Johnny Rotten Denies Racism in Backstage Fight With Bloc Party Singer
John Lydon has denied allegations that racism was a part of an altercation with Kele Okereke. But a backstage incident at Barcelona's Summercase festival last Saturday led to the Bloc Party frontman winding up on the ground with facial bruising and a split lip. Okereke – a Liverpudlian born to Nigerian parents – claimed Monday that he was assaulted by three members of Rotten's entourage and told, "Your problem is your black attitude." According to Okereke, the man also known as Johnny Rotten became "intimidating and aggressive" when Okereke asked if he would ever re-form his dormant band, Public Image Ltd.
Responding late Monday, the Sex Pistols frontman suggested Okereke started the fight and is using the racist allegation to drum up publicity. "I feel very sorry for a man that needs to lie about what was a perfect evening," Lydon said in a formal statement. "The trouble was brought to us, resulting in those causing the trouble being physically removed by festival security.
"We are in the middle of a wonderful tour. After 30 years we are achieving a true unity in our audience," he added. "They are multi-varied, all ages, all races, creeds and colors. When you are at a festival with bands who are jealous fools, lies and confusion usually follow.
"Grow up and learn to be a true man," Lydon snapped. "When you have achieved as much as I have, come back and talk to me. It's a shame the wonderful world of the media is riddled with nonsense like this."
Posted by John D. Luerssen on Jul 22nd 2008 3:00PM
Filed under: News, Holy Hell
Reader Comments(1 of 2)
coolfl33at 7-22-2008
Is anyone surprised? Anytime a WHITE person is involved with a person of color it is always the WHITE Racist starting it.
Sad. Pathetic, Racist Motherfuckers make me sick. I am so sick and tired of this reverse racism. WHITE people are attacked all the time and of course it is all due to the RACIST Slurs they made.
Get over your black racist selves.
kilmory7at 7-24-2008
i agree coolfl33. blacks love to play victim. when they lose a fight or get in trouble it's the white mans fault. Whites should just stop associating with them at all. they r nothing but a burden.
Tanyaat 7-24-2008
The problem is some people read/watch the news, believe everything they are told, and then make stupid racist slurs. Kind of like the two of you. You use things like this to express your own racism. You are pathetic.
BlackSunshineat 7-22-2008
Apparently, everytime you hear about Johnny Rotten it's always trouble left and right. So, I wouldn't be surprised he'd be thrown into this.
owenat 7-23-2008
just because johnny rotten is the beloved frontman of the sex pistols means that everyone believes and listens to him.
just look at rotten's quotes in the article, he is an ass.
i'm not suprised this happened at all.
toitybat 7-24-2008
Thank you Owen for your observant and intelligent remark!
rocshirtat 7-24-2008
whatever blah blah blah BLAH
Moriahat 7-24-2008
Well, to me it looks like bullshit. I don't think Johnny Rotten started it. This is reverse racism.
Owen, we all know Johnny is an ass, (though i do love the sex pistols.) But just because he is an ass, it doesn't mean he started this fight.
jadeat 7-24-2008
LOL whatever...to be honest i care about neither...but when a person calls a black person a burden..to be that sounds racist in itself because white people aren't responsible for a black person. Black people are capable of taking care of themselves. yes there is a thing called reverse racism and white people play that game better than black people. Trust me...white people should be the last people on this planet to define racism.
Johnat 7-25-2008
Jade,
You state, "Black people are capable of taking care of themselves". I'm really not trying to be a smartass or jerk here, but can you tell me then....what is up with basically the entire continent of Africa??? There is genocide throughout, civil war in more than a few countries, extreme corruption, AIDS is RAMPANT, and every time you turn around it seems as if the ONLY people doing anything to help are "WHITE" celebrities!! The only real stable country on the continent used to be South Africa. I shouldn't have to spell out why that was and give everyone a history lesson. And don't let a successful black person in the US EVER say that black men need to be more responsible to their families and there are too many black children on welfare. I've heard way too many times blacks calling other succesful blacks "sellouts" or saying they are "acting white" because they've made something of themselves and want something more than living in government housing and collecting their welfare check every month.
