John Lydon

Acting

John Lydon

Born 1956-01-31 · London, England, UK

John Joseph Lydon (born 31 January 1956), also known by his stage name Johnny Rotten, is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is best known as the lead singer of the late-1970s British punk band the Sex Pistols, which lasted from 1975 until 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s. He is also the lead singer of post-punk band Public Image Ltd (PiL), which he founded and fronted from 1978 until 1993, and again since 2009. Lydon's outspoken persona, rebellious image and fashion style led to his being asked to become the singer of the Sex Pistols by their manager, Malcolm McLaren. With the Sex Pistols, he penned singles including "Anarchy in the U.K.," "God Save the Queen", "Pretty Vacant" and "Holidays in the Sun", the content of which precipitated what one commentator described as the "last and greatest outbreak of pop-based moral pandemonium" in Britain. The band scandalised much of the media, and Lydon was seen as a figurehead of the burgeoning punk movement. Because of their controversial lyrics and disrepute at the time, they are regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of popular music. [source: Wikipedia]

Acting credits

Song to Song poster
5.5

In this modern love story set against the Austin, Texas music scene, two entangled couples — struggling songwriters Faye and BV, and music mogul Cook and the waitress whom he ensnares — chase success through a rock ‘n’ roll landscape of seduction and betrayal.

Song to Song

2017

Copkiller poster
5.8

A NYPD officer imprisons and tortures an admitted cop-killer, but finds the tables turned when his victim refuses to break and in fact urges more punishment.

Copkiller

1983

Lennon or McCartney poster
5.3

550 artists were interviewed over ten years. At some point during those interviews, they were asked a question and told to answer with one word only. Some stuck to one, some said more, some answered quickly, some thought it through, and some didn't answer at all. That question… Lennon or McCartney?

Lennon or McCartney

2014

The Independent poster
5.5

A notorious B-movie director tries for a comeback by seeking out the film rights to the life story of a serial killer who wants his biography film to be a musical.

The Independent

2000

Rebel Dread poster
7.0

Documentary about Don Letts who played a leading role in pop history. Letts injected Afro-Caribbean music into the early punk scene and shot over 300 music videos including for Public Image Ltd. and Bob Marley, but also for teen sensations Musical Youth's reggae smash 'Pass The Dutchie'. Besides his enduring relationship with The Clash, the constant factor in Letts' eventful career as a DJ, manager, film director, musician and radio maker is that, from the 1970s on, he continued to draw attention to cultural issues, as he does today with his radio programme for BBC 6, Culture Clash Radio.

Rebel Dread

2022

Super Duper Alice Cooper poster
7.1

Emerging from the Detroit music scene of the 1970s in a flurry of long hair and sequins, Alice Cooper restored hard rock with a sense of showmanship, while simultaneously striking fear into the hearts of Middle America with the chicken-slaughtering, dead-baby-eating theatrics that would cement his identity as a glam metal icon. Meticulously crafted from rare archival footage, Super Duper Alice Cooper tells the story of the man behind the makeup, Vincent Furnier, the son of a preacher, who got caught in the grip of his own monster.

Super Duper Alice Cooper

2014

The Filth and the Fury poster
6.9

Julien Temple's second documentary profiling punk rock pioneers the Sex Pistols is an enlightening, entertaining trip back to a time when the punk movement was just discovering itself. Featuring archival footage, never-before-seen performances, rehearsals, and recording sessions as well as interviews with group members who lived to tell the tale--including the one and only John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten).

The Filth and the Fury

2000

1976: Summer of... Heat poster
NR

Documentary looking at the heatwave of 1976. The longest driest spell on record led to drought, water rationing and forest fires. As the country sweltered, tensions rose.

1976: Summer of... Heat

2006

Never Mind the Baubles: Xmas '77 with the Sex Pistols poster
8.0

Director Julien Temple presents a unique insight into the tradition and transgression of Christmas. Featuring interviews and 70s archive, framing the Sex Pistols’ last UK concert with Sid Vicious, for the children of striking firemen in Huddersfield on Christmas Day 1977.

Never Mind the Baubles: Xmas '77 with the Sex Pistols

2013

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle poster
6.4

A rather incoherent post-breakup Sex Pistols "documentary", told from the point of view of Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, whose (arguable) position is that the Sex Pistols in particular and punk rock in general were an elaborate scam perpetrated by him in order to make "a million pounds."

The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle

1980

Joy Division poster
7.6

A chronological account of the influential late 1970s English rock band.

Joy Division

2009

Dreadtown: The Steel Pulse Story poster
NR

They have raged on for forty years, cutting a swath across continents and lighting the fuse of revolutionary thought. From the pressure-cooker ghettos of England to the mighty gates of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, one band has forged an enduring legacy. This is their story.

