John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) of Sex Pistols, Queen Elizabeth II.Photo: Jordi Vidal/Redferns; Tim Graham Picture Library/Getty
John Lydondoesn’t want to be associated with the Sex Pistols if the band is trying to “cash in” onQueen Elizabeth II’s death.
Alongside a photo of the lateQueen Elizabeth, who died on Sept. 8 at age 96, the Public Image Ltd accounttweeted, “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.”
Per a follow-up tweet, the 66-year-old performer believes “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.”
“John wrote the lyrics to this historical song,” continued the Public Image Ltd account, “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.”
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“We cannot understand what [Lydon] would be referring to,” read a statement from the band, per the outlet. “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.”
On Sept. 8, Buckingham Palace announced the Queen’s death in a statement. “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
source: people.com
