Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon has described himself as a ‘mad barker’ during his early days with the punk legends.
As a young man Lydon, being every inch the Johnny Rotten persona, set the tone for those controversial few years towards the end of the Seventies, when the Pistols created both anger and devotion in equal measure like perhaps no other band has equalled in the UK.
“When you first come out of the gate, as with me and the Pistols, you’re going to be like a mad barker and I did it well,” he told Q magazine. “But there’s more to life than that and it’s called humanity and love. That’s what PiL is – a love-fest, of sorts. It’s more humane. It’s a more friendly approach but the songs are more volatile.”
Public Image Ltd. was formed by Lydon in the wake of the Pistols’ messy end in 1978. They reunited recently for a series of dates in 2010, which Lydon claimed was largely funded by his much maligned decision to advertise butter on TV.
More UK dates are due next month, while they will perform at this year’s Guilfest in July.