2006 Chronology
Research by Karsten Roekens and Scott M, plus contributors…
JANUARY 5
'Hello!' magazine - John Lydon interview.
JANUARY 13
'Rock et Folk' magazine, France - John Lydon interview.
JANUARY 18
ITV, 'Orange Playlist' - John Lydon interview. John picks a selection of his favourite songs; including 'Sun' and 'The Rabbit Song'. Speaking of 'The Rabbit Song' he comments: "This song is part of a whole new album I'm putting together, its fun and it's just the way I talk sometimes - it's a conversation. Rabbit is me talking; it's me rabbiting on. I wrote it in LA in my own studio and it's just a bit of fun."
JANUARY 24
Release of 'The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder: Punk & New Wave' DVD, containing the infamous 1980 PiL interview with John Lydon and Keith Levene.
JANUARY 25
'The Phoenix', Boston - Jah Wobble interview.
JANUARY 25 - FEBRUARY 4
Jah Wobble's English Roots Band begin a 9 date North American tour at Toronto, Horseshoe Tavern, Canada; supporting the US release (January 24th) of last year's 'Mu' album.
Wobble will continue to sporadically tour the UK and Europe throughout the year (see Wobble Gig List for full info).
JANUARY 27
'Chicago Tribune' - Jah Wobble interview.
JANUARY 28
Martin Atkins holds another 'Underground Music Seminar' at Underground Inc offices in Chicago.
Later the same day Atkins goes to see Jah Wobble play live at Chicago, The Abbey. Backstage Wobble confronts Atkins about the recent illegal PiL bootleg DVD set that was released through Atkins' Underground Inc. Atkins then removes the DVD from his website and issues an apology calling it "lapse of judgment".
JANUARY 29
Martin Atkins issues a statement via Underground Inc to announce he will no longer be selling the PiL bootleg DVD. The full statement reads:
"I met Jah Wobble
last night at his show here in Chicago. Things didn't end very well between
him and I with The Damage Manual, so I wanted to show my face and say
hello to the guy I was in PiL with 27 years ago! It was good to see him,
but he was upset about the PiL DVD bootleg that I put up on the site -
I explained why I had done it - that someone was making money on it -
why not me too? But, standing in front of him, I realized several things:
that, basically, two wrongs don't make a right, that it makes me look
like I am manufacturing the thing (I bought some from a distributor) and,
worst of all, it takes the piss out of my ex-bandmates whose performances
are also on the DVD.
I apologized and told him I would remove it from the site today. I think
that this episode defines the phrase 'lapse of judgment' perfectly and
I humbly apologize to all concerned."
JANUARY 31
Indie 103.1 FM, Los Angeles, 'Jonesy's Jukebox' - Jah Wobble interview. The English Roots Band also perform two tracks 'You Don't Love Me (No,No,No)' and 'Blacksmith' with Steve Jones sitting in on second guitar.
FEBRUARY 1
'Motoring & Leisure' magazine - John Lydon interview.
FEBRUARY 2
'MOJO' magazine - John Lydon interview. When asked about his former PiL colleagues he comments: "[Keith Levene]'s just nasty minded. When he stops that, then I'll talk to him. Wobble's a mate and always will be…"
FEBRUARY 3
KEXP 90.3 FM, Seattle - Jah Wobble & The English Roots Band live radio session and interview. The band perform 'Visions of You', 'Blacksmith', 'The Rocky Road to Dublin', 'You Don't Love Me (No,No,No)' and 'Finally Cracked It'
FEBRUARY 15
ITV, 'Orange Playlist' - John Lydon is included in a Valentines Day special. He picks 'This is Not a Love Song' by PiL.
FEBRUARY 19
'The Observer Music Monthly' magazine - John Lydon interview and photoshoot. Pick of the quotes? "The internet bores me to tears…"
FEBRUARY 22
Lu Edmonds guest speaker at 'Porto Musical' music industry convention in Recife, Brazil
FEBRUARY 24
The Sex Pistols officially announce they will not be attending the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where they are due to be inducted in March. A handwritten message – penned by John Lydon – is posted on the Sex Pistols thefilthandthefury.co.uk and JohnLydon.Com websites. Read the official statement here…
MARCH 1
'The Nerve Magazine', Vancouver - Jah Wobble interview.
MARCH 7
The US edition of Simon Reynolds 'Rip It Up And Start Again: Postpunk 1978-1984' book is published by Penguin (originally published in the UK April 2005). The cover artwork now features a Dennis Morris photograph of PiL. The book includes two whole chapters on PiL. Read the Fodderstompf review here.
MARCH 8
The Carpetface website announces a new planned collaboration featuring Keith Levene entitled 'Quim Reaper'. However, Levene does not play on the eventual release. Levene and Carpetface previously collaborated on tracks for Carpetface's debut album in 2005 (see Levene discography for full info).
