List of Public Image Ltd members explained

Public Image Ltd are an English post-punk band from London. Formed in 1978, the group originally consisted of vocalist John Lydon, guitarist Keith Levene, bassist Jah Wobble (real name John Wardle) and drummer Jim Walker. The group's current lineup, reformed since 2009, includes Lydon alongside drummer Bruce Smith (originally a member from 1986 to 1990), guitarist Robert "Lu" Edmonds (originally a member from 1986 to 1988) and bassist Scott Firth (a new member).

History

1978–1981

The first incarnation of Public Image Ltd (PiL) – consisting of John Lydon, Keith Levene, Jah Wobble and Jim Walker – was completed and began rehearsing in May 1978.^[1] The band released their debut album before the end of the year, shortly after which Walker left the band due to financial and personal concerns.^[2] He was replaced by a succession of drummers: first Vivian Jackson in January 1979, followed by Eddie Edwards and David Humphrey in February, Richard Dudanski in April, Karl Burns in September, and finally Martin Atkins in October.^[3] The band's second album Metal Box, released in November, featured performances by Humphrey, Dudanski and Atkins.^[4] A year later, the group released their first live album Paris au Printemps, recorded at the beginning of 1980.^[5]

By June 1980, Atkins had left PiL to focus on his solo project, Brian Brain.^[6] He was followed the next month by Jah Wobble.^[7] Later that summer, Lydon and Levene recorded new track "Pied Piper" with brief second guitarist Steve "Shooz" New (later known as Stella Nova), which was released on the Virgin Records sampler Machines.^[8] Between October and November, the band recorded their third album The Flowers of Romance, for which Atkins returned in a temporary session performer capacity.^[9] PiL played one show around the release of the album, on 15 May 1981 at The Ritz in New York City, with Lydon and Levene joined by drummer Solomon "Sam" Ulano, who was brought in solely for the gig.^[10] The performance was cut short due to audience unrest, which then escalated into a riot.^[11]

1981–1986

After no activity for the rest of 1981, PiL resurfaced in early 1982 to announce the addition of keyboardist Ken Lockie.^[12] By May, the band had been rejoined by former drummer Martin Atkins.^[13] In August, Atkins' Brian Brain bandmate Pete Jones joined on bass, which also prompted the departure of Lockie.^[14] Recordings from this period, initially intended to make up PiL's fourth album, were independently released by Levene in 1984 as Commercial Zone.^[15] After a show in April 1983, Jones left the band.^[16] He was quickly replaced by Louis Bernardi.^[17] Just a month later, Levene also departed, leaving Lydon as the sole remaining original member.^[18] For a Japanese tour starting that month, guitarist Joe Guida and keyboardist Tommy Zvoncheck were brought in.^[17]

In September, Zvoncheck was replaced by Arthur Stead, and the group continued touring until the end of the year.^[17] During early 1984, Lydon and Atkins (with session contributors) finished working on the band's fourth album, which was released in July as This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get.^[19] By the fall, PiL had returned to touring, introducing a new lineup featuring guitarist Mark Schulz, bassist Bret Helm and keyboardist Jebin Bruni.^[20] The group toured until January 1985, after which they entered another period of inactivity which included Atkins leaving for a second time that summer.^[21] Later in the year, Lydon and the rest of the touring band members began working on a new album with producer Bill Laswell. However, due to the musicians' lack of studio experience, and Laswell's plans, they were replaced with a range of session performers.^{[22] [23]}

1986–1992

After the release of Album in January 1986, a new lineup of PiL was formed with guitarist Kevin Armstrong, guitarist and keyboardist Robert "Lu" Edmonds, bassist Allan Dias, and drummer Bruce Smith; however, when Armstrong pulled out to tour with Iggy Pop, he was replaced with John McGeoch.^[24] The new musicians were later made full-time members of the group and recorded Happy? the following year.^[25] They continued touring until September 1988, when Edmonds was forced to leave due to hearing problems.^[26] After the band released the follow-up album 9 in spring 1989, Ted Chau took over on second guitar and keyboards.^[27] By November, he had departed.^[28]

In early 1990, Smith also left and the remaining trio recorded "Don't Ask Me" for the compilation The Greatest Hits, So Far.^[29] During 1991, the band recorded That What Is Not with two session members: rhythm guitarist Gregg "J.P." Arreguin and drummer Curt "Kirkee B." Bisquera.^[30] PiL returned to touring shortly after its release in early 1992, with Ted Chau returning and Mike Joyce joining on drums.^[31] During the summer, Dias quit the band suddenly, later recalling that he was "completely burned out" and "had a drug habit".^[32] He was replaced for the final run of shows by Russell Webb and the group continued touring until September, after which they went on indefinite hiatus.^[33]

