John Lydon has said in a new interview that, ahead of the Platinum Jubilee, he is “actually really, really proud of the Queen for surviving and doing so well”.
The Sex Pistols frontman was speaking ahead of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, which will be celebrated in the UK from June 2-5 to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne.
To mark the occasion, Lydon’s former band are reissuing their classic anti-monarchy single ‘God Save The Queen’. Speaking to Piers Morgan on TalkTV last week about the monarchy, Lydon explained that ‘God Save The Queen’ was “anti-royalist, but it’s not anti-human”.
“I’ve got to tell the world this. Everyone presumes that I’m against the royal family as human beings, I’m not,” Lydon said. “I’m actually really, really proud of the Queen for surviving and doing so well.
“I applaud her for that, and that’s a fantastic achievement. I’m not a curmudgeon about that.”
Lydon did add: “I just think that if I’m paying my tax money to support this system, I should have a say so in how it’s spent.”
The singer also said that he doesn’t believe the monarchy in the UK will last much longer “because Prince Charles is not going to be able to handle it”, adding: “This is the man that plays Pink Floyd to his cabbages.”
“That’s a shame in itself too, because I do love pageantry,” Lydon continued. “I’m a football fan, how could I not? I like watching royal weddings, because I love watching Spitfires and B-52s and the like flying over the palace. I get quite emotional with all that.
“I love me country, I love me people and everything about it. But if there’s problems within it, I think I have the right to say so.”
Speaking to NME recently, Vivienne Westwood said that while Lydon was a “sensation” with the Sex Pistols, he “didn’t have any more ideas” when the band split.
The post John Lydon says he is “actually really proud of the Queen for surviving and doing so well” appeared first on NME.
