John Lydon Says He Had To Wear An ‘Armour’ In The First Years Of Sex Pistols

Sex Pistols lead vocalist John Lydon recently joined in an interview with The Times and revealed the struggles he experienced during the band’s first years.

John Lydon joined the punk rock band, Sex Pistols when the manager found his rebellious and straightforward personality proper to the group’s identity. In this way, Lydon’s adventure with the band began. The rocker vocalized significant singles like ‘Anarchy in the U.K.,’ ‘God Save the Queen,’ and ‘Holidays in the Sun.’

Lydon was considered the pioneer of the sprouting punk movement in the mid-’70s. The band also received many backlashes from the public due to their rebellious style. With their controversial lyrics, which were considered to reflect anarchism within music, the group became one of the most influential rock acts in the music scene. For instance, ‘God Save the Queen,’ released during the Silver Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth in 1977, reflected the band’s view about the monarchy. The song was banned several times, and it became the most heavily censored record in British history.

Throughout the band’s career, the members faced many difficulties because of the style they embraced. During a recent interview, John Lydon pointed out these challenges by mentioning public reactions. Lydon stated that when he initially started making music with the Sex Pistols, he had to wear armor to protect himself from the public. However, later on, he realized that he had to defend himself to feel protected and adequate, as the vocalist mentioned.

John Lydon explained in his words:

“For the first two years of the Sex Pistols, when I was the first thrust into the public eye, I had to wear armor, but I’ve since realized armor is unnecessary. At the time, I felt unprotected, inadequate, and felt I needed to defend myself via attack rather than think, ‘Actually, you know what, your opinion is irrelevant.’”

Sex Pistol drew many reactions due to the view they reflected in their music and the genre they adopted. So, people would make physical and verbal attacks against them. However, these reactions didn’t stop them from making the music they loved.