Oh yes, the PiL in IL! One of the greatest icons of 20th century music is on his way to the Holy Land! John Lydon, AKA Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols, is bringing his reformed PiL (Public Image Limited) band to the sandy shores of the Med. Bless his little heart. He’s here to headline the Heineken Music Conference 2010 Festival in Tel Aviv on Sunday, August 31st. PiL will play on the last night of the festival which takes place at the Convention Centre at 101 Rokach Avenue, Tel Aviv.
And whatever you might think of the man and his music, I say he’s spot on with his thoughts on coming to Israel, when others have canceled and walked away from controversy. This is what he had to say to the BBC a couple of days ago:
“Of course, there are all sorts of terrible politics going on down there but there is just about all over the world. You cannot separate yourself from your audience because of the political powers-that-be. I mean, I’m anti-government—I have been all my life no matter where I go—and I shall be making that loud and clearly proud once I’m in Israel.”
“We’ve received a lot of hate mail, as it happens, going to Israel is some kind of political faux pas. I say, ‘Don’t be so ignorant — it’s John speaking here and I’m going there to cause trouble and I will do it musically.”
I was a wee kid when the Pistols first hit town back at the end of the 70s, though my brother was into them and had a copy of Never Mind The Bollocks. It took me a few years before teen angst pushed me in their direction, long after they’d crashed and burned, though to be honest (sorry John!) it was always The Clash that had me chewing my cornflakes a little faster. But I hope to be there, to see a real, live legend strutting his stuff – and coming to Israel for the right reasons, to perform!
For tickets:
www.hadran.co.il or +972 3 5215200
Zappa ticket center – +972 3 7694747
MisterTicket –www.MisterTicket.co.il
And here’s one of PiL’s finest moment, from the 80s…still a classic!