John Lydon
British-born Irish-American singer and songwriter · United Kingdom · Musicians · Born 1956 · age 70
John Lydon is read about 2,946 times a day, in 50 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 15 October 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 390 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?He turned a sneer into the sound of a generation collapsing. As Johnny Rotten, he made the Sex Pistols the most scandalous band Britain had ever produced - then walked away and built something stranger.
A life in dates
Psycho's PathAlbum1980“It's no more of that 12 bar ditty wavy hair in the breeze platform boots flap your flare nonsense. It's not a packaged image of third-rate idiots. It's not a pose.”In their words27 June 1980The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder (27 June 1980)1978“Ever get the feeling you've been cheated? Good night!”In their words14 January 1978At the end of the last Sex Pistols concert, Winterland Theater, San Francisco, California (14 January 1978)1956Born31 January 1956Also in Deutsch
Photos 4
In their own words 10
, England's a violent place. Too violent for me. That's why I prefer it here (the USA). For a gun-toting nation, Americans are surprisingly passive. This place suits me and the wife.
[On the lyrics of his songs] They meant a lot to my generation. And it's nice to know you've written songs that mean something to someone rather than some trivial pop dirge.
I've never told anyone this, but I suffer from terrible stage fright. True. You can't tell though, can you? Unbelievable, the panic. I nearly die of fear before I go on stage.
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SpotifyAlbums 1
PPPsycho's PathIn their orbit
About this person
Born 31 January 1956, John Lydon was plucked off the street by manager Malcolm McLaren in 1975 for his outspoken personality and rebellious look, becoming Johnny Rotten, the Sex Pistols' lead vocalist. He co-wrote "Anarchy in the U.K.", "God Save the Queen", and "Holidays in the Sun" - songs that triggered what one observer called "the last and greatest outbreak of pop-based moral pandemonium" in Britain. When the Pistols imploded in 1978, Lydon founded Public Image Ltd, a far more experimental project NME later deemed "arguably the first post-rock group", releasing eight albums and singles like "Public Image" and "Rise" before a 1993 hiatus. He's since hosted television in three countries, appeared on I'm a Celebrity, shilled for British butter, published two autobiographies, and released solo work including 1997's Psycho's Path. Q magazine noted he's "somehow assumed the status of national treasure" - a phrase that would've been unthinkable when he was burning effigies of the Queen.
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