The album John Lydon called “heaven to me”
Rhyming off the characteristics of punk is easy: outspoken, rebellious, anti-establishment, and possibly a little egotistical. Actually embodying those traits, in the strongest sense of their meaning, is another matter. But through the waifs and strays of the genre, there’s one man who emerges through the ether to epitomise it all: John Lydon. The former Sex Pistol has never been shy of making his voice known, but when it comes to his musical contemporaries, the results risk various effects.
Whether as himself or under the pseudonymised guise of Johnny Rotten, Lydon can never be faulted for his searing approach to the truth. That applies to every aspect of his artistry, from blazing sentiments in iconic tunes like ‘God Save the Queen’, which empowered an entire era, to the striking looks that he spearheaded, which went on to become synonymous with punk forevermore. But the no-fucks-given attitude travelled far further than just the sonics, because Lydon has never been afraid of blasting rock and roll’s greatest exports, even if it hasn’t curried him any favours.
This notion is precisely channelled into Lydon’s relationship with The Rolling Stones, a band who, despite stratospheric success, have never quite made the cut in the rocker’s eyes. That was understandable, in one sense, when they were both at their prime. Sonic rivals can’t be seen to buddy up to each other, after all, and a certain degree of competition is always healthy in keeping one’s feet on the ground. But Mick Jagger and co have been a longstanding target in Lydon’s sights, whether it was half a century ago or yesterday, he’s almost never let them off the hook.
Indeed, only recently, Lydon was at the forefront of calls for the stalwart band to retire, quipping that what sets him and the ageing Stones apart was that “I’m not short of a song idea or two, so there’s a difference.” It’s a famous feud that has lasted since the dawn of time, or at least seems like that, anyway, and it’s an even more unlikely idea that Lydon would ever back down from his soapbox.
Except, that is, for when one particular Rolling Stones album graces the table. Suddenly, the tightness in his chest starts to loosen, his heart stops hammering, and he is transported into an unspeakable other-worldly domain which even he can’t help but be utterly intoxicated by. The elixir to all his troubles? Exile on Main St, the band’s 1972 album, whose murky, disjointed party combined to create some rousing refrains.
Lydon was at pains to admit it. He is harsh on The Rolling Stones “only because they deserve it,” he sneered previously, but when it came to that heady early 1970s album, he could help but be enamoured. “Exile on Main St is heaven to me,” he conceded in an interview with Classic Album Review, adding, “there’s one side that’s just absolute if I want a ferociously entertaining evening. It’s beautifully atmospheric! It absolutely reeks of whiskey and smoke-filled small clubs and seedy basements. It’s an amazing achievement to get that vibe.”
So, as it turns out, all that Jagger and the band had to do to win their biggest nemesis over was lock him in a pub and get him absolutely blitzed on whiskey? It seems a sound enough method. That is, until the next morning, when the memories of the night before are clouded by a certain stench and a pounding headache, and Lydon definitely would not have been a fan anymore.
