John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten in China - Noisey Meets

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We caught up with John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd while on tour in China.
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[@JMarinelli]

"A true punk would never wear punk gear."

[@martyknox2218]

Scrolling through the comments you can always find equal amounts of praise and criticism. I don't think either would make a wisp of difference to him. He's one of a kind these days, in a world where everyone is way too concerned with public image. -that shits Seriously Ltd. That's an authentic human being right there. Stand Strong John ➕

[@smokinmo2281]

Most honest man on the TV by far

[@davidsvenstrup6688]

John Lydon is brilliant

[@franksoul]

Johnny Rotten is a philosopher.

[@chrishaig3199]

he really is and influencing everyone now Punks back in 2020 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jZTbqoKIos-AatU

[@evanabbott2737]

“Truth is the better story.” I like that a lot.👍

[@yEuhpues]

Yeah! Long time fan - PIL stays on my playlists and I still have albums from my teens in the 80s. When in doubt, I know the Lydon lyrics will bring a clear perspective.

[@dasgutz37]

It's almost as though he knows something about existence that the rest of us haven't grasped. People are going to be shocked when they hear about honesty and human development.

[@LarzGustafsson]

Please, John, do NOT interrupt the interviewer. He did NOT come there to attack you!

[@_u_t_o_n_]

exactly! answering before the question was even made... or not answering to the question but to something else. weird style; must be his total free anarchy that :D

[@robert84_]

If the interviewer knew how notorious Lydon's interview style is (i'm sure the interviewer knew, lol), he'd understand that Lydon will interrupt anyone because that's how he is. I'm sure they both had a great time during that interview anyways :)

[@Brewzerr]

Yeah, that just be John's style. I don't think he means to be rude or isn't listening. His mind just works at a faster pace than most, and his mind and his mouth are terminally joined, hehe. I've seen many other interviews... too many actually, where the interviewers intentionally try to provoke negativity from him. It's like a stupid game with some of these interviewers. Obviously that's not the case with this one, but I can understand why John is on his guard during interviews.

[@slapit145]

he needed some schooling

[@glavnikralj]

stfu

[@Wildrover82]

china man is out of his element.

[@BicuDobro]

"..I do not except rules, when they're for fools, and by fools!"

[@oliverkalamata2753]

I guess Mr. Chinese guy thought John would be cool with him if he wore his fashionable pleather punk jacket.

[@JimmysEssay]

Lydon's interviews are always like car crash TV.

[@novo611]

Johnny Lydon is a gem👍👍👍🙏💎

[@icanseewhytheyhateus]

"u can get inspired by the sauce but you cant steal the swag" - john lydon

[@mathish100]

He` still a lot of fun...ha-ha....Really like this guy!

[@adronlamb9334]

The quiet slow energy hipster kid never had a chance

[@thomaskemp904]

I love John's honesty❤

[@LoneStarRocker]

God bless John Lydon

[@sidgenocid]

Lydon is the only one consistently asking for truth throughout his career. Wish this was embraced more by others.

[@markporter1901]

Chronic liar? Evidence?

[@brianbond7856]

A very intelligent human being for sure!!!

[@poobum9857]

i think Mr Lydon was in a good mood that day ! some great Lydonisims from the interview - even more relevant in todays mad world of who said this and who said that !!

[@cadge]

Don't think I ever saw him in a decent shirt after 1978!

[@sweetjanelane]

Still the Best!

[@andrewdebaron2761]

Good on ya John - great of you guys to be playing China - I think you show respect for your Chinese fans. Of course, one has to earn a living, but´s that´s a very minor priority in this case - I think John is genuinely intrigued by his experiences in China and respects his fans, He was quite modest too.

[@neilsun2521]

When he talks about his mouth infection illness he suddenly becomes really charming.

[@theclinickg]

he's changed alot since the flip sorry video lol. same old johnny gotta love him

[@MrEmohdee]

ROCK ON

[@katoness]

At least hes mellowed a bit...20 years ago, he would have walked out of this interview. He gave the interviewer some food for thought.

[@sexobscura]

unfortunately he'll talk to anyone who wants a proper talk

[@Huntermoody]

Why the interviewer was very respectful.

[@Darrylizer1]

Fashion tips from Johnny? Fucking bad idea mate.

[@calstonjew]

Nowadays vice would cancel John for "hate speech".

[@8523wsxc]

Since the idea of "Pretty Vacant" was to sneak the word "cunt" into the radio I always kinda hoped that that commercial was a way to make an ad for cuntry butter.

[@severineansart4897]

It's strange to see him,being older than how he was in our memory !!! Cool he's still alive while he could be dead many times,due to his old life style !!!! So happy to see him !!!

[@Huntermoody]

Why he never touched drugs

[@ipk-internationalpunkkings8909]

Great interview!!!!

[@Truthmoses]

"My Colture."

[@leonnieves666]

this guy is hardcore fuck yea

[@El-up1ri]

I can only imagine a docu movie for Johnny.

[@420MrReefer]

This is a terrible interview , did the interviewer have any idea who Lydon is or what he's about , some terrible questions asked like why ask him about fashion tips !!!!

