No one could possibly break with their musical past as well as John Lydon.  After being left broke in America, legally bound up, harassed by the police and totally turned off to the whole Punk movement in general he formed a band that would confound Sex Pistols fans.  First, he released a single that made people think he was taking the Sex Pistol thing and refining it.  On the surface, the song sounds kind of like what the Pistols might do, except the lyrics are a complete kiss-off.   “I will not be treated as property,”  “two sides to every story/someone had to stop me/I’m not the way I was when I started/It’s not a game of Monopoly.” “Public image/ you got what you wanted/my Public Image belongs to me/My entrance/My own creation/It’s my grand finale/My Good-Bye!”  What door-slamming end!

Then for the cover art the band does a mock GQ style magazine cover.  Then . . . they put the “hit single” in the middle of the album and start with the least catchy thing they can come up with.  “Theme” is a track that appears to lyrically be a total mockery of the “die young/suffering artist” mythology.  John is constantly repeating “I wish I could die!” and then a mock laugh.  It ends with the aside, “terminal boredom.”  Then comes his scathing indictment of religion-for-profit.  This was mostly in reaction to a priest’s refusal to give his dying mother a blessing unless she donated to the church (Read either of John Lydon’s books or any number of interviews for his account).  “Religion I” is an a cappella rendering of the lyrics recited as poetry.  “Religion II” is the actual song (originally offered to the Pistols, they refused).  Another notable point was his diatribe against Malcolm McClaren, “Low Life.”  “Egomaniac traitor/you never did understand/you fell in love with your ego/it did not fit in the plan/Low Life”  The resentment is clear.

Closing the album “Fodderstompf!”  How my friends and used to love that track!  I still do.  The story is that they were drunk and needed fill the rest of the album.  So they made this repetitive dance track.  “Be boring/be bland/be sort of . . . no, nothing/zero/zilch”  Throughout the track they do this Monty Pythonesque voice “We’re only, only wanting to be loved.”  So on and on . . . and it’s hilarious!  I have nothing against songs of love but when it’s manufactured and it keeps getting force-fed to the masses, well, guess what?  Either you’re a dupe or you demand more of your artists.  Ahh, art? No, business and anesthetics.  By the way, that is a real fire extinguisher going off in the mic.  I understand it cost them.  Oh well, it’s an investment.

As you can tell, I do admire John Lydon.  He may be a jerk at times (then again, we can all be if the truth be told) but I applaud his efforts to remain genuine and honest.  If you get a chance I would suggest picking this gem up and/or better yet Metal Box.  After all, John needs to finance his next album.  Cheers all!