For this week’s “120 Minutes” Rewind, we flash back to 1992 for a walk through Tijuana, Mexico, with John Lydon and host Dave Kendall. This appears to actually be an MTV news piece, likely repackaged from segments produced for a July 1992 episode of “120 Minutes” that featured the Public Image Ltd. frontman as co-host.
The footage would have been filmed, however, on or near Feb. 7, 1992, the date PiL filmed the video for “Covered,” the first song released off That What Is Not, at a Tijuana rock club called Iguana’s. There’s footage of that video shoot in this clip, as well — which has great personal memories for yours truly, as I was in the audience that night.
My three main memories: 1.) Lydon came on-stage being carried atop a surfboard, 2.) Mike Joyce of The Smiths played drums that night, and, 3.) stopping a show mid-set to lip-sync to the same song over and over and over again can get pretty boring. Still, great experience. And when the video finally debuted on “120 Minutes,” my friends and I taped it, then pored over the footage looking for our heads — or any other flying body parts — in the crowd shots.
PREVIOUSLY ON SLICING UP EYEBALLS
- ‘120 Minutes’ Rewind: Peter Murphy, Bauhaus spotlighted in special — May 18, 1990
- ‘120 Minutes’ Rewind: Mojo Nixon plays ‘Debbie Gibson is Pregnant…’ — March 1989
- ‘120 Minutes’ Rewind: The Cramps’ Lux Interior, Poison Ivy talk to Dave Kendall — 1990
- ‘120 Minutes’ Rewind: The Sisters of Mercy’s Andrew Eldritch talks to Dave Kendall — 1990
- ‘120 Minutes’ Rewind: ‘The Alternative Year in Rock’ with Dave Kendall — Nov. 24, 1992
Jesus! It’s Elvis! I’ve said that line a thousand times since I first saw that in 1992.
Jim, I was going to post the same comment. No joke.
I was there, too, with a bunch of friends and we also pored over the video to see if our heads were visible (a few of us were).
I agree about how it got a bit boring hearing the same song for the 10th time when they were filming the video but it was still a great, memorable night.
I remember we were tripping out seeing and talking to Dave Kendall outside the venue but my peronal favorite memory was John McGeoch “high fiving” me during a song when I reached out my hand to him from the front row. I think he was one of the greatest, most inventive rock guitarists of all time, so that was really cool for me.
Thanks for reminding me of such a great evening.
blood hell i was there as well… Awesome there is footage of Iguana’s i practically lived at the place back in the day. Faiht no more and circus of Power on the same night… blood was spilled
I had moved away by this time but a couple friends are in the video!!! I saw the Creatures at Iguana’s in 1989 or 1990. I recall someone passing an album up to Siouxsie and she actually signed it on stage, and somehow I ended up with the pen she used! Good times. I miss that place!
Matt – you were there too?
what a great night. I remember the whole crowd chanting “FUCK MTV” and Lydon actually defended us!
yeah, we shot everything in this piece the day of the gig at Iguana’s.
Yeah, I was that PiL video shoot at Iguana’s. Great memories…
— Matt
I was at that shoot too. I am all over the video. It was a fun time.
STILL want a John Lydon on black velvet, even in current form. “A NICE LITTLE NUMBER!”
Yeah, I was there to. Didn’t really get on video cuz I was wearing a Bad Relegion shirt, but my friend Shane was in the video, getting pelted by security when he made in on stage crowd surfing. How come we can pull up that video anymore? Lived at Iguanas back then..miss it.