[@nija1976]

Interviewer asks question - Johnny puts interviewers head down the toilet and flush the chain, Repeat.

[@philipsanders9192]

Hi john

[@globez2612]

How can you ask questions if you never have learned to think for yourself.... I taught in Asia! Not the best people to think outside the box....

[@TheSteveplease]

The interviewer should have known what he was getting into...if he would have done ANY research at all whatsoever, maybe he would have gotten a little better of an idea of who this guy is. For god fucking sake, the interviewer asks Johnny Rotten if he has any "fashion advice" for the kids.

[@QuadMochaMatti]

The interviewer would have helped himself if he had adhered to being an active listener, as John had already indicated what the likely response to that specific question was, in his preceding statements about not conforming to someone else's standards.

[@LarzGustafsson]

Fashion is fascism. "Be what you are" (SLF)

[@bececruz5799]

johny lydon es un filsofo y un punk que aun no se deja romper, el sistema no lo ve como amenaza para el resto de la poblacion pero valla que es un genio, de no ser asi estaria muerto como sid ,

[@binkoffer]

damn johnny rotten still a maniac

[@rosannaraven9009]

I love you but please stop interrupting!

[@KNTmediaTV]

i dont like anyone he doesn't like this guy. he is fucking great, not arrogant at all

[@itsiwhatitsi]

He is brilliant. The people that don't understand that are boring mainstream puppets and not so smart

[@jeromesimon8916]

Totally agree about his view on a vegetarian diet

[@Mydaddyischemosh]

He’s my child

[@JoeyLevenson]

Hey man, hes the godfather of punk (well, Iggy is, but anyway), and what do you think he'd be, nice and polite like his interviewer?

[@krasteff]

Iggy didn't start a revolution, the last ever in the history of rock'n'roll.

[@anaemiabag]

john comes of sometimes as sounding abit arrogant but then again i think he has the right. but the interviewer definately doesnt do a good job at all.

[@gremlinnapoleon3870]

yes

[@arricammarques1955]

'The truth shall set one free' : )

[@6Grey6malkin6]

Someone's had a little too much Country Life butter...

[@ariari4133]

Who knowes what Johnny's favoriete muziek is?

[@ildikoszabo2722]

Nem semmi.......aki mindenütt ott van! :)

[@Germanjorge]

#enlightened

[@yhmcrbwoii]

give it up john mate

[@Powers3848]

"Be an individual".... In China...

[@stevejensen2751]

Rules are for fools.

[@newmanlord4052]

God bless Johnny and the Sex Pistols they changed the music world.

[@martijnhoofwijk6978]

did he really just call football 'soccer'?

[@Johnnywhamo]

Johnny hates the idea that compared to the Pistols people simply do not have near the interest in PIL. Historically PIL is blip on the music scene's influence. I'm not saying PIL are less of more musically than the Pistol and am saying everyone knows who the Pistols are PIL....not so much...at all.

[@liquidsnake6879]

The pistols were a negative influence ultimately because of the Sid worship and the mohawk collectivist thing that was born out of them, i don't think he very much cares, he's happy doing his thing as long as he can make a living out of it he's fine regardless of whether there's 100,000 or 100 people in the audience

[@dande5009]

PiL are more musically influential than the Pistols. The first three albums are timeless and huge influences on post-punk, new wave, goth rock and plenty more. The Pistols are culturally significant in terms of defining a punk attitude and aesthetic. Though again, I see a lot of artists these days pointing to PiL as a major source of musical inspiration - and with good reason.

[@Johnnywhamo]

@@dande5009 .......What artist point to PIL? Seriously? Sex Pistols launched 100's of bands and artists that were the very genesis of all those genres. From Joy Division, Stone Roses, Oasis, The Smiths, The Buzzcocks, Green Day ( and all the other pop punk bands ) Siouxsie And The Banshees, The Fall the list goes on. To suggest PiL were even remotely as influential as The Pistols is .....I mean come on, seriously, not even in the same ballpark my friend :)

[@dande5009]

@@Johnnywhamo but this is where the distinction lies - The Pistols get the culture award, no doubt about that. But PiL did a whole lot more in terms of pushing sounds forward. A recent example of influence is NYC band, Uniform who cite their 2020 album as influenced by PiL. Henry Rollins is on record stating something to the effect that “PiL are infinitely more musically inspiring than The Sex Pistols”. Lydon himself mirrors Rollins’s sentiments in the documentary, The Public Image is Rotten. Those artists you mention - yes, they would not exist without the genesis of punk aesthetic, attitude, subculture etc that was spring-boarded into popular culture by The Pistols. My point is not to be reductive toward what was one of the biggest cultural phenomenons of the latter half of the 20th century. Though many of those artists you mention have far more in common with PiL such as Siouxsie Sioux and The Fall (Mark E. Smith even references this with the line “They say I rip off Johnny Rotten” in the track C'n'C-S Mithering - a reference to their shared qualities of being unapologetically forward in their personas and sparse styles of post-punk). Joy Division - yes, that infamous 1976 (?) Sex Pistols show in Manchester that all members attended (and apparently only 38 others!) inspired and conceived what would become Joy Division. But! Don’t forget that Unknown Pleasures came out in 1979 - PiL’s First Issue pre dates this by almost a year. Musically, I find PiL to be considerably more endearing than The Pistols. That is not attempting to take anything away from the cultural tour de force that was The Sex Pistols, but PiL represented the future, experimentation, and the tearing down of boundaries that had been inadvertently erected by the early phases of punk.

