Before heading to the US for a set of dates in support of The Pretenders’ upcoming album, ‘Relentless,’ Chrissie Hynde answered some questions from the other names in the industry for The Guardian. When Brett Anderson asked her about ‘the funniest Sex Pistol,’ she mentioned John Lydon and briefly commented on Sid Vicious by saying:
“It would have to be John [Lydon]! And John is the one I was probably the closest to in the early days. I just remember taking long walks with him. I’m closer with Paul [Cook] now than I ever was. Steve [Jones], I have a certain history with; Sid was probably too f**ked up to get philosophical or funny. He went down in flames very fast. I still see Glen [Matlock].”
Sharing more about the vocalist, the singer went on:
“John had this cosmic consciousness that I don’t think he’s recognized for. But if you go back and look at the bands he liked, it was like, Van der Graaf Generator. That side was always lurking there, under the surface.”
Hynde started her friendship with the Sex Pistols members in the 1970s and even tried to marry Lydon and later Vicious for a work permit in the UK. She shared details about her experiences from that period while contributing to the making of ‘Pistol,’ a docuseries about the band.
The vocalist even helped Louis Partridge with his role as Sid Vicious. So, during the show’s promotion, the actor reflected on what she told him about the late bassist in a chat with Collider and said:
“Chrissie Hynde came in and spoke to us. She has a lot of stories from back in the day, and she gave us advice, which was amazing. She speaks so fondly of Sid, so that felt really honest. That was the most fulfilling, playing those moments of honesty.”
You can find The Pretenders vocalist’s recent interview here.
