Even by the punk standards of ’77, Johnny Moped was an incredible figure. “His mother dressed him. He hadn’t the slightest cool pretention,” says Billy Childish, one of his many fans. Few artists were like Johnny Moped: kid from the outskirts, “82%” handicapped by his own estimations, who didn’t show up to his own concerts and married a 50-year-old, was afraid of his mother-in-law (fo sho no other punk documentary features the words “mother in law” this many times).
His life is unique and this singularity led to ruin: Johnny Moped and his band couldn’t last (in 1978 they no longer existed) but while they played, they carved out a legend based on naturalness, exultant songs and hundreds of gobsmacking anecdotes (on one occasion, for example, he was found queuing to get into his own gig).
A documentary that moves at the speed of speed and boings like a pogo stick, sketching with humor and illustrating with extreme elegance, chock-filled with archive images and interviews with Chrissie Hynde (who they kicked out of the band twice), Captain Sensible, Shane McGowan and other admirers.