[@Johnnywhamo]

@@dande5009 .......( If a tree falls in the forest ) Indeed PiL's music was indeed infinitely more diverse but the fact remains, it was wasn't nearly as popular and by that fact they didn't influence nearly as many bands as The Pistols did. With regard to the Manchester show if every artist that said they were there actually were there the show would have had hundreds at it. That said the amount of people that formed bands after seeing what The Pistols were doing is probably countess. History has given us hundreds of articles that speak to the importance of The Pistol to post punk music, the same can't be said about PiL because they simply didn't have the same affect as The Pistols did.

[@sigurtO]

Hello, my artistical actual name is Tamino, because I have many times a hard time to say no. And I loveh the John. Friendly grtZ

[@entesolardivino]

execelent point of the look of the people, the system and the music, more music and less money for kingdom of the shit facist,anarchy always anarchy the original thought against the system

[@SilverNrGy985]

its funny he says "soccer" considering he's not american, when it is actually football

[@oldhamowls]

SilverNrGy985 soccer is actually a word that originated in Great Britain.

[@TheUtuber999]

SilverNrGy985 Ahem... he actually *is* American.

[@arnoldjones]

John seems to know nothing about China.

[@itsiwhatitsi]

And maybe China can't truly understand Johnny

[@mok0s1]

Not to hate, but he talks about avoiding clichés but he is a cliché himself.

[@UnreliableUsername]

How is he a cliche exactly?? He is completely original in every way

[@mok0s1]

Doug Bairead To say that he tries to avoid cliches in an interview, is a cliche itself, as every wannabe artist says the same about themselves as a product. Not hating on Rotten doe, I love him.

[@glavnikralj]

@@mok0s1 wow, thats not really wise now is it+-

[@atreyu2ty]

Sorry bud but you aren't much of an interviewer.

[@joemistero]

this rivals the reza aslan interview in awfulness.

[@rossturcotte419]

He's outside the box ok

[@revol148]

9:55 as if John would go anywhere if there wasn't money to be made - the fact that PIL hardly have an audience in the west anymore seems to have touched a raw nerve with Lydon.

[@skyblue2636]

Damn straight advise about life. See for yourself, don't trust 2nd hand info.

[@sexobscura]

*He's become far too Middle Class. As for him writing music for 35 years - sure he has. He plays all the instruments on his releases as well.*

[@sabrinatscha2554]

“He’s become far too middle class” ....What?

[@renatovolpi]

Poor chinese reporter, was eaten alive... grow some balls and say something interesting!

[@JasonDeeCaldwell]

this interview went from bad to worse in .30 seconds!!

[@justinfossa3709]

Seth green

[@JefW]

Why in China is he doing this and not in the UK?

[@ottoacid1800]

He's played in the UK hundreds of times. Why wouldn't he want to play china as well?

[@QuadMochaMatti]

Because he's a free individual, unlike those cursed to be born and live in China?

[@justinfossa3709]

Levine hair

[@AeolisticFury]

No.

[@Nazz1967]

sorry jonny but punk in music was kinda done in the50s

[@MsBirdylady]

terribly boring

[@justinfossa3709]

Castle hill

[@justinfossa3709]

Tofurkey?

[@justinfossa3709]

Ipswich beach prom

[@dumpsky]

johnny is his own caricature.

[@dissolver5388]

hahaha dont u wanna be a vegan,well...thats logic what johnny rotten says hahaha....

[@timpiano2359]

if he says a true punk would never wear punk gear then why did he dress in leather jackets and chains with the pistols?

[@glavnikralj]

because he fucking invented the style that you refer to as "punk gear", the one he wore in the past

[@liquidsnake6879]

They kind of invented it, the reason people started dressing that way was because that's how Johnny and Sid dressed and people started imitating them and then it went from an expression of individuality to a gang of sheep in of itself and that's what John's dissatisfaction with "punk" comes from, it became another easily marketable group identity

[@XrayVisionGlasses]

I loved/love the pistols, Johns voice in that band was very original, it totally captivated me, but, in interviews he's full of shit, a ruse, a smokescreen, I'll just take the music.

[@rastasongpunk7781]

I want listen my dary johnny roten he is very vergas

[@cadge]

Same old....

[@pedromota8237]

wtf is soccer? my consideration for Johnny Rotten just got lower

[@yuriination]

wearing the same red hat and t-shirt is "punk" to you? That's not anti-establishment. That's what you call, lemmings. Johnny Rotten did a butter commercial ffs. He's a capitalist, not a punk.

[@smokemachines666]

His ok but supporting trump was foolish.

[@esteckner4699]

God, he's so washed up

[@MrVenom5150]

wow. that was embarrasing. for Lydon. Kudos to the interviewer!!

[@b.i.g.brothersinguitars249]

What an interesting and Intelligent man.