“Leave it”: Paul Weller on why John Lydon became the antithesis of punk
“Ever get the feeling you’ve been cheated?” sneered Johnny Rotten at the final Sex Pistols performance in 1978. At the time, the confrontational quote referred to the poor and often selfish management of Britain’s punk progenitors, but as time went on, people like John Lydon began to betray the revolution themselves. Everybody mellows with age, but the development of the Pistols frontman has been particularly disappointing for fans and contemporaries alike.
Paul Weller is one such figure who cannot help but cringe at the modern incarnation of John Lydon. The ex-Jam frontman had a front-row seat to the punk revolution, learning his craft on the sticky floors of The Roxy in Covent Garden, ground zero for punk in the United Kingdom. Although Weller’s music always leaned more towards pop sensibilities and retro-inspired riffs, the songwriter’s attitude was more punk than most. Even today, the Modfather remains ruthlessly outspoken, operating entirely on his own terms.
In contrast, John Lydon has repeatedly betrayed the punk roots of Johnny Rotten. The Public Image Ltd frontman has expressed increasingly right-wing, reactionary views in recent years, coupled with an apparent adoration for convicted criminal and former President Donald Trump. Part of what spurred the punk revolution on was a rejection of the establishment and the conservative values of the older generation. Now, though, Lydon has repeatedly reaffirmed himself as being part of that conservative older generation.
Nevertheless, Lydon still claims to be something of an authority figure on punk music, repeatedly voicing his opinions on matters that do not concern him, and tearing down the reputations of his 1970s contemporaries. Many of the artists and songwriters that Lydon continues to attack in interviews and his memoir Anger Is An Energy – figures like Joe Strummer or the Ramones, for instance – have since passed on, cheating them of a right to reply to Lydon’s often ridiculous claims.
Fear not, though, as Paul Weller has managed to retain his credibility after all these years, and he has repeatedly called John Lydon out for his betrayal of punk. Talking to Spin back in 2008, shortly after the release of 22 Dreams, Weller dished out a bit of advice to Lydon, urging the frontman to “leave it”.
Within the interview, Weller refutes the claim that Lydon could be considered one of his “peers”, sharing, “I don’t really understand him anymore. He’s become the antithesis of what he once was”. It is certainly hard to dispute that claim, particularly when Lydon appears on stage in a ‘Make America Great Again’ shirt or delivers a horrendously misogynistic rant against somebody like Debbie Harry. “Does he need the money?” Weller continued, “I can’t comment on that, but perhaps he misses the adulation, the buzz”.
According to Weller, the problem with Lydon is reflective of a deeper issue in modern society. “Nostalgia has become a whole industry in itself at the moment,” he said, “and I don’t like it. You can never recapture what has gone.” Perhaps that is why Weller has never entrenched himself in the past, opting instead to continue writing and recording new material while others profit from nostalgia. John Lydon, take notes.
