John Lydon
Birthday:
31 January 1956, London, England, UK
Birth Name:
John Joseph Lydon
Height:
173 cm
John Joseph Lydon, more popularly known by his former stage name, Johnny Rotten, is an English singer, songwriter and author. He is best known as the frontman of the British punk band The Sex Pistols, one of the most influential acts in the history of popular music. The band originally lasted from 1975 to 1978, but had various revivals during the 1...
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John Joseph Lydon, more popularly known by his former stage name, Johnny Rotten, is an English singer, songwriter and author. He is best known as the frontman of the British punk band The Sex Pistols, one of the most influential acts in the history of popular music. The band originally lasted from 1975 to 1978, but had various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s. John is also the lead singer of the avant-garde post-punk band Public Image Ltd (PiL), which he founded and fronted from 1978 to 1993, and again since 2009.Known for his no-nonsense way of talking, rebellious image and fashion style, Lydon was seen as a figurehead of the burgeoning punk movement in the 1970s, and, having been a prominent figure in British popular culture for over four decades, in 2002 he was named among the 100 Greatest Britons following a UK-wide vote. Show less «
On acting: "I hated it. It was too long, too stressful; two minutes' working day and 12 hours' fear and nausea. And no improvising; you're j...Show more »
On acting: "I hated it. It was too long, too stressful; two minutes' working day and 12 hours' fear and nausea. And no improvising; you're just a hired robot. That might be all right for people that don't have any kind of personality, but if you have anything going for your own self, it's very, very frustrating that way." Show less «
On being on tour with the other Sex Pistols again: "They don't seem to relate to the world around them. They're stuck in this 1976 vibe. It'...Show more »
On being on tour with the other Sex Pistols again: "They don't seem to relate to the world around them. They're stuck in this 1976 vibe. It's very peculiar. It was a bit like walking around with a museum attached to you. But then, I'm perverse enough to enjoy that." Show less «
On Malcolm Mclaren: "I'm not aware of him anymore. I haven't been for quite a long time."
On Malcolm Mclaren: "I'm not aware of him anymore. I haven't been for quite a long time."
On his relationship with his father: "We never ever spoke, really, seriously at all until the day I left home. And from then on in, it's bee...Show more »
On his relationship with his father: "We never ever spoke, really, seriously at all until the day I left home. And from then on in, it's been friendship total." Show less «
On body piercing: "It's just a fad now. About as much content in it as Prodigy."
On body piercing: "It's just a fad now. About as much content in it as Prodigy."
On punk in the nineties: "There isn't no such thing anymore. That's something that happened way back in the late 70s. Historically, that's w...Show more »
On punk in the nineties: "There isn't no such thing anymore. That's something that happened way back in the late 70s. Historically, that's where it belongs. You gotta move on. Anyone imitating that now in the 90's is a bit of a fool. You should have your own thing and stop looking up to Granddad." Show less «
On hosting his own show: "If the Osmonds have got the opportunity, then why the hell shouldn't I?"
On hosting his own show: "If the Osmonds have got the opportunity, then why the hell shouldn't I?"
On Keith from Prodigy: "He's got my hair, he's got my accent!"
On Keith from Prodigy: "He's got my hair, he's got my accent!"
On Madonna: "I think she's an opportunist more than a talent. But, you know, she's a very good opportunist."
On Madonna: "I think she's an opportunist more than a talent. But, you know, she's a very good opportunist."
On Elvis Presley: "Dreadful old windbag! And I think somebody should point out that his so-called "illustrious career" - he never, not once,...Show more »
On Elvis Presley: "Dreadful old windbag! And I think somebody should point out that his so-called "illustrious career" - he never, not once, wrote a single song." Show less «
On rap: "Well it started out bloody well and fine, didn't it? It was very varied, it was very multicultural and had no limitations. And it s...Show more »
On rap: "Well it started out bloody well and fine, didn't it? It was very varied, it was very multicultural and had no limitations. And it soon narrowed itself into a very ridiculous, black-only attitude. And even as an all-black music formula, they still disrespect each other, in the most appalling ways." Show less «
On Prodigy: "I should put a lawsuit out on that lot! Talk about ripping my ****ing stuff off. What a fraud."
On Prodigy: "I should put a lawsuit out on that lot! Talk about ripping my ****ing stuff off. What a fraud."
