As politicians and bureaucrats continue to expand the areas of their dominance, as they decrease the spheres of what should be our freedoms, and as contemporary Western culture has seen a diminution of the “iconic” status of actors, authors, and musicians each time they join the woke, freedom-crushing political hordes to say some new foolish statement, it’s delightful to see a few of the prominent film, television, fiction, and music figures stand up for what is right and promote liberty.
Rock musician Alice Cooper recently attracted more of our attention and praise for his delightful, upbeat reminder that he and his family devote their lives to Jesus Christ. Now, another rocker has again risen to the occasion during these times of tumult to remind us of his long history promoting morality and freedom.
He’s John Lydon, first known to the world as Johnny Rotten, lead singer/writer of the seminal UK punk band, The Sex Pistols, and founder of the seminal post-punk rock group, Public Image, Limited.
Lydon already has established his strong moral spine in Pistols songs such as “Bodies” (about abortion), “Holidays in The Sun” (critical of the Berlin Wall), the Golden Palominos song “The Animal Speaks” (about the self-absorption and self-destruction of music/film stars), and numerous Public Image songs such as “Fishing” (a smack-down of those who subserviently accept government surveillance). He tried to warn Brits about child predator Jimmy Saville, who appears to have been protected by his long-time employer, the British Broadcasting Corporation, despite some BBC high-ups knowing of the sick TV host’s criminal, evil, activity. Lydon spoke about Saville decades ago, and was banned by the BBC for doing so.
He spoke up in favor of Brexit, and the importance of the UK splitting from the ever-more oppressive bureaucracy of the EU. He also publicly revealed that he supported Trump in 2020, despite explosive criticism from the pop media for taking the stance.
Lydon already has stepped out of the “spotlight” of recording and touring for many years to care for his beloved wife as she suffered from, and eventually succumbed to, the ravages of Alzheimer’s Disease – something about which he powerfully took an amazingly spiritual view, trying to help her smile, trying to learn from the experience and pass on what he might learn to others.
And now, returning to the field of music, Lydon offers more wisdom and cutting, spot-on political analysis, telling German publication Die Welt that the world has gone too far to the left.
Perceiving the snobbish, elitist, controlling mindset of leftist politicians and media shills who actually prey on working people via regulations, taxes, and woke indoctrination, Lydon sagely tore to shreds one of the left’s big lines of attack: their narrative that it’s somehow racist to oppose government literally subsidizing immigration and shoving their subsidized migrants into unwitting communities.
“They advocate massive immigration for which there should no longer be any rules because such rules are equated with racism. They quarter the refugees in working-class neighborhoods where the people are already very poor, which in turn leads to more unemployment and more crime.”
Lydon, who in his first book, “Rotten,” describes without any resentment his family’s impoverishment when he was a child, and explains how he came back from childhood battle against meningitis, has, through the years, shown his openness to cultures and people from around the world, while also acknowledging the cultural glue that keeps local people together. Admiring Britishness, hoping globalist politicians will stop bombastically deriding British traditions, and properly calling out artificial "migration" policies -- are not signs of sneering racism.
“If you say something against it, you will be labeled as a racist. But I’m not a racist and never will be. Politics is destroying working-class values based on empathy, love, and respect, not stealing from each other and helping each other when you need it. These are all values that are now being pushed aside in favor of fashionable elitism.”
And that elitism goes all the way to newly crowned King Charles III.
Lydon and the Pistols were targeted by the British government in the 1970s when they released, “God Save The Queen,” but Lydon’s criticism of the monarchy was not focused on Elizabeth as a person, and he expressed sympathy for the family upon her death.
That doesn’t mean he believes King Charles should be trusted or admired. In fact, he offers a warning about the globalist enviro-fascist, saying that Charles is “not the brightest on this planet” and adding:
“I’m afraid he’ll wreak havoc once he gets involved in world politics.”
It’s easy to agree and applaud.
Perhaps it’s due to the aging, and weakening, of various forms of long-dominant media. Perhaps it’s due to one’s own aging, or it’s due to the ceaseless creep of politics into more of what should be our free lives.
Perhaps it’s a combination of all of these, but whatever the cause, it seems as if many of us who somehow propel Western civilization are beginning to recognize that formerly idolized “stars” – in film, fiction, and music – are just workaday people, just like everybody else. For a long time, we’ve known that some of these “stars” are adversaries, and some are allies, but it’s only recently that we, on the consuming/receiving end of entertainment and the arts, have been able to communicate with each other on a widespread basis, and been able to really shed light on those in “the arts” who still stand out as good people we would welcome as our workaday neighbors.
Mr. Lydon seems to be one of those people. God bless Johnny.