04.18.2012 07:37 PM

R.I.P. Dick Clark

Before the Internet and MTV and MuchMusic, he was pretty much the only game in town. When I heard, in Spring 1980, that Dick Clark had invited PIL onto his show, I predicted it would be anarchic insanity, total chaos, and that the American Bandstand boss would profoundly regret his decision.

Rotten, as you will see, did his level best to derail the proceedings. But Clark, ever the pro, doesn’t once lose his cool or even blink. He just carried on. Me and my punk buddies, then well aware of Rotten’s bottomless talent for destruction, thought that was the coolest thing.

R.I.P., Dick. You were a punk.

5 Comments

  1. Terraderma says:

    Rotten – not really singing. Classic!

    RIP Dick

  2. bigcitylib says:

    I didn’t think you could dance to that stuff.

  3. Dennis Earl says:

    The reason Clark didn’t “lose his cool” is because Lydon told him off-camera what he was planning to do ahead of time. Clark told him to go right ahead and do it. Entertainment Weekly singled out this segment in its special 100 Greatest Moments In Television issue back in 1999. (It was ranked #92 and you can read about it in this lnk – http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,274530_2,00.html – it’s the third entry on the page.)

  4. Geoffrey Laxton says:

    There should be a hologram version of this show..

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