Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Review Tuesday: Anger Is an Energy: My Life Uncensored by John Lydon

I spent a good portion of my life playing drums in punk rock bands. In all those years we only played one Sex Pistols song only with a certain guest singer when he would stumble along. Despite that, I felt it was necessary reading for a "punk" to read the life story of the inventor of the genre


Anger Is An Energy:
My Life Uncensored
by John Lydon 
The autobiography of John "Johnny Rotten" Lydon.
I don't know what I was expecting from the lifre story of Johnny Rotten. Probably more anger. Probably more politics. What I got instead was over FIVE HUNDRED pages of very compelling stories and views of the world from the perspective of John Lydon. 

I could go on for days about all that I took from this book. It was just so fascinating, but where would I start? This guy who grew up in England post-World War II playing in the wreckage that was still all over the place well into the 1950s and '60s, later came down with meningitis, and ultimately formed one of the most influential bands of all time, despite only putting out ONE studio album. 

I think readers would be surprised by his outlook on so many things in this world, and how many times you'd think he's inconsistent with the whole punk movement he created. You'll be surprised by his influences. You'll be shocked with who he's been carrying grudges against and why. And you might be surprised by his life's love story. I think what surprised me the most was how he'd select band members not on talent, or even if they even knew how to play an instrument, but rather by like-mindedness. 

WHAT?

But yeah, this was truly 500+ pages of compelling reading for me. I just couldn't stop myself. I needed to keep turning those pages! If you're curious about the life and  times of one of the most influential people in rock and roll, you will enjoy this tome.   

Of course, you can find it on AMAZON:

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