Dreadtown: The Steel Pulse Story

Acceleration Punk poster
NR

1977 punk documentary filmed in the UK & France. Bands featured include The Jam, The Stinky Toys, The Damned, The Police, Wayne County & The Electric Chairs and The Sex Pistols.

Acceleration Punk

1977

Sex Pistols:  Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols poster
NR

Blu-ray High Fidelity Pure Audio pressing of the infamous 1977 debut album from the British Punk quartet. Includes all 12 tracks from the original album plus four additional studio tracks and 14 live recordings on one disc. High Fidelity Pure Audio is the exciting new range of physical HD audio products from Universal Music Group which uses Blu-ray technology to deliver the ultimate listening experience to the user. High Fidelity Pure Audio discs are playable through all Blu-ray devices.

Sex Pistols: Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols

2013

Sons of Norway poster
6.6

It’s not easy to rebel when your dad wants to join the party... One day (in 1979), Magnus and his son Nikolaj hit the wall in their new terrace house in Rykkinn. Magnus is an architect, hippie and free spirit, a glaring exception in a community where equality and conformity is the norm. He always stands up for his son, supporting him unconditionally, even when Nikolaj decides to stop giving a damn.

Sons of Norway

2011

Classic Albums: Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols poster
7.4

The Sex Pistols album Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols is unquestionably one of the most important musical statements in the history of British music. It was in 1977, at a time when the nation was crippled by class division and unemployment that four working class teenagers with supposedly non-existent futures recorded an album that to this day remains as one of the greatest and most influential bodies of work ever recorded. This documentary features exclusive interview's with all four of the original members of the Sex Pistols as they take you on a track by track look at the making of the album. Featuring Steve Jones and Glen Matlock demonstrating selected riffs and licks off the album and explaining the development of the song writing. Candid interviews with Malcolm McLaren, Chris Thomas and Bill Price set the record straight about the recording session. Intertwining additional rare home video, live footage and early demo's make this release a compelling must see.

Classic Albums: Sex Pistols - Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols

2002

Joy Division - Under Review poster
4.8

This 70-minute documentary covers the entire career of Joy Division, one of Manchester and Post-Punks most respected bands. It charts the entire short lifespan of the group, from their origins in their days as Warsaw to the more well known incarnation of Joy Division. Features include rare musical performances, obscure footage of rare interviews and rarely seen photographs. Plus review, comment, criticism and insight from; Mick Middles, co-author of Torn Apart: The Life Of Ian Curtis; former NME and Melody Maker journalist, Barney Hoskyns; Ex-Mojo Magazine editor, Pat Gilbert; Manchester punk musician and author, John Robb; music journalist and author David Stubbs; and more.

Joy Division - Under Review

2006

VH1's 100 Most Shocking Music Moments poster
NR

A countdown of 100 of the most shocking moments in music, hosted by Chris Jericho.

VH1's 100 Most Shocking Music Moments

2009

D.O.A. poster
5.7

Documentary chronicling the rise and fall of the punk movement with rare interview footage of Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. Also concert and news footage.

D.O.A.

1981

Night Flight: Born Again poster
NR

Documentary tribute to what VH1 called “the single greatest rock omnibus program ever aired” and Brooklyn Vegan named “the most consistently weird and awesome thing on cable television in the ’80s.” This ‘Best Of’ episode features some of the most memorable moments of Night Flight's near-decade long run including restored interviews and segments from Kate Bush, New Wave Theatre, David Lynch, Prince, Wendy O Williams, Divine, Billy Idol, Johnny Rotten, and much more Night Flight treasures from the archive.

Night Flight: Born Again

2016

The Public Image Is Rotten poster
7.4

British rock icon John Lydon and fellow bandmates recall the years they spent performing as Public Image Ltd.

The Public Image Is Rotten

2017

Sex Pistols: Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols poster
NR

Special 35th anniversary edition CD/DVD box set of "Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols". Includes: Riverboat Party (Queen Elizabeth River Boat, The River Thames, London, June 7th 1977) / Happy House Stockholm (Sweden, July 28th 1977) / Winter Gardens (Penzance, Cornwall, September 1st, 1977 (S.P.O.T.S. Tour)) / Promo Videos / Interviews

Sex Pistols: Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols

2012

Anarchy Movie '85 poster
10.0

On December 1st, 1985 British post-punk band Public Image Ltd. performed in Nagoya City Hall, Japan. This concert film includes an interview with singer Johnny Rotten (aka John Lydon) on a high-speed Bullet Train, where he acts in typical Lydon fashion, that being obnoxious. This film is a total rarity, as it was only released in Japan.

Anarchy Movie '85

1985

The Punk Rock Movie poster
6.5

Documentary on the London punk-rock scene, circa '78

The Punk Rock Movie

1978

Behind the camera