John Lydon (b. 1956)

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Biography

John Joseph Lydon, also known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten, is a British-born singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. He was the lead vocalist of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols, which was active from 1975 to 1978, and again for various revivals during the 1990s and 2000s. He is also the lead vocalist of post-punk band Public Image Ltd (PiL), which he founded and fronted from 1978 until 1993, and again since 2009.

In Their Own Words (5)

Almost killed me, nothing to be laughed at. But oddly enough it’s something that made me. Without that, I probably wouldn’t be where I am today, so thank God I almost died. The pain I had to endure of losing my memory and forgetting who I was — that’s always still in me. I never explained it until the book, and the songs — what agony that was for me. My greatest sense of achievement was conquering that.

About suffering spinal meningitis. , 2015

Ever get the feeling you've been cheated? Good night!

At the end of the last Sex Pistols concert, Winterland Theater, San Francisco, California (14 January 1978) , 1978

Joe Strummer, God bless him, he's gone and he shall be missed. But how dare he preach class war with an organisation like that [the late '80s Rock Against The Rich movement]. Living in a huge house in Holland Park. Every photo opportunity to be seen on a bus in his leather jacket, and then he went back to a palace. You're not getting it quite right there! That's where his image mattered more to him than the reality. He was trying to con us. In a nice way and for the right reasons but once you start lying it carries on and on and on.

The Mojo Interview, March 2006. In 1982, Strummer and Gaby Salter lived in a rented flat above an antique shop in Portland Road in Holland Park. During March 1983, they bought and moved to a terraced building in Lancaster Road in Notting Hill which was similar to the houses Strummer used to squat. , 2006

When I first heard it, I thought that's extremely challenging, the vocal — it was almost hysterical, and it was so up there, the register, but it was absolutely fascinating. And I know at the time a lot of my friends couldn't bear it, they thought it was just "too much" — but that's exactly what drew me in.

On Kate Bush's first hit, "Wuthering Heights" , 2014

[Replying to the question of the presenter: "where did the name "Sex Pistols" come from, who thought this name up?"] Some animal. I can't remember. It doesn't matter. It's history.

The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder (27 June 1980) , 1980

Timeline

The story of John Lydon, told in moments.

1975 Event

Auditioned for the Sex Pistols by lip-syncing to Alice Cooper's "Eighteen" on the jukebox at Malcolm McLaren's shop. McLaren gave him the name Johnny Rotten for his decaying green teeth.

Was lip-syncing to Alice Cooper really an audition? Did the name Rotten fit or did you grow into it? What did you see in punk that Malcolm McLaren missed?

1977 Event

"God Save the Queen" hit number two on the BBC chart during the Silver Jubilee. Many believed it actually reached number one and was blocked. The BBC banned it from airplay. Lydon was stabbed twice by angry patriots.

Was 'God Save the Queen' meant to provoke or to tell the truth? Did being stabbed twice make you question the mission? How did it feel to be banned by the BBC during the Jubilee?

1978 Event

Left the Sex Pistols after their final show in San Francisco. Told the audience, "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated?" Founded Public Image Ltd the same year. Moved from punk to experimental post-punk.

Was 'ever get the feeling you've been cheated' aimed at the audience or the industry? Did leaving the Pistols feel like freedom? Was Public Image Ltd the real you or another mask?