In the mid-1970s, punk exploded in England, and at the center of it was John Lydon, better known as Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols. One of his most famous acts of rebellion wasn’t a song or a performance—it was a T-shirt. It said “I Hate Pink Floyd” with holes cut through the band members’ eyes.
But this wasn’t just a joke. Pink Floyd was the face of progressive rock—grand, complex, and often distant from everyday listeners. They spent hours in the studio creating long, layered songs. Lydon and punk saw that as bloated, self-important, and out of touch. Wearing that T-shirt was his way of saying: “We’re tearing down the old rock establishment.”
Interestingly, Pink Floyd never fired back. They didn’t insult him in interviews or treat punk as a real threat. To them, it was just another wave of youth expression. The “feud” existed mostly in fans’ imagination: the tough punk agitator against the grand, polished world of prog rock.
Over time, Lydon’s view changed. He realized that the band members weren’t the villains punk mythology had made them out to be. He especially praised David Gilmour, calling him a “lovely bloke.” The T-shirt had been about punk theater, not personal hatred. Lydon even admitted that the shirt was meant to provoke, to shock, and to challenge the musical system—not to insult Pink Floyd as people.
Today, the so-called feud is mostly a fun story about rock history. It represents a clash of musical worlds: punk’s raw simplicity versus prog rock’s complex artistry. In the end, both movements survived. Punk shook the establishment, and Pink Floyd’s legacy remained untouched. And Johnny Rotten? He even replaced his anti-Floyd T-shirt with one celebrating the very band he once mocked.
This story shows that rock history isn’t just about fights and feuds—it’s about rebellion, respect, and how music can bring even the most different worlds together.