Metal Box: Stories from John Lydon's Public Image Limited

by Phil Strongman

In between fronting rock’s most iconoclastic group, the Sex Pistols, and reemerging in the twenty-first century as a reality TV hero on I’m A Celebrity , Lydon led Public Image Ltd., who merged disco, funk, and industrial punk to create coruscating soundscapes with catchy tunes—from “Death Disco” and “Flowers of Romance” to “Rise” and “This Is Not A Love Song”—and caused riots at their gigs. This is Public Image Ltd.’s terrifying story.

Genres: Music, Biography

224 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2006

Reviews

[Surfing Moose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading about a band I like and finding out someone I respect is actually a prick (and not just being one) was eye opening. If you are a fan of PIL pick this book up. If you are a fan of and admire John Lydon, I wouldn't.

[Steven Vinnicombe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Post Punk PIL all the stories.

Excellent, interesting, well written extensive analysis of a major post punk band .
The stories behind the songs,the arguments the gigs.
An extremely well researched book with huge catalogue of tracks from all the band members.

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing totally remarkable, but a fun read nonetheless. I think maybe the biggest disappointment, at least to me, was that very little time was focused on the recording of Metal Box/Second Edition in favor of First Issue and Flowers Of Romance. But, whatever, check it out if you are a fan.

[AL · Rating 4 out of 5]

A slender readable summary of one of my favorite bands, with lots of quotes from key members Keith Levine, Martin Atkins, Jim Walker and Jah Wobble, as well as many of Lydon's closest associates from those early days during The Sex Pistols and beyond. The accounts of Lydon's first home in Gunter Grove are particularly fascinating, recounting your garden variety rock-star excesses, albeit the characters involved were much more intelligent than your Motley Crue ilk. The book gets a little thin by the end, but overall, a very enjoyable book if you love Mr. Rotten, as you get to know him in all his brilliance and arrogance through the eyes of those that were closest to him. Probably more accurate without his own revisionist tendencies mucking up the works.

[Marc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cursory.

[julian king · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sound read

Page Turner from the pistols to the end of pil written with an outsiders view and with no bias enjoy