The Time John Lydon Was Too Shy To Talk to Paul McCartney—so He Snubbed Him

The last thing you’d think of the Sex Pistols’ John Lydon as is shy. It’s hard to believe someone could be as loud and brash as he is in public, only to turn into, what he called, a “shy bunny” in private. Nevertheless, that is the case with Lydon and his shyness, which once prompted an awkward encounter with Paul McCartney.

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John Lydon’s Awkward Encounter With Paul McCartney

Lydon hasn’t been the kindest to the Beatles over the years, especially McCartney. He once called Macca’s contribution to the Beatles some of the worst in their discography. Strong words that ultimately faltered once Lydon came face to face with McCartney.

On a drive in London, Lydon was confronted with McCartney, who ran after his car. “I was with my wife and we were going to visit my brother,” Lydon once said. “We were driving through London, and two people come running across the street, and it’s Paul and Linda McCartney. They were banging on the car window.”

While many would consider a Beatle trying so hard to meet you a compliment, Lydon snubbed McCartney.

“I put the lockdown and just turned,” he continued. “I could not cope with it. My shyness took over.” He added elsewhere, “I couldn’t cope with it at the time. The Beatles running across the street, yelling at me, it was a bit much. I’m a shy bunny on my days off. I couldn’t handle that.”

We can hardly blame Lydon. It would be nerve-wracking to meet a Beatle. You might be tempted to walk right past McCartney if he came up to you. Lydon listened to his nerves and avoided the situation entirely.

McCartney Love of the Sex Pistols

Despite this moment with Lydon, McCartney has been quite complimentary of the Sex Pistols. He once said they gave the music scene in London a much-needed shaking up.

“At first it was shocking because until then you’d known the status quo,” McCartney once said. “It hoped to be shocking and in some ways it was. But the thing was that the music was great and suddenly realized, after a day or two of horror, that these guys were just shaking it up and it needed shaking up.”

It’s not easy keeping one generation of rockers in line with the next. There is much bad blood that has developed between classic rockers and the punk scene. A moment like the one between Lydon and McCartney was bound to happen sometime.

(Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images)