hamberderhelper He was the only MTV veejay who could’ve done this interview. JJ Jackson drove Led Zeppelin around The States during their first US tour. He was a real music guy.
It's a shame Keith didn't get more attention. The guy was very charismatic judging by this interview, and he understood the psychology of making intriguing tunes. His guitar style is one of a kind!. A true post-punk guitar hero, for lack of a better term. I'm sure he'd cringe at that though.
John is so perceptive, he’s much more relaxed with JJ than he is usually in interviews because he seemingly likes him. Says more about most interviewers than it does about Johnny. Johnny’s one of the most sincere genuine people that’s ever existed in music and most just can’t handle that!
JJ Jackson was a heck of an interviewer. He was genuine. Kurt Loader on the other hand they would have walked out on him in a New York Minute, literally.
This interview was so good because they all respected and considered each others opinions. Too many times the interviewer looks to interrogate Lydon and doesn't give a dam about his opinions, JJ did so well.
I have seen dozens of interviews with John Lydon, and it's amazing to me how differently he behaves here on this MTV set because he genuinely respects JJ Jackson.
The best PiL Interview ever. Keith has plenty of valid points to make, the interviewer knows shit about them and respects them, and when Lydon does speak he's at his best.
JJ definitely handles Lydon extremely well in this interview, gives him just enough stroke to keep him smirking. These two gentleman could smell “the man” a mile away. JJ Jackson was a class act! RIP Keith :/
I really liked this interview. It was interesting to hear the chatter before and after the official Q&A started, John Lydon was actually somewhat "friendly" and Keith Levene was a revelation to me. I think J.J. did a great job and I just wish PIL had stuck together (and gotten Wobble back) - they were great but could have contributed so much more.
Great interviewer. They come off so spikey and dismissive at first, but really grow to appreciate his respect and genuine interest. Like watching a world-class negotiator.
Bw Campbell Nothing wrong with the interviewer, the interviewees made it very difficult for him, Johnny Rotten has a different attitude these days I would say!
Keith was really into this interview, and yes he was talking with a lot of enthusiasm. He always tried to be the voice of reason, even when Lydon went off on the interviewer.
@@Tomversal Tom I worked with him from 2011 through early 2016. Keith was a perfectionist. He worked long 30 hour days on everything that came out of the CZ2014 project (as he says he did during Commercial Zone) not just in Prague but also in Florida and London. He was always professional, hard working, dedicated and motivated to do the best possible work. It showed in the work. Thank you for ignoring the bollocks.
I love the way john slightly mellows with each interview - He was the ultimate wind-up - i doubt anyone quite got it - even his fans. Genius. JJ got it, poor old Tom Snyder didnt
Mar Guitar it used to stand for music television but does it still play any music? I’ve heard it’s all silly pregnant teenagers shows and reality shit today. Not that I’d want to hear any of todays corporate crappy music.
Shut yer gob, Bette Bleu, and the rest of you who made ignorant comments here. You're the unpleasant ones! If you were actually LISTENING to the interview, John's not rude once. He is friendly with JJ, smiles and jokes, and answers all the questions intelligently. He's quiet and contemplative at times when he's lost in thought, which I find fascinating to watch, because John's a deep thinker. He's lived an insanely intense life. And yeah, he jokes that he's been acting all his life, cause he's been a stage performer since age 19 with the Pistols, and has had fame thrust upon him unexpectedly at such a young age. It always makes me sad to John and Keith together, two brilliant, talented young artists who were close friends, and then sadly the friendship / partnership fell apart. They seemed so right together. Hope they have, or will, make peace one day. It's fascinating that there exist two versions of PiL to this day, performing in front of audiences. What a fantastic band. Thanks for the brilliant music you created, John and Keith. Much love to ya both.
@@Bpg5012trick Not necessarily true if you research King Mob, who and what they were and which members were servicing politicians, primarily in the House of Commons.
Jay Smith JJ Jackson was the only person at MTV who could have pulled off this interview. He was the ultimate pro. Very smart, very perceptive, very knowledgable, not intimidated at all by interviewing smart people who will suffer fools gladly (or won't suffer them gladly, whatever the correct phrase is).
The last 5 minutes of this interview almost made me cry; "Oh, what MTV could have been!" Back in the days when they actually played music videos, you could see a PiL video, then Olivia Newton-John, then Rainbow, then Roxy Music, then some artist I never hear of but found interesting...now it's all--ugh!--reality shows and stupid game shows...SOB!
What's with the camera refusing to include Keith when he's talking...how frustrating. Yet very PIL...to stare at John's boiling intensity while the world goes on around him. One of the most honest and brilliant minds on culture's truth and belonging that we've had, from the very beginning.
