Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke Accuses John Lydon’s Entourage Of A “Racist Attack”
BBC 6 Music is reporting that Kele Okereke (pictured above, second from left), the lead singer of Bloc Party, is accusing members of John Lydon’s entourage of a racist attack after a backstage fight at the Summercase Festival in Barcelona, Spain this past weekend at which Bloc Party and the Sex Pistols were both performing.
Okereke claims that he approached Lydon to ask if Lydon would consider reforming Public Image Ltd. and Lydon became aggressive. Okereke says that he then got into a fight with several members of Lydon’s entourage, one of whom allegedly told Okereke, “Your problem is your black attitude.”
Lydon denied the racist angle to the fracas, saying:
“I feel very sorry for a man that needs to lie about what was a perfect evening.
“The trouble was brought to us, resulting in those causing the trouble being physically removed by festival security.”
Okereke was wounded in the altercation and reported the incident to the local police.
The Kaiser Chiefs’ lead singer Ricky Wilson was reported to be among those trying to break up the fight.
For more on this incident, see the article on the BBC 6 Music Web site at http://www.bbc.co.uk/6music/news/20080721_kele.shtml.
July 22, 2008 at 7:52 am
It was probably one of the hangers-on who made the racist comment. The kind of talentless leech that you often see attached to celebrities. Even though they call him Rotten, he doesn’t have a racist bone in his body! I only wish Robert Plant would have a violent reaction every time Jimmy Page would ask him to reconsider a reforming Zeppelin!
July 22, 2008 at 8:20 am
I used to have a lot of respect for Lydon, especially as his art matured with PIL. No that respect is slowly dwindling.
July 22, 2008 at 11:20 pm
Hawk:
Agreed on Johnny Rotten.
Oh, Lord. Me and Hawk have agreed on two things in the same week! Is the Apocalypse upon us?!? :)
Seriously, I’ve read Johnny Rotten’s autobiography, and I don’t think he’s a bigot. I think one of his friends made the racist comment to Okereke out of Rotten’s ear shot.
Still, it’s a pretty ugly incident. I really wish that every bigot in the world would just let that nonsense die with their grandfathers. As things get tougher in the world (global warming, faltering economy, etc.), we’d better learn to get along, or we’re all going to be in big trouble.
August 1, 2008 at 10:40 pm
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August 1, 2008 at 10:41 pm
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September 4, 2008 at 2:38 pm
Hmmm, Johnny doesn’t seem to be very happy with the gays either. At the Electric Picnic last weekend, the Pistols headlined and according to one attendee: “I haven’t heard anyone else complain about this, but Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols had a proper go at the gays in the Electric Picnic. Basically some idiot(s) threw pints bottles at him while he was performing and he then went off on a rant of how they guy who threw the glass wasn’t a real man, and that “only gay-boys wear Diesel”, “you’re nothing but a sissy boy” etc etc.”
Full post: http://www.queerid.com/topic.aspx?topicid=12254