John Lydon (65), better known as Johnny Rotten, has lost a lawsuit against his former co-members of the Sex Pistols. Lydon didn’t want their music to be used in “Pistol”, a Danny Boyle TV series about the punk group.

Paul Cook and Steve Jones, the other band members, filed the case over Lydon vetoing the use of the music in the series. According to Cook and Jones, such decisions can also be made if an agreement is reached by simple majority.

The judge now ruled in favor of the duo and says that the contract for the TV series is legally valid. “Pistol” is based on the memoirs of Steve Jones (“Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol” from 2017). The series is produced by Disney and is expected to be released next year.

In his memoirs Jones relates how he used to sneak backstage and steal equipment from bands. He even stole David Bowie’s gear at the final Ziggy Stardust gig in 1973. He also said to be apathetic about the Pistols’ use of Nazi imagery. Something many don’t know but he hated the indie record scene and was always a big fan of major label clout. And it won’t come as a surprise that a reunion will take place, as “there’s not enough money in it”. Very punkish attitude…

Bernard - Side-Line Staff

Chief editor of Side-Line – which basically means I spend my days wading through a relentless flood of press releases from labels, artists, DJs, and zealous correspondents. My job? Strip out the promo nonsense, verify what’s actually real, and decide which stories make the cut and which get tossed into the digital void. Outside the news filter bubble, I’m all in for quality sushi and helping raise funds for Ukraine’s ongoing fight against the modern-day axis of evil.

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