Not one to shy away from controversial statements, such as his perplexing stance on Brexit or previously advocating for Trump, John Lydon has written a response following his recent lawsuit loss against his past band members for using Sex Pistols music in an upcoming Disney TV series following the bands inception, Pistol. The show will be based on a memoir written by guitarist Steve Jones.
Formerly known as Johnny Rotten, Lydon was sued by fellow band mates Steve Jones and Paul Cook, when he attempted to prevent the use of Pistols songs in the series. The judge, Sir Anthony Mann, decided that the band could overrule Lydon’s decision, due to a majority rule found within the band’s agreement terms.
Lydon disputed that he was not aware of this agreement, to which Mann stated: “I reject the suggestion made by him that he did not really know or appreciate its effect. That piece of evidence was a convenient contrivance. It is highly likely that, even if he did not read it himself, it will have been explained to him and he will have understood its effects.”
A statement on John Lydon’s website mentions that the vocalist was unaware of Pistol, and that he only found out hours before it was announced. The statement expressed dismay and wariness of the band’s portrayal, and questioned the future of the Sex Pistols. The statement read:
“For more than 23 years the Sex Pistols have operated on the basis of unanimous decision making. The Disney production is the first time that the unanimous approach has been ignored. It is disappointing that a High Court judge has decided that John Lydon is bound by an undated agreement signed in 1998, which imposes on the Sex Pistols a majority rule arrangement in place of the unanimous decision making process that has been followed for 23 years. Looking forward, there is great uncertainty about what the majority rule approach might do to water down and distort the true history and legacy of the Sex Pistols. Time will tell.”
Lydon has also stated his personal thoughts on the matter, describing the court decision as: “So destructive to what the band is, I fear that the whole project might be extremely negative. How can anyone think that this can proceed without consulting me and deal with my personal life in this, and my issues in this, without any meaningful contact with me before the project is announced to the world.”
Jones and Cook responded to the court proceedings by saying in a joint statement: “We welcome the court's ruling in this case. It brings clarity to our decision making and upholds the band members’ agreement on collective decision making. It has not been a pleasant experience, but we believe it was necessary to allow us to move forward and hopefully work together in the future with better relations.”
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