1992 Chronology
Research by Karsten Roekens and Scott M, plus contributors…
JANUARY
PiL begin rehearsals for the 'That What is Not' tour. Guitarist Ted Chau is rehired for live shows. Mike Joyce (ex-The Smiths) is also recruited on drums. Joyce has just returned from New York where he cut demos with Buzzcocks.
JANUARY 20
Jah Wobble and the Invaders of the Heart release their 'Visions of You' single; a duet with Sinead O'Connor. The single peaks at number 35 in the UK charts (see wobble discography for full info).
JANUARY 21
ITV, 'Chart Show' broadcast the promo video for Jah Wobble's 'Visions of You' single.
JANUARY 30
The promotional release of the video for 'Cruel', directed by Julian West. Recorded at the London Dungeon.
FEBRUARY 1
NME - Jah Wobble interview.
FEBRUARY 2
PiL - Iguanas,
Tijuana, Mexico
'Covered' promo video shoot. Special free gig.
PiL return to London after the show to continue rehearsing, at Easy Hire Rehearsal Studios in Islington.
FEBRUARY 7
Channel 4, 'The Word' - Jah Wobble interview and 'Visions of You', with guest vocalist Sinead O'Connor. Wobble remarks: "She's a lovely lady, very strange, but a lovely lady".
FEBRUARY 10
The release of 'Cruel' on CD single, cassette, 7' & ltd edition 10" (Virgin. VS 1390). At over 5 minutes long the single struggles to get air or video play, and only peaks at number 49 in the UK charts.
FEBRUARY
'Melody Maker' review 'Cruel'.
FEBRUARY 11 - 20
Jah Wobble and the Invaders of the Heart play seven dates in Germany (see Wobble Gig List for Full Info).
FEBRUARY 14
Radio 1,' Roundtable' - John Lydon guest reviewer. Other guests include Mike Rutherford from Genesis!
FEBRUARY 14
Channel 4, 'The Word'. A drunk John Lydon turns up an unexpected guest on the show. PiL were originally booked to perform 'Cruel'. However, producers decide that the single is too long and ask for an edited version to be performed; John refuses and the appearance is cancelled.
On the day of the show, John – as a guest of The Jesus and Mary Chain who are also booked on the show (via Jeannette Lee who is involved with at Rough Trade Management) – turns up at the end of the live show for a good natured moan, and a little bit of mischief. The papers blow the incident out of all proportion. In fact, John and PiL are invited back on the show two weeks later to perform the single.
Around this time 'The Word' also approach John to be a temporary presenter, which he duly refuses!
FEBRUARY 16
Radio Forth FM Scotland, 'The Duke' - John Lydon interview.
FEBRUARY 19
VPRO FM Holland, "Murder Guest" - Lydon interview and guest reviewer.
FEBRUARY 22
Radio 1, 'Johnnie Walker' - Lydon interview.
FEBRUARY 22
NME - Wobble Q&A interview.
FEBRUARY 23
Downtown Radio Northern Ireland, 'Johnnie Hero Show' - Lydon interview.
FEBRUARY 24
The release of 'That What Is Not' (Virgin. V 2681). Recorded the previous year at Eldorado Studios in Los Angeles, produced by Dave Jerden. It peaks at number 46 in the UK album charts.
Speaking of the record, and the more 'guitar based' sound, John Lydon comments: "If you want to describe it as anything, then loosely under the generic title 'rock' - whatever that's supposed to be. Every record we approach things differently, to use as many formats as possible, and to not be frightened by it. But not like the tightness of the rock thing, I like well structured songs. I Like working within that framework. It's amazing how it can give you so much freedom, those four little walls of a rhythm, what you can do with them…"
FEBRUARY 25
Radio 1, 'Mark Goodier Evening Session' - PiL live session. The session is recorded and broadcast totally live. Tracks recorded are 'Cruel', Acid Drops', 'Love Hope' & 'Think Tank'. The show also includes an interview with Lydon and McGeoch.
PiL line up: Lydon, McGeoch, Ted Chau, Allan Dias & Mike Joyce. The session is produced and engineered by Ted de Bono, Adam Askey & Paul Long, and recorded at the BBC's Madia Vale studio 5.
FEBRUARY 25
The promotional release of the video for 'Covered', directed by Samuel Bayer. Recorded at Iguanas in Tijuana, Mexico, February 2nd.
FEBRUARY 26
BBC 2, 'Rapido' - Lydon & McGeoch interview; recorded at the filming of the 'Cruel' promo video.
FEBRUARY
'Rolling Stone' review 'That What is Not'.
FEBRUARY 28
Channel 4, 'The Word'. Another eventful John Lydon appearance on the long suffering 'yoof' show. PiL perform 'Cruel' live at the end of the show.
