Happy Monday(s), another band we will write about at some point. We missed our planned early morning publishing deadline; tomorrow is another day. Today we talk about punk’s godfather, Lorde’s empathy, and Wembley’s Blur in 2023. Enjoy, and we hope to see you bright and early tomorrow!

Here is a quick test of your punk rock soul. Greenday’s Billie Joe Armstrong calls Johnny Rotten (Lydon) one of his all-time favorite songwriters. What does Rotten think of the Punks that followed him and his mates, The Sex Pistols? Your answer will help determine your understanding of the soul of punk.

A new HULU series this year increased the attention of The Sex Pistols and renewed our fascination with the founders of the 70s punk style and music. The Pistols were style first, music second. Johnny Rotten has always been and always will be Rotten. In our humble opinion, that makes him great and accurate. Rotten, who prefers to go by Lydon now, doesn’t like anything and has the same reasons for not liking anything today as he did in the 70s. 

The article in the NYT says, “he screeched against the pillars of polite society.” He spits fire then and continues to spit fire now. Rotten (sorry, he will always be Rotten to us) is now in his mid-60s and hasn’t changed his opinions. He refused to attend the Pistol’s induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, thinks people, even fans who imitate his Pistol’s look, are a cliché and it would take a team of researchers to find a quote anywhere in Rotten’s history where he complimented someone.

In a quote from the NYT article, Rotten sums up what some fans believe about him and why he endures.

Johnny Rotten has always been true to himself. You’d be correct if you said Billie Joe Armstrong should wear Rotten’s assessment of Greenday and punk rock as a badge of true honor. When the granddad grumpy, tells you, you are shit; you made it!

[Music Notes]

For the uninitiated, Blur might sound like a One Hit Wonder with the iconic Song 2. Woo-hoo! Next level up, Blur could be known as a great Brit Pop Punk band from the 90s with several hit songs or the rival of the 90s with Oasis. We admit Song 2 is in all our workout playlists, and we like the whole catalog. Consequence Sound reported that Blur is playing at Wembley Stadium next year. Another sign that 90s Pop Punk is turning into your dad’s classic rock. Rock on, dads!

RIP Keith Levene, The Clash and Public Image Limited (PIL) guitarist. Before Brit Pop Punk, there was Public Image Limited. It was created by frontman Johnny Rotten (Lydon) from The Sex Pistols. PIL took all the angst of The Pistols with Rotten’s visceral tongue and married it with outstanding music. Tight psychedelic riffs and just enough muted distortion to create a sonic shape that helped us define the 80s. In the U.S., you had to work to find this music; it was worth it when you did. Levene isn’t as well-known as many others in the scene. Instead, he played guitar in some of the most influential bands of the late 20th century, at least the most meaningful to us: music Notes, best-of-music news, and notes for the day.

You are touring in a post-COVID world is sort of like running a small startup biz. If you are lucky and you gain traction, revenues can go up. Market conditions can also change, and expenses go up; if you aren’t careful, you will end the best revenue year you ever had, losing all kinds of money. The math is about the same for most startups and now bands on the road.

Lorde, for her part, is not in that position, considers herself lucky because she is not, but sees a lot of other bands in that situation. Lorde also thanked her fans writing in STEREOGUM (link) for coming out in large numbers while empathizing (to a degree) with newer acts that currently struggle.

We have never been on the road as touring musicians, but we have started several small companies. In the beginning, you don’t want to look at your costs; you want to play/work in the space until someone tells you, you can’t. That works for a while until you meet with an accountant who shows you too much truth.

Or, as Lorde puts it, “We Can Never Be Royals.”

[More New Stuff]

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With A Shout Team