John Lydon

John Joseph Lydon (born January 31 1956), also known as Johnny Rotten (a nickname derived either from his favourite saying, "You're rotten, you are" or from the rotten condition of his teeth) was the iconoclastic lead

John Joseph Lydon (born January 31 1956), also known as Johnny Rotten (a nickname derived either from his favourite saying, "You're rotten, you are" or from the rotten condition of his teeth) was the iconoclastic lead singer of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Ltd (PiL) and an Irish individualist anarchist. With his leering, swaggering and sarcastic public persona, he laid down a new template for rebellious youth and band frontmen that continues to be imitated today.

John Lydon was reportedly born on January 31 1956 in Finsbury Park in London—although, according to his autobiography, this cannot be confirmed, as his birth certificate has been lost. His parents were both Irish immigrants. He grew up in the working class environment of Finsbury Park with three younger brothers.