The Way We Live Now: 3-12-00: Questions for John Lydon

 Johnny Goes to Hollywood

 By Daniel Rosenberg

  

 03/12/2000

 The New York Times

 Page 27, Column 1

 c. 2000 New York Times Company

 

 Q: If there's any identity that's designed to forbid a second act, it has

to be that of a Sex Pistol. Yet

 here you are, at 44, the subject of a documentary called ''The Filth and

the Fury.'' Do you still feel a

 connection to your old passions?

 A: Oh, yeah. Born into a class system, told basically from birth onward

that I had no chance to break

 out of that. That feeling of class entrapment. It's slavery, really. I

think we stood up and said quite a

 lot about it. And definitely, definitely changed the political landscape.

 Q: That was your goal? Political change?

 A: Not deliberately -- it wasn't any great master plan. As far as career

motivation, the word ''suicidal''

 comes to mind.

 Q: Certainly in terms of how you treated your audience and your

benefactors. Is nastiness still a useful

 tool?

 A: I'm not nasty anymore. I was incorrectly diagnosed.

 Q: Incorrectly diagnosed?

 A: That rolled off rather pompously, didn't it?

 Q: More cryptic than pompous. Is your disposition softening?

 A: Not softening. I have the same sentiments. I'm extremely good-natured.

Gosh darn it, I just really

 care about people! And all's I ever wanted was to be loved.

 Q: That's very sweet. But if we can be serious for a moment -- if not

nasty, how would you describe

 yourself?

 A: Volatile. Fully prepared to defend myself.

 Q: You live in Los Angeles these days. It's hard to picture. Do you have a

swimming pool?

 A: Oh, doesn't everyone, darling?

 Q: Do you go to the beach?

 A: I'm practically 10 yards from it.

 Q: So the artist formerly known as Johnny Rotten is a married property

owner. Don't say you have a

 personal assistant.

 A: I have no one at the moment, but, yes, you do need someone to sort your

taxes out occasionally. But

 I've not fallen into the trap of being the isolated superstar.

 Q: So you don't wake up in the morning and think, Hey, I'm that Sex Pistols

guy?

 A: No. I'd love to present that image to a public, but I couldn't keep that

up. No one could be that preposterous, could they? I've got the same old problems as everbody else. Backaches. Hangover. Gas bills. Two flights of stairs to trundle down until I can have a cup of tea.

 Q: Do you find that people still expect you to be some recklessly boozing,

drug-taking, hotel-room-trashing lad?

 A: It's ridiculous. To this day, they're still trying to strip-search me

for drugs. And nothing I can say or

 do is going to change that. People just want to believe the worst.

 Q: I know you follow politics very closely. Can you vote here?

 A: No. But everyone should. The more people vote, the less shenanigans can

go on. You will only

 change things by involvement.

 Q: That's going to come as a considerable surprise to some readers, you

know. What about anarchy in

 the U.K.? Were you speaking figuratively?

 A: Yes. Because anarchy, frankly -- if you take it quite literally -- is

mind games for the middle class.

 When you come from desperate poverty, and that's exactly what I come from,

you know that

 nonsenses are not to be tolerated. I'm not sure who gains from chaos, but I

know it's not the poor

 folks in the council flats. The politics of vindictiveness is never, ever

anything like a solution.

 Q: You've got a new TV show on VH1, "Rotten TV.'' Do you like TV?

 A: Yes! The trashier the better! Always been true. Love it. Love it.

Entertains me no end. Even trashy

 soap operas. ''As the World Turns.''

 Q: So you're not of the TV-deadens-the-minds-of-the-millions school?

 A: I think it is too easy to blame an entire medium. People learn to switch

off all on their own, and they

 don't need much incentive. The lowering of standards is because of the

lowering of audience

 demands, and a show like ''Rotten TV'' shines because everything else is so

mediocre. I'm just a

 classic example of how far standards have dropped.

 Q: It's nice that you're willing to participate in that steady decline. Do

you anticipate seeing your work

 used in commercials and such?

 A: You'll love this: a margarine company in Britain has asked to use

''Anarchy in the U.K.'' to sell

 low-fat margarine. That is stunning, to my mind. I'm so tempted to sign off

on it!

 -Daniel Rosenberg