John Lydon, who is profiled in Sunday's Times, is a quote machine, and therefore pure gold for the journalists lucky enough to shove a tape recorder in his face and get him going. Pop & Hiss recently played chauffeur for the legendarily outspoken singer of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd. while he was promoting his new art book, "Mr. Rotten's Scrapbook," and during the ride (which ferried him from his home in Marina del Rey to the Times building in downtown L.A.), Lydon offered thoughts, tips, advice, and observations on his life in 2011 and his nearly 20 years spent living in Southern California.

On East Los Angeles and its many cultures and neighborhoods: "It used to be such a nice, quiet place, but it’s gotten to be gang-y of late, Pasadena, and into Glendale. It’s all gone very different over the years. It’s funny, I’ve watched this town change dramatically. It’s the problem with America is that you separate yourselves. You ghettoize yourselves. You have your black communities, your Mexican communities, your this, your that. You’re too separate, and you’re desperate because of it. You’re all at war, but you’re all fighting the same problem, you’ve just not come to grips with that. That 'us and them' mentality. That’s the boss man that wants you to believe in such nonsense. Divided we fall. United we conquer."

On living near Venice: "Or as we know it locally, 'Very-nice,'" he said. "I like the beach culture because it doesn’t interfere. It’s not nosy and it’s not peeping through lace curtains. It’s floppy Joes and no shoes on your feet and why give a damn  about what the neighbors [are up to].

When trying to alleviate some dental pain, Lydon took a slug of Johnny Walker Black: "Ah, that’ll get rid of the toothache all right! Don’t waste your money on all that Listerine mouthwash. That’s really poor alcohol. If you’re going to do that, go proper. Why [mess] about?"

On his hairstyling technique: "I keep noticing these little barber shops, and I’ve definitely been meaning to give one a visit at some point, because I went nuts two days ago with one of those electric shavers, and somebody rang and I -- accidentally when I was using it -- turned and I went too high up the back, and I need that straightened out. It’s really, really hard to get the back of your head done proper. And who do you trust with dangerous implements at the back of your skull?"

Johnny Rotten has lived in Los Angeles for the last two decades, and for a time considered his post-Sex Pistols project Public Image Ltd to be an L.A. band, he told The Times recently when he loaded into the passenger side of an old Volvo to get ferried to a video interview downtown. If any of that information is news to you, the video above will perhaps serve you well. In it, Lydon, whose work with the aforementioned two bands transformed rock music in myriad ways over the course of the 1970s and '80s, is his typically acerbic self.

The punk archetype, who turns 55 on Monday, pulled no punches over the course of two hours in the car and at The Times building, especially when the subject of the current breed of punk bands came up. Specifically, Green Day, whose music Rotten apparently dislikes.

Said Lydon when asked about his inheritors: "Many of the punk bands are cop-outs and imitators and have made it easy for the likes of Green Peace -- Green Day, who I hate. I really ... I can’t stand them. To me, they’re like coat hangers, and haven’t earned the right, they haven’t earned the wings, to be wearing the mantle of punk. They haven’t had to go through the violence, and the hate, and the animosity that us chaps way back when had to put up with. We had to fight for every single footstep."

It's a simple tweet that Coachella posted a half-hour ago, one that perhaps crushes the dreams of procrastinating and/or stoned music fans everywhere:

“No, we don’t have any passes left to release, kthxbye”

That's right: The festival in the desert is sold out. Where now? Craigslist? Perhaps, but before you make any hasty decisions, be aware that counterfeiters have been known to prey on desperate (and/or stoned) concertgoers looking for passes at the site.

Just be careful out there.

-- Randall Roberts

Those looking for a little help making room for all the acts playing Coachella got a boost today when L.A.-based promoter Pure Filth, which is in charge of the only Coachella-sanctioned afterparty over the three-day event, announced the lineup for its campground stage.

The beat-oriented party, predictably, draws most of its acts from the Coachella lineup, but schedules them in a more dance-friendly timeframe.

The party doesn't really get going until after midnight, so those acts stuck in daytime slots on the polo grounds will have a chance to bewitch their fans at the proper hour: the middle of the night. And what better time to see Magnetic Man (Benga, Skream and Artwork) scrub the field with heavy bass? And if shocking L.A. hip-hop collective Odd Future (OFWGKTA on the poster) is worried about offending tender ears during the day, rest assured they'll be delivering the nasty, misogynist stuff in the evening (great, just what we need).