Since 2009

In September 2009, it was announced that Lydon would be reforming PiL beginning with a short UK tour in December, with the band completed by former members Lu Edmonds (guitar, keyboards) and drummer Bruce Smith (drums), as well as new member Scott Firth (bass, keyboards).^[34] ALiFE 2009, recorded at the reunion shows, was released later.^[35] In 2012 the group released their first studio album in 20 years, This Is PiL, which was followed in 2015 by What the World Needs Now...^[36]

Members

Current

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	John Lydon			all Public Image Ltd (PiL) releases
	Bruce Smith			all PiL releases from Happy? (1987) onwards, except That What Is Not (1992)
	Robert "Lu" Edmonds
	Scott Firth	2009–present		all PiL releases from ALiFE 2009 (2009) onwards

Former

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Release contributions
	Keith Levene	1978–1983		all PiL releases from (1978) to The Flowers of Romance (1981)
	John "Jah Wobble" Wardie	1978–1980
	Jim Walker	1978–1979	drums	Public Image: First Issue (1978)
	Vivian Jackson	1979		none
	David Humphrey			Metal Box (1979)
	Richard Dudanski			Metal Box (1979)
	Karl Burns			none
	Martin Atkins
	Steve "Shooz" New	1980		"Pied Piper" (1980)
	Ken Lockie	1982		none
	Pete Jones	1982–1983	bass	Commercial Zone (1984)
	Allan Dias	1986–1992		all PiL releases from Happy? (1987) to That What Is Not (1992)
	Kevin Armstrong	1986	lead guitar	none
	John McGeoch	1986–1992		all PiL releases from Happy? (1987) to That What Is Not (1992)
	Ted Chau			none
	Mike Joyce	1992	drums
	Russell Webb		bass

Touring

Image	Name	Years active	Instruments	Details
	Solomon "Sam" Ulano	1981	drums	Ulano was brought in for a one-off PiL performance at the Ritz in New York City on 15 May 1981.
	Louis Bernardi	1983	bass	Bernardi was brought in after Pete Jones' departure, and later contributed to This Is What You Want...
	Joe Guida		guitar	Guida and Zvoncheck also performed on the band's 1983 tour, featured on the album Live in Tokyo.
	Tommy Zvoncheck		keyboards
	Arthur Stead			Stead took over keyboards from Zvoncheck from September to the end of a tour in December 1983.
	Mark Schulz	1984–1985	lead guitar	After the release of 1984's This Is What You Want..., Schulz, Helm and Bruni joined PiL's touring lineup.
	Bret Helm		bass
	Jebin Bruni

