John Lydon Thinks The Eagles Are “Irrelevant”

John Lydon, the former frontman of the Sex Pistols, is renowned for his unvarnished and unapologetic opinions, whether they pertain to politics, the monarchy, or beloved American rock bands. 

His candid nature has earned him a reputation as the ultimate provocateur of rock ‘n’ roll. And of his favorite targets of his musical disdain is the quintessential American country rock band Eagles.

Lydon called the Eagles “irrelevant” and asserted that a band of their kind failed to craft meaningful songs.

“A band like that doesn’t write songs that mean anything. We’re the Charge of the Light Brigade, with decent generals, right?” the sharp-tongued punk icon said in a 2007 interview.

He called Don Henley “a man with no humor”

John Lydon has been outspoken about numerous bands to the extent that he might soon need to expand his critique repertoire to include more subjects. He once harshly called Depeche Mode “completely lifeless”.

“A bad example of how bad things can be is Depeche Mode, who I absolutely hate… There’s no love in what they do. When you see them live it’s a tragedy. They don’t move, they’re not excited by what they do…” the punk singer commented.

However, his enduring criticism of The Eagles suggests that his disdain runs deeper than mere superficial comments for effect. In a 1992 interview with Cream, Lydon pointed a finger at Don Henley as the individual responsible for what he perceived as the dreary seriousness of music. 

“There’s a man with no humor. Same with Sting, he’s gone and taken himself far too seriously, hasn’t he? ‘I am an intellectual, honest, please believe me. Look how unshaved I can be,’” Lydon added.

Lydon called Donald Trump “the Sex Pistols of politics”

Lydon has, of course, been weird in anything he talks about these days, but his adoration for Donald Trump probably takes the cake.

In a recent exclusive interview with Far Out, Lydon boldly drew a comparison between President Trump and The Sex Pistols. He attributed his admiration for the former President to the fact that Trump was anything but a traditional politician. 

According to punk frontman, the former US president disrupted the established order in an anarchic fashion and shook things up in the process. He went on to describe Trump as the “Sex Pistols of politics”, highlighting his belief that Trump had a positive impact on the country, with decreased unemployment, a lack of new wars, and improved wage earnings.

Lydon commented that this disturbance ironically helped rid the political waters of unwanted noise. “Now, things are much clearer. I can clearly see the rats for what they are. So, in many ways – is that word ‘catharsis’? I hate that word but it is kind of appropriate – every now and then, life needs a shake-up.”

Henley saw punk as a “cover-up for lack of ability”

Despite these critiques, Don Henley and his bandmates in the Eagles have not directly responded to Lydon’s remarks. The drummer and vocalist had previously expressed his views on punk and once told Rolling Stone that the genre was a “cover-up for lack of ability”.

“There has always been the opposing school of thought, especially after punk came in, but I always saw that as a cover-up for lack of ability. But obsessive perfectionism can be oppressive, stifling, paralyzing. Never let the great be the enemy of the good. We understood that,” Henley shared.

Henley also said that, during the times when disco and punk were on the rise, the Eagles were in a “pretty dark place” even with the landmark success of Hotel California. The difficulties inspired 1979’s The Long Run, which turned out to be their last studio album.

Still, Henley did not feel pressured by the emergence of punk. “It felt a bit like that scene at the end of Inside Llewyn Davis. In retrospect, we need not have been concerned,” the country rock icon added.