Updated 1:14 p.m., Jan. 25, 2011: The flyer above was posted on promoter Pure Filth's website on Monday, but on Tuesday the site issued a note explaining that "an overzealous intern" had incorrectly published a fake flyer as real. Below is text of the full post from Purefilthla.com:

Yesterday the graphic creativity of an ardent Coachella fan combined with the work of an overzealous intern led to the posting and subsequent dissemination of information regarding the artists playing on the epic Pure Filth sound system at the festival this year.

To clarify:

 - Pure Filth sound system will be hosting a stage inside the Coachella festival in 2011.

 - Artists confirmed to play on this Pure Filth stage include (in no particular order): Beardyman, Jakes, Breakage, 12th Planet, Mt. Kimbie, OFWTKTA, Kyle Hall, Andy C & G.Q, Lil’ B, DJ Hype, Mary Anne Hobbs, DJ Marky, DJ Kentaro, SBTRKT, Ras G, Alf Alpha, High Contrast, DJ Zinc, Kode 9, Ramadanman, Terror Danjah, Thunderball, Take, Roska, Lorn, Tokimonsta, Zed Bias and Goth-Trad with more TBA.

- Information about the Pure Filth afterparty in the Coachella campgrounds will be revealed soon. No artists have been announced for this lineup yet.

- The flyer circulating online that celebrates Coachella’s “bass heads” and boasts the Pure Filth logo was made by an excited fan. Although Pure Filth helped to book some of these performers and every artist on the flyer is indeed playing at Coachella, this rogue flyer does not represent the lineup of the Pure Filth stage at the festival.

Truly this reflects the spirit of the Coachella music festival, which is not a dualistic “show” that divides the performer and the audience, but rather an event for and of the community. From excited fans that create their own flyers and passionate forum commenters to social media users who spread the word and their enthusiasm, Coachella calls to people and engages them to plunge in and participate rather than stand behind the lines and watch.

Pure Filth apologizes for any misunderstanding the rogue flyer may have caused.

Pop & Hiss will keep you posted on the real Pure Filth afterparty when it's announced.

-- Randall Roberts

This is the week that Coachella watchers start freaking out and buzzing with anticipation on the Internets with their speculations, early confirmations, random prognostications ... and fake posters.

The buzz today online is that KROQ-FM (106.7) is planning some sort of announcement Tuesday evening, but sources close to the event say in no uncertain terms that this rumor is bogus. Which means that Pop & Hiss is pretty certain that the poster to the right isn't accurate -- if only because it would be physically impossible for two Frenchmen to do all those gigs on all those stages (even if they had help -- not).

But part of the fun of Coachella is this speculative phase, which serves to get the fans buzzing and drive the conversational traffic up. Over at the Coachella page, videos are starting to pop up featuring bands no doubt signed on, and random sites have been connecting dots to eke out little tidbits of info.

But while it's tempting to report every leak and confirmation in the days leading up to the announcement -- whenever that may be, whether later today, Thursday, Saturday, next Tuesday or Groundhog Day -- much of the dot-connecting diminishes the overwhelming feeling of looking at the completed poster (not the one above, and probably not the one below).

Don Kirshner, rock impresario, music publishing powerhouse, television host and behind-the-scenes music supervisor (before there was such a job title) and song-picker for the Archies and the Monkees, died Monday in Boca Raton, Fla.,   at age 76. Over the course of half a century in the music business, he served as a bridge connecting songwriters with opportunity, and provided a televised stage in the 1970s and early '80s on which some of the rock era's most important bands performed. Here are a few highlights.

Kirshner worked with ace songwriters to pen songs for the Archies, and oversaw the music component of the cartoon band's sound. As the co-owner, with Al Nevins, of Aldon Songs, Kirshner worked with Brill Building geniuses Neil Sedaka, Carole King and Neil Diamond, among others.

