John Lydon on the difference between Johnny Rotten, John Lennon and Liam Gallagher
John Lydon is famous for many things, but holding his tongue isn’t one of them. In fact, he may be the worst person for holding his tongue in the world—less of a whistle-blower and more somebody who throws the whistle in the bin and screams constantly. From glaring indictments like early accusations surrounding Jimmy Saville to petty comments such as calling Lou Reed a “vacuous fat slob,” Lydon says it as he sees it.
Of course, the punk movement wouldn’t have been much if Lydon thought about what he said. Sex Pistols became famous for their outlandish lyricism and unwavering attitude towards those who dared question them. Since then, despite the band not performing together for decades, people have still turned to Lydon for comments on different figures in pop culture. Regardless of whether or not you agree or disagree with what he says, it’s always entertaining.
Liam Gallagher is another pop culture figure who is famous for being nothing but upfront in his comments. He has always been willing to provide his honest opinion on anyone, whether they are rival musicians, members of his own family or often, both. As such, when Lydon and Gallagher butted heads back in 1997, it was always going to be a funny exchange.
Because of Oasis’s attitude, painting themselves as the bad boys of rock and roll, many people compared them to the Sex Pistols. As someone who wasn’t a fan of the band, Lydon was never too happy with the comments, although he could see where people were coming from. “I like the geezers in Oasis,” he said, “But I don’t have to like their music at all, and indeed I don’t.”
In an interview, when Lydon was asked whether or not he thinks Liam Gallagher has tried to copy his style, Lydon was quick to make his voice heard. “Well, he’s done more than that. He’s outright admitted to it. He sees himself as the reincarnation of John Lennon and Johnny Rotten,” Lydon continued. “I’d like to remind Liam that, unlike John Lennon and Johnny Rotten, he’s not written a single song. There lies the difference. And I’m sure this’ll make him even more angry if you print it. We do like winding each other up.”
It’s true that at the time of the interview, Liam Gallagher hadn’t written any songs for Oasis. He didn’t put pen to paper for the band until after 2000, and even then, many of the songs he was responsible for never managed to get off the ground.
It would be interesting to see whether Lydon would be willing to revisit his comments now, given Gallagher has managed to launch a successful solo career writing his own music. While nobody is comparing the Oasis frontman to John Lennon, Lydon’s original comment has since been debunked, and it is unclear whether his opinion of Gallagher has changed as a result. It’s unlikely that Lydon spends much time listening to Gallagher’s solo albums, so we will probably never get his opinion on them.
