John Lydon continues to bash his former Sex Pistols band mates following news of the group’s reunion tour with Gallows singer Frank Carter.
“That’s a clown’s circus at work,” the singer formerly known as Johnny Rotten told the Independent of the Sex Pistols reunion tour. “Sorry, I’m not going to give a helping hand to this any longer, as far as I am concerned, I am the Pistols, and they’re not.”
Lydon, who was sued by his ex-band mates in recent years over his disapproval the FX miniseries Pistol, added that he would “never” rejoin the punk legends, “not after what I consider their dirty deeds, let them wallow in Walt Disney woke expectations.”
“They’ve killed the content, or done their best to, and turned the whole thing into a rubbish childishness, and that’s unacceptable,” Lydon said.
Ever since three of the original Sex Pistols — guitarist Steve Jones, bassist Glen Matlock, drummer Paul Cook — announced plans to reform with Carter as lead singer, Lydon has ripped the reunion, calling it a “karaoke presentation” in a previous interview.
“The poor sausage!” Lydon said of Carter replacing him. “Does he know what he’s walked into? Good on him, what a great fucking opportunity, but there’s something darker going on behind it. It’s almost malicious in its intent. And its karaoke – that’s all it will ever be. Bloody hell, the Three Stooges in that band have had how many years to write some new songs? That’s what I’d like to hear.”
In another interview earlier this year, Lydon quipped, “When I first heard that the Sex Pistols were touring this year without me it pissed me off. It annoyed me. I just thought, ‘they’re absolutely going to kill all that was good with the Pistols by eliminating the point and the purpose of it all.’ I didn’t write those words lightly. They’re trying to trivialize the whole show to get away with karaoke but in the long term I think you’ll see who has the value and who doesn’t. I’ve never sold my soul to make a dollar.”