On this day in 1979, Aaliyah Dana Haughton was born. Known simply as Aaliyah, the so-called "Princess of R&B" would have been 32 years old today. She died along with eight other people in 2001 when the plane she was on crashed in the Bahamas, but not before helping define a sound. Despite her youth, in the years leading up to her tragic death Aaliyah changed the face of R&B, first with R. Kelly, who signed her, and then, more prominently, with producer Timbaland and rapper Missy Elliott, who helped her craft some of the most innovative -- and freaky -- hits of the decade.

The 53rd annual Grammy Awards telecast, to take place on Feb. 13 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, will feature a well-rounded collection of sounds and styles, at least based on the initial list of performers. 

Announced Thursday morning, the musicians range from the sturdy country sounds of Miranda Lambert to the grand rock 'n' roll of the Quebecois band Arcade Fire (both of whom will make their Grammy performance debuts), from the king of the two-word profanity, Cee Lo Green, to the reigning Queen of Pomp and Pop, Lady Gaga. Rounding out the list of heavy-hitters will be Detroit rapper Eminem, whose 10 nominations lead the pack, and Katy Perry, who will no doubt be competing with Gaga in the unofficial "most buzzworthy costume" category.  

Keep checking back with Pop & Hiss in the weeks leading up to the award ceremony. We'll be updating the performance list as news arrives, and will be highlighting nominees in some of the lesser-known categories, those whose contributions to the music world in 2010 were every bit as inspired as those who'll be taking center stage.

-- Randall Roberts

Photo: Cee Lo Green performs as part of Gnarls Barkley at the 2007 Grammy Awards. Credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

L.A. duo No Age made its first appearance on "The Late Show With David Letterman" on Friday night, and it'd be a shame for any of the band's fans -- or future backers -- to miss such a blistering performance. Dave seemed to like it, and Paul Shaffer had a one-word response to his boss' query, "What do you think, Paul?" Shaffer's reply: "Phenomenal ... phenomenal."

-- Randall Roberts

 
One can imagine the directive that the singer, songwriter and mysterious warbler who may or may not be "Jandek" gave to his two backing musicians at Irvine on Saturday night: "Just start playing -- hard and loud." At his first-ever Southern California appearance, the man -- generally accepted to be a Houston musician by the name of Sterling Smith but never confirmed by him -- appeared in all black, wearing a flat-brimmed black hat, playing a black electric guitar, and backed by bassist Mike Watt and drummer BJ Miller of the L.A. noise band HEALTH. Over the next 75 minutes, the three improvised one long song.

The backstory: for the past 33 years, a company called Corwood Industries out of Houston has been releasing oddly magnetic, out-of-time recordings by an artist named Jandek. Since that first record, "Ready for the House" (1978), the records have come at a shockingly steady clip: 60 albums that range from atmospheric guitar and voice songs to meandering, free-floating jams. The artist uses odd guitar tunings, and seldom abides by accepted song structures. Most of the photos on the covers of these full-lengths feature some sort of snapshot of a skinny, handsome man at different ages. Some are in black and white, others are in color, some are out of focus, others are razor sharp.

This is the man who appeared at the Crystal Cove Auditorium on the campus of UC Irvine on Saturday night after being invited to perform by promoters Acrobatics Everyday. He has never confirmed that he is or isn't Jandek. He normally requests that his appearance be billed as one by "a representative of Corwood Industries."

Here's a party anthem for the weekend, offered by Pop & Hiss for no other reason other than it stands a good chance of seeping into your subconscious and throwing a little internal dance party while you cruise the streets of Los Angeles.

The remixer: Señor Coconut, born Uwe Schmidt, also records under the pseudonyms Atom Heart, Geeez 'n' Gosh, Lisa Carbon and about three dozen others. As Coconut, Schmidt virtually invented the subgenre "electrolatino" with his classic reworking of both Yellow Magic Orchestra's and Kraftwerk's oeuvres. Below, Senor Coconut tackles label mate Tom Tom Club's dance-floor classic, "Genius of Love." Tom Tom Club, of course, is the funky rhythmic half of Talking Heads -- Chris Franz and Tina Weymouth -- and has been concocting dance-floor shakedowns for more than three decades now.

Chances are you'll enjoy the results all weekend long. Listening note: Pay particular attention to how they chant the name "Bohannan" over and over. It's a beautiful moment.

-- Randall Roberts

Photo: Uwe Schmidt. Credit: Nacional Records