Martin Clive Atkins is an English drummer and session musician, best known for his work in post-punk and industrial groups including Public Image Ltd, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Pigface, and Killing Joke. Atkins is also an honorary board member of the Chicago-based nonprofit organisation Rock For Kids
Martin says:
“Memories - My Five Years In And Out Of Public Image LTD. 1979 to 1985” covers a large amount of what many consider the heyday of Public Image Limited. The Metal Box (my audition), Paris Au Printemps (my first gig) , the first US Tour, American Bandstand, The Flowers Of Romance with Nick Launay, Commercial Zone, Japan, the Holiday Inn version of the band, This Is What You Want This Is What You Get (and the bands highest charting single This Is Not A Love Song) finally, after a last trip to Japan and our first to Australia, I had to leave.
Different people really do see things differently – hence the title Memories. I do very much care about the sum of the parts and the parts that make up the sum. This isn’t just my book in the same way that PiL back then wasn’t just Johns’. It was all of ours.
You might call this the companion to the first part of The Public Image Is Rotten documentary. My memories are intense and when that fails, I have my diaries! My archives are extensive, I can’t believe I still have it all (and much that you can’t see or hear). It was an amazing time, we were the most dangerous band on the planet.
