Sex Pistols’ Steve Jones recently revealed that he has not spoken to his former bandmate Johnny Rotten since their last tour in 2008.
Steve Jones opens up on Johnny Rotten
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 Sex Pistols’ most recent reunion tour kicked off in November 2007 and continued into the following year, featuring a series of performances at European festivals under the title ‘Combine Harvester Tour.’ The final concert took place at the Azkena Festival on September 5, 2008.
In 2021, Johnny 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 Steve Jones’ memoir, “Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol.”
In recent years, Lydon has garnered attention for his outspoken political views, which have included endorsements of US President Donald Trump and Brexit. He recently stated that immigration has created “division and animosity” in the UK.
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.
