Flashback: Johnny Rotten Attempts To Persuade Newt Gingrich To Run For President In 2000

video

by Jon Bershad | 5:01 pm, December 16th, 2011

» 13 comments

Last night on The Daily Show, Jon Stewart played quotes from a long list of people (himself included) who don’t think Newt Gingrich should be President. Gingrich shouldn’t feel too bad though. There’s one guy who definitely wants him to be the nominee, at least he did in 2000. That man is former Sex Pistols lead singer John Lydon who, during an episode of his old VH1 series, Rotten TV, met Gingrich at the 2000 Republican convention and appeared to take a shine to him.

In the amusingly dated clip below (2000 feels so far away), Lydon heads to both the Democrat and Republican convention and is unimpressed by either. He gets bored by a speech from President Bill Clinton and says he can’t tell the difference between the politicians from both sides. The only one he seems to actually like is Gingrich who shares his opinion that politicians, by necessity, have to be “liars.” Lydon praises Gingrich as an “individual” and then gets the conventioneers around him to join in a chant trying to persuade the House Speaker to run for President.

It’s pretty amazing.

Watch the clip from VH1 (courtesy of a long, long time ago) below:

(h/t Hal Phillips)

John Lydon, newt gingrich, VH1

http://pulse.yahoo.com/_45S32GWGDRUJIL6E2U4HOZW4BM Bob

I think the Bush years changed Johnny’s mind on giving the GOP a chance. When I saw him on PIL’s reunion tour, he introduced “Warrior” by saying “F— everything Republican, and especially Sarah Palin.”
Anonymous

John Lydon has always went after leaders in both parties, as well as the parties themselves. Just because most people these days seem to be partisan hacks, don’t assume everyone is.
12voltman1

Rust Never Sleeps.
Anonymous

No offense, Bob, I sincerely doubt your story.

Rotten has been pretty upfront about his right leaning tendencies still to this day.
Anonymous

I love this performance of Anarchy in the UK as much for the dynamic between the crowd and the band* as for the music itself, great as it is. And this is performance is in Dallas, TX shortly beforeThe Pistols were a little bit before my time, but I saw many punk bands live in the 80s and I can’t remember once feeling compelled to give the finger to Husker Du or Suicidal Tendencies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6jQuF9UI5MI

*McLaren booked the tour to encourage hostilities between the band and the crowd!
Anonymous

Lydon’s not that unsophisticated. Plus, the Bush Jr years would only confirm his thesis that both parties are essentially the same. How many Dem’s voted for the Iraq war?
Anonymous

Husker Du was one of the greatest bands ever. Although I wasn’t quite old enough to see them when they came around I did get to see Bob Mould with Sugar.
Dead_Air

The Sex Pistols anti-abortion song ‘Bodies’ is revered as one of the great conservative songs in rock-n-roll.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Merlin-Pervson/100001352004755 Merlin Pervson

The buggered Irish always look to authoritarians.
Anonymous

I thought you were a Foghat fan?

I’ve personally been told to go F___ myself by Johny after a concert and I feel great about it.
http://twitter.com/Wallycrawler Wallycrawler

If that is Newt 2000? Who da hell is that guy on da stage say’n he wants to bring back child work camps? Da guy is a conundrum. A riddle wrapped up in an enigma… Or does he just spout what he thinks the crowd wants him to say? I’d say da later. A lair is untrustworthy. Trust a thief, but never a lair. Newt is both. Bye Newt.
Anonymous

Did he come in a barrel?
http://www.facebook.com/rob.barnett Rob Barnett

thanks for finding and posting. unforgettable goodtimes working with and learning from the master, Mr. Rotten back then. we knew newt was either nuts or deviously brilliant to talk to our show.