Sex Pistols Call Bollocks On John Lydon's Claims About Band Miniseries

Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones and drummer Paul Cook have released their own statement in response to John Lydon's grim post-mortem on the lawsuit over the miniseries on their band's career.

Jones and Cook recently prevailed in court in London in a bid to ensure their right to use Sex Pistols music in the upcoming biopic miniseries, Pistol. Lydon laid out his objections to the project in court, believing it would portray him in a "hostile and unflattering light," just as Jones' 2018 memoir did. He said the Pistols had always decided such licensing matters unanimously.

But the judge ruled that a band agreement from the '90s which states that matters pertaining to the Pistols' legacy be decided on a majority rules basis is still valid. In addition to their own approvals, Jones and Cook also have the OK from bassist Glen Matlock and the estate of late-bassist Sid Vicious, meaning Lydon's objection is the only one.

Still, the frontman has repeatedly warned that the miniseries will "destroy" the band. He added in a follow-up statement last week that tyranny of the majority in the Sex Pistols' world is likely to "water down and distort the true history and legacy of the Sex Pistols."

Jones and Cook replied to Lydon's statement, denying his repeated claims that he was blindsided by the announcement of the miniseries. They also questioned Lydon's assertion that he is the sole caretaker of the band's true story.

The guitarist and drummer say Lydon was repeatedly invited to be involved in the series but refused to take part at every stage; he would not even have a conversation with director Danny Boyle and co-showrunner Craig Pearce, they say.

Furthermore, Lydon's "claims to be the only band member of consequence are hard to take," they added, before citing the writing credits on Never Mind The Bollocks, which were all collaborations between multiple band members.

They add that the band agreement that is the subject of so many of Lydon's complaints stemmed from when he sold his rights to the band's music in the '90s — a fact that was not lost on the judge in the lawsuit. The agreement was "a mechanism in place if one member was unfairly blocking the decision making process — which is what happened in this instance."

Lydon, who prefers to have the last word in an argument, appeared on Good Morning Britain yesterday and called his bandmates "filthy liars" among other things.

You can watch his tirade below.