The TV programme John Lydon found “offensively funny”
From the moment he exploded onto the scene as the volatile frontman of the Sex Pistols, John Lydon has remained one of music’s most intriguing figures. As one of punk’s founding fathers, he elevated post-punk to new artistic heights with Public Image Ltd and even ventured into acting with his memorable role as a disturbingly comedic psychopath in the 1983 Harvey Keitel thriller Copkiller.
Lydon has consistently followed his artistic instincts, and while his work may not resonate with everyone, his originality is undeniable. Beyond music, he continues to embody the rebellious spirit of punk’s first wave in his own idiosyncratic way. Despite his anti-establishment stance, his politics have taken surprising turns, aligning him with figures like Nigel Farage and Donald Trump. Remarkably, he once described Farage—a figure seemingly at odds with Lydon’s ethos—as “fantastic”.
Lydon’s support for Trump’s disruption of the political landscape, his controversial comments on Arab nations and LGBTQ+ communities, and his wish to see Jacob Rees-Mogg—a quintessential figure of privilege—as Prime Minister have all raised significant backlash. Many argue these views have reshaped his image, casting him as a bitter and problematic caricature of his once-iconic persona.
Others might contend that Lydon says whatever he does—despite some of it being wholly despicable, and not just to the ostensible “snowflakes” that his generation is obsessed with condemning—just to get a rise out of those he loathes, whether it be the media establishment, woke leftists, or whoever else. He’s having a joke at the expense of everyone else. It’s almost nihilistic.
Lydon built his career on provocation, debuting with the Sex Pistols to disrupt the musical and cultural status quo. He infamously took jabs at the Queen, called out Jimmy Savile on the radio years before his crimes were exposed, and swore on live TV, effectively ending presenter Bill Grundy’s career. His sneering, ironic humour suited the rebellious spirit of his era, but as societal standards have evolved, his once-groundbreaking style now clashes with contemporary expectations.
Lydon is an enigma through and through, consistently surprising fans with his opinions on politics, society, and even pop culture. In a 2015 Esquire interview, he shared his top ten loves and hates, revealing an unexpected fondness for American TV—not only for the massive sets available to fill a living room but also for the vast selection of channels and content. Among his favourites was Mad Men, a celebrated series from television’s “Golden Age”.
It was in his appraisal of Mad Men, the stylistic Jon Hamm-starring drama charting the life of advertising executive Don Draper and his colleagues, that Lydon offered insight into his sense of humour and view of the world. He said he found the show “offensively funny” in its early seasons, when the characters were still stuck in the outdated mores of the early 1960s, and the men were misogynistic, philandering pigs in the advertising game only for self-satisfaction, be it economic or sexual. While funny in aspects, broadly speaking, their behaviour was intended to outline just how awful men were back then, particularly those in positions of power.
Lydon said: “Mad Men I loved when it first started. It was the most offensively funny thing, but now it’s become formula. It was quite shameful at the beginning, but now it’s almost become the modern cliché. There are people out there imitating that now in business. Aspiring to that? That’s become the new rule. Therefore that’s not very interesting, is it? Well-acted, Mad Men, I’ll tell you. Bloody hell. Those are genius things.”
It’s quite a scene to imagine: John Lydon, feet up, enjoying a massive 60-inch screen as he watches Don Draper, Roger Sterling, and Pete Campbell cause mayhem, likely chuckling at their antics. No surprise that as Mad Men took a more introspective turn, he began to lose interest; Lydon was there for the sharp wit and roguish behaviour. The moment Pete Campbell pulls out a gun in his office? Probably right up his alley.
