The 25-year-old feud between Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong and Sex Pistols’ Johnny Rotten still seems to be around. But what exactly caused the rivalry, and why Rotten cannot stand Armstrong?
With the return of Sex Pistols to the punk scene after the release of their hit album ‘Nevermind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols,’ it was thought the band would last long. Well, it was the opposite. Coming back together for the Filthy Lucre Tour in 1996, Rotten clarified that they still hated each other but had to come back together for financial reasons during a press conference.
After Sex Pistols’ reunion with the aim to be the only true punk band in the scene, a few names made remarks about Pistols’ reappearance, namely the Green Day frontman.
What Made Rotten Hate Armstrong?
In 1996, Green Day achieved significant success and was widely recognized for revitalizing punk rock for the youth of the ’90s. Billie Joe Armstrong, in reaction to what he perceived as a commercial decision, incorporated lyrics from the Sex Pistols’ hit ‘Anarchy in the U.K.’ into his statement to the press, humorously remarking:
“I am the anti-Christ/Please buy our merchandise.”
In response, Rotten stated that without the Sex Pistols, Green Day would not have come into existence, suggesting that Green Day was basically emulating the Pistols rather than being an original act and copying their songs.
During the promotional tour for their reunion, when interviewed by an MTV journalist, Rotten was questioned about what his band could offer to a 16-year-old punk fan that Green Day couldn’t. He responded with:
“A big willy.”
Making it clear he was joking, he continued with the following words by slamming Green Day:
“No, you’ve seen imitators, that’s what you’ve seen. And you settled for that, and you think that that’s what it’s all about. Well it ain’t. It’s a little bit more. It’s called content, which is something none of those wanky third-rate outfits have. There ain’t no trashy little love songs in this outfit. Every single lyric is a killing nail in the coffin of what you call the establishment. Like what you work for – MTV? Bye bye. I think I’ve said my piece. Now f*ck off!”
The accusations and remarks did not stop there. More recently, in 2018, he slammed Green Day once more during a conversation with the New York Times about the state of punk. Referring to the band as ‘coathangers,’ Rotten said they were a turgid version of something that does not belong to them.
So even though the most part of the feud remains in the past, the hatred does not.
