John Lydon Slams 'Woke' Sex Pistols - 'A Clown's Circus at Work'

Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon has vowed to "never" return to the band, slamming his former cohort as "woke" as they prepare to embark on their first North American tour in decades.

The new Pistols lineup — original band members Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Glen Matlock plus singer Frank Carter — will kick off the North American trek in September, their first in 22 years. They'll be playing their genre-defining debut album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols in full.

When asked if he would ever reunite with his former bandmates, Lydon — aka Johnny Rotten — told the PA Media news agency (via The Independent): "Never, not after what I consider their dirty deeds. Let them wallow in Walt Disney woke expectations."

He continued: "They've killed the content, or done their best to, and turned the whole thing into a rubbish childishness and that's unacceptable. Sorry, I'm not going to give a helping hand to this any longer. As far as I am concerned,  the Pistols, and they're not."

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John Lydon Mocks Current Sex Pistols Lineup: 'That's a Clown's Circus at Work'

Lydon was absent when Sex Pistols performed at London's Royal Albert Hall last month for the Teenage Cancer Trust benefit. The singer said he was "insulted" by the exclusion at first, but he now finds the situation "hilarious."

He also took a jab at his former bandmates for the recent Generation Sex supergroup —featuring the Pistols' Jones and Cook plus Generation X's Billy Idol and Tony James— as well as their new frontman, Carter. "They had to get Billy Idol last year and now Mr. Carter, to come in and listen to them [his lyrics] for them, that's a clown's circus at work," Lydon said.

Lydon's own plate is full at the moment, as he'll embark on an extensive tour with Public Image Ltd next month that will keep him on the road through late August. As the singer explained, the post-punk band allowed him to indulge his experimental side in a way that he couldn't in the Pistols.

"I really wanted to [experiment with the Pistols]," Lydon said. "I wrote 'Religion,' which is a famous PiL song, while in the Pistols, but unfortunately they wouldn't go near it. 'Oh you can’t say that.' It's like, 'Have you not heard everything I've been saying before? This is lightweight.'"

Lydon couldn't help twisting the knife once more. "That was frustrating, but I mean, again, I don't mean to be digging them out. It’s not their fault that they're talentless and can't fucking move on, is it?"