Reluctantly I ask him his opinions on the racism allegation aimed at John Lyndon. Lydon was involved in an alleged racial attack on Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke in Spain. The ethos of punk that Lydon was a big part of, contradicts the perceived notion that Lydon is racist. I asked Don to shine a light on this. “I weren’t there, I can’t comment”. However, having known Lydon since he was called Johnny Rotten, surely he must not believe the allegations? “It’s hard for me to get my head around the fact that he would be involved in any type of racist thing. I don’t think John’s a racist. I did Johnny Rotten’s first music video for the group Public Image (PiL) and we were really good friends, and like I said he was the first man to take me to Jamaica. Johnny Rotten. Imagine!” But when it comes to choosing between the two heavy weights of the punk rock genre; the Clash and the Pistols, there is no denying where Letts stands on both their legacies. “The Clash were particularly dear to me, because I made their first video, and when they got big and blew up, they could have gone to some rich superstar, some big time film director and got them to do their videos, but they said nah, Don, we’re staying with you, and from when they started until they finished, they stayed with me. So I owe the Clash a lot, and punk rock owes the Clash a lot because, don’t forget, the Pistols only made one record. The Clash made 4 or 5 albums and it was that that really gave punk rock some kind of depth, without that I don’t know whether punk rock would have been a movement. It might just have been a moment.”
But it wasn’t just Lydon and Strummer that Letts was involved with. Back in the late 1970’s, Letts and Bob Marley used to hang out together whilst Marley was in London… and Letts was also the man to supply the Jamaican with good weed when he needed it. He also directed videos for several Bob Marley songs. As I mention Marley’s name, Letts lets out a huge sigh, “Bob Marley? Bwoy!” On discussing Marley Letts’ speech slows down from its usual vibrancy. It becomes clear that Marley left an immense and lasting impression on the versatile Letts. “Don’t make no mistake Bob deserves the space he occupies, for many people around this planet. He is the most recognised musicians if not for any other reason that there are more people of colour on this planet. You might think it was someone like John Lennon, or Bono or Mick Jagger, but around the globe? Bob Marley is the most recognised in image and in music. The main reason for this is that he spoke to the dispossessed. He spoke to the people who were trying to better their existence and lives, and there are more of them than people that have it all. In today’s cultural climate there aren’t many musicians who are that brave, who will take on the subject matter and express the feelings of the oppressed people of this planet. I mean no one is doing that anymore. Everyone is just trying to take your money and sell you some make up. He was a special man, I am honoured to have known him and we need more people like that. Like I say, everyone now is too busy worrying about their image and how things will affect their record sales. That’s not what Bob was about. He was truly a voice of the people.”
As our interview winds down, I have to ask what next for Don Letts? He does not seem interested in making music videos anymore, as he has become disenchanted with the power of record companies, “the bands that the companies back and give their music to, their music has no agenda other than to turn the audience into passive consumers.” However, he is enjoying his late Saturday night residency at BBC Radio 6, where he gets to pass on his knowledge of music to the next generation. Though known for his enthusiasm for reggae, the show is a diverse selection of different music, something that Letts is keen to stress. “The tag line of my show is Crossing time, space and genres, cos the world is a big and beautiful place, so for me to bag myself with this one label, it doesn’t work. I’m used to listening to different things whether it be from Africa, or America or Brazil or whatever. You’ve got to embrace all the world has to offer. I mean Bob didn’t just sit in his yard listening to just reggae. The reason why Bob’s music has the depth that it has is he was listening to all kinds of things. Bob listened to the Beatles, Bob listened to R n B, he listened to Curtis Mayfield and the Impressions, and that’s why his music is so rich and dynamic. The people who are a bit more open minded, their output and their creativity is a lot more interesting I have to say. Labels are no good man. You give yourself a label and that’s all you can be. You got to be open to all things.”
Film maker, DJ, music director, radio DJ, retailer, novelist, musician, and top of the line weed dealer? The original Punk DJ’s seminal “punkumentary”, the punk rock movie made in 1978 was important in capturing the mood of a punk scene that was in its infancy at the Roxy. Punk music’s near 30 year history has had a profound influence on music that has been made ever since, and with his movie, Letts displays the punk DIY attitude of the legendary people he was documenting. In the late 70’s the affluence, peace and love of the sixties was replaced by anger, which is expressed vividly in Letts’ movie. Letts has total access for all the big name stars of punk, and in doing so gives us an honest account of our musical heroes, something that Alexa Chung and her mates at T4 could not ever achieve.
