June 9 - Rise

Lately I have been reading Johnny Rotten's two autobiographies, Rotten: No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs, which primarily is about the Sex Pistols, and Anger Is An Energy, which is more recent and more all encompassing of his life and career. I have gained a new understanding of the man - and after looking at video footage of Sex Pistols, I have to agree with him, they were incredibly young. What's interesting with John Lydon - or Johnny Rotten, as he is better known as - is that he is unapologetic about not knowing how to play an instrument, yet he has a very clear artistic vision of what he wants to do with music. That he has been able to accomplish just that is a testament to how clear his vision is. Looking at his lyrics again, there are many things that I had missed that is starting to make more and more sense - and having read the books (ok - I am not done with Anger Is An Energy quite yet) just makes him more and more compelling as an artist. Because that is what he is: A performance artist.

Anyway, I was introduced to Public Image Limited, or PiL, by Arve, and so today I thought I would share the song that made me a convert in the first place way back in middle school - and it just happens to be one of Arve's all time favorite songs. I didn't know it at the time, but if you listen to the guitar right as he chants, "Anger is an energy," it is quite possible to recognize the guitar tone of Steve Vai, who was hired in to play on PiL's album Album (or Cassette or Compact Disc depending on what format you purchased it in). Rise is a great song, and may the road rise with you!