Don Letts Interview

Rocker In Da House: Don Letts on "PUNK: attitude"

When Don Letts is in the house, you know it. For one thing, he's got dreadlocks that hang all the way to his butt. He also might swoop into the room — impressive dreads and all — still wearing his shades, and announce himself: "Don Letts is in the house." The director of IFC's original documentary "PUNK: attitude" is good at getting noticed. In the 70s, he was the DJ famous for introducing the London punk rockers to reggae. His relationships with bands such as The Clash and The Sex Pistols led to another career making movies about them, like "The Punk Rock Movie"(1978) and "The Clash: Westway to the World," before expanding his range to direct music videos and the narrative feature "Dancehall Queen" (1997). He also formed the band Big Audio Dynamite with the Clash's Mick Jones, before leaving to form Screaming Target in the early 90s. Letts' latest, "PUNK: attitude," includes interviews with such scene stalwarts as Chrissie Hynde, Henry Rollins, Jim Jarmusch, Jello Biafra and Tommy Ramone, examines the attitude behind the inflammatory movement. IFC News' Andrea Meyer asked the multitalented punk nine questions.

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