Anger is an Energy: My Life Uncensored by Lydon John

Author:Lydon, John [Lydon, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9781471137228
Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
Published: 2014-10-11T16:00:00+00:00

9

THERE’S NOWT AS GOOD AS CHANGE

As a member of the Musicians’ Union, as a lead singer and a performer, you’re automatically an actor, apparently. You’re on a roster somewhere, like a pool of thespians waiting to be hired, blissfully unaware. Some of the agencies we were using to push tours had a film agenda too, and so ideas would come about through those kinds of channels. It certainly wasn’t anything we were actively chasing but, out of the blue, in came this offer to star in a low-budget Italian film opposite a young Harvey Keitel. It was based on a novel by Hugh Fleetwood called The Order of Death. It got very confusing as the film ended up with different names in different countries – Copkiller in Europe, Corrupt in the States, and Order of Death in Britain, which is what I’ve always called it.

It was a wonderful opportunity to burst into something new, exciting, thrilling and completely dangerous. Unknown territory to the max! I was terrified, obviously, because it was acting and I hadn’t got a clue about how to do it, other than the try-out for Quadrophenia, which hadn’t landed me the part. So it was a case of ‘Oh my God, what a hole I’ve got myself into here.’ I really had no one to back me up or support me. I had no support system during this period, and the only reason I could do it, and did do it, was because there was nothing going on in the band. Nothing at all.

The decision to do the film was not a difficult one to make. Getting the relevant visas, however, was. After accepting the deal, but before shooting started, I flew out to Rome to meet the producers. Trying to get back into America was a nightmare. They pulled me up at immigration and in my suitcase I had my contract, which had already been signed in New York. Therefore I didn’t have the correct work-permit paperwork to go with it. That was a very difficult situation to sort out, but some real good came out of it, because a couple of people that worked on getting me my immigration visas, Bob Tulipan and Maureen Baker, became really good friends.

Maureen Baker is a superstar. She has done all sorts of interesting things over the years; she also used to photograph us when we were in New York, but for a long time there she helped get performers permits to work in other countries. She did all of the Kirov Ballet visas, for instance. That’s charming, isn’t it? It’s an interesting universe. There’s so many great people in the world that do so many different things, and if you don’t have an open mind, you won’t grasp how that can help you improve yourself and your own agendas. That doesn’t mean that I’m going to run off and become a ballet dancer. I’m just highly impressed by her motivations, and that in turn inspires me.

So, between May and July 1982, I took time out from the band and buggered off to Italy.

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