Thanks for putting this up. Would never have got to see it otherwise. I find it rather sad that Levene is still talking with such enthusiasm about PiL & he & Lydon seem to have a good relationship & yet it must've been only a very short while later that he and Lydon fell out leading to Keith doing a runner with the Commercial zone master tapes. I've still yet to hear the original Commercial zone as in, the white cover with the embossed PiL logo. Maybe one day I'll get lucky and find a copy.
And speaking of things that have changed in thirty years, it's amazing that this was an interview on MTV of all channels. The points JJ Jackson makes to defend/promote MTV are light years from its 2012 incarnation of Snookie and teen moms. Imagine! A long interview with musicians about music! On Music Television!
Watching John daydream about thinking back when performing, and video - which in 1980 he was all for - but then realised how it would affect music. Profound!!
I think the only other person that goes out of their way to make an interviewer feel as awkward as John Lydon would be Morrissey. They come from two totally diffrent styles of music but niether really like to answer anymore than half of the questions they are asked. Even so, they are still entertaining to listen to.
And now that has infected the whole world. Political journalism has become activism and propaganda for journalists to spread their own political views and control the "truth", and unpolitical journalists are vultures who will gladly record corpses and the misery of other people for more audiences and a quick buck. I absolute detest what journalism has become.
really informative interview. great to see some though provoking questions asked. this was indeed a great line up of pil with half of 'brian brain'. they seem really happy together and i wonder why keith was suddenly sacked. i bought the other 'c. zone' in vancouver (levene's version), upon release.
Gee, people think this was BAD interview with Johnny? Gee, I guess some of you haven't seen the one with Tom Synder two years earlier. Now THAT'S one where you'll want to punch Johnny in the face. He's being quite respectful here.
I did the following experiment - sped up the reeling to 1,5x and then search for clarity and understandable articulation throughout the speed marathon (no pun...). Now, JJJ and Kiff, as any person in a friendly, laidback or at least short-of-tension TV chat, tend sometimes to ''eat'' some words or consonants and vowels out of them, so that is why when the process is sped up, it turns even more evident. When Lydon speaks, the acceleration is there but the end result is quite amazing. I'd love to hear your conclusion.
JJ has half a point: MTV didn't DIRECTLY control the content of videos that got made and submitted for broadcast. But it certainly controlled what got broadcast, and thereby indirectly affected how videos were conceived, produced and marketed. Hence Lydon's subsequent "we had such high hopes," remark, which was at least half in jest. In 1982 MTV had already lost any "independent" cred it may have had.
John Lydon proved in this interview that he will be nice to you if you are nice to him. So many in the past have interviewed him with their minds made up and can't list because of it.
Really surprising to see a band like PIL being on MTV as this band is generally experimental and close to bands like Van Der Graff Generator, Can, Neu, Faust and Captain Beefheart than the usual rock bands MTV has in those days.
Around 10:50 Lydon seems to be fantasizing about peeling the skin off Jackson's face. Just for the fun of it. He's holding himself back though while realizing JJ has a point there.
Yeah you definitely figure out later that John Lydon is just a really good guy deep down and a true artist and totally respectable and dedicated to his cause. If you want to find something about him to bitch about then go for it because everybody has something. But I love this guy. However, the interviews he and Keith would do around this time, voting may be the most Innovative music I've ever heard young guys like this make, were just so combative and a lot like watching a car wreck. Not really enjoyable but you couldn't take your eyes off. So it's really cool to see this , where this laid-back interviewer, who's straight up for real and gives a crap, meets John on his level and John is digging it. I dig this!!!!
I get what John was saying over the British music media. BBC basically had so much sway back then. Pirate Radio, fanzines, NME was the only Indie scene.
I love John in every form...PIL, Pistols...But I have to say...not the best looking man...His wardrobe was always immaculate...No people telling him what to wear etc...A true hero for me.
This was when PIL were avoiding everything that could be seen as something a band would traditionally do, including touring. That may have hurt them a little. John may have thought it would create bloodlust in the audience.
This was a bad period for PiL, at least as far as interviews go. It was such an interesting project and it would have been great to hear more about them and what was going on, but they were incredibly boring in interviews.
I agree. He always seems to be acting out this fuck you attitude. It pisses me off. I want to listen to what he say's and I agree with him on some points. I just wish he would chill out and be himself , he would be more interesting. He is making himself anxious and uncomfortable by being this way. It was ok back in 76/77 but people are getting fed up with it now. Stop this attitude nonsense John.