On music: "If you want to call it art, then do, but I'd put an 'f' in front of that."
On music: "If you want to call it art, then do, but I'd put an 'f' in front of that."
On Kurt Cobain: Don't tell me he was a sensitive soul. If he was sensitive, he would have been aware that he has responsibilities to other h...Show more »
On Kurt Cobain: Don't tell me he was a sensitive soul. If he was sensitive, he would have been aware that he has responsibilities to other human beings. Really, what he did was he took the easy way out, and became, to my mind, a very selfish person. Very self-centered, to do that. He could have received a lot more help from those around him. I feel sorry for him in that respect. But, you know, I actually wanted to work with him. And it pisses me off." Show less «
On Howard Stern: "He's one joke that's already tired."
On Howard Stern: "He's one joke that's already tired."
On live music: "It's uncomfortable...It's badly done and it all relates to a PA system and a bad engineer. How to get sweaty with people you...Show more »
On live music: "It's uncomfortable...It's badly done and it all relates to a PA system and a bad engineer. How to get sweaty with people you don't know, bad toilets and a long line at the bar. I can tell you, it ain't good for the band or you the audience." Show less «
On Sid Vicious: "I could take on England, but I couldn't take on one heroin user."
On Sid Vicious: "I could take on England, but I couldn't take on one heroin user."
On the Filthy Lucre reunion tour: "I wanted to just finally and forever put an end to the myth that's grown up around the Sex Pistols. To ju...Show more »
On the Filthy Lucre reunion tour: "I wanted to just finally and forever put an end to the myth that's grown up around the Sex Pistols. To just call it 'full stop', the end, finish. Then nobody can blabber on 'ad infinitum' and exaggerate and mythologize about a band that wasn't too brilliant in the first place. I mean, I know where all the talent lay... me! So I thought it would be fun to bring the other three out and show them up for the fools they are." Show less «
The day I run out of ideas is the day I stop making records.
The day I run out of ideas is the day I stop making records.
On the Spice Girls: "They're vacuous, talentless, and what on earth does girl power mean?"
On the Spice Girls: "They're vacuous, talentless, and what on earth does girl power mean?"
On Nelson Mandela: "I think he's a complete fake. Anyone that condoned killing and slaughter and all those things that he went to jail for o...Show more »
On Nelson Mandela: "I think he's a complete fake. Anyone that condoned killing and slaughter and all those things that he went to jail for originally. How can he now be a man of peace and wisdom and wonder?" Show less «
On Liam Gallagher of Oasis: "Whether Liam knows it or not he's become bourgeois, though he pretends not to be"
On Liam Gallagher of Oasis: "Whether Liam knows it or not he's become bourgeois, though he pretends not to be"
On Princess Diana: "She was a thoroughly useless spare tit."
On Princess Diana: "She was a thoroughly useless spare tit."
On Princess Diana's funeral: "Watching that ridiculous funeral, and particularly here in LA watching people crying over their TV sets over s...Show more »
On Princess Diana's funeral: "Watching that ridiculous funeral, and particularly here in LA watching people crying over their TV sets over someone they didn't understand at all... they just didn't get it. And who paid for the funeral?" Show less «
On disco: "I see no problem admiring the Bee Gees and being in The Sex Pistols."
On disco: "I see no problem admiring the Bee Gees and being in The Sex Pistols."
On rock: "It needs a new generation to come out and kick everybody. I'm not going to do it myself. I've done my bit for society."
On rock: "It needs a new generation to come out and kick everybody. I'm not going to do it myself. I've done my bit for society."
On The Cure: "They're a band I have no time for whatsoever. I think they're a farce."
On The Cure: "They're a band I have no time for whatsoever. I think they're a farce."
On the Rolling Stones: "Good luck to them. You know, if they enjoy doing what they're doing, I'd say well and fine. But, I'm not sure that's...Show more »
On the Rolling Stones: "Good luck to them. You know, if they enjoy doing what they're doing, I'd say well and fine. But, I'm not sure that's the reason they exist. I think it's much more to do with making money." Show less «
On anarchism: "anarchy, frankly -- if you take it quite literally -- is mind games for the middle class. When you come from desperate povert...Show more »
On anarchism: "anarchy, frankly -- if you take it quite literally -- is mind games for the middle class. When you come from desperate poverty, and that's exactly what I come from, you know that nonsenses are not to be tolerated. I'm not sure who gains from chaos, but I know it's not the poor folks in the council flats. The politics of vindictiveness is never, ever anything like a solution." Show less «
On using drugs: "I used to. And found that I wasn't getting too much done."
