didn't give a fuck towards provocations n answered strictly to foolish ppl as deserved to been treated.

[@Rxz5526]

nowadays he negates so much of what he used to say when he was younger

[@duncangerrard6828]

An "Anarchy in the UK" Credit card anyone?

[@paulvon2378]

Johnny Rotten us still #1 Punks

[@kellikocha7733]

Am I the only one who thinks of Green Day

[@marshalllee3551]

Nope

[@TowellSnake]

No not at all

[@Boilingfrogg]

Take that with guitars.

[@lordsamich755]

1:35 He's joking right?

[@Tom-hk6ub]

Yellow with Rage !

[@GodWeenSatan]

Why is she focused on his tie?

[@ornellarose6378]

Johnny...........💋

[@marcelodecastro9007]

what's the guy called Johnny lydon and Johnny rotten?

[@seksualusis]

Punk is to be odd for the greater cause, not conforming to any givens. When into music, it's simplicity, open space, and mucho highest concentration of rock'n'roll.

[@LordOfElderon]

0:34

[@AD-bn2gd]

For once I agree with Johnny

[@renjay3743]

Show some respect to your elders. Daft punk.

[@viraljoshi1988]

b

[@viraljoshi1988]

sex

[@oibattery3198]

It's called Street Punk

[@oldschool1644]

asi prve cesko-anglicke interview s rittenom vobec :D

[@adicted_to_chaos5967]

old school Jj :-D. Akurat som ochorel ked som tam mal ist na jeho koncert s Pil :-(

[@dannyhart3982]

No Joe Strummer is the king of Punk Rock! John was just talentless

[@ezandman6804]

good point made. But what about Wattie, where does he fit in?

[@4lm0ra]

Rotten was awesome, are you fucking kidding?!

[@johnnybs7]

joe strummer???hahahahah youre kidding right? middle class bandwagon jumper with his weedy, tinny band. A total FAKE. Youre obviously too young to know anything about it mate

[@gibbyh65]

iggy pop

[@bennocelt]

dont be a clown, do you even know what punk is about, lol

[@sexobscura]

[ so what ]

[@revol148]

Punk is something that this tiresome man has never stopped banging on about for the best part of 40 years.Compared to the Clash the Sex pistols were pygmies on a good day.

[@KnozLo]

Clash? You mean the pop band?

[@Boilingfrogg]

Since when has he been banging on about punk? Pil maybe but never punk. The class turned into the who.

[@gregfowler957]

Punk wasn't anything new in reality you had American garage punk bands in the 60s for example the seeds the sonics music machine the standells and loads of others then the mc5 the stooges and then the Ramones who were copied by all the English bands I don't think there would of been a British punk scene if it hadn't been for them 😀

[@gostrum1]

But none of those groups cut through and captured the imagination in the way The Pistols did at that time.

[@Boilingfrogg]

God save the Queen my son. Pistols put their money where their mouths were.

[@FireEmblemPHan776]

Sex Pistols had already formed, wrote music, and had been gigging and influencing the England punk scene BEFORE the Ramones even hit the UK @ Roundhouse in July 4th 1976. Pistols had been doing all this since '75 and were causing quite the ruckus in '76 and influencing punks to pick up guitars, write some lyrics, and fight back against corruptness. It's nauseating to read all the revisionism to bloat the Ramones influence on the UK. The Ramones were bloody amazing don't get me wrong, as were the Sex Pistols, but both bands begat and led their respective sides of the pond and managed to make good sized ripples on the other side as well, but not to the point of being the only reason the other exists. Punk wouldn't be what it is without either band period. I love both bands, so I try to be objective speaking about them.

[@Pedro-et2pu]

@@FireEmblemPHan776 Agree, but is just moronic seeing Lydon trying to run with the title of "Punk trailblazer". Sex Pistols made punk political and influenced the looks, but they didn't created. The fast paced sound of Ramones was the blueprint of the movement rather he likes it or not.

[@FireEmblemPHan776]

@@Pedro-et2pu I've always looked at punk like it owes equal to the Ramones and Sex Pistols: Ramones influenced the speed and buzzsaw sound of the guitars. Pistols influenced the attitude and snotty/nasally aggressive singing. Ramones brought in their look and simplicity, the Pistols brought in their look and politics. As for what you said, Johnny Rotten was definitely one of the trailblazers of punk, BUT he wasn't the only one. Sex Pistols and Ramones obviously, but New York Dolls and Iggy Pop definitely deserve mentions. As for early punk I always found Dead Boys to be way underrated and they're absolutely great. I think the umbrella of punk was huge and a lot of bands have their imprint on the beginnings of punk and helped shape it's sound/look etc. I love early hardcore, but about mid scene every band started to all sound the same, thus defeating the premise of punk, which was individuality. That's why I love early punk with the Sex Pistols, Ramones, Dead Boys, Iggy Pop, Buzzcocks, etc etc.