John Lydon has seemingly gone back on his criticism of Taylor Swift, now sharing that he would like to collaborate with the pop star.
The former Sex Pistols frontman and founder of Public Image Ltd. first made the comments back in February, as he spoke to NME as part of the Does Rock N Roll Kill Braincells?! series.
In that discussion, he reflected on his time in the music industry and his most memorable moments, as well as voiced his opinion on some of the biggest names circulating at the moment.
Speaking about Taylor Swift, he described her as “incredibly dull”, and added: “There’s a whole history of that kind of singer in America: the pop teenage trivia thing. What she’s grown into is too elaborate and she’s trapped by not meaning to annoy her fanbase – oh fuck off!”
He continued: “No really, it’s just daft. She’s got no place to go, so it’s gone into swishy ballroom-gown vibe. She’s going to be another one of those that ends up in Vegas, because that’s the only place left and that’s no future at all, is it?”
Now, it seems that he has gone back on the statement in a new interview.
Speaking to The Mirror, the punk pioneer has said that he actually appreciates the success the ‘Bad Blood’ singer has managed to achieve, and revealed he would be open to a collaboration.
“Those that do that kind of music, like Taylor, they do it very well,” he told the outlet. “She deserves a go at me. Imagine that duet?”
As highlighted by the outlet, this isn’t the only time that he has shared that he wanted to pursue an unlikely partnership with another artist. Previously, he said that he tried to write a duet with Kate Bush, although it eventually got put on ice after a disagreement about the vocals. “She was like, ‘I can’t sing that. Fuck off’… That was not her exact words, but that is what it really meant,” he recalled.
Also in the original NME interview, Lydon also took aim at Lady Gaga, saying he wasn’t keen on her “as a human being”.
“Lady Gaga was a massively layered and textured presentation – very Bowie era and pop music at its finest. But what she’s turned into is Bizarro World,” he said. “She’s acting in films, and I don’t like her as a human being. I don’t think she projects anything healthy. I don’t feel any soul. I don’t feel her heart in it. It seems a shame. She should have another side to her.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Lydon branded the Sex Pistols’ reunion tour with Frank Carter as “karaoke”.
“The poor sausage!” he said, referring to Carter. “Does he know what he’s walked into? Good on him, what a great fucking opportunity, but there’s something darker going on behind it.
“It’s almost malicious in its intent. And it’s karaoke – that’s all it will ever be. Bloody hell, The Three Stooges in that band have had how many years to write some new songs? That’s what I’d like to hear.”
As for what Lydon has in the pipeline, he spoke to NME about the upcoming PiL ‘This Is Not The Last Tour’ tour and the “raucous” new music the band have been working on.
The latter, he explained, has been helping him with bereavement, as his wife of 44 years Nora Forster passed away from Alzheimer’s in April 2023. “I need to get out of the house,” he said. “I’ve done enough wallowing, which of course you can’t avoid, even if you think, ‘No, be the bigger man’. You cannot stop it. You cannot stop the sadness when it comes on, but enough already.”
Looking to how events would shape new material, he said: “Sadness is an energy” – paraphrasing PiL’s iconic 1986 track ‘Rise’. “It can either be applied or you can let it eat you alive. The second option is not very interesting to me, so I choose the other way.”
In the run up to the new material, Lydon is embarking on a live speaking I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right – Q&A Tour, and kicking off the PiL tour next month. Visit here for tickets and more information.
