Caught In The Net: Here’s Johnny

Inspired by Malcolm McLaren’s genius quote that, “It’s better to be a flamboyant failure than any kind of benign success”, Basically Johnny Moped tells the tragicomic story of the aforementioned Mr. Moped, who may only be a footnote in most punk histories, but to spotty little herberts who used to frequent the Croydon Greyhound of a Saturday night back in ’77 was a veritable leather-jacketed demigod.

From the majestic ‘V.D. Boiler’ to the tellin’ the missus you love her after ten pints ‘Darling, Let’s Have Another Baby’, the man born Paul Halford was the purveyor of songs that a young man could happily live his life to.
Lining up to pay their celebrity respects are ex-Moped band member Chrissie Hynde, an even more incoherent than usual Shane MacGowan and Captain Sensible from The Damned who couldn’t say ‘no’ because his son Fred is the director.
The trailer for what could be this year’s Anvil The Movie can be viewed on Youtube.
Matching Johnny in the oddball stakes was Father Yod, a sort of Charles Manson minus the psychotic intent who literally turned sex ‘n’ drugs ‘n’ rock ‘n’ roll into a religion.
The perfect subject matter then for another handsome looking doc, The Source Family, which was given a standing ovation at SXSW and will be crossing the Atlantic during the summer.
“The Source Family was a radical experiment in ‘70s utopian living,” reads the blurb. “Their outlandish style, popular health food restaurant, rock band, and beautiful women made them the darlings of Hollywood’s Sunset Strip; but their outsider ideals and the unconventional behavior of their spiritual leader, Father Yod, caused controversy with local authorities. They fled to Hawaii, leading to their dramatic demise.”
Which just leaves time for quick Caught In The Net visits to [link]geoguessr.com[/link] (Google Maps-based ‘Where in the world?’ game, which is more addictive than crack); petswitch.com (hours of vomit-inducing fun for lovey-dovey couples); [link]partridgegetslucky.com[/link] (Alan lets his inner Daft Punk run riot) and [link]detropiathefilm.com[/link] (how it all went Pete Tong in The Motor City).