Johnny Lydon was for a brief moment in the 70’s of cultural importance. He was lead singer and the often bemusing but verbose front man to the sex pistols who burn briefly but oh so brightly across the cultural landscape. They weren’t the best punk band and they weren’t the first punk band but they were the poster boys of punk, the counter culture pin ups of a post peace and love nileistic youth. Sid Vicious overshadowed him and in many ways still dose. He wasn’t anywhere near as important to the band as Johnny Rotten and he never really had much to say, he wasn’t the spokesman or a self publicists but by taking punk and nihilism to its logical and fatal conclusion He has become the immortal icon.
Why am I talking about this has been spokesperson for a movement he didn’t really represent in a Blog About comics? Johnny Lydon was at the mojo awards recently and made one of his trademark semi coherent rants. He insulted the journalist and every other musician and the awards but for some reason still turned up to collect one for the sex pistols. He’s like an angry old man trying desperately to cling on to his youth, trying to be vital and important and counter culture but just coming across as a jerk and a smug fucking bully. He was once the voice of an angry generation but that generation has grown up got jobs and become the establishment as youth always do. He’s no longer the voice of anyone he’s just a aggressive old cunt.
Why was he at the awards? Why did he spew venom ant any one that would listen? Was it like he would have you believe, to honour his band mates who do care about that kind of thing, or was it just to get his face in front of some cameras?
2000ad was once the punk of comics but as it’s readers have got older it’s mellowed, 2000ad now wears a cardigan and comfortable slippers. Maybe that’s what all old punks should think about doing.
