1989 Chronology
Research by Karsten Roekens and Scott M, plus contributors…
FEBRUARY 27 - LATE MAY
Martin Atkins tours the US, Europe & UK with Killing Joke.
SPRING
With a year of extensive touring ahead PiL search for a replacement for the departed Lu Edmonds. They place an advert in 'Melody Maker'. Auditions are held at Easy Hire Rehearsal Studios in Islington by Allan Dias. Ted Chau, a young musician from Hong Kong is recruited, on guitar and keyboards.
MARCH
PiL have reportedly finished recording and mixing their new album '9'. However, John Lydon is still in the studio working on various 12" mixes.
MARCH 28
The promotional release of the video for 'Disappointed'; directed by Mick Haggerty.
APRIL 24
The release of 'Disappointed' on 7", 12" & CD single. (Virgin. VS 1181 ).
APRIL
'Disappointed' peaks at number 38 in the UK charts.
APRIL
'Sounds' review 'Disappointed'.
APRIL 16
ITV, 'Chart Show' premier the promo video for 'Disappointed'. The information captions reveal that the female backing singers on the track weren't allowed to appear in the video, and have been replaced by Barbie Dolls!
APRIL 22
'Sounds' - PiL interview.
APRIL 28
Superchannel, 'Off the Wall' - Lydon interview.
APRIL 29
ARD 'Former Eins', Germany - Lydon interview.
APRIL
Lu Edmonds tours Europe ("with massive ear plugs") with The Mekons, he also guests on their 'Rock n Roll' album later that year (disguised as "Mr. Knee").
MAY 3
BBC 2 'Rapido' - John Lydon & John McGeoch interview. They are filmed in the rehearsal studio playing 'Warrior'. John Lydon comments: "We spent a lot of time writing these songs and perfecting them before we went anywhere near a studio to record them. I think that's the main effort of our work, isn't it?" John McGeoch: "Yes, you could sum it up like this: I know what I like - and John does what he likes! (laughs)"
MAY 15
BBC 2 'The Late Show'. PiL perform 'Disappointed' live in the studio.
MAY 20
'Melody Maker' - Lydon interview.
MAY 30
The release of '9' (Virgin. V 2588). '9' is their 9th album for Virgin Records, and their 7th studio album (not including 'Commercial Zone').
Drummer Bruce Smith comments on the album, "Several of the tunes are from what Lydon did at home on machines, really far-out pieces of music... I think some of the tracks might suffer from the final mix being a little too smooth, but I certainly would have done it like that."
MAY
'9' enters the UK charts, peaking at number 36. The album peaks in the US at number 106.
MAY
'Q Magazine' - Lydon interview.
They also review '9'.
MAY 20
BBC Radio 1, 'Saturday Sequence' - Lydon interview.
MAY 21
Tele 5, 'Pop 21', Germany - Lydon interview.
LATE MAY - JUNE
Martin Atkins at Conny Plank Studio in Neunkirchen, Germany with Killing Joke. Without a record company, and together with the band going their separate ways after the summer, this first version of the 'Extremities' album is shelved and finally abandoned.
JUNE 3
Recording of the promotional video for 'Warrior'.
JUNE 9
MTV Europe, 'VJ Marcel Show' - Lydon interview; and PiL promo video retrospective.
JUNE
'SPEX' magazine, Germany - John & Nora interview.
JUNE 14 - JULY 19
Start of 'Monsters of Alternative Rock' Tour. 21 dates in the USA and Canada, on the same bill as New Order and The Sugarcubes (featuring Bjork) (see Gig List for full dates).
The three band package tour is a forerunner for the now famous Lollapalooza tours of the early nineties, set up by Perry Farrell of Jane's Addiction, though not for the first time PiL are written out of history...
JUNE 16
'BAM' magazine - John Lydon interview
JULY - EARLY AUGUST
Martin Atkins tours the US with Killing Joke. When singer Jaz Coleman suffers a nervous breakdown and has to undergo psychiatric treatment, the band goes into hiatus until the following year.
JULY 3
'Alternative Press' - PiL interview.
JULY 3
'Stereoplay' - PiL interview.
JULY 16
New York, The Ritz.
The show is professionally recorded by Virgin Records for proposed live
album which is never released. However, some tracks appeared on a 5"
promo CD of 'Happy', and later on the B-side of 'Cruel' in 1992.
The gig is also broadcast on US radio.
JULY
Omnibus Press publish 'Public Image Limited - Rise/Fall' by Clinton Heylin, former editor of PiL fanzine 'Piles' (which no one had ever heard of). The book's description of the band's history is extremely biased against John Lydon and therefore remains controversial among PiL fans (see the Fodderstompf review for full info).
JULY 17
The release of 'Warrior' on 7", 12" & CD single (Virgin. VS 1195). The only peaks at 89 in the UK charts (a crime against humanity). Its promo video is directed by Mick Haggerty.
JULY
The promotional release of the video for 'Warrior'; directed by Mick Haggerty.
JULY
'Sounds' review Warrior.