Lineups

Period	Members	Releases
May 1978 – January 1979	John Lydon – lead vocals, piano Keith Levene – guitar, synthesisers Jah Wobble – bass, piano, backing vocals Jim Walker – drums	(1978)
January 1979	John Lydon – lead vocals, piano Keith Levene – guitar, synthesisers Jah Wobble – bass, piano, backing vocals Vivian Jackson – drums	rowspan="2"
February 1979	John Lydon – lead vocals, piano Keith Levene – guitar, synthesisers Jah Wobble – bass, piano, backing vocals Eddie Edwards – drums
February – March 1979	John Lydon – lead vocals, piano Keith Levene – guitar, synthesisers Jah Wobble – bass, piano, backing vocals David Humphrey – drums	Metal Box (1979)
March – April 1979	John Lydon – lead vocals, piano Keith Levene – guitar, synthesisers, drums Jah Wobble – bass, piano, backing vocals, drums	Metal Box (1979)
April – September 1979	John Lydon – lead vocals, piano Keith Levene – guitar, synthesisers Jah Wobble – bass, piano, backing vocals Richard Dudanski – drums	Metal Box (1979)
September 1979	John Lydon – lead vocals, piano Keith Levene – guitar, synthesisers Jah Wobble – bass, piano, backing vocals Karl Burns – drums
October 1979 – June 1980	John Lydon – lead vocals, piano Keith Levene – guitar, synthesisers Jah Wobble – bass, piano, backing vocals Martin Atkins – drums, synthesisers	Metal Box (1979) Paris au Printemps (1980)
June – July 1980	John Lydon – lead vocals, piano Keith Levene – guitar, synthesisers, drums Jah Wobble – bass, piano, backing vocals, drums
Late summer 1980	John Lydon – vocals, violin, saxophone Keith Levene – guitar, synthesisers, drums, bass Steve New – guitar, bass	"Pied Piper" (1980)
October – November 1980	John Lydon – vocals, violin, saxophone Keith Levene – guitar, bass, synthesisers, drums Martin Atkins – drums, synthesisers	The Flowers of Romance (1981)
15 May 1981	John Lydon – vocals, violin, saxophone Keith Levene – guitar, bass, synthesisers, drums Sam Ulano – drums	rowspan="3"
January – May 1982	John Lydon – vocals, synthesisers, violin Keith Levene – guitar, bass, synthesisers, drums Ken Lockie – keyboards, synthesisers
May – August 1982	John Lydon – vocals, synthesisers, violin Keith Levene – guitar, bass, synthesisers Martin Atkins – drums, percussion, bass Ken Lockie – keyboards, synthesisers
August 1982 – April 1983	John Lydon – vocals, synthesisers, violin Keith Levene – guitar, synthesisers Pete Jones – bass Martin Atkins – drums, percussion, synthesisers	Commercial Zone (1984)
April – May 1983	John Lydon – vocals, synthesisers, violin Keith Levene – guitar, synthesisers, bass Martin Atkins – drums, percussion, synthesisers, bass Louis Bernardi – bass
June – September 1983	John Lydon – vocals, synthesisers, violin Martin Atkins – drums, percussion, synthesisers, bass, guitar Joseph Guida – guitar Louis Bernardi – bass Tommy Zvoncheck – keyboards	Live in Tokyo (1983)
September – December 1983	John Lydon – vocals, synthesisers, violin Martin Atkins – drums, percussion, synthesisers, bass, guitar Joseph Guida – guitar Louis Bernardi – bass Arthur Stead – keyboards
Early – summer 1984	John Lydon – vocals, synthesisers, violin Martin Atkins – drums, percussion, synthesisers, bass, guitar	This Is What You Want... This Is What You Get (1984)
Fall 1984 – June 1985	John Lydon – vocals, synthesisers, violin Martin Atkins – drums, percussion, synthesisers, bass, guitar Mark Schulz – lead guitar Bret Helm – bass Jebin Bruni – keyboards, rhythm guitar	Anarchy Movie '85 (1985)
June – fall 1985	John Lydon – vocals, synthesisers, violin Mark Schulz – lead guitar Bret Helm – bass Jebin Bruni – keyboards, rhythm guitar
Fall 1985 – early 1986	John Lydon – vocals	Album (1986)
February – March 1986	John Lydon – lead vocals Kevin Armstrong – lead guitar Lu Edmonds – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Allan Dias – bass, keyboards, backing vocals Bruce Smith – drums, percussion
March 1986 – September 1988	John Lydon – lead vocals John McGeoch – lead guitar Lu Edmonds – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Allan Dias – bass, keyboards, backing vocals Bruce Smith – drums, percussion	Happy? (1987)
September 1988 – spring 1989	John Lydon – lead vocals John McGeoch – guitar Allan Dias – bass, keyboards, backing vocals Bruce Smith – drums, percussion	9 (1989)
Spring – November 1989	John Lydon – lead vocals John McGeoch – lead guitar Ted Chau – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Allan Dias – bass, keyboards, backing vocals Bruce Smith – drums, percussion
Early 1990 – January 1992	John Lydon – lead vocals John McGeoch – guitar Allan Dias – bass, keyboards, backing vocals	"Don't Ask Me" (1990) "Criminal" (1991) That What Is Not (1992)
January – July 1992	John Lydon – lead vocals John McGeoch – lead guitar Ted Chau – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Allan Dias – bass, keyboards, backing vocals Mike Joyce – drums	rowspan="2"
July – September 1992	John Lydon – lead vocals John McGeoch – lead guitar Ted Chau – rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Russell Webb – bass, backing vocals Mike Joyce – drums
Band inactive September 1992 – September 2009
September 2009 – present	John Lydon – lead vocals Lu Edmonds – guitar, keyboards, backing vocals Scott Firth – bass, keyboards, backing vocals Bruce Smith – drums, percussion, backing vocals	ALiFE 2009 (2009) Live at the Isle of Wight Festival (2011) This Is PiL (2012) What the World Needs Now... (2015) Live at O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire (2015) End of World (2023)

