Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones hasn’t spoken to Johnny Rotten since 2008 tour: “I was done after that, no more”
Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones has revealed he has not spoken to his former bandmate Johnny Rotten since their last tour in 2008.
The guitarist and founding member of the iconic punk band spoke about his estrangement from the band’s frontman Rotten, aka John Lydon, in a new interview on the Rockonteurs podcast.
“I haven’t spoken to him in years,” he said. “2008 was the last time I spoke to him. We did 30 shows around Europe. We did a bunch of festivals and all that, Japan, Australia. We ended up at Hammersmith Odeon, Hammersmith Apollo, and then we had one more show in the Basque country and that was it.”
“I was done after that, no more. Too much. Too old, too much, not enough done.”
The Pistols’ most recent reunion tour began in November 2007 and continued into the following year for a series of European festival performances, titled the ‘Combine Harvester Tour’. The final show took place at the Azkena Festival on September 5, 2008.
In 2021, Lydon lost a lawsuit against his former bandmates, after they sued him for refusing to license the group’s music for inclusion in Danny Boyle’s 2022 biopic series Pistol, which was based on Jones’ memoir Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol.
Lydon has also made headlines in recent years for his outspoken political views, which have included endorsements of Donald Trump and Brexit, while he recently said immigration has created “division and animosity” in the UK.
Meanwhile, Jones, drummer Paul Cook and bassist Glen Matlock have been touring this year under the Sex Pistols name, with Frank Carter taking Lydon’s place.
Announcing the shows in June, they played ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ in full at Bush Hall in Shepherds Bush in August, and then took the show on tour in September, playing extra shows in London, as well as Nottingham, Birmingham, Glasgow and Manchester.
Speaking to NME earlier this year, Carter shared how the idea to collaborate came about. “I first met Steve [Jones, guitarist] back in Los Angeles in 2007 and we had a long chat about punk rock and what it means to be kicking against the pricks,” he said. “Then I eventually met all of them throughout the years. But when I got the call up for this, it was a very special moment. It’s still one that I’m cherishing and I feel very grateful for.”
Lydon, meanwhile, is auctioning his handwritten lyrics to Pistols tracks ‘Holidays In The Sun’ and ‘Submission’ for RR Auctions. It is estimated to fetch up to $80,000, and you can make a bid here until November 21.
The singer and his band Public Image Ltd (PiL) have also announced a UK and Ireland headline tour for 2025. See the full list of dates here, while tickets go on general sale at 10am GMT this Friday (November 15) – you’ll be able to buy yours here.
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Max Pilley
NME
