The Boy Looked At Johnny

at

John Lydon

Blaise Gilburd writes:

I am currently studying Creative Writing at NUIG. Recently we had an assignment for which I wrote a poem tackling the sudden onslaught of ex-punks turning to right-wing politics.

Anyways, only this morning did I see the headline saying that now John Lydon of the Sex Pistols has endorsed Trump, so I like to think my poem has suddenly become quite topical. Although I did in fact dedicate it to Tony Parsons of NME fame…

Punk Song

for Tony Parson and the Aged Punk

Don’t stab his eye, just leave it alone,
why make such a big deal of it all?
The kids are too radical, the kids can’t make change,
revolution was so much simpler in the seventies.

Leave out rioting for the trees and the grass
I’ll rock out about this rising carbon tax,
just forget about any slow rising tides
and you know Boris really ain’t so bad.

London’s calling in too many artsy types
who loved this stunting European hole,
too many fell in love with something they shouldn’t’ve fallen in love with,
Jesus there’s just anarchy in the UK.

Someone needs to disarm these crazy ladies
with their wet ass body parts,
when did music get so crude and graphic,
where did all the poetry go?

Fuck those bloody fucking sops,
those big ol’ drifts of snowflakes,
offended by everything we used to say
when there was a good fight to fight.

Three chords was all we needed
to make an absolutely tone deaf song,
now when I rock I’ve Facebook on my lap,
“Thatcher was actually pretty Punk you know”

Blaise Gilburd

Pic: Rex

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45 thoughts on “The Boy Looked At Johnny

  1. Eoin

    It’s a strange shift…but conservative voices seem to be the anti establishment voices these days. The left wing voices have lost their way entirely.

    1. E'Matty

      The supposed Left, who were for years challenging the power of bankers and corporations, fighting against globalisation and resource grabbing wars are now the loudest cheerleaders for all things globalisation. They abandoned ideas of economic inequality in favour of identity politics. Obama killed off the anti war movement which was very strong during the Bush years. All Obama had to do was shoot a few hoops, a cool mic drop or two, and make some progressive noises and the Left by and large ignored his murderous actions in Libya, Syria and beyond. They are now in lockstep with the sociopathic billionaire class. One only has to watch how they jump to the defence of the likes of Gates or Soros or whichever billionaire sociopath they feel is progressing their cause celebre of the day.

      The supposed Right is oddly now the tribe challenging corporate and banking power and the threat of centralised global rule. I suppose such things just flow in swings and roundabouts. The Left were the “rebels” of the past 50 years. Now they’ve become the establishment and the Right take up the mantle. In truth, Left and Right are just divide and rule. Both sides are leading us to global authoritarian rule. The Right call out for strong men to save them from the “libtards” and the Left cry out for Global government to save us all from climate change or the coronviruses (global problems require global solutions we hear). Both will result in centralised global authoritarian rule.

      1. Clampers Outside

        That sure flowed and read better as a punk poetry piece than the Gilburd bit… Hah! Nice one :)

  2. Junkface

    It’s the most Punk thing he has done in years. Back in his day, Punk was all about shock tactics, so he’s keeping it real, in his way.

    More punk than his ads for ‘can’t believe its not butter’ or whatevs.

  3. Vanessanelle

    Funny thing is
    and Jimmy (Smyth) and meself were talking about this a few weeks ago

    Punk Rock, Anarchy – 180 stuff is exactly what society needs right now
    we’ve all got too uptight and 9 – 5 about everything
    Mundane, Beige and Vegan ish

    We need some serious disruption
    New Age Punk Rockers
    Please

    Not so sure about those of us from the last time round being taken seriously tbh

  4. Dhaughton99

    BBC 4 had a doc a few years ago something like Xmas with the pistols. It was about when they preformed for the striking firemen’s families in the 70s. The most heartwarming thing I have ever seen.

    1. V AKA Frilly Keane

      That BBeeb 4 is always a reliable landing zone when you’re channel surfing
      My late mother would have it on after the 9 o’clock news every night

      There’s always a great ould music story on the go
      Keep your eye out for Glen Campbell in the Albert Hall with the full orchestra

    1. newsjustin

      Drain the BS poetry swamp!

      (Actually this all kind of makes sense. This poem has hints of the poem Kevin did about how the cruel media in the UK weren’t supporting Jeremy Corbyn and were instead, gasp, making fun of him.)

      1. Bertie Theodore Alphege Blenkinsop

        Kevin was probably out punching babies in the face at the time, in an ironic fashion.

      2. Charger Salmons

        The bitter hatred of the gang against Kevin for owning them on BS is a joy to behold.
        It’s like mini eruptions of bile all at once.
        Lads,get over it. He called you out for what you are.

        1. Vanessanelle

          ah man
          then you’ll must be kicking yourself stupid you missed everything that happened turned and dumped on me back in the Áras race

          Calling all ye out now for what ye were then more like

          oppps the Mask slipped

          You want to talk about bitter hatred
          Oh Man
          You’re some piece of work
          You haven’t a f’ing clue

          and everyone that lets you off is no better

        2. GiggidyGoo

          Charger hitting 9.889 on the SHI Troubles meter regularly now. Maybe his Greek friends are winding him up between beans and bed.

    2. Rob_G

      I cannot actually believe he has a paid (tenured??) position in an Irish university; he is literally the worst poet I have ever read.

  5. newsjustin

    People have said it much better above, but it seems almost perfectly in tune with a punk ethos to support a disruptive, unpopular in all the best circles, brazen, oddball like Trump. The alternative is him supporting Biden (sane but very un-punk).

  6. goldenbrown

    John Lydon was never proper punk, just another opportunist.

    so his love for butter or Trump definitely fits.

    1. Shayna

      He appeared on British TV advertising, Butter – not so long ago. Punks and Fascism were always aligned.I went to see a much celebrated Punk band in Shepherd’s Bush back in ’89. I think back then, I may have been conceived as a ‘Grebo’, perhaps it was the hat – without the dog on a string – however. It was something about the band spitting on the audience and the audience jumping up and down and throwing beer at eachother that really didn’t warm me nor charm me to the whole Punk thing. It all seemed a tad shouty on it.

        1. Shayna

          Yeah, perhaps – but generally in a nice, polite non-spitty, or overly shouty kinda way – I hope.

    2. The rock

      You must be joking
      Maybe just keep listening to boyzone
      This guy is the king of punk

      One of the greatest songs rise
      And let’s face it trump is going to demolish Biden

      The democrats will regret not putting Bernie on the ticket

  7. Rob_G

    Punks literally used to go around wearing swaztikas; the Ramones (some of whom were Jewish) wrote songs with the the lyrics:

    “I’m a Nazi, baby, I’m a Nazi, yes I am. I’m a Nazi Schatze, y’know I fight for the Fatherland”

    – a red hat is fairly tepid by comparison.

    1. paddy apathy

      The red hat is only the start of it.
      Don’t know what uniform would go with a red hat though.

  8. Scundered

    The traditional left have shown such disdain for the working class over issues like Brexit and similar patterns over the world, that we see the working class antiestablishment types weirdly jumping ship to vote conservative for the first time, John stills thinks of himself as working class despite his obvious riches, cor blimey guvnor.

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