External links

• Public Image Ltd official website

Notes and References

1. Book: Lydon . John . John Lydon . Perry . Andrew . Anger Is an Energy: My Life Uncensored . 978-1471137211 . 7 May 2015 . London, England . . 9 January 2022 .
2. Web site: In depth interview: Jim Walker was the Public Image drummer: memories of those times and what he's doing now . Rahman the Writer . Louder Than War . 14 March 2017 . 9 January 2022 .
3. Web site: PiL Members . . 9 January 2022 .
4. Web site: PiL: The Metal Box 2006 reissue review . Scott M. . . 9 January 2022 .
5. Web site: Paris au Printemps – Public Image Ltd: Songs, Reviews, Credits . Orens . Geoff . . 9 January 2022 .
6. Drummer Leaves PiL . . 28 June 1980 . London, England . Spotlight . 4 . 9 January 2022 .
7. Web site: The Public Image Is Rotten: A Fresh Look At PiL . Peacock . Tim . uDiscoverMusic . 20 July 2020 . 9 January 2022 .
8. Web site: Public Image Ltd – Plastic Box . Kellman . Andy . Ekoliniol . 9 January 2022 .
9. Web site: The Sound Of Freedom: PiL's The Flowers Of Romance 40 Years On . Hirst . Richard . . 6 April 2021 . 9 January 2022 .
10. Web site: There's A Riot Goin' On: The Infamous Public Image Ltd. Riot Show . Caraballo . Ed . Ed Caraballo . Perfect Sound Forever . July 1997 . 9 January 2022 .
11. Web site: 34 Years Ago: Public Image Ltd + A Riot at the Ritz . Ford . Chris . Diffuser . 15 May 2015 . 9 January 2022 .
12. PiL Article . . 6 February 1982 . 9 January 2022 .
13. Web site: John Lydon: The Rotten Truth . Schneider . Jason . . 28 May 2012 . 9 January 2022 .
14. Web site: 1982 Chronology . Fodderstompf . 9 January 2022 .
15. Web site: Interviews: Keith Levene (P.I.L., The Clash) . Gentile . John . Punknews.org . 9 May 2014 . 9 January 2022 .
16. Web site: I can't believe it's not better... PiL 100 Club (review of a night out) . Jones . Pete . Pete "Joyless" Jones . 21 June 2018 . 9 January 2022 .
17. Web site: 1983 Chronology . Fodderstompf . 9 January 2022 .
18. Keith Quits PiL . . 4 June 1983 . 9 January 2022 .
19. PiL: This Is What You Want, This Is What You Get . . July 1984 . 9 January 2022 .
20. Gillis . Kathy . Public Image Ltd., Afrika Bambaataa: Beacon Theatre, New York . . 96 . 47 . 24 November 1984 . New York City, New York . Billboard . 38 . 9 January 2022 .
21. Audio Track: New York . . 97 . 24 . 15 June 1985 . New York City, New York . Billboard . 30 . 9 January 2022 .
22. Johnson . Howard . Howard Johnson in konversation with John Lydon . . 20 February 1986 . 9 January 2022 .
23. Web site: Do Or Die: An Interview with Bill Laswell . Garratt . John . . 19 February 2012 . 9 January 2022 .
24. Web site: 1986 Chronology . Fodderstompf . 9 January 2022 .
25. Smith . Black Mat . Happy Talk . . 8 August 1987 . 9 January 2022 .
26. Web site: 1988 Chronology . Fodderstompf . 9 January 2022 .
27. Ellerman . Nina . Don't Worry, Be Happy? . . 16 June 1989 . 9 January 2022 .
28. Web site: 1989 Chronology . Fodderstompf . 9 January 2022 .
29. Gibson . Robin . PiL Still Crazy After All These Years . . 27 October 1990 . 9 January 2022 .
30. Web site: That What is Not Session Players . Fodderstompf . 9 January 2022 .
31. Web site: Volume 3 CD Interview . Mr. Spencer . . 9 January 2022 .
32. Web site: Allan Dias interview . Fodderstompf . May 2004 . 9 January 2022 .
33. Web site: PiL (Public Image Ltd) . uDiscoverMusic . 13 June 2020 . 9 January 2022 .
34. News: Sex Pistol singer John Lydon to reform Public Image . . 7 September 2009 . 9 January 2022 .
35. Web site: Alife 2009 – Public Image Ltd.: Songs, Reviews, Credits . . 9 January 2022 .
36. Web site: Public Image Ltd. Biography, Songs, & Albums . Deming . Mark . . 9 January 2022 .