THE Sheldonian Theatre was awash with gasps, awkward silences and uneasy laughter when former public enemy John Lydon talked about his new autobiography.

Mr Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten, spent an hour at the venue in Oxford on Tuesday night talking about his tough upbringing, rise to fame with punk band The Sex Pistols and his most recent music projects with the reformed Public Image Ltd (PiL).

After walking into the packed theatre, Mr Lydon said: “Nice to see you all dressed up for me.

“Looking at you lot is like looking at a Marks & Spencer catalogue.”

Mr Lydon’s jibes towards the audience were well received, but his dismissive comments to interviewer David Freeman led to a few awkward silences.

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The 58-year-old rocker talked about his upbringing which was riddled with ill health and squalor.

He said: “When I was seven, I contracted meningitis and was in a coma which lasted three months.

“I had no memory of who I was, couldn’t even remember my mum and dad.

“There was an incredible guilt that went with that, and an incredible anger that comes with having your identity taken away from you.”

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Fans queue up to hear John Lydon talk at the Sheldonian Theatre.

Mr Lydon spoke at length of joining The Sex Pistols as the front man in 1975, when he was spotted on the King’s Road by record producer Bernard Rhodes.

He said: “They spotted my Pink Floyd T-shirt which I’d written ‘I hate’ on.

“At that time Pink Floyd were sacrosanct.

“I love Pink Floyd because I’ve got a whole career out of them and that T-shirt.”

During the evening, hosted by Blackwell’s, Mr Lydon was asked questions about UK politics.

He referred to UKIP as “that new lot K Pax” and said the issue with British politics was that it was a “bland melange of nothing”.

One audience member took issue with this. Mr Lydon responded: “It’s easy to be sarcastic and judgemental.”

He is currently working on a new album with his band in Gloucestershire.

He said: “We’re now recording in the Cotswolds with nothing but pheasants and sheep for company. It’s hard work.”

Mr Lydon and PiL will be performing new material at The O2 in London on Saturday at 7pm.

John Lydon talks to the Oxford Mail's Tim Hughes about punk, anarchy and butter! Read the thoughts of Jonny Rotten here...

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