CARD CARRYING DUES PAYER

These days practically nothing seems all that shocking musically. I mean, really, just about everything radical that could be done, has been done. When was the last time you heard something and thought "Whoa! What the fuck is that?"?. To put things into perspective, let's set the Wayback Machine to the fall of 1977. The chart-toppers are Debby Boone (Pat Boone's daughter), KC and the Sunshine Band, Carly Simon, Shaun Cassidy, a disco version of the Star Wars theme, and "Boogie Nights" by Heatwave. You might understand how red blooded rockers were just waiting for things to change. Some already had a project in the works. The Sex Pistols did.

I'd heard about the Sex Pistols, knew what they looked like and had an idea of what they were about but had not heard them. When I finally did hear them I wondered where all the comparisons to the Ramones came from. This was not "Beat on the Brat" nonsense. The Sex Pistols raged. Like a pressure cooker that finally popped a lid. They shook shit up.

Yesterday (or the day before?) it was reported that there will be a TV series about the Sex Pistols on FX to be directed by Danny Boyle (the guy who did the film Yesterday). The part I like about it is that it's based on guitarist Steve Jones' book, Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol. (Jones, above.) The book is a good read. I've read a shitload of accounts of early UK punk over the years, including two memoirs by John Lydon (né Johnny Rotten). Jones's tale can seem almost Forest Gump-like in his uncanny string of being in the right place at the right time. But he and drummer Paul Cook struggled long before the Pistols got off the ground. Dude was a classic petty thief.

Though he's done his share of rock star skirt chasing and had plenty of success over the years, you get the feeling that Jones knows the bottom could drop out at any moment. Reading his take on the Pistols saga makes you feel like you're having a beer with him. Lydon's memoirs, on the other hand, read like a guy who's full of himself, self important and ego driven. Not to say his books aren't good. They just seem self aggrandizing. Jone's book seems more honest. Now that I know that Lydon is (was?) a Trump supporter, it all makes sense. Blowhards attract. I love it that it probably pisses him off to no end that Jones got the deal. Tee-hee. Oh well, he can always go start a band with his Trump bro Ted Nugent.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Sex Pistols - Anarchy in the UK mp3 at Tumblr
Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen mp3 at Clones Project
Visit:
Danny Boyle to direct Sex Pistols limited series for FX at AV Club
John Lydon doubles down on Trump support in bizarre interview at NME “He is the only hope”
More Sex Pistols stuff here

TAKE A DRIVE WITH SOME OLD FRIENDS

Should you have a long drive ahead of you this week, here's enough to keep you from dozing off. You might agree that a lot of podcasts found online can seem like vanity mixes, and not quite what real radio is like. But I ran into a few radio shows that, though I've only listened to a portion (there's hours of them to get through), sound interesting enough to help you drive a few more miles before pulling over for another cup of coffee.

First up is a bunch of Joe Strummer's "London Calling" radio shows, that originally aired on BBC's World Service radio, from 1998 to 2002. Eighteen in all, there's hours and hours of good stuff. And there's also Don Letts Culture Clash, a Joe Strummer tribute show, from 2007.

Next up is a radio show, in two parts. It's John Lydon visiting Steve Jones on his Jonesy's Jukebox show, originally aired on Indie 103.1 FM, in 2006. This one is a hoot. It's really neat to hear the two of them, older and presumably wiser, talk about music some thirty years after they first met.

If you can't get to downloading these right away, rest easy. They've apparently been online for some time, so just come back and get 'em later. And a little PSA here: don't drive drowsy, and by all means, don't drive drunk or stoned, you know it's idiotic.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

John Lydon with Steve Jones on Jonesy's Jukebox, Part 1
John Lydon with Steve Jones on Jonesy's Jukebox, Part 2
Originally aired on Indie 103.1 FM, March, 2006. at John Lydon's site.

Joe Strummer's London Calling 2000 Show 1 (of 6 from 2000)
Joe Strummer's London Calling 2001 Show 1 (of 4 from 2001)
Joe Strummer's London Calling 2002 Show 1 (of 4 from 2002)
All 18 shows, originally aired on BBC's World Service, 1998 - 2002, at Radio Clash

Don Letts' Culture Clash, Joe Strummer tribute show at Radio Clash

Howdy, from the Keith Richards retirement party!

Four words that don't belong together: Brian Wilson doing rap. Yes, it is every bit as bad as it sounds. It's fucking unlistenable. Do not subject yourself to it, lest you wrench. To quote the host, Dust on the Needle, it is a "thorough desecration of his own titanic talent". This is not Brian Wilson "warts n' all". It's all warts.

There are two types of people who never dismissed Brian Wilson, those who "get it" and those who just wonder what all the fuss is about. This will tip the scale. It'is almost Mike Love bad.

Above: MC Wilson with fellow shark jumper Steve Jones.