Venue axes Johnny Rotten book tour after staff complain about manager
Theatre left Pretty Vacant: Venue axes Johnny Rotten book tour after staff complain about ‘aggressive and intimidating behaviour of his manager’
- John Lydon was set to appear in a Q&A at Glasgow’s Pavilion Theatre on Monday
- But the venue cancelled the event hours before the Sex Pistols frontman’s show
- The theatre has made allegations of ‘aggression’ against Lydon’s tour manager
- The theatre manager Iain Gordon said he had a ‘zero tolerance policy of abuse’
A theatre has axed Johnny Rotten’s book tour after staff alleged that his manager was being ‘aggressive and intimidating’ towards workers.
John Lydon, 65, was set to take part in a Q&A with fans at Glasgow’s Pavilion Theatre on Monday night to promote his new book I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right.
But the event was cancelled just hours before the Sex Pistols frontman, known by his stage name Johnny Rotten, was due to appear amid allegations against his tour manager.
The theatre alleged of ‘aggression and intimidation’ towards workers by the manager, who has not been named, and claimed that the abusive behaviour had been going on for two weeks.
John Lydon (pictured), 65, was set to take part in a Q&A with fans at Glasgow’s Pavilion Theatre on Monday night to promote his new book I Could Be Wrong, I Could Be Right
But the event (poster pictured) was cancelled hours before the Sex Pistols frontman, known by his stage name Johnny Rotten, was due to appear amid allegations against his tour manager
The venue’s general manager Iain Gordon said the alleged behaviour led to their decision to cancel the performance. Fans will be given full refunds on the cost of their tickets.
In a Facebook statement, Mr Gordon said: ‘Unfortunately, due to the aggression and intimidation made to various members of my staff by John Lydon’s tour manager, tonight’s show will not go ahead.
‘The days of this kind of behaviour are long gone.
‘We have a zero tolerance policy of abuse, both physical and verbal, and this behaviour has been ongoing for the past two weeks.
‘We are sorry if this affects you but as a company we will not accept this kind of attitude to our staff from anyone, including members of the public and touring staff.
‘Our box office will be in contact with you directly to organise refund of your tickets.’
Lydon’s official Twitter page posted: ‘Glasgow Pavilion has unexpectedly cancelled tonight’s show. We were informed of the cancellation at 2.48pm.’
A source close to Lydon added: ‘To be honest only the promoter and the manager know the story. John wasn’t there and neither was his manager. We don’t have our promoter’s side of the story yet.’
The theatre (pictured) alleged of ‘aggression’ towards workers by the manager, who has not been named, and claimed that the abusive behaviour had been going on for two weeks
Lydon (pictured in April 2019), better known by his stage name Johnny Rotten, is widely recognised as the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols
MailOnline has contacted John Lydon and Pavilion Theatre for comment.
Lydon, better known by his stage name Johnny Rotten, is widely recognised as the lead singer of the late-1970s punk band the Sex Pistols, best known for hits Pretty Vacant and Anarchy In The UK.
The legendary band – consisting of John Lydon, Steve Jones, Glen Matlock, Paul Cook and Sid Vicious – rose to fame in the 1970s.
After the band disbanded in 2008, he performed with post-rock group Public Image Ltd.
Ahead of starting his book tour, the Sex Pistols rocker said leaving his wife Nora, who has Alzheimer’s, for the work commitment will be ‘tough’ and ‘full of heartache’.
The singer married the German publishing heiress, 78, in 1979 and first revealed his wife’s devastating diagnosis in 2018.
John is touring his book I Could Be Wrong, I Could be Right after being forced to postpone it for a year due to Covid.
Speaking to the Mirror in August, he said: ‘Being away for lengths of time will be tough and I need to make that as brief as possible.
‘You can’t take situations like my domestic situation on the road, it’s not gonna work. I’ve tried and it drove everybody insane.
He told how Nora now needs ’24/7 attention’ with her condition, adding: ‘That’s my duty and I’m more than happy to do that. It’s difficult when there’s a workload, but I have to cope with it.’
The former frontman also said he finds Nora’s struggle a ‘strange blessing’ because it’s brought them closer together and he’s learned a lot about himself.
The couple settled in a seaside suburb of Los Angeles in the 1980s and he has another house in Malibu and one in London.
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