Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones has opened up about his estranged relationship with former bandmate John Lydon in a candid interview.
Jones addressed the question of whether anyone in the band still keeps in touch with Lydon. He offered a frank look at just how distant the two have become over the years.
When asked, “Does anyone keep in touch with John?” Jones did not hold back.
“I haven’t spoken to him since 2008 when we last played some shows in Europe,” Jones said. “I mean, we have to deal with each other; we’re still in a corporation and there’s stuff that needs to be done.”
Jones also pointed to a legal dispute as a further source of tension between the two. He referenced the lawsuit over the Disney miniseries Pistol.
“And we had that lawsuit about the Disney show ‘Pistol’ — Lydon lost a court battle with Jones and Cook about the rights to use the band’s music in the miniseries,” Jones continued. “He wasn’t too happy with that.”
Despite the rift, Jones revealed that the band has moved forward. They have even entertained the idea of performing without Lydon.
“After 2008, I thought we’re never going to play again,” he said. “And then this opportunity came up and the idea of using a different singer seemed so alien originally. But then I was like, why not? Let’s see if people dig it and if they don’t, we’ll stop.”
The comments shed light on the deep divide between Jones and Lydon. The estrangement is the product of decades of creative clashes, legal battles, and personal distance that have quietly redefined what the Sex Pistols are today.
The Pistol lawsuit was a defining moment in that breakdown. When FX and Disney moved forward with Danny Boyle’s 2022 miniseries dramatizing the band’s rise, Lydon stood alone in his opposition. Jones and drummer Paul Cook took him to court over the rights to use the band’s music. They invoked a majority-rules clause in the band’s partnership agreement. Lydon lost. The ruling was not just a legal defeat — it was a public signal that the band’s internal democracy had moved on without him.
Lydon’s personal life has also kept him largely out of the public eye in recent years. His wife, Nora, was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. Lydon has spoken openly about becoming her full-time carer. The weight of that responsibility has shaped his world in ways that go far beyond any band dispute. It has drawn a sharp contrast between his current reality and the ongoing activities of his former bandmates.
Jones, meanwhile, has remained active and visible. His long-running radio show on Indie 103.1 in Los Angeles built him a loyal following well outside the punk world. He has consistently shown a willingness to engage with his past on his own terms. His memoir, Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol, was published in 2016. It offered a raw and often darkly funny account of his life — one that made clear he had processed the band’s chaos in ways Lydon perhaps never fully did.
The Sex Pistols’ decision to tour with a different vocalist is the clearest sign yet that the band sees a future that does not depend on reconciliation. For Jones, the priority is simple: keep playing, keep the music alive, and let the audience decide. Whether that future includes any resolution with Lydon remains an open question — and not one Jones seems to be losing sleep over.