Off air they also perform a version of 'Public Image', this performance later turns up on the 'Best of the Word' in May.
FEBRUARY
MTV, XPO - Lydon interview and 'Covered' live.
FEBRUARY
MTV US, 'In Concert Profile' - Lydon & McGeoch interview.
FEBRUARY
German TV, Tele 5, 'POP' - Lydon interview.
MARCH 2
'Q Magazine' - John Lydon interview.
They also review 'That What is Not'.
MARCH
Schlitz beer adverts – featuring John Lydon – start appearing in various magazines. The double page ad features a picture of John along with a selection of his garbage; and state: "If anyone knows how to put away Schlitz I do."
Speaking of the advert Lydon later commented: "I hardly think the world ran out and bought Shlitz. (laughs) Nobody cares! It's just easy money. It's a tax loss for the company, I suppose, and it's easy money for me…"
MARCH 3
Radio 1, 'A Private Conversation with John Lydon'. A special one hour radio interview – where quite unusually – John openly talks about the Sex Pistols, as well as his personal life.
During the interview John mentions he is in the process of writing his long awaited autobiography. He says the book is about halfway complete, and is working with two brothers – Keith & Kent Zimmerman – who are helping him put it together.
MARCH 7
'Melody Maker' - Lydon interview. "Poly Styrene of X-Ray Spex once sent me a poster which said 'Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean everybody isn't out to get you!' And she was in a mental home at the time! Oh, that cheered me up no end, I can tell you."
MARCH 13 - APRIL 24
'MTV 120 Minutes Tour' begins at Tampa, Special Events Centre. 32 dates in the USA and Canada together with BAD II, Blind Melon and Live (see Gig List for full dates).
MARCH 15
MTV US, '120 Minutes'. John McGeoch & Allan Dias are interviewed at the start of the 'MTV Live' tour. John is nowhere to be seen! Perhaps the first PiL interview without him in years...
MARCH 20
Richard Branson sells his Virgin Music Group to Thorne EMI for £560 million.
MARCH 23
NBC, 'The Dennis Miller Show' - PiL perform 'Covered' live on the US TV talk show. John dressed in his 'fanny' shorts throws comdoms to the audience. As the song finishes he asks Dennis: "Why didn't you want to talk to me you wanker?" A sarcastic Miller explains that they over ran, "but looking at him you can see why…"
MARCH
Vox magazine - Lydon interview. "I always puke before I go on stage, because I'm so tense. I'm doing a tour for this album, so I shall be hugheying in your neighbourhood soon."
MARCH
Creem Magazine, March, 1992 - John Lydon interview. The photoshoot for the interview features Lydon dressed as the Pope along with models Pamela Anderson and Sam Phillips!
MARCH ?
JBTV, USA - John Lydon & Mike Joyce interview. An audio-only version of this interview was released as a podcast via the JBTV website in 2006.
APRIL 20
BBC 2, 'DEF II'. Wobble performs a spoken word version of the track 'A13'.
MAY
After the EMI take-over Virgin Records announce that PiL have left the label by "mutual consent". PiL add the Sex Pistols 'EMI' to their live set for their upcoming UK shows.
The planned second single 'Covered' is cancelled.
MAY 2
PiL begin their UK tour at London, Town and Country Club (see Gig List for full dates).
MAY 13
Channel 4, 'Best of the Word' - Lydon interview compilation. As a "special treat" they also broadcast an unaired version of 'Public Image' recorded from PiL's February 28th appearance.
MAY
The release of 'Volume Three' book & CD (see compilation discography for full info). Book features an interview with Lydon, while the CD features a supposed Dave Jerden "remix" of 'Criminal' (apparently mixed at El Dorado Studios in Los Angeles), however, this version is exactly the same as the original 'Point Break' version released the previous year.
JUNE
Martin Atkins plays a few dates in the UK with Murder Inc, including Birmingham, NEC Arena 27th June, as support to The Sisters Of Mercy, a few tracks from this gig later show up on the 'Locate...' compilation CD.
JUNE 6
Provinssirock Festival, Finland
The show was broadcast on FM radio; which was later released as the bootleg
CD 'Acid
Party'.
JUNE 26
Jah Wobble's Invaders of the Heart play the Glastonbury Festival in England.
JULY 4
Alton Towers Amusement Park,
Staffordshire.
PiL supporting James...
JULY
'The New Music', Canada - Jah Wobble interview.
JULY 24
The UK tabloids report that the Sex Pistols are to reform to tie in with the planned release of a new compilation 'Kiss This'.
JULY 25
'Melody Maker' run a spoof 'Talk Talk Talk' interview with John Lydon regarding PiL leaving Virgin.