Caucasians have their issues too, but stereotypes generally have a good amount of truth to them. RACISM goes both ways.
kellyat 4-01-2009
John-none of that s@#t started in Africa until white men went there and started taking them to America to be slaves and by messing with how they ran their country!
Akuinat 7-24-2008
@ Jade
Now see thats a racist statement in of itself. Why is it that White people are the last people that should define racism. Is it because we'd stretch it across the board?
I mean to me Racism is -ANYONE- out to cause harm to someone physically or emotionally just because of Race. They needlessly hate people based on their color not who they are and that pisses me off but good. People like that no matter their color should be hung by their ankles because it's a sickening practice and -NO ONE- has the right to do it...no matter what.
And guess what? I'm white, and I prefer black and Hispanic men over white men because White guys treat me like dirt because I'm not a busty blond where as the Black and Hispanic guys enjoy my company for what it is. And you notice thats not racist against the white guys it's that they're so damn shallow I've ditched them for guys that are nice to me.
I think the last person that should be defining Racism is you Jade after all you made a statement that whites should be the last to define racism that in of itself is Racism.
ezra324at 7-26-2008
Calm down, everyone! John, there are as many black celebrities as white ones trying to help Africa, and a lot of the problems in Africa are caused from poverty, not because Africans are inferior human beings.
This may have been a minor incident blown up for the media, as Johnny Rotten said, or maybe not, but don't make it worse by arguing over racial superiority. You have to admit that the term "black attitude" was inappropriate, whether Johnny Rotten meant it or not.
dorp it hotat 7-27-2008
Well, a lot of, if not ALL of the problems caused in not only Africa, but in the good ole USA are caused by WHITE people, Rowanda pitted the dark skined blacks vs the lighter skined blacks who the WHITE DUTCH INVADRES sided with, WHITE INVADERS have always sucked the natural rescorces out of AFRICA acting as puppetier causing caos throughout Africa...so let it be written, so let it be said.
choobearat 7-28-2008
if I saw Johnny Rotten anywhere, I wouldn't say a word to him. He is known for being an asshole.
kitchiner408at 7-29-2008
blacks seem to be capable of taking care of themselves when given a proper environment(Oprah,Jordan, Will Smith, Tiger,Serena,the list could go on forever. How can you bring up Africa, or even this country when in this country they were stolen and made to be slaves not too long ago.In their own homeland they have been taken advantage of in the same ways for Diamonds, Oil, and other exports. It seems that blacks have been content in living in nature and greedy people have have continued to destroy their natural development and existence.
Herbat 11-18-2008
Get over yourself rotten johnny, the only thing you and the Pissed Sexholes achieved is to set back music a decade or two. You're obviously kin to the footie thugs who make ape sounds and fling bananas at African players.
melvinclayat 11-20-2008
The sex pistols suck!
The english are racist pigs. That said no one really know what happen.One man word etc.
Melvin
Hanaat 11-25-2008
John Lydon is Gay!
Felipeat 11-25-2008
I wasn't there to verify any of the facts, but three people attacking one single person sounds like mob or gang mentality. Why didn't any of those people try to diffuse the situation instead. I doubt that the black guy decided to fight 3 dudes at once. Logic does tell me that he might have said something that angered John Lydon, but to take it the next level and gang up with two other dudes to do it, would usually happen if there is already hate in your heart towards the other individual. As far as where the hate comes from, it could very well be race based. Except for isolated incidents, thank God that these days racism is mostly practiced inside the privacy of people's homes in a verbal manner and not so much physically outside of their comfort zones. They should still be careful what they say around children, be it Black or White, as they can take it the next level. Can you imagine what would happen if we went back to the days of arson, mob violence, lynchings, etc.