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Rotten by name and by nature.
Johnny Rotten is an arsehole. He betrayed his punk roots long ago and is now nothing more than a sad old man flogging things and selling his soul for kudos from capitalism. He recently said:
I showed what I can do with butter, right? Eighty-five percent increase in sales. I’m very proud of them Country Life ads. They were funny and clever and classy like the Toblerone ads I grew up with. But no one’s come in for me with anything else. Like … Red Stripe lager! I drink lakes of this stuff. Why haven’t I been signed up for something like that? Or Marlboro fags? It amazes me that people don’t get the opportunity of me. I sell.
But he’s also revealed that he’s not just a capitalist fuckpig, he’s thick as a plank and racist at that.
Rotten was asked by Palestinian campaign groups not to perform in Israel, as part of a cultural boycott – the campaigners say cultural collaboration boosts Israel’s image on the international stage, and that refusing to participate in cultural exchange, artists and cultural institutions globally can send a clear message to Israel that their occupation and discrimination against Palestinians is unacceptable.
Surely such a politicised and aware person as Johnny Rotten would, even if he disagreed with the boycott, respond to the requests on a political level?
Nah. He has “absolutely one rule, right? Until I see an Arab country, a Muslim country, with a democracy, I won’t understand how anyone can have a problem with how they’re treated.”
Woah woah woah woah woah…! So, Johnny is acknowledging that the Palestinian people are treated like shit, and he just doesn’t care? And since when did ordinary Palestinians become responsible for the actions of everyone in the world who shares their religion? This is like saying that everyone of German descent deserves to be put into concentration camps just because of the actions of the Third Reich.
And, when he says that Muslims aren’t capable of democracy, he’s implying that Israel is a democracy, yeah? Despite removing Arab members of parliament for being too representative of the views of their constituents?
What a dick.
When faced with people slightly more reasonable than Rotten, the Palestinian campaigners’ requests to musicians have had some degree of success in the past, with artists such as Gil Scott-Heron, the Pixies, Massive Attack and Elvis Costello pulling out of scheduled gigs in Israel in order to show their support for the Palestinian struggle.
Interestingly, if internet hilarity merchants hadn’t hijacked Justin Beiber and voted for him to send his world tour to North Korea, Israel would have won the wee boy singer for their own. Is Israel suffering an epidemic of Bieber Fever? Or was Israel’s campaign orchestrated by zionists in the same way North Korea’s was orchestrated by online pranksters? One thing’s clear – the cultural boycott is definitely shaking things up and getting people to take notice of Israel’s appalling human rights record.
He is a chump. Also, does anyone even remember if Country Life had tv adverts before the Lydon ones? I don’t remeber seeing any. So it could just as easily have been and 85% increase in sales because people had heard of the brand?
Good article. The ‘Pistols always had shit politics. Just look at the lyrics to Bodies (an anti-abortion song) and don’t even get me started on Sid Vicious…
He isnt a patch on DOD. DOD should be doing Kerrygold.
God, ‘punk’ bands are wanks. Iggy Pop, for fuck’s sake. Car insurance?
And this cunt, jesus fuck. I hope he gets kicked to death. Such a poser. His ads are “classy” eh? what happened to OMFG WE’RE LIKE, SO GRUNGY AND KEWEL CAUSE WE HATE COCA COLA AND THE QUEEN AND WE LIKE TARTAN TROUSERS YO.
For this kind of reason, music cannot be the grounds for a fucking revolution. The desire to be famous should stop you from ever touting yourself as some kind of anarchist-communist idol.
Only the Clash, the Anti Nowhere League, Crass, Hoi Polloi and a few other punk bands were particularly political. I forgot the Angelic Upstarts whose lead singer was a very sound AFA activist.
In fairness to punk, I think the majority of their bands/fans usually have good politics, and Johnny Rotten is a twat that does not speak for everyone else.
The Great Rock ‘n’ Roll Swindle
Says it all
So I suppose we are no longer supporting God Save the Queen for #1 for the Queen’s birthday
This shit is not “punk”. Anyone actually involved in the current punk scene would know that – this arsehole is in no way representative of the scene! There’s no place in the punk scene for sexists, racists, fascists and other general dickheads. Go play with the traffic, Lydon.
Leave off knocking JR, he was the man in a social revolution that blew to pieces our desperately dull lives in the late 70′s, I remember my step dad going mental when Holidays in the Sun came blasting out my stereo from Woolies.
Just cos he has to sell his ass to earn quids doesn’t ever erase that.
But look at the shite he comes out with! Clearly punk stood for something and the Sex Pistols stood for punk, regardless of whether they ever actually were, but that will never excuse saying that shit about Muslims and about Palestine
Auld Yin, this isn’t just about him being a totaly sellout – he’s also a racist fuckwit. I’ll knock him for that as much as I possibly can.
@Auld Yin: Clearly stated in The Worst Witch’s article, he may have been good in his time, saying lots of neat and radical things, but when it comes down to it, starring in butter adverts and being a racist kinda negates anything said.
Always thought the Pistols were a big con. Long live the Clash!
This man was a pop star effectively your took him in well too hard a regard in the first place. He is a man who sold singles and earned millions of pounds. So in all your opinions its allright to be a capilist musician but if he becomes a butter salesman he is a prick. The punk scene means nothing maybe some songs are good at social commentary mostly rap did that in the past and also Iris rebels.
On the situation in Palestine Israel is in the wrong with the settlement policies and alll that but in the istory of Israel they have also been attacked. Many countries of the muslim world want to rip Israel apart . My belief is that they should never be bundled there in the first place. The state of Israel will never back down in their opinion their God has given them that land. And the cultural thing probably won’t work I’m sure there is enough Jewish artists and singers to keep them entertained.
At least, someone with a spine and a bit of character. Nice to see, that there are still some somewhat political musicians out there who don’t ponder blindly to fascist conformity.
The idiocy, the spinelessness, the mindless support of the so-called “left” for every evil totalitarian arsehole out there, if he only is somewhat anti-jewish or anti-american, with the near religious amount of self-righteousness really is hard to bear. It’s what drove me finally from the so-called “left”. There’s really no difference between “left” totalitarian, collectivist, conformist arseholes and the islamic or fascist ones.
Regarding your title: Well, something rotten at least may have been worthy and beautiful at one time. This obviously can’t be said for the Stupid Shit Youth: You always were just that.
Martin, seeing as you’re on the website of Stupid Shit Youth, maybe you could enlighten us as to which totalitarian leaders we support? I don’t ever remember expressing support for any government in the Middle East, but I do reserve most of my criticism for the most powerful government, the only one with nuclear weapons, which uses it’s vast military (funded with our money) to murder children and ethnically cleanse a people from their land. In his own shitey way, Johnny Rotten is now complicit in that, and has Palestinian blood on his hands. So do you.
Jack it is a hard position to support either on the side of the middle east yes srael has the upper hand but many muslim countries have expressed a vivid desire to destroy Israel and many times muslim countries have invaded Israel. Its a hard choice which is why I stay out the problem is with westerners interfering they should be left to it.