John Lydon, better known as the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd. frontman Johnny Rotten, had some choice words for the current state of punk music during a recent conversation with The New York Times.
“It is embarrassing, really,” the 62-year-old said. “How many bands are out there like Green Day now? I look at them, and I just have to laugh. They’re coat hangers, you know. A turgid version of something that doesn’t actually belong to them.”
Now this would all be well and good (albeit a little "get off my lawn"-y) if the Sex Pistols were an authentic punk band; however, its been said the English quartet's ethos and style was manufactured by manager Malcom McLaren in an attempt to sell clothing. In the words of Alanis Morrissette: Isn't it ironic, don't you think?
But he didn't stop there. After downing another beer, the controversial punk icon slammed his successors once again, calling modern punk a "caricature." Another interesting comment given his band's background.
When he looks back on his life, Lydon admits he always felt separated from the lifestyle his band helped create. "Punk wanted to maintain the cliché and the uniformity that it didn’t deserve," he explained. "And I wanted to do new and different things, which is, to my mind, what punk is all about: Do it yourself, which means be true to yourself.”
So now, perhaps, this man in his 60s is the most punk he's ever been in his life? Read Lydon's whole NYT profile here and decide for yourself.
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