John Lydon tells fans who “still expect” ‘Never Mind The Bollocks: Part 2’: “Fuck off, you idiot!”
John Lydon has angrily dismissed any fans who are still hoping for a sequel to the Sex Pistols’ ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’.
The seminal punk band’s sole studio album was released in 1977 and is considered one of the most influential records of all time. The group split up only a few months later, with the original line-up dissolving during a US tour in early 1978.
Lydon, who went by the name Johnny Rotten in the band, went on to found Public Image Ltd. later in 1978, but has been fielding questions from Pistols fans ever since about the possibility of there being a ‘Never Mind The Bollocks Part 2’.
In a new interview with Blitzed Magazine, he has described the fanbase as “very demanding”, adding: “They’ll grab hold of you, and they won’t let go of that vision of you. You can’t live your life according to somebody else’s illusions about you. You just can’t.”
“You’ve got to be true to yourself. For me, I’ve always declared I had a vast, vast record collection of music, so I was influenced in many different directions and some of them completely contradictory to each other.”
“And so I’d say to those that were still expecting ‘Never Mind the Bollocks Part 2’ – fuck off you idiot. What are you not listening to?”
A version of the Sex Pistols with Frank Carter on vocals in Lydon’s place went on a UK comeback tour last autumn, following on from two intimate gigs at London’s Bush Hall, where they played ‘Never Mind The Bollocks’ in full.
They have since announced further live appearances for 2025, including Download Festival and the Teenage Cancer Trust series at London’s Royal Albert Hall. Additionally, guitarist Steve Jones recently told NME that Sex Pistols would be hitting the road in the US.
Jones added that he and his bandmates have not spoken to Lydon in 17 years and claimed that it “wasn’t even worth asking” Lydon to participate in the reunion shows. The relationship suffered a further setback after the former frontman lost a court battle over the use of Sex Pistols’ music in Danny Boyle’s 2022 biographical mini-series, Pistol.
In other news, Lydon recently poignantly opened up about how the upcoming Public Image Ltd tour and working on new “raucous” music is helping him navigate bereavement. “Sadness is an energy,” he said, in echoes of PiL’s iconic 1986 track ‘Rise’ (which stated that ‘Anger is an energy’). “It can either be applied or you can let it eat you alive. The second option is not very interesting to me.”
Lydon also took part in NME’s infamous career-spanning Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells? quiz, where he recalled spurning the opportunity to collaborate with Daft Punk, Kate Bush’s “horrified” reaction to a track he wrote for her, as well as why he finds Taylor Swift “incredibly dull” and ‘doesn’t like Lady Gaga as a person’.
PiL, meanwhile, will be embarking on a full UK and Ireland tour in May. Visit here for tickets and more information. The band have recently shared plans to release the “long lost” alternative US mix of ‘First Edition’ for Record Store Day 2025.
Lydon is also embarking on a live speaking I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right – Q&A Tour. For further information visit here.
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Max Pilley
NME
