Johnny Rotten Only Wants To Be Called Folk

In a recent interview regarding Public Image Ltd., Johnny Rotten – most famously the spastic front man of The Sex Pistols – admitted that he sees himself only as a folk musician.

“Folk is a term that seems to baffle most people. The word seems to imply — and I’m aware of it, too — some asshole with long hair, a beard and a mandolin. But there is far more to it. Folk music is actually timeless music because it defies categories. It lives out of genre. It is heart and soul. It is true-speak.

When I’m onstage with PiL, that is my total heart exposed. That is a genuine person, a human being. And I will not accept categories or labels to be put around that other than folk.”

The full interview can be read here.