John Lydon has denounced the “bad taste” of his former group the Sex Pistols, who according to him are taking advantage of the death of Queen Elizabeth II to sell records of their cult single God save the Queen.
The 66-year-old singer, who wrote the lyrics for this anti-monarchy theme on the occasion of Elizabeth II’s silver wedding anniversary in 1977, announces that he is “distancing himself” from the group’s activities, accusing them of “lacking respect”. .
“John has never supported the monarchy, but recognizes that the royal family must be respected in this difficult time, as would any person or family when they lose a loved one,” reads his official Twitter account.
group response
A spokesman for the group responded to these criticisms: “We do not understand what [John] refers. Other than a few requests to use the cover or song in stories about the Queen and her impact on the culture, there is no news related to God save the Queen – and we didn’t do any promotion.”
Comparing the monarchy to a “fascist regime” and stating that the queen is “not a human being”, the Sex Pistols’ song was banned in 1977 from public radio and television so as not to offend the queen and her supporters. It had reached number two on the UK charts.
The cover of the single, with the queen’s face, eyes and mouth hidden under the title and the name of the group, is one of the most famous images of the punk movement… but also of Elizabeth II.
Source: BFM TV
