Johnny Rotten's Band Techno-pops Its Way to a Different Public Image

No, it's not simply the "band that Johnny Rotten is in now." Public Image Limited (PIL) is an entity in itself, creating techno-pop to satisfy even the most discriminating alternative music fan.

PIL's members got their musical experience working with some of the most famous performers in the rock world. While the best known member is frontman John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon, former singer for the legendary Sex Pistols, fellow musicians Allan Dias (bass), John McGeoch (guitar) and Mike Joyce (drums) have played for such bands as The Smiths, Billy Idol, Siouxsie and the Banshees and Sinead O'Connor.

Even though they are less widely known than their screeching vocalist, Joyce and McGeoch don't seem to feel threatened by his fame. Just because he stands in the back of the stage, Joyce claims, he doesn't feel like he's "in the shadows" of the band. "As far as I'm concerned, it's a group effort," he says.

He adds that when journalists are prepared to ask questions about the band's past, the musicians will be ready to answer them. "If there is any separation [between the band members], it's certainly not the band that is creating it, and it's certainly not John [Lydon]," he concludes.

McGeoch concurs. Although people in England may still prefer to see Lydon as "Johnny Rotten," he says that in America half of the people have probably not even heard of the Sex Pistols. "[Americans are] just PIL fans," he insists.

Joyce has only been with the band for about three months and says that working with PIL is "a bit more exciting" than being with the other bands he has worked with. Even off stage, "people seem to be excited about being in this band," he adds.

Describing the atmosphere as a kind of a "gang mentality" in which he likes to work, Joyce concludes that the group is "very solid," and that everybody is "vibrant about being with each other."

When asked to compare PIL's success in America to that in England, McGeoch speculates that the band's "main audience is in America."

During last year, in a tour of about 140 shows, around 115 were performed in North America. McGeoch thinks that last summer's tour was the second largest, superceded only by that of the Rolling Stones.

In comparison, McGeoch finds PIL's reception in Great Britain to be disappointing. "The UK is rather slow for us," he said, adding that the band will probably do only four or five gigs there this year.

McGeoch says that the band is fortunate to have three prolific songwriters: Lydon, Dias and himself.

Describing his own songwriting process, McGeogh explains that he "often wakes up at night and puts [his ideas] down." Every member of the group writes on computers, which allows them to work alone even though they live so far away from each other.

McGeoch says that he "maybe writes 50 or 60 sketches" and usually thinks that "maybe ten of those...are good enough to play for the guys." Once they are played to the band, the musicians will pick out two or three for continued work.

"That's a good success rate for me," he quips.

After limiting everyone's songs to a group of 15 or 18, the "time consuming" part of the writing begins. McGeoch says that it takes PIL from a year to a year and a half to complete this stage. "I can never understand bands that go into multitrack and write songs in the studio," he says. "To me it's an ongoing process. It's a skill and not an inspiration.

As for the new album, McGeoch believes that PIL has "grown in fluency of the songwriting" and that the "evidence is a bit more confidence."

Joyce says that the band is "a little bit harder since [he] has been part of it." Although he admits that PIL's first drummer may have been a little more technical, he reserves himself the position as the more aggressive.

According to McGeoch, PIL tries to give the concert audience "value for money." In this year's tour, that value comes is providing a package that includes Big Audio Dynamite II, Live and Melon. The show hits Boston on April 16.

McGeoch explains that the difference between recording and performing is like "the difference between oil painting and water colors." He believes that part of what "makes PIL a good band is that [they] know the difference between making records and performing live."

The album, That What Is Not, is a tribute to the diversity and talent of the members of the band. Each song features the work of each member in turn. The album begins with the song "Acid Drops," which peaks with the repeated line "who censors the censor, can I do that myself; make up my own mind like anyone else."

The transition between the first three songs ("Acid Drops," "Luck's Up" and "Cruel") is McGeoch's favorite part of the new record. The songs do fit together well musically, but the thematic link seems lacking. The transition flows cryptically from a song about censorship to a song about the many evils of modern times to a song about a girl who sounds like some sort of prostitute. Who knows what McGeoch is really referring to?

Some critics describe "Love Hope" as a "direct throwing-down-of-the-gauntlet to the Van Halen, Guns N' Roses mind set," and indeed, the techno-pop/heavy metal connection is very hard to imagine.

But the song comes off exactly as described, full metal to the end. It exemplifies the diversity and talent of a band that has been around for 12 years.

If you hate the alternative, techno-pop music that this tape is, then go buy the latest New Kids release. But if you lean toward the alternative side or are just looking for something new, this album packs some welcome surprises.