The former singer of the era-defining Sex Pistols John Lydon (AKA Johnny Rotten) has lashed out at his former compatriots for their involvement in the upcoming Hulu series ‘Pistol’. Lydon’s comments come after a dispute over rights in 2021 after he refused his agreement to license the music for the television show.
‘Pistol’ is due to be released on Hulu and Disney + on the 31st of May 2022 spanning over 6 episodes. The programme was written and created by Craig Pearce (who incidentally is also involved in Baz Luhrmann’s forthcoming biopic which centres around the life and times of Elvis Presley) and is based on the Sex Pistol’s founding member Steve Jones’s memoir ‘Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol’. Danny Boyle set to take the reigns as the director having worked closely with Lydon for the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony. Take a look at the official teaser down below:
Having since made his opinions on the series abundantly clear; “It’s a disgrace. I fronted this band. I’m the man that wrote the words. I supplied the image and direction, and I think the questions hang on their actions here. If they needed to be this secret squirrel about it then they must have something to hide.”
A statement on Lydon’s official site went on to say; “We were originally led to believe “Pistol” was a Steve Jones story, not a Sex Pistols story. Going by the trailer it doesn’t seem to be the case. John’s “likeness” is clearly being used to sell this series, a series he was not involved in, and was put together behind his back. Putting words in John’s mouth and rewriting history. A middle class fantasy. Disney have stolen the past and created a fairytale, which bears little resemblance to the truth. It would be funny if it wasn’t tragic.”
However, with the release looming large, Lydon has turned his focus to the actions of his bandmates, stating;“Cutting me out is a shockingly stupid move. It’s so ridiculous. It’s so preposterous. They can all f*** off. I supported them for years and years and years, knowing they were dead wood. None of these f***s would have a career but for me. They did nothing before, they’ve done nothing since.”
He went on to say; “I don’t really want to watch it but I will need to fact-check it. I have not seen one single second of it. Not any script, I’ve been completely ostracised. To be misrepresented in such a rude manner is unacceptable. If there was any truth in it, they wouldn’t have kept it from me. They were putting this together for three solid years behind my back without involving me in any way, shape or form.”
