John Lydon – the Public Image Ltd singer and former frontman of The Sex Pistols – has revealed he has started writing a novel, the first fictional book he has attempted.
Former Sex Pistols singer John Lydon is writing a novel.
The 69-year-old punk rock legend has been rebuilding his life in the wake of the death of his wife Nora, who passed away aged 80 in April 2023 from Alzheimer’s.
After a prolonged period of grieving, John has thrown himself back into his music and other creative projects, which includes writing a fictional book, an ambition he has had for years.
Speaking to website Contact Music, he revealed: “I am writing a book, of sorts. Of course it’s based on truth, but it’s a juxtaposition of the characters.
“I can’t just sit down and not do nothing, it’s not my way.
“Yet I’ve created a wonderful impression that I just sit around watching TV all day which I can’t stand doing.”
John – whose best friend and long-time manager John “Rambo” Stevens died in December 2023 aged 66 – has also started creating new paintings and he intends to organise an exhibition of his work.
He added: “I love painting. There’s an enticement there that I start collecting my paintings and displaying them. I’ve used them in books that I’ve put together in the past. There’s a whole bunch of new stuff that is very relevant to me. If there’s an audience for that then that’s well and fine. If there isn’t then I can wait. Even after death.”
As he adjusted to life on his own, John says the support of his fans has been crucial to him since losing Nora, because they’ve made him realise that he is “nice person” who people care about.
He said: “That’s news to me. From early youth I thought I was a nobody and I had no real self-respect, but through an audience they’ve given me something about myself that I never notice, which is that I’m actually a nice person, I never knew that.”
John is currently on tour with his band Public Image Ltd but he previously went on the road for a one-man spoken word tour and he admits he felt a lot of love from his fans when he did those question and answer dates,
He said: “I found great joy and glee doing the solo talking shows. The combination of the audience and me just there alone, head in the guillotine, it was a very frightful affair, but it worked.
“I found out that I am naturally personable, oddly enough, and approachable. Great! The people that turned up for that did me no end of good and I love them to death for that.
“It’s a sad and bitter regret, personally, that I wasn’t aware of that and that I’d forgotten that. It was a case of that I wasn’t doing this for myself, there’s a lot of people that matter in my life and most of them I don’t even know. But we do know each other by being kindred spirits. That was very rewarding.”
Go to the official Public Image Ltd website for information and tickets to the band’s tour.
