Sex Pistols icon Johnny Rotten has shocked fans by revealing he wants to duet with none other than pop megastar Taylor Swift – just months after branding her “incredibly dull”.
The punk legend, now performing under his real name John Lydon, admitted to The Mirror that despite once dismissing Taylor’s music as “swishy ballroom-gown” pop destined for Vegas, he now appreciates her success and wouldn’t mind teaming up.
“Those that do that kind of music, like Taylor, they do it very well,” said John, 69. “She deserves a go at me. Imagine that duet?” The reversal has stunned fans who remember his recent criticisms. But it wouldn’t be the first unlikely pairing he’s pursued.
He recalled once trying to write a duet with Kate Bush – a bizarre tune about freeing parrots from the Amazon. “She was like, ‘I can’t sing that. F*** off.’ That was not her exact words, but that is what it really meant,” he laughed.
Known for fronting Public Image Ltd (PiL) since the Sex Pistols disbanded, John is about to launch a 40-date tour titled This Is Not The Last Tour, kicking off in Bristol this May. It’s his first major return to the road since the devastating loss of his wife of 44 years, Nora Forster, who passed away in 2023 after a long battle with Alzheimer’s.
Throughout her illness, John was her devoted carer at their Malibu home, finding strength in the memory of his own childhood struggle with meningitis, which left him with temporary amnesia at age seven.
“I could look back on that and think ‘Wow, that served a purpose,’” he said. “It helped no end in dealing with Nora… She would snap back into memory on her own, and I understood how important that was.”
John’s grief was compounded by the sudden death of his best friend and manager, John “Rambo” Stevens, just months later. Yet, despite the heartbreak, John has managed to keep his wit – and sense of the absurd – intact.
“The favourite thing I bought for Nora? A Japanese toilet that sprayed hot water like a bidet. She loved it. Now I’ve got haemorrhoids from it,” he deadpanned.
His love for Nora also inspired the emotional track Hawaii, which was submitted for Ireland’s 2024 Eurovision bid. Though it didn’t make the cut, John bravely performed it live on The Late Late Show, breaking down during the broadcast. “I don’t know if I’ll ever perform it again… It’s too painful.”
These days, John is finding solace in painting, working slowly on a portrait of him and Nora that he admits he may never finish. “I may be Johnny Rotten to some people, but I’m really John Lydon – a much more loving guy.”
Despite his raw vulnerability, he hasn’t lost his bite. He’s taken swipes at Lady Gaga, the Rolling Stones, and even his former Pistols bandmates, who recently reformed without him, enlisting Frank Carter as their new frontman. John dismissed their reunion gigs as “karaoke”.
Yet he remains philosophical about his journey – from punk rebel banned by the BBC for God Save The Queen, to a widower with citizenship in the UK, US, and Ireland. He jokes about having to be “sponsored” by his Indian accountant to prove his Britishness when renewing his passport, a twist of irony not lost on the man who once spat fury at the establishment.
“Should I belong anywhere? Do I belong? The two people I loved left me, and now I’m left with you – the audience. I call it family values.”
As for that Swift duet? Stranger things have happened. After all, who would’ve thought punk’s most notorious anti-hero would end up praising parrot rescue missions, designer toilets, and dreaming of singing with America’s sweetheart?
“Should I belong anywhere? Do I belong? The two people I loved left me, and now I’m left with you – the audience. I call it family values.”
As for that Swift duet? Stranger things have happened. After all, who would’ve thought punk’s most notorious anti-hero would end up praising parrot rescue missions, designer toilets, and dreaming of singing with America’s sweetheart?
Tickets for John Lydon’s UK tour are available via www.pilofficial.com.
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