MARCH 10
Indie 103.1 FM, Los Angeles, 'Jonesy's Jukebox' - John Lydon interview. John and Steve talk extensively about the Sex Pistols and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The interview was later made available as a podcast via the Indie 103.1 website.
MARCH 10
ABC, 'Jimmy Kimmel Live' - John Lydon interview. Sporting a 'Psycho's Path' t-shirt John explains why the Sex Pistols want nothing to do with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He also takes along one of Steve Jones 'Two Cowboy's' t-shirts; after the Pistols were dropped from the front cover of 'Rolling Stone' magazine in place of the 'Brokeback Mountain' movie.
MARCH 12
CNN News (USA) - John Lydon interview. John reads the "Urine in Wine" Hall of Fame announcement and talks of the Pistols decision not to attend.
MARCH 13 & 14
'Clip Trip', Canada - Jah Wobble interview. Canadian cable channel Muchmoremusic.com.
MARCH 15
91X FM, San Diego - John Lydon interview and phone-in. Lydon is live on air for nearly 3 hours, and completely dominates the proceedings!
Lydon had openly supported the station's relaunch back in January; and had recorded various supportive voiceover's and quotes which 91X had been broadcasting.
MARCH 21
Sirius Satellite Radio, '28 Faction' - John Lydon interview. Speaking of any forthcoming solo album he states: "I cannot get anyone wanting to release it, so I'm basically gonna have to go into basically selling it myself on the internet. Which is, oh my God, such a lot of effort…"
MARCH 22
John Lydon and Rambo attend a charity launch for Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy in Los Angeles. Unbeknown to them The Pretenders were playing next door at the House Of Blues. And completely unbeknown to them, Steve Jones was to turn up and play the encore of 'Pretty Vacant' along with Chrissy and the band.
Lydon tells the tale of his surprise visit, 'straight from the horses mouth' on JohnLydon.Com. A tale that covers musical therapy, Emerson Lake and Palmer, moshing. Oh, and biscuits too...
APRIL 6
NRK P3 radio, Norway, 'Harald Are Lund' show - Keith Levene interview. During the show an unreleased MurderGlobal track entitled 'Death From Above' is played.
APRIL 6-14
Keith Levene at MOK Studios in Oslo, Norway, recording a guest appearance on N.I.C.'s ('Necessary Interplanetary Cooperation') second album; set to be released spring 2007.
APRIL 8
JohnLydon.com - John Lydon interview. John reveals more fabrications from the Rock and Roll Hall of Shame; plus talks about the forthcoming 'AngloMania' event at the New York Metropolitan Museum of Art; which he will be involved with.
APRIL 13
Martin Atkins DJs at Club Spaceland, Los Angeles.
APRIL 22
'The Daily Mail Weekend Magazine' - John Lydon interview.
APRIL 29
John Lydon takes part in a spoken word charity event at film maker Kevin Smith's house in Los Angeles' (Clerks, Dogma, etc). Lydon reads the lyrics to PiL's 'The Body', 'Tie Me To The Length Of That', plus the Pistols 'Bodies' and 'God Save the Queen'.
MAY 1
John Lydon attends the preview opening (then evening charity dinner) for the 'Anglo Mania' fashion exhibition at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Lydon's tartan jacket from the Sex Pistols 1978 US tour is part of the exhibition. He also recorded a special podcast for the exhibition where he reads the lyrics of 'God Save the Queen' and talks about British culture and fashion.
MAY 4
'The New York Times' prints a series of petty swipes at John Lydon regarding the 'Anglo Mania' event; which he later laughs-off on JohnLydon.com; describing them as "the secret admiration society".
MAY 7
CBC Radio, Canada, 'Definitely Not The Opera' show - John Lydon interview.
MAY 12
XM Satellite Radio, 'Broadminded' show - John Lydon interview.
JUNE 3
BBC2, 'The Summer of Heat, 1976' - John Lydon interview.
JUNE 9
Jah Wobble & The English Roots Band - Clandestino Festival, Gothenburg, Sweden.
JUNE 14
Jah Wobble releases 'Alpha One-Three' on 30 Hertz (see Wobble Discography for full info). The album is named after his old taxi call-sign. He also announces he is working on an autobiography; which partly inspired writing the lyrics for 'Alpha-One Three'.
The album's release was delayed for a week due to a problem with the inner booklet artwork. Read the Fodderstompf review here.
JUNE 22
Ryan Moore (Twilight Circus) completes further mixes taken from the Keith Levene and N.I.C. sessions in April. An additional 'N.I.C. in Dub' album (with remixes by Youth, The Orb, The Bug and others) is also set to be released in spring 2007 on Hammerbass Records, France.
JUNE 27
A vinyl replica of 'Metal Box' – 3x45rpm, housed in a metal can – is released in the USA by the 4 Men With Beards label. John Lydon oversaw the production of the re-issue, ensuring it was as close to the original release as possible. Read the Fodderstompf review here.
JULY 4
'GreenCine.com' website - John Lydon interview (done early May in New York). The interview includes some interesting quotes about PiL:
"We had a great offer in New York to do a live video broadcast kind of thing, not performing live, just spinning records, that ended up in a riot, and I thought, "I really like New York." So I stayed. We found, as Public Image Ltd at that time, we could get gigs in America, so we lived quite frugally, but we could just rent a van and go off to Philadelphia and New Jersey and travel up and down the East Coast and really enjoy it, really enjoy playing the small clubs. Some band members couldn't tolerate the American way of life, I suppose, and being the volatile bunch of creationists that we were, went our different ways. Everybody had their own angle to go towards, so there we were. We can't hold each other back."
JULY 13
Martin Atkins releases another Damage Manual remix album called 'Damaged Dubs' (limited edition of 250 copies, mail-order only). The album includes a 15 minute Dub Mix of 'Stateless'.
JULY 23
'The Independent On Sunday' - Jah Wobble reviews Merlin Coverley's book 'Psychogeography'.
AUGUST 5
Jah Wobble & The English Roots Band - Rhythm Festival, Clapham.
AUGUST 7
Howard Sounes book 'Seventies: The Sights, Sounds and Ideas of a Brilliant Decade' is published in the UK. John Lydon was interviewed for the book in 2005.
AUGUST 17
Fodderstompf.com - Bob Miller interview. PiL sound engineer and co-producer; circa 1982-83.
SEPTEMBER 1
Jah Wobble & The English Roots Band - Electric Picnic Festival, Ireland.
SEPTEMBER 2
Jah Wobble & The English Roots Band - Off The Tracks Festival, Donington.
SEPTEMBER 7
'Stories of Johnny - A Compendium of Thoughts on the Icon of an Era' a new unofficial book on John Lydon is published in the UK. Rather than being a biography the book is a collection of stand-alone essays on Lydon from various music critics such as Greil Marcus, Legs McNeill, Kris Needs and Pat Gilbert. The book also features an ill-advised chapter on PiL by Clinton Heylin. Read the Fodderstompf review here.
SEPTEMBER 27
'Jah Wobble & The English Roots Band' album is released via 30 Hertz (see Wobble Discography for full info). The album was recorded live in the studio in early June; and features new recordings of 'Visions of You' & 'Blacksmiths Song' – along with one of the highlights of the live set – a stunning cover of 'No, No, No' (aka 'You Don't Love Me').
The album is initially released online via 30 Hertz with a full release following on October 30th. Read the Fodderstompf review here.
SEPTEMBER 27
Pete Jones releases two new tracks via his website: 'Diamonds and Barricades' and 'Killer'. The tracks are the first of a 4 track 'Diamonds and Barricades' MP3 EP. All tracks are completely free and come with worldwide license “to do whatever takes your fancy!"
SEPTEMBER 29
'Q' magazine. Includes a special congradulatory message from John Lydon – originally taken from JohnLydon.com – to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the magazine.
OCTOBER 11-18
Martin Atkins spends some time in Beijing, China. Atkins was invited by D-22 club; and records at Hi End Studios with local Chinese musicians. One of the results of these sessions is a new Pigface 7" single 'Broadcast from Radio China', later released in December.
NOVEMBER
A bootleg CD entitled 'Never Mind The Public Image Here's The Public Image Limited' is released in Japan. The 3CD set includes some previously unreleased outtakes from the 'Commercial Zone' sessions; and a previously unreleased remix of '1981' from the 'This Is What You Want...' sessions. The outtakes surfaced earlier in the year via internet file sharing sites (see Bootleg Discography for more info).
NOVEMBER 15
Fodderstompf redux. Fodderstompf.com is given a revamp. "We only wanted to redesign the website with the minimum amount of effort which we have now done very suc-cess-fully…"
NOVEMBER 17
The Pigface documentary 'Free For All' gets its premiere at The Portage Theatre in Chicago. The documentary by Cliff Seiloff was filmed during the 'Free For All' tour in 2005.
NOVEMBER 17
Pete Jones releases 'Jump (demo version)': the third track from his 'Diamonds and Barricades' EP via his website.
NOVEMBER 23
Fodderstompf.com - Bret Helm interview. PiL bassist; circa 1984-85.
NOVEMBER 24
'The Guardian' & 'The Independent' review 'Jah Wobble & The English Roots Band'.
NOVEMBER
'Rolling Stone' review the vinyl replica of 'Metal Box'.
DECEMBER 2
Radio 2, '30 Years Of Punk' - John Lydon interview.
