11.
Public Image Ltd. – Flowers Of Romance
This is one of my favourites. Love it! Love it! What’s not to love? I got to do a panel on South by South West with [PiL drummer] Martin Atkins which was incredible because I was like, ‘You’re one of my heroes!’ and he’s like, ‘What?’ and I’m like, ‘Yeah. Abso-fucking-lutley!’
I think the tribal inflections in the rhythm of this album helped things go more internal and primal. To get from Sex Pistols to Flowers Of Romance – wow! I mean, Lydon really is a holy man. And of course, having Jah Wobble in there as well, and what these guys are laying down.
I haven’t seen PiL since they got back together but I’m dying to. But this is a record I can play over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. But you know, what’s interesting with PiL and Joy Division and Bowie is that they’re all introspective records and the delicate themes that they considered made it in some ways OK to listen to ‘The Rain Song’ by Led Zeppelin. You know, emotionally safe. In those days you did it privately of course, you didn’t go round and broadcast it.
A lot of this stuff isn’t reflected so obviously in The Cult’s work because The Cult is a collaboration. Maybe that’s part of the struggle because Billy is more pragmatic than I am. So what people are witnessing is not like two guys agreeing and giving each other high fives because that’s their vision – it’s two guys going at it philosophically. If we were coming from the same place then we’d be Oasis!
