Steve Jones Says He Hasn’t Spoken to Johnny Rotten in 16 Years

Sex
Pistols
guitarist

Steve
Jones
says
he
hasn’t
spoken
to
his
former
bandmate

John
Lydon
(aka
Johnny
Rotten)
for
well
over
a
decade.

“I
haven’t
spoken
to
him
in
years,”
Jones
admitted
during
a
recent
appearance
on
the

Rockonteurs
podcast.
“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.”

Much
like
in
their
previous
breakups,
tensions
within
the
Sex
Pistols
proved
too
difficult
to
overcome.
The
band’s
last
show
with
Lydon
took
place
on
Sept.
5,
2008.

“I
was
done
after
that,
no
more,”
Jones
explained,
expressing
his
exacerbation
with
the
situation.
“Too
much.
Too
old,
too
much,
not
enough
done.”

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Since
then,
the
Sex
Pistols
members
have
gone
onto
their
own
projects.
In
2022,
the
band
was
back
in
the
headlines
thanks
to


Pistol,
a
limited
TV
series
focused
on
the
band’s
tumultuous
history.
Lydon

unsuccessfully
sued
his
former
bandmates
in
an
attempt
to
stop
the
shows’
release.

Steve
Jones
Confirms
Sex
Pistols
Will
Continue
Without
Johnny
Rotten

Earlier
this
year,
Jones
reunited
with
drummer
Paul
Cook
and
bassist
Glen
Matlock
to
revive
the
Sex
Pistols.
Frank
Carter,
frontman
of
English
punk
group
Frank
Carter
and
the
Rattlesnakes,
took
Lydon’s
place
on
vocals.
The
group
played
a
total
of
nine
shows
together,
garnering
overwhelmingly
positive
reactions
from
fans
and
critics
alike.

“This
is
different,”
Jones
declared
of
the
Sex
Pistols’
new
lineup
during
his
Rockonteurs
appearance.
“It’s
a
different
vibe.
Night
and
day.”

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Drummer
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US
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“He
doesn’t
try
to
be
John,”
the
guitarist
continued,
praising
Carter’s
talents
as
a
frontman.
“It’s
just
fun.
You
know
what
I
mean?
And
it
comes
across
as
fun.
Plus
we’re
playing
it
how
it
should
be
played.
And
you
got
this
lunatic
jumping
around
all
over
the
place.
And
he
brings
a
big
element
to
the
fun
part
of
it.”

Though
the
band’s
2024
touring
appears
to
be
done,
Jones
confirmed
the
Sex
Pistols
new
lineup
will
be
back
in
2025. “We
are
going
to
go
on
the
road
next
year.”