The Observer, Music Monthly Magazine
19th February 2006

The awkward squad

Some people can't bear to reflect on their past: other are only too willing to dissect it and perhaps rearrange it. John Lydon, resident of Los Angeles and the best reality TV contestant ever, is one of the latter.

'The Pistols were a very important part of my life,' he says. 'But it was only for 18 months. Creatively, it allowed me to use my skills and ... go forth and multiply.' And he cackles with the knowing, self-possessed fervour that has always set him apart.

Does he hear anything now which has the same intensity?

'There probably is, but it's not for me to say. I'm not a spokesman for 17-year-olds. They have to get on with it themselves. But if you like music as quickly delivered and eaten as a pizza, there's plenty of that for you.'

So what else has he got to complain about? Well, there's technology: 'the internet bores me to tears.' And the Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame, for which the Pistols are now eligible. 'That place does perpetrate some incredible nonsenses - like if it wasn't for the Ramones there'd be no Sex Pistols. Well, it's bollocks, isn't it? That's not acceptable. It's funded by major record companies and the industry never appreciated us. If the museum wants to offer us some kind of plastic cup then the answer is no.'

One other character from the Seventies was demonised by the press and then rehabilitated as a favourite grumpy uncle. Is Lydon happy to be a version of Tony Benn?

'Yes, well. Him and [Arthur] Scargill, they were proved right, weren't they? I'm not awkward for the sake of it. I stick to what I believe in, which is do the best you can, mean what you say, and think about it. People don't mind profiting off me and, let's face it, I'm far from talentless.'

And then he adds the name of another politician who was condemned for his beliefs: Enoch Powell.

Sorry?

'Don't get me wrong. I'm from a multicultural family, I lived through Thatcher, but Powell stood up for what he believed in.'
And so the unpredictable yet maddeningly consistent Lydon confirms that, for him, sticking to your values, no matter how wrong-headed and no matter the vilification that follows, is what punk was all about.
And he's got one last point to add.

'This punk special of yours: it's not just a load of has-beens yakking, is it?'