In an interview, the punk musician spoke about a love song he dedicated to his wife who has dementia. What he intends to do with the song.
Unusually gentle tones from the former Sex Pistols frontman: John Lydon – formerly known as Johnny Rotten – dedicates his new ballad “Hawaii” to his wife Nora, who is suffering from dementia. The 66-year-old said in an interview with Irish radio station RTÉ 1 on Tuesday.
“It’s a side of me that most don’t know – or don’t want to know,” Lydon said. His wife’s illness is a “tragedy” that he counters with a little humor every day. That should also show up in the song: “It’s not meant to be dead sad and selfish, there’s a touch of humor.” The song is reminiