In an interview with Classic Album Review, former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon responded to Bob Geldof’s comment about Pink Floyd’s ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ being a ‘classic pillar of rock and roll.’
“I always have fun rowing with Bob,” he said. “He does such daft things, and he always wants to be taken so seriously. That’s a pretty daft thing to say. I don’t know if there’s any such thing really as pillars of rock and roll, least of all Pink Floyd. My God, you know, maybe just the Syd Barrett period. That was definitely closer to rock and wacky roll.”
“But no, I like ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ myself, but I wouldn’t call it Rock and Roll,” the singer continued. “I don’t know if it had a title back then. I remember it just being an absolutely different sense of rhythm and pause and poise – was quite nice landscapes when I was experimenting with LSD.”
Though Lydon wouldn’t consider the record a true rock and roll album even when he loves the band, he had once famously worn an ‘I Hate Pink Floyd’ shirt during his fame.
However, in a 2010 The Guardian interview, he admitted having a soft spot for the album. “You’d have to be daft as a brush to say you didn’t like Pink Floyd, they’ve done great stuff,” Lydon said. He still viewed the band as somewhat pretentious. “There was an aura of ‘Oh, we’re so great there’s no room for anybody else.’ [And] they’ve done rubbish too.”
He also later admitted wearing that shirt wasn’t that serious and added that took it seriously needs a new head. Matter of fact, he almost performed ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’ live.
