Green Day called out by Sex Pistols' Johnny Rotten

Cantankerous Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd frontman Johnny Rotten challenges Green Day‘s lasting impact on punk rock in a new interview with The New York Times, the 62-year-old musician saying it’s “embarrassing” that punk bands inspired by the popular East Bay trio are still rocking “spiky haircuts” and “trying to keep 1978 alive.”

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It’s an interesting take from the man whose iconic ’70s act was said to be expressly (and fashionably) manufactured by manager Malcom McLaren to try and sell clothes. If the Pistols were a glorified boy band, what’s wrong with Green Day?

“How many bands are out there like Green Day now?” Rotten asks the Times‘ Alex Williams. “I look at them, and I just have to laugh. They’re coat hangers, you know. A turgid version of something that doesn’t actually belong to them.”

He goes on to call modern punk a “caricature” of its former self, saying it’s a “perfect backdrop to sell a pair of sneakers.” Again, an ironic statement from the man whose first musical outing was reportedly meant to move garments.

And this isn’t the first time Rotten has voiced a disdain for Billie Joe Armstrong’s long-running rock band. In 2012, he told Rolling Stone he’s “never been a fan” of the group that made Oct. 1 a meme holiday, as pointed out by Loudwire.

“I just don’t understand it. I think its kind of a tinny, two-bob version of something that was far deeper and carried more significance,” he said. “They’re not very significant. They’re a mélange. They’re closer to Billy Idol than myself.”

What do you think of Rotten putting Green Day on blast? Should the Sex Pistols singer maybe take a moment to remember how the Pistols were formed? Sound off in the comments below, and let us know your take.

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