British rocker John Lydon (perhaps better known by his Sex Pistols stage name, Johnny Rotten) previously dissed Taylor Swift by saying “fuck off” to her artistry and massive success.
Now, he seems to be eating his words. Lydon, who fronted the Sex Pistols for over 30 years and who founded the band Public Image Ltd. (PiL), infamously slammed the singer to NMEback in February, calling the 14-time Grammy winner “incredibly dull” and even going as far to predict that she’ll have “no future at all.”
In a new interview with The Mirror, however, Lydon, 69, admits that Swift, 35, “deserves a go at me” for what he said.
And he even wants to collaborate with her.
“Those that do that kind of music, like Taylor, they do it very well,” the punk rocker told the outlet, referring to what he called the “pop teenage trivia thing” during his February interview with NME.
“She deserves a go at me,” Lydon acknowledged. “Imagine that duet?” LONDON, ENGLAND – SEPTEMBER 30: John Lydon of PiL performs on stage during their ‘End of World Tour’ at the O2 Forum Kentish Town on September 30, 2023 in London, England.
Gus Stewart/Redferns As Swifties would be wont to forget, Lydon’s blunt take on the “Maroon” singer was as follows: “She’s incredibly dull,” the “God Save the Queen” artist told NME at the time.
“There’s a whole history of that kind of singer in America: the pop teenage trivia thing.
What she’s grown into is too elaborate and she’s trapped by not meaning to annoy her fanbase – oh (obscenity) off!”
He continued: “No really, it’s just daft. She’s got no place to go, so it’s gone into swishy ballroom-gown vibe.
She’s going to be another one of those that ends up in Vegas, because that’s the only place left and that’s no future at all, is it?”
As fans know, Lydon is far from the only seasoned rocker to take a swipe at Swift amid her massive success. Others, including Oasis’ Noel Gallagher, Mötley Crüe’s Nikki Sixx and Blur’s Damon Albarn.
While Swift didn’t react to Lydon’s remarks, the five-time Golden Globe nominee has, of course, addressed critics in plenty of her songs, perhaps most famously in her 2010 hit “Mean.”
Most recently, Swift told the crowd at one of her Eras Tour stops that “every time somebody talks (obscenity). it just makes me work even harder and makes me that much tougher.”