John Lidon Discusses His Disdain for Joe Straimmer’s “False Fear” and the “Voice That Irritates Me”

John Lidon Shares His Feelings on Joe Strummer

John Lidon expressed his disdain for Joe Strummer, stating that his voice “would annoy me.”

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Reflections on Strummer’s Influence

The former Sex Pistols frontman recalled the late Clash legend in a recent interview with Nigel Carr, saying: “It was the voice of Joe Strummer that annoyed me, along with his false fear and the ‘last war’.”

“What he did was create a unit,” he continued. “I told them all at that time: ‘All I want from you is to tell me about my middle-class experience so that we can share them instead of going down and imitating my party.’”

“By this, I mean my people, my culture,” Lidon elaborated. “Take a picture outside the council flats, as if equating integrity. No!”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzcq1dckby4

He also critiqued Strummer’s songwriting process, mocking the idea of his politically motivated lyrics. “He would hang out, but I saw terrible situations as he came, and he sat for hours with his notebook. We brought in (a collision manager) Bernard Rhodes to teach him how to write a rebellious song.”

“And he would pull out clever phrases from the commentary ‘Sten Gun in Knightsbridge,’” Lidon remarked. “You can see the virgin: ‘London calls.’ I mean, come on, this is a song about the fire brigade.”

Upcoming Tour and Personal Challenges

Next month, Lidon will embark on a full UK and Ireland tour with Public Image Ltd, and you can find tickets here for more information. When Carr asked about the upcoming campaign, Lidon mentioned that the tour keeps the group “fresh and intellectual.”

Lidon previously spoke with NME about how the upcoming tour and creating new “hoarse” music help him navigate his grief. From his home in Los Angeles, Lidon expressed his eagerness to hit the road again and explained how it could aid him in coping with the loss of his wife of 44 years, Nora Forster, who passed away from Alzheimer’s in April 2023.

“I need to leave the house,” he told NME. “I’ve done enough grieving that you cannot avoid, even if you think: ‘No, be a bigger person.’ You cannot stop it. You cannot halt sadness when it comes, but enough is enough.”

Earlier this year, the former Pistols frontman criticized the group’s reunion with Frank Carter, calling it “Karaoke” NME.

In an interview with the Independent, when asked whether he would reunite with the band, Lidon asserted: “Never! After considering their dirty acts, let them migrate to Walt Disney. They didn’t meet expectations. They killed the content or did everything possible to turn it into garbage, nursery rhyme and unpleasantness.”

This sentiment was echoed in his conversation with Carr, where he firmly stated that he would “never” reunite with the band.

The singer-songwriter previously engaged in a public legal battle against guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook to prevent their songs from being used in the Disney+ series GunIN, which was created by Danny Boyle. Lidon ultimately lost the case.

Regarding the current composition of the Sex Pistols, he added: “They had to get Billy Idol last year, and now Mr. Carter, to come in and listen to them (his lyrics) for them. It’s a clown circus at work.”