Legendary punk band and Rock & Roll Hall of Famers the Sex Pistols made news in 2024 when 3/4 of the original lineup reunited for a series of shows and a tour. The band replaced original singer John Lydon with former Gallows singer Frank Carter and were scheduled to tour America, but those dates were postponed due to a hand injury to guitarist Steve Jones.
Lydon previously commented on the group in its current state. “It’s just karaoke, really,” Lydon told Classic Album Review. “I would love to be embarrassed by high-quality songwriting from them. They’ve had long enough to get that together now, haven’t they? Yeah, but no, they profess their hatred for me, but they can’t live without me. Yeah, I am the punishment that goes on giving.”
The band has long feuded with Lydon, and the latest bad blood stems from a clash over use of Sex Pistols music in the 2022 FX miniseries “Pistol.”
In a recent interview with The Times, Lydon talked about the unfortunate passing of his wife of 44 years, Nora Forster. “You have to consider all the possibilities because that kind of pain is so overwhelming,” Lydon said, adding that Forster’s death “is the greatest tragedy in my life so far. She taught me everything about love.”
Lydon went on to say that even though he is at odds with his former band, he thought he would hear from them after Nora’s passing. That doesn’t appear to have happened. “I expected some kind of connection when Nora died, but nothing,” he said. When asked about a potential reunion with the band, Lydon said, “No. I still have a very great fondness for the chaps from that period. What they evolved – or devolved – into since is another consequence.”
