Johnny Rotten: Still Playing Israel, Still Doesn’t Give A…
Johnny Rotten will be playing the Heineken Music Conference in Tel Aviv on August 31, garnering a lot of ire for purportedly supporting Israeli politics by appearing on an Israeli stage.
In reference to the bozos who seem to think every musician needs be held sway to the anti-Israel agenda: “I really resent the presumption that I’m going there to play to right-wing Nazi Jews,” he tells the Independent. “If Elvis-fucking-Costello wants to pull out of a gig in Israel because he’s suddenly got this compassion for Palestinians, then good on him. But I have absolutely one rule, right? Until I see an Arab country, a Muslim country, with a democracy, I won’t understand how anyone can have a problem with how they’re treated.”
Read the entire Independent interview here.
And here he says, “Of course, there are all sorts of terrible politics going on down there but there is just about all over the world,†Lydon said, in an interview with 6 Music. “You cannot separate yourself from your audience because of the political powers-that-be. I mean, I’m anti-government—I have been all my life no matter where I go—and I shall be making that loud and clearly proud once I’m in Israel.”
But Johnny Rotten, real name John Lydon, makes it clear on his website that “I will play to the people. I don’t play to the Government of anything… I’m playing to human beings, and to deny me that right and turn music into some kind of political joystick is quite repulsive to me, and really, really wrong.”
“And hello, Arab countries you ain’t inviting me. I’ve got no prejudices playing both sides of those borders…”
Aviva, your article is missing the world’s perspective on the subject. Instead of assuming musicians are taking an Anti-Israeli stance, wouldn’t it be more reasonable to assume that in those days of worldwide resentment towards Israel and the outcome of the flotilla raid, playing in Israel IS the political statement, while canceling tour dates and avoiding the heat is not? Israelis pretend not to understand the international boycott by avoiding looking for the reasons why artists are boycotting Israel and instead focus on the effectiveness of the boycott on Israeli public opinion. Now obviously, those who consume entertainment in Israel are good people with intentions to live a normal life, but if that’s the case, why are we portrayed the way we are around the world? If all Israelis were like you and me, would we ever have to face these problems?
I still think a cultural boycott of Israel is downright retarded, but the ones to blame are ourselves, Israelis, for being more critical of our critics than of those who make us look like racist, self-righteous murderers all over the world.
gooshi kooshi said this on July 21st, 2010 at 2:36 pm
I disagree completely. First of all, I am a proud right-wing so to speak Jewish person who doesn’t think they should give an inch of land away. I think even if every single Israeli was like you, they would still hate us. We are not to blame for this it is regular anti-Semitism masquerading as anti-Zionism, which is why people are so passionate about it. I think the flotilla raid was more than justified and that the soldiers upon getting stabbed with knives and beaten with metal pipes should have started shooting real ammunition from the first attack.
The boycott = the fact that Jews are Jews and we are hated as we have been for millenia and nothing ever is going to change that.
As for my article, everyone already knows how anti-Israel the world is. I felt not the need to elaborate.
So no, I’m not like you in thought, but we are on the same flotilla so to speak. We are not to blame. Our very existence is an abomination to these people no matter what level of religion, political thought or music we espouse, and I wish the majority of Israelis, who are like you, would wake up and realize it.
skazm said this on July 21st, 2010 at 3:00 pm
I just regret the fact that you have such pitiful low self-esteem.
skazm said this on July 21st, 2010 at 3:13 pm
I don’t regard to myself as a person with low self-esteem, I just want to know exactly how living as a Jew in Israel should affect my self esteem. When it comes to social and economic justice, the violence in Israeli society, the right to healthcare, study or just to live a respectful life, Israel is marching, courtesy of the ‘proud’ right-wing, as far as it gets from being the ‘Jewish state’.
I wish the flotilla incident would affect my life so much that I could ponder on how much the world hates ‘us’ and indulge in national feelings, but when it comes to my life, and to millions more in Israel, it all seem to be going downhill and the ‘palis’ had nothing to do with that. Do you consider yourself a privileged person?
gooshi kooshi said this on July 24th, 2010 at 9:14 pm
All I know is that if you think giving up more and more land to the Arabs is going to bring peace you haven’t read the PA constitution, the Hamas charter or dealt at any length with Islamic teachings. Every society has evils, it doesn’t mean we have to destroy ourselves to bring peace with people that want to kill us. You define Jewish as secular humanism, I see.
I think that a Jew who thinks it’s Israel’s fault for the flotilla incident and thinks that we aren’t doing enough to bring peace has low self esteem because he doesn’t realize what the world is about, and I think that this is not something I want to get into because I have too much to do 🙂
skazm said this on July 25th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Go Johnny go! Now I love him even more.
(from an original punk, who is Jewish and mostly pro-Israel – and caught PiL lst month in Northampton, Mass.)
“and I….wanna be….in Tel Aviv!”
susie davidson said this on August 1st, 2010 at 6:41 am
I love the Jews.
Billy Perrault
Billy Perrault said this on August 1st, 2010 at 9:15 pm
Way to go, Johnny! Israel loves you!
Wendy Miller said this on March 15th, 2011 at 6:47 pm
This article makes me happy. So sick of musicians getting political. They have no idea what Israel is or what a Jew is. Most of the world doesn’t have a clue. Israel, all of her, is for the Jews. Israel is our birthright and our inheritance. Not one Arab can claim that. They are all from somewhere else. Arabs, and Muslims in general are cunning. They get the world to side with them out of fear and political correctness. I know in my heart that if the goyim were honest with themselves they would see that we are not the problem. We are the solution. G-d blesses those who bless us and curses those who curse us. There are some goyim that understand this and support Israel. Unfortuantely, the majority are brainwashed by the Lib. media and their propoganda. Hearing a musician actually say something inteligent about Israel is a breath of fresh air.
Rochel said this on March 15th, 2011 at 8:51 pm