Ear on TV: Week of 04.05.10: Pubic Image Ltd

Professional provocateur John Lydon has reunited his post-Sex Pistols outfit Public Image Ltd. kicking off a tour of North America next week, the first one in 18 years. Lydon recently told Billboard that the band has new material ready to record. "Yeah, I've got piles," says the frontman, also saying the tour is a way to raise money for the recording. "We've got no backing -- no record company, no sponsors, nothing like that," explains Lydon. "The only way we can make money is the touring, and then we can make a new album. It's sort of like the old days of PiL, when the Pistols went kaput; I had to scrimp and scrape out of my own pocket. Not much has changed."

If little indeed has changed, we should expect the unexpected when PiL perform on Jimmy Kimmel Live Wednesday. While it's been 18 years since the last time they provoked US viewers at home, we're coming up on the 30th anniversary of their first televised appearance in the US -- a head-scratching performance of "Careering Poptones" on American Bandstand to a dumbstruck Dick Clark. They followed that up by making the late Tom Snyder completely lose his cool on The Tom Snyder Show. Lydon may have mellowed over the years, but I'm sure Kimmel and his bookers are betting on the aging punk to giving you something to tweet about.




Elsewhere, Philadelphia's Dr. Dog has a hippy-ish kitchen sink approach to indie rock, and are looking to expand their cult following with their latest release, Shame, Shame, out this week. Produced by Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith, the album still has the band sounding like their from a long lost era, with influences ranging from the roots rock of The Band to the pop confection of The Left Banke. Dr. Dog performs "Stranger," the first single from the album, on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday.

Playlist: Picks for the week
Monday, April 5
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: She & Him
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: The Swell Season (REPEAT)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Peter Wolf
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Arctic Monkeys (REPEAT)
Tuesday, April 6
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Kelis
CURRENT: Embedded: Cold War Kids, Beirut, BLK JKS (REPEAT)
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Dan Black
NBC: The Tonight Show with Jay Leno: Slash & Andrew Stockdale (Wolfmother)
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Dr Dog
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: The Living Sisters
SYNDICATION: The Ellen Degeneres Show: Citizen Cope
Wednesday, April 7
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Publc Image Ltd.
FUEL: The Daily Habit: Black Lips
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Suzanne Vega
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Angels & Airwaves
SYNDICATION: The Oprah Winfrey Show: Glee Cast
Thursday, April 8
ABC: Jimmy Kimmel Live: Jonathan Tyler & the Northern Lights
CBS: Late Show With David Letterman: Ludacris (REPEAT)
FOX: Lopez Tonight: Slash
NBC: Late Night With Jimmy Fallon: Justin Bieber
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Circa Survive
Friday, April 9
FUEL: The Daily Habit: De La Soul
NBC: Last Call With Carson Daly: Never Shout Never
SUNDANCE: Live From Abbey Road: Doves, Noisettes, Lyle Lovett
Saturday, April 10
NBC: Saturday Night Live: Justin Bieber
VH1: NWA: The World's Most Dangerous Group: NWA, Ice Cube, Dr Dre, Eazy-E
Sunday, April 11
HBO: Treme: Elvis Costello, Allen Toussaint, Kermit Ruffins, Rebirth Brass Band,