The Rolling Stones should retire, says Sex Pistols star John Lydon

8 May 2025, 10:38

"By all means, The Rolling Stones should retire..."

Punk rock has always had an uneasy relationship with the era that preceded it.

"No Elvis, Beatles or The Rolling Stones," screamed The Clash in '1977', after all.

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At the same time, for all the Year Zero posturing, the influence of the 1950s and '60s on punk was undeniable, even before you got to the Sex Pistols covering the likes of The Who and Eddie Cochran.

But John Lydon, the one-time Johnny Rotten, has seemingly re-opened that old battle by calling on The Rolling Stones to retire.

Speaking to Good Morning Britain, the punk icon – who still records and performs as the frontman of Public Image Ltd – suggested that Mick Jagger and Keith Richard's band had run out of ideas.

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"If I just sat back and retired, that’s not me," Lydon said about his continuing career.

"I'm not that kind of person. By all means, The Rolling Stones should retire, I'm not short of a song idea or two, so there's a difference."

Seemingly fully aware that he was going to get attention for his comment, Lydon then said: "I've offended music lovers."

Host Susanna Reid replied: I'm not sure you worry about causing offence."

That prompted Lydon to then quip: "Certainly not. I mean, comparing music lovers with The Rolling Stones is absurd."

Since they reformed in 2009 after a 17-year hiatus, Public Image Ltd have released three studio albums: This Is PiL (2012), What the World Needs Now... (2015) and End of World (2023).

In 2023, The Rolling Stones released Hackney Diamonds, their first album of newly-written material since A Bigger Bang in 2005.

Despite the occasional solo album and significant lineup changes including the departure of band leader Brian Jones, and bassist Bill Wyman, a half-decade with guitarist Mick Taylor and the death of drummer Charlie Watts, The Rolling Stones have never formally split since their founding in 1962.

John Lydon first quit the Sex Pistols in 1978 and founded PiL. He rejoined the group for reunions in 1996, 2002 and 2007, but is not part of the current Sex Pistols featuring Frank Carter live shows.