John Lydon mocks The Rolling Stones and urges them to retire
He also believes they're lacking song ideas
Last updated 8th May 2025
Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon has poked fun at The Rolling Stones and urged them to retire.
To promote Public Image Ltd.’s upcoming This is Not The Last Tour, Lydon appeared on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday (7th May) to talk about his career.
During the chat, co-host Ed Balls mentioned that Lydon was thinking about retiring while his late wife Nora was battling dementia.
“That’s dementia for ya! I forgot that bit,” Lydon quipped.
Vowing to continue performing live, he went on: “As I indicated before, if I just sat back and retired, that’s not me. 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.”
Laughing about his Rolling Stones barbs, Lydon added: “I’ve offended music lovers.”
When Susanna Reid interjected, “I’m not sure you worry about causing offence,” Lydon conceded: “Certainly not. I mean, comparing music lovers with The Rolling Stones is absurd.”
The Rolling Stones released their chart-topping 24th studio album ‘Hackney Diamonds’ to critical acclaim in October 2023, and they followed its release with a 20-date North American stadium tour.
Although they were rumoured to be playing UK shows this summer, including a residency at London Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, The Stones scrapped their touring plans.
The UK leg of Public Image Ltd.’s This Is Not The Last Tour opens at Bristol O2 Academy on Thursday 22nd May and concludes at Norwich Epic Studios on Saturday 31st May.
25 rock stars when they were young, including John Lydon and Mick Jagger:
Mick Jagger
A school photo of a 9-year-old Mick Jagger in 1951 at Wentworth Junior County Primary School in his home town Dartford
Rod Stewart
Roderick David Stewart aged 8 in 1953.
Charlie Watts
Charles Robert Watts – Rolling Stones legend Charlie Watts - aged 2 with his mother Lillian and father Charles in Trafalgar Square in 1943.
Sting
Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner – aka Sting – aged 10 at his home in Newcastle-upon-Tyne in 1961.
Ronnie Wood
Ronald David Wood (Ronnie Wood) aged 4 in 1951, taken at his home in Whitehorn Avenue, Yiewsley, West London.
Bob Dylan
A childhood photo of Robert Allen Zimmerman – Bob Dylan – aged 2 in 1943.
Iggy Pop
Punk legend James Newell Osterberg Jr. – Iggy Pop – aged 18 months in 1948.
Paul McCartney
Future Beatles icon James Paul McCartney, nowadays known as Paul, aged 8 in Liverpool in 1950.
Janis Joplin
Late-great rock icon Janis Joplin aged 9 in 1952. She died just 18 years later.
David Bowie
A seven-year-old David Jones, soon to be known as David Bowie, in Bromley, London in 1954.
Neil Young
Feted rocker Neil Young as a young boy, aged 11 in 1956.
Jim Morrison
The Doors' Jim Morrison, aged 15, in his high school yearbook photo in 1958.
Bono
A one-year-old Paul David Hewson – future U2 frontman Bono – at his home in Dublin in 1961.
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad – aka Billy Idol – aged 10 in 1965.
Bruce Springsteen
16-year-old Bruce Springsteen in his high school yearbook photo in 1965.
Chrissie Hynde
The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde aged 17 in her high school yearbook in 1968.
Larry Mullen Jr
U2 drummer Larry Mullen Jr aged 13 in 1974.
Freddie Mercury
An eight-month-old Farrokh Bulsara – future Queen frontman Freddie Mercury – at his home in Zanzibar.
Debbie Harry
Blondie's Debbie Harry aged 17 in her high school yearbook photo in 1962.
Lars Ulrich
Lars Ulrich, the son of Danish tennis player Torben Ulrich, accompanies his father to Wimbledon in June 1966. Lars was two-and-a-half at the time.
Tina Turner
17-year-old Anna Mae Bullock, rock icon Tina Turner, in her high school yearbook photo in 1956.
Jack Black
Tenacious D rocker and acting legend, Jack Black, aged 16 in 1985.
Tom Petty
17-year-old Tom Petty as seen in his 1967 Gainesville High School yearbook photo. © Alamy
Elvis Presley
The King of Rock and Roll himself, Elvis Presley, aged 5 in 1940.
Jimi Hendrix
A three-year-old Johnny Allen Hendrix with his dad Al in late 1945. When he was four in 1946 – a year after the above photo was taken – Johnny was renamed James 'Jimmy' Marshall Hendrix after his dad and Al's late brother Leon Marshall Hendrix.
John Lydon
The Sex Pistols' John Lydon – aka Johnny Rotten – aged 7 in 1964.
Sid Vicious
Simon John Ritchie - aka future Sex Pistols star Sid Vicious - aged 12 in 1969.
Ian Curtis
A five-year-old Ian Curtis in Macclesfield, Cheshire in 1961.