Addicted to Noise
John Lydon Goes Solo In His Role As Johnny Rotten
April 21, 1997

Addicted To Noise staff writer Gil Kaufman reports: PiL/Sex Pistols front man John Lydon has finally completed his long-threatened first solo album, Psycho's Path (June 17). Co-produced and performed by Lydon, the 15-track album was written and, for the most part, recorded more than three years ago, only to collect dust while everlasting gobstopper Lydon slipped back into his Johnny Rotten persona for 1996's Sex Pistols reunion tour.

The album is "very techno-y, really a late harbinger of the whole techno thing, since it was recorded a while ago but isn't coming out until now," said a source at Virgin. And with remixing contributions from Moby, Leftfield, Danny Saber and Chemical Brothers, our source might just have a point.

The album, whose mixing was finished a few weeks ago, features 11 new songs, plus four remixes, by Moby ("Grave Ride"), Leftfield ("Sun," "Psychopath") and Danny Saber ("Stump"), and one song, "Open Up," performed by Lydon and Leftfield and mixed by the omnipresent Chemical Brothers.

Of his decision to go solo, the always acidic Lydon says: "Although I love working in Public Image Ltd.--which is kind of a corporation of people where everybody contributes equally--a solo album has to all come from inside, and I think it results in a less dissipated energy... This album is more like an angry horse being held on a leash, whereas in Public Image we let the angry horses run wild. The way I see it, I've built four walls around myself, and I've gone insane inside them. It's organized chaos."

Lydon goes on to admit being a "really bad musician," but adds that he doesn't "use other people's samples," preferring to create his own and run them through keyboards.

The tracks listing looks like this: "Grave Ride," "Dog," "Psychopath," (which Lydon says is based loosely on serial killer John Wayne Gacy) "Sun," "Another Way," "Dis-Ho," "Take Me," "A No and A Yes," "Stump," "Armies" and "Open Up."

The techno connection is not as tenuous as it might look. Lydon cropped up on Leftfield's record last year, on the same song that appears on his new record, "Open Up," and, for all intents and purposes, PiL has made a type of electronica for years.