John Lydon claims England is an unrecognisable “mess”

John Lydon, the former singer of The Sex Pistols, has claimed England is a “mess” and the cities are unrecognisable.

The punk icon was speaking about his gratuity to Ireland for allowing him the opportunity to audition to be their Eurovision entry and perform the Public Image Limited song ‘Hawaii’ before his wife Nora Forster passed away. She was previously diagnosed with Alzheimer’s five years earlier, and the track was written in her Forster’s honour.

“I am very lucky and blessed that an Irish TV show called The One gave me the opportunity to go and perform that song, so I could show her that performance before she passed away. So blessings all around to those guys and girls in Ireland. It’s an opportunity I don’t get much in England,” Lydon told Uncut.

When asked for his thoughts on the current state of Britain, Lydon, who has lived in the United States for many decades, explained his issues with his homeland. “I don’t recognise the cities, it’s a mess, I can’t cope with the traffic, the smog, the filth of it,” he remarked.

Of the new PiL album End of the World, he added: “I recorded the album in the Cotswolds. My entire career has been based on the country of origin. I come from a very, very definite and specific culture, one which has many problems and issues, but I’m all about the benefit and progress of the said culture.”

Meanwhile, in the same interview, Lydon alleged he has a stalker claiming to be his daughter “who is letting herself in my yard at night, running around claiming that she’s my daughter”.

He added: “I’ve had to report it. I don’t like to get people into trouble but it’s causing me stress. It’s making me a bag of nerves.”

ADD AS A PREFERRED SOURCE ON GOOGLE

Never Miss A Beat

The Far Out Music Newsletter

All the latest music news from the independent voice of culture.
Straight to your inbox.