JULY
Bassist Allan Dias leaves PiL due to personal problems. Unfortunately Dias had found himself slipping into drink and drug addiction, and felt he could no longer continue. Dias was one of PiL's longest serving members, and a vital member of PiL II.
Allan: "I was completely burned out, and in a bad way. I had a drug habit that was looming over my head, and it was just very difficult. I just jumped ship. It's not my style, but like I said it's not something I wanted to do… I know I let those guys down, and it was sad, but it was something I had to do for my own survival at the time, and the band's. It was literally life or death for me at the time..."
Lydon and McGeoch recruit bassist Russell Webb as a replacement for the remaining PiL live shows. Webb had previously played with McGeoch in the Armoury show.
AUGUST 1
Jah Wobble and the Invaders of the Heart headline at 'Eurock Festival', Alsdorf, Freizeitpark, Germany.
AUGUST 9
John Lydon appears on stage with Ian Dury at the first Madness 'Madstock' show in Finsbury Park. reportedly playing guitar on 'Sweet Gene Vincent'.
AUGUST 10
'Sonic Garage', Japan - Jah Wobble and the Invaders of the Heart perform live for Japanese TV at Shibuya. The live footage is intercut with an interview with Wobble.
AUGUST
Martin Atkins drums on Chris Connelly's short US tour. On one of the last dates he fractures his knee; forcing him to stop playing for 3 months. A planned Murder Inc autumn tour has to be cancelled, including five dates in Germany.
AUGUST 28
The
Reading Festival
PiL's last UK gig for 17 years...
AUGUST
Tabloid newspaper 'The News of the World' state that John Lydon is about to sign a solo record deal in America, and that he is planning a "big comeback". This is pretty much the first report to mention a solo project.
AUTUMN
Bruce Smith returns to session work, recording two tracks with The The – at The War Room Studios, London – for their 'Dusk' album. He then begins to record with Bjork for her first solo album 'Debut'.
SEPTEMBER 2
PiL begin a short South American tour at Sao Paolo The Palace, Brazil (see Gig List for full dates). Lydon walks off stage after 15 minutes because of constant spitting...
SEPTEMBER 4
Obras
Sanitarias, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The gig has to be stopped for ten minutes because a firework is thrown on
stage, narrowly missing Russell Webb.
SEPTEMBER 10
PiL begin a 6 date US tour at Warwick, Rocky Park Amusement Park (see Gig List for full dates).
SEPTEMBER 18
PiL play their last (ever?) live date at Buffalo, The Icon, USA...
SEPTEMBER 22
Release of Nine Inch Nails 'Broken' EP featuring Martin Atkins plays drums on two tracks. It also contains a cover version of the Pigface track 'Suck'. The records peaks at number 7 in the US charts.
SEPTEMBER
Further press reports that John Lydon will be putting PiL "on hold" while he works on a solo album.
OCTOBER 10
Virgin Records re-release Sex Pistols 'Anarchy in the UK'. The single peaks at number 33 in the UK charts.
OCTOBER 17
Virgin Records release the Sex Pistols compilation 'Kiss This'. The booklet contains new track by track quotes by John Lydon, as well as the other surviving band members. The album peaks at number 10 in the UK charts. Rumours have been circulating in the press for several weeks about a possible Sex Pistols concert or tour to promote the album.
An extended version of the track by track 'Kiss This' quotes will later appear in John's autobiography.
OCTOBER 20
John Lydon sets up a fake Sex Pistols boat trip on the River Thames to promote 'Kiss This'. The press are led to believe that the Pistols are playing, however, a tribute band called the "Scottish Sex Pistols" play instead. Later that evening, when the boat finally docks, John turns up to gloat!
OCTOBER 26
Martin Atkins releases his second Pigface album 'Fook' on his Invisible Records label (INV 018). Martin Atkins: "We had two days in London [November 1991] and a week in Chicago [late January 1992]. Then it took a long time editing and remixing."
NOVEMBER 7
'Melody Maker' - John Lydon & Paul Cook interview. The interview is billed as the first Sex Pistols interview in 15 years.
NOVEMBER
'Select' Magazine - John Lydon interview. John neither denies or confirms rumours of a possible Sex Pistols reunion concert. However, he does confirm his plans to record a solo album; and speaks about the split from Virgin/EMI: "I wasn't dropped I dropped them. I've had my alternative deal lined up for two years. It was just a matter of the right moment. They presented it to me and I took it and yippee! As far as I was concerned any contractual obligations I had with them ceased to exist the day Virgin became EMI. They didn't dispute that."
DECEMBER 20
MTV Europe, '120 Minutes' - Jah Wobble interview.
DECEMBER 29
ITV, 'Baktrak 92' - Jah Wobble interview.
DECEMBER 1992 - FEBRUARY 1993
Martin Atkins tours the US with Pigface.
