John Lydon reveals his problem with The Clash’s Joe Strummer: “Creating division”
The former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon has explained his dislike of The Clash singer Joe Strummer in a recent interview.
“It was Joe Strummer’s voice that would irritate the hell out of me and his fake angst and ‘last war’ nonsense,” he complained in a new conversation with Louder Than War.
Lydon didn’t hold back in his comments against Strummer. “What he was doing was creating division,” he continued. “I told them all at the time, ‘All I want from you is tell me your middle-class experiences so we can share them instead of you coming down and imitating my lot.’”
“By that I mean my folk, my culture,” Lydon continued. “Have a picture taken outside council flats, you know, as if that equates integrity. No!”
He continued to mock Strummer’s approach to intermingling politics and art, noting, “He’d come around, and he’d sit in front of the six o’clock news with his notepad.” Despite the remarks, in 2023, he clarified, “It’s nothing personal. I liked Joe. But you can’t be a champagne socialist. You’ve got to be more honest with us than that.”
Strummer is not the only musician Lydon has recently rallied against. Frank Carter, who has taken on lead singing duties for a newly revitalised version of the Sex Pistols alongside Glen Matlock, Paul Cook and Steve Jones, is another who has received his ire.
When Lydon was asked if he would ever consider rejoining the band, he shut down the notion. “They’ve killed the content, or done their best to, and turned the whole thing into a rubbish, childishness, and that’s unacceptable,” he stated.
He is no stranger to releasing controversial statements, including an endorsement for Donald Trump. He also recently lost a high-profile court battle against Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook. Lydon failed to stop their songs from being used in a 2022 Disney+ series of their story
Lydon is set to hit the road with band Public Image Ltd later this year.
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