This is not a game of 'Who the Punk are you?'

I am indebted to John Lydon, truly i am. We all are - at least everyone involved with Punk Rock past or present. Thirty-plus years ago John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) and his motley crew of seminal Punk icons 'The Sex Pistols' scooped up the nascent Punk scene and moulded it into something as ferociously dynamic as it was discordant. It was a revolution of sorts, evolving into a snarling beast throughout the 80's as the term 'Hardcore Punk' was coined. Until, eventually somebody promoted the idea of sharing Punk's spotlight so dominated by angst and aggression, with lightly baked - sun kissed melody. Bad Religion paved the way by smothering their pissed as fuck lyrical content with sugary sweet harmony, arguably a road already laid in it's foundations by earlier acts The Ramones and The Clash.

I'm straying from my point, as i usually tend to do. Punk Rock was a crushing wheel to have set in motion but set in motion it was nonetheless. Which is why i find i have such an issue with stereotypical 'Punks' finding fault with anything that wasn't quite recorded on an 8-track down in the damp basement of Johnny Punk's squat in Stoke Newington. Count yourselves lucky to have been there at the very formation, the very beginning. It seems ignorant to me for people to write-off newer Punk incarnations, i always saw it as a thing of beauty - researching the twisted history of Punk Rock, the writhing differences that spawned between fresh faced new bands and the hard core of the scene's powerhouses.

What provoked this outburst of barely coherent spiel you ask? Well it was John Lydon's comments about Green Day that really struck a nerve...

'So there we are fending off all that and it pisses me off that years later a wank outfit like Green Day hop in and nick all that and attach it to themselves. They didn't earn their wings to do that and if they were true punk they wouldn't look anything like they do.'

C'mon John. If you hadn't been there to kick start a fledgling Punk ethos then some other kid from the gutter would have surely? Be thankful for that. Green Day wouldn't deny that they owe much of their musical chops to a style that you helped to forge, which is why i find it incredulous that an icon such as yourself would fly in the face of the current flag bearers. In my book any one band or artist that incorporates a guitar, the softest of drumming and some lazy vocals is a band or artist that I've got the time of day for.

Besides, if it's a case of having issues with Green Day's commercial success and widespread media promotion, just remember; you sell butter now Johnny Rotten!