Sex Pistols are infamous for a number of reasons. One of them is their scathing takedown of Queen Elizabeth II and the monarchy in their song “God Save the Queen.” However, it appears singer John Lydon (fka Johnny Rotten) has taken a different stance on the late royal.
Following news of the death of Queen Elizabeth II at age 96, Lydon’s Twitter account shared, “Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth II. Send her victorious.” This differed significantly from the reaction of guitarist Steve Jones. He shared the infamously defaced image of the Queen with a safety pin going through her lips along with the caption, “How do you feel?”
Rest in Peace Queen Elizabeth II.
Send her victorious.
From all at https://t.co/vK2Du0ZzDS pic.twitter.com/kq4M6WfeML
— John Lydon Official (@lydonofficial) September 9, 2022
RELATED: Sex Pistols Issue ‘God Save the Queen’ Coin Before Queen’s Jubilee
Lydon went on to share a Twitter thread critical of the surviving band members saying, “John Lydon wishes to distance himself from any Sex Pistols activity which aims to cash in on Queen Elizabeth II’s death. The musicians in the band and their management have approved a number of requests against John’s wishes on the basis of the majority court-ruling agreement.”
The thread continued, “In John’s view, the timing for endorsing any Sex Pistols requests for commercial gain in connection with ‘God Save The Queen’ in particular is tasteless and disrespectful to the Queen and her family at this moment in time.”
The thread concluded, “John wrote the lyrics to this historical song, and while he has never supported the monarchy, he feels that the family deserves some respect in this difficult time, as would be expected for any other person or family when someone close to them has died.”
John Lydon wishes to distance himself from any Sex Pistols activity which aims to cash in on Queen Elizabeth II’s death. The musicians in the band and their management have approved a number of requests against John’s wishes on the basis of the majority court-ruling agreement. pic.twitter.com/LfD4wrOzjw
— John Lydon Official (@lydonofficial) September 15, 2022
John wrote the lyrics to this historical song, and while he has never supported the monarchy, he feels that the family deserves some respect in this difficult time, as would be expected for any other person or family when someone close to them has died.
— John Lydon Official (@lydonofficial) September 15, 2022
In response to Lydon’s statement, a Sex Pistol spokesperson issued the following to Loudwire: “We cannot understand what he would be referring to. Other than a couple requests for use of imagery or audio in news reports on The Queen and her impact on culture, there’s nothing new relating to ‘God Save The Queen’ being promoted or released in any way.”
This isn’t the first awkward moment between surviving members of the Sex Pistols in recent years. Jones and drummer Paul Cook took Lydon to court in 2021 over issues pertaining to the FX biographical miniseries Pistol. Lydon lost in court. He claimed in an interview with The Telegraph the lawsuit cost him “millions” and left him “in a state of financial ruin.”