On using drugs: "I used to. And found that I wasn't getting too much done."
I don't think there's any such thing as rock 'n' roll anymore -- it's an amalgamation of business interests
I don't think there's any such thing as rock 'n' roll anymore -- it's an amalgamation of business interests
On Michael Jackson: "I get censored on TV, but you have that thing parading around, waving its crotch at little children. Tell me that's not...Show more »
On Michael Jackson: "I get censored on TV, but you have that thing parading around, waving its crotch at little children. Tell me that's not seriously corrupt." Show less «
The sheep who buy Korn and Limp Bizkit . . . they're completely, utterly foolish.
The sheep who buy Korn and Limp Bizkit . . . they're completely, utterly foolish.
On marriage: "I'm well known for being completely loyal; once I make a commitment, it's forever."
On marriage: "I'm well known for being completely loyal; once I make a commitment, it's forever."
It was brought up in Parliament that I should be tied to "Traitor's Gate" and drowned. That's one of the comments from some MP. Wouldn't hav...Show more »
It was brought up in Parliament that I should be tied to "Traitor's Gate" and drowned. That's one of the comments from some MP. Wouldn't have been such a bad idea, really. It'd sell records. Show less «
Well, with the Pistols, there was a lot of books that came out by people who weren't there, didn't know us and exaggerated the whole thing i...Show more »
Well, with the Pistols, there was a lot of books that came out by people who weren't there, didn't know us and exaggerated the whole thing into being some political movement. Which it wasn't. This was a bunch of people who had opinions on things. Very important opinions, it turns out. But nothing more than that. And all covered up in pop music. Show less «
I think national pride leads to nothing but wars and hates.
I think national pride leads to nothing but wars and hates.
On the royal family: "my father worked very hard and had a lot of tax taken off to support what I'd seen as a bunch of lazy good-for-nothing...Show more »
On the royal family: "my father worked very hard and had a lot of tax taken off to support what I'd seen as a bunch of lazy good-for-nothing inbreds. And I think time has proved me right. The British now completely agree with me on that. So, my attitude would be, about them now, to sell them off to Disneyland. I think that they would be wonderful next to the Epcot Center! And that would solve a lot of Britain's economic problems." Show less «
On Blair's Third Way: "Margaret Thatcher politics under a Labour Party guise."
On Blair's Third Way: "Margaret Thatcher politics under a Labour Party guise."
(At the grand opening of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas): "I love it! It's so quintessentially American! It's a cross between a...Show more »
(At the grand opening of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas): "I love it! It's so quintessentially American! It's a cross between a mausoleum of pop music and a temple of greed!" Show less «
On life in England before the Pistols: "You learn to expect nothing. You get nothing. You start off in school and they take your soul away. ...Show more »
On life in England before the Pistols: "You learn to expect nothing. You get nothing. You start off in school and they take your soul away. They take your brains away. You're not allowed to have an opinion that differs from theirs. So when you leave school, your only future is getting married... and by that time you've got two kids and you just want to commit suicide." Show less «
The whole Bill Grundy incident was lovely. It was heaven. He ruined his own career. It wasn't me.
The whole Bill Grundy incident was lovely. It was heaven. He ruined his own career. It wasn't me.
Yes, with a vengeance, but we share a common cause, and that's your money. (Asked whether The Sex Pistols, about to commence their "Filthy L...Show more »
Yes, with a vengeance, but we share a common cause, and that's your money. (Asked whether The Sex Pistols, about to commence their "Filthy Lucre" reunion tour, still hated each other ) Show less «
Asked if he considered himself to be in the punk movement of the 70's: I would say that would be a hindsight statement. No, at the time it w...Show more »
Asked if he considered himself to be in the punk movement of the 70's: I would say that would be a hindsight statement. No, at the time it wasn't big at all, it was very small. The day the Sex Pistols ceased to exist was the day they became important and relevant. It wasn't working. They wanted to turn us into the Rolling Stones and I didn't want that. Show less «
I'm surprised we aren't in jail for treason.
I'm surprised we aren't in jail for treason.
We never bought into that Pete Townsend 'Hope I die before I get old' crap. We love our beer bellies, and you're gonna, too.
We never bought into that Pete Townsend 'Hope I die before I get old' crap. We love our beer bellies, and you're gonna, too.
It costs a lot to go out on tour, there are a lot of wages to pay, so if Country Life want to pay me to be in their adverts I will be there....Show more »
It costs a lot to go out on tour, there are a lot of wages to pay, so if Country Life want to pay me to be in their adverts I will be there. I don't know what people find so wrong about me selling British products, to me it would seem to be a good thing. The one thing I have never done and never will do is sell out. Show less «
I have no idea why, but the music industry seems intent in keeping me poor. They seem to enjoy investing in mediocrity and getting fat on pr...Show more »
I have no idea why, but the music industry seems intent in keeping me poor. They seem to enjoy investing in mediocrity and getting fat on profits from bands who are disposable. I can't allow it to stifle me. I know there are still people out there who want to hear the music I make. What I do is poetry in motion and it's completely original, which is a very rare thing these days. Everyone has had a piece of us from Radiohead to Massive Attack, but in the music business it seems to be a case of first come, least served. Show less «
The only place I have ever felt truly comfortable is on stage. I still get the nerves and the doubts beforehand, but on stage I feel that's ...Show more »
The only place I have ever felt truly comfortable is on stage. I still get the nerves and the doubts beforehand, but on stage I feel that's my home. Show less «
Music can describe emotions far more accurately than words ever can. As soon as I realised that, I knew music was where I wanted to be.
Music can describe emotions far more accurately than words ever can. As soon as I realised that, I knew music was where I wanted to be.
I remember Pete Townshend once saying, "I hope I die before I get old". I thought then, well, I hope it works out for you, but me, I'm more ...Show more »
I remember Pete Townshend once saying, "I hope I die before I get old". I thought then, well, I hope it works out for you, but me, I'm more than happy to get old. Show less «
She's a wonderful, wonderful woman, stunningly innovative and creative. One of our finest. (On Kate Bush)
She's a wonderful, wonderful woman, stunningly innovative and creative. One of our finest. (On Kate Bush)
I lost Sid, my best and dearest friend, to heroin, and it's not nice. You've got to get away from drugs as escapism. There's nothing you nee...Show more »
I lost Sid, my best and dearest friend, to heroin, and it's not nice. You've got to get away from drugs as escapism. There's nothing you need to run away from yourself as a human being. Quite the opposite. Learn to love thyself and all will be fine. Show less «
I've got no idea what happened to dear old Keith (Keith Levene). What a waste of talent. He used to be a great guitarist. But he made the mi...Show more »
I've got no idea what happened to dear old Keith (Keith Levene). What a waste of talent. He used to be a great guitarist. But he made the mistake of over-grandiosing his own position in PiL, and then he complicated his life with various substances. And he ended up doing fuck all. Which is a shame, because there'd be no U2 without Keith's guitar style. Show less «
The whole "I Hate Pink Floyd Thing" was hilarious. Anyone who took that seriously needs a new head. As it happens, I love early Pink Floyd w...Show more »
The whole "I Hate Pink Floyd Thing" was hilarious. Anyone who took that seriously needs a new head. As it happens, I love early Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett - the original Sid Vicious, by the way - and even some of the '70s stuff. I just hated the assumption that they were holier than God and you couldn't give them a knock. Show less «
I'm getting a bit short-sighted now, so I just file everything according to colour, and pick up random CDs. You'll find everything there - j...Show more »
I'm getting a bit short-sighted now, so I just file everything according to colour, and pick up random CDs. You'll find everything there - jungle, Chris Isaak, Abba, Miles Davis, Sun Ra, the lot. Oh, and Mozart. Always Mozart. That crept into me from the soundtrack to that wonderful film, Barry Lyndon (1975). Some elements of country music annoy me, so you won't find much of that. Same with New Orleans trad jazz, those silly banjos and soprano saxes really bug me. It sounds like a French traffic jam. Otherwise, anything goes. Show less «
I'd give it all up in a flying fart second if I wanted to. But I'm only doing this because I love it. I'm now 51, and I feel quite happy abo...Show more »
I'd give it all up in a flying fart second if I wanted to. But I'm only doing this because I love it. I'm now 51, and I feel quite happy about that. And if you don't, then fuck off, 'cos this is my life, mate, not yours. As for the old Pete Townshend lyric, "I hope I die before I get old" - well, no! Every time I meet Pete I tell him the same thing: "Aren't you sorry you said that?" Show less «
There was no vicious undertone in us, no nasty edge. And certainly none of the deadpan, dreary political opinions like The Clash wallowed in...Show more »
There was no vicious undertone in us, no nasty edge. And certainly none of the deadpan, dreary political opinions like The Clash wallowed in. We lived in the real world. We actually did come from council flats. We knew the consequences of socialism. Show less «
You can't all be fabulously out-there experimenters - you need someone who is a good structuralist to build these ideas into a solid foundat...Show more »
You can't all be fabulously out-there experimenters - you need someone who is a good structuralist to build these ideas into a solid foundation. You need a rock to build your church on. Show less «
When I first started, we assumed you couldn't go anywhere unless you had a label. But now, if you're successful at live gigs, you can make t...Show more »
When I first started, we assumed you couldn't go anywhere unless you had a label. But now, if you're successful at live gigs, you can make things yourselves, and present them uncontaminated. Show less «
[on the 1986 biopic Sid and Nancy] I cannot understand why anyone would want to put out a movie like Sid and Nancy and not bother to speak t...Show more »
[on the 1986 biopic Sid and Nancy] I cannot understand why anyone would want to put out a movie like Sid and Nancy and not bother to speak to me; Alex Cox, the director, didn't. He used as his point of reference - of all the people on this earth - Joe Strummer! That guttural singer from The Clash? What the fuck did he know about Sid and Nancy? That's probably all he could find, which was really scraping the bottom of the barrel. The only time Alex Cox made any approach toward me was when he sent the chap who was playing me over to New York where I was. This actor told me he wanted to talk about the script. During the two days he was there, he told me that the film had already been completed. The whole thing was a sham. It was a ploy to get my name used in connection with the film, in order to support it. To me this movie is the lowest form of life. I honestly believe that it celebrates heroin addiction. It definitely glorifies it at the end when that stupid taxi drives off into the sky. That's such nonsense. The squalid New York hotel scenes were fine, except they needed to be even more squalid. All of the scenes in London with the Pistols were nonsense. None bore any sense of reality. The chap who played Sid, Gary Oldman, I thought was quite good. But even he only played the stage persona as opposed to the real person. I don't consider that Gary Oldman's fault because he's a bloody good actor. If only he had the opportunity to speak to someone who knew the man. I don't think they ever had the intent to research properly in order to make a seriously accurate movie. It was all just for money, wasn't it? To humiliate somebody's life like that - and very successfully - was very annoying to me. The final irony is that I still get asked questions about it. I have to explain that it's all wrong. It was all someone else's fucking fantasy, some Oxford graduate who missed the punk rock era. The bastard. When I got back to London, they invited me to a screening. So I went to see it and was utterly appalled. I told Alex Cox, which was the first time I met him, that he should be shot, and he was quite lucky I didn't shoot him. I still hold him in the lowest light. Will the real Sid please stand up? As for how I was portrayed, well, there's no offense in that. It was so off and ridiculous. It was absurd. Champagne and baked beans for breakfast? Sorry. I don't drink champagne. He didn't even speak like me. He had a Scouse accent. Worse, there's a slur implied in the movie that I was jealous of Nancy, which I find particularly loathsome. There is that implication that I feel was definitely put there. I guess that's Alex Cox showing his middle class twittery. It's all too glib, it's all too easy. Show less «
[on Public Image Ltd.] Public Image is closer to jazz than anything else. Which is odd, because I hate jazz. I can't bear all those saxophon...Show more »
[on Public Image Ltd.] Public Image is closer to jazz than anything else. Which is odd, because I hate jazz. I can't bear all those saxophone and trumpet-blowers, they drive me insane. Show less «
You don't write "God Save The Queen" because you hate the English race, you write a song like that because you love them; and you're fed up ...Show more »
You don't write "God Save The Queen" because you hate the English race, you write a song like that because you love them; and you're fed up with them being mistreated. Show less «
John Lydon's Photos