JULY
ME/Sounds, Germany - Lydon interview. Also includes quotes from Bill Laswell about the abandoned recording of the album.
JULY
Jah Wobble borrows some money and flies over to New York's 'New Music Seminar' with the hope of securing a deal to release 'Without Judgement'. An album recorded in spring during a Dutch tour. "The buzz I was getting was basically 'Fuck off, old man, the game's up,forget it!'" However, he meets Bill Laswell for the first time who finds the tapes amazing, and finally gets a deal "on the very last day" with a Belgian label. Wobble is back!
AUGUST 8
Channel 4, 'Club X'. Short Lydon interview (quite possibly the worst 'yoof' TV show ever!).
AUGUST 8 - 30
16 date Australian tour starts at Sydney, Dee Why Hotel (see Gig List for full dates).
AUGUST 8
ABC, 'Countdown Revolution', Australia. PiL mime to 'Warrior'.
AUGUST
Australian TV News - Lydon interview.
AUGUST
MTV Australia - Lydon interview. During the interview John reveals that owning a PiL record in the USSR at the time of the Estonia gig was illegal. He also slags off Aussie supergroup INXS for trying “their best to sabotage" the band when PiL supported them the year before.
AUGUST
'Good Morning Australia' - Lydon interview.
AUGUST
'International Musician and Recording World' magazine - PiL interview.
AUGUST 14
ITV, Music Box, 'Rock of Europe'. 30 minute John Lydon interview.
Another hour long edit of the show was also broadcast, with the first half of the show covering Malcolm McLaren; and the second Lydon.
AUGUST 18
Brian Brain at Magic Shop, NYC recording and mixing the 'Brian Brain EP', featuring cover versions and reworking's of old Brian Brain tracks. This will be the last Brian Brain studio recordings (see Brian Brain discography for full info).
SEPTEMBER 18
John Lydon is set to appear at the AIDS benefit show 'Hysteria 2' at London, Saddlers Wells Theatre. Apparently Lydon berates the producers of the show for refusing to let him introduce Spitting Image as Puppets! Then allegedly returns for the curtain call to stick the V's up at all the celebs including John Cleese and Tina Turner. He is later accused of "ruining" the curtain call by "parading" in front of the cast! Apparently, Vic Reeves tries to intervene and a small scuffle between the two begins!
SEPTEMBER 19
London, Hammersmith Odeon.
PiL' s only UK appearance on the '9' tour.
SEPTEMBER 19
MTV US, 'News at Night - Lydon interview.
SEPTEMBER 19
MTV US, 'Post Modern' - Lydon interview.
SEPTEMBER
'Spiral Scratch' magazine features an extensive PiL bootleg LP guide.
OCTOBER
Jah Wobble returns to the music business with the release of a new 12" single 'The Unspoken Word'(see wobble discography for full info). He then puts together a new Invaders of the Heart line-up.
OCTOBER 1
MTV - Lydon interview.
OCTOBER 4 - NOVEMBER 25
Extensive US tour begins at Port Chester, Capital Theatre (see Gig List for full dates).
NOVEMBER
Ted Chau leaves PiL, taking the offer to join Philipp Boa and the Voodoo Club (PiL's support on their Hammersmith Odeon gig).
NOVEMBER
Jah Wobble & the Invaders of the Heart release the album 'Without Judgement'. The album marks Wobble's return to the music business after thinking "the game was up" (see wobble discography for full info).
NOVEMBER 27
Keith Levene releases his 'Violent Opposition' album, credited to 'Keith Levene & G-Force' (see Levene discography for full info). The album is a compilation of tracks he recorded over the last four years with various guest musicians.
NOVEMBER
The release of Gary Clail and On-U Sound System - 'End Of The Century Party' album. Featuring guest appearances by Keith Levene and Jah Wobble (see Wobble/Levene discography for full info).
NOVEMBER
Rumours appear in the press that John has been offered a voice only part in the sci-fi movie 'Hardware' as DJ 'Angry Bob'. The movie is directed by Richard Stanley (who has worked on PiL videos in the past). However, Iggy Pop is later cast in the movie, which also includes cameos from the likes of Lemmy and members of the Fields of the Nephilm. Despite John not appearing the PiL track 'Order of Death' is featured heavily throughout the movie.
DECEMBER 16
'NME' - Keith Levene interview.
DECEMBER 19
'Sounds' - Keith Levene and Jah Wobble interviews.
DECEMBER
After leaving PiL, Ted Chau takes up the offer to join Germany's then no.1 independent band Philipp Boa & The Voodoo Club, playing guitar on their 'Helios' album (released 2/90), and making his live debut with them on 1st March 1990 in Brilon, Germany. Apart from his return to PiL in 1992, Chau will be Boa's guitarist for the next three years, finally leaving in August 1993 (much to Boa's disgust) in the middle of their 'Boaphenia' tour.
DECEMBER 29
Martin Atkins joins Ministry for their 'The Mind is a Terrible Thing To Taste' tour. The shows kick off in Milwaukee and carry on through to February 1990. At their February 13th show in Omaha, Nebraska Ministry perform 'Public image' as an encore.
