James Williamson returns to live music...without the Stooges for now

His rejoining the Stooges still isn't finalised with a planned rehearsal put back from July to August but James Williamson is stepping onto a stage and playing guitar live for the first time in 35 years in San Jose, south of San Francisco, on September 5.

James will play with country-rockers the Careless Hearts at the Blank Club.

"Get there very, very early as it's a tiny place. Also be nice to me (as) I'm very, very old," James says. "But I'm kind of rockin' pretty hard these days." So there.

Check out the Careless Hearts here. They're a little different to the Raw Power Stooges but that shouldn't be a surprise. James' guitar tastes are quite eclectic these days with a focus on slack key guitar.

In case you were wondering, after a long career as a Sony electronics executive, James is retired and spends his time between his home north of San Francisco and a holiday place in the Hawaiian Islands.

And look-out below. It's James with ex-Pistol Steve Jones (left) at a recent Iggy show in L.A. Robert Matheu took the happy snap.

Pistol a future Stooge?

He's out of a gig with the demise of his radio station employer and the canning of his Jonesy's Jukebox program and we haven't heard much of the Pistols playing live lately, so is this L.A. Times article a pointer to Steve Jones signing on with the Stooges? Scroll down for the key info.

Who Killed Nancy?

That's the title of a new UK docco out next month and it does seem a little misleading. Besides the fact a lot of people don't care, the other reality is that the makers (and us) will never know. Still, if you want to part with your heard-earned you can read the hype here.

Clever ways of referring to doing it in rock and roll

The Beatles, Led Zep, Carly Simon and Meatloaf all banged on about nailing someone. This is news? This presentation of the fact is clever. Many thanks to stashdauber for this.

Fan letter from Johnny Rotten, 40 years on

There's a fascinating insight into John Lydon's post-Pistols state of mind that's been posted by fan Martin Smyth at the unofficial Pistols site. Honest and optimistic, you can read it in situ here.

Johnny Glutton and why some can't believe it's not butter

This in just this morning from the UK Press Association:

Former Sex Pistols singer John Lydon is now advertising butter - in stark contrast to his punk rock days when he proclaimed: "I am an antichrist, I am an anarchist."

Decked out in an English gentleman-style tweed outfit, Lydon - whose used the stage name Johnny Rotten - features in adverts for Country Life butter which will hit screens in October.

As part of his first television advertising campaign, Lydon gallivants around various British locations as he tries to decide why he thinks Country Life butter is his favourite brand.

The advert concludes, "It's not about Great Britain, it's about great butter", and will first be screened during the ITV Pride of Britain Awards next month.

Despite the British tabloid press' vehement sensationalism, Rotten always came across as a patriot - despite not having lived in the UK for 30 years. Who cares what he's advertising - although this snap from the Daily Mail's report of the Pistols' warm-up on a US talkshow earlier this week shows John's been grazing in a good paddock.



Of course the paper has tagged him 'Johnny Glutton'.

Vexxed Pistols grate the critics again

The Pistols' weekend performance at the Isle of Wight festival copped a mild going over in the London Daily Telegraph overnight. And that photo is current so Rotten really did wear what looked like his late father's nightshirt.

Rumours persist that they may make it to Australia late in 2008 (but the same rumours had them Big Day Out-bound last year - so keep an appropriate grain of salt handy.)

Meanwhile, the Sydney Morning Herald claims the late Heath Ledger modelled his Joker characterisation on Rotten. Isn't the resemblance obvious?

Shock rock invokes only mock shock

The Pistols are on the cover of Mojo magazine this month and that's the cue for this thoughtful Guardian article on why rock and roll no longer shocks.

Anarchy in Graceland

Yes, I know, there's been minimal ranting lately - for reasons I won't bore you with - so here's a quick line to indicate there are still signs of life. I stumbled over a myspace thingie for a San Francisco band called the Sex Presleys recently and if The King's tunes sung to the music of Rotten et al is your bag, you'll probably enjoy 'em. Gimicky, I know, but everybody's got to have their schtick.

Some Other Shit I've Been Liking:

"Old Shoes New Clothes" - the sweeping new album by Johnny Casino & The Secrets.

Demos by The Passengers - yes, an album is pending down the track.

"The Floating Life" - esoteric and moody debut record by Stewart "Leadfinger" Cunningham's new-ish band, on Spanish label Bang! Records.

"Stranded in the Nineties" - Brother Brick's posthumous double CD compilaiton on Off The Hip.

"Rejectionville" - Posthumous compile of tracks by the Kryptonics. One classic and a string of shouldabeen hits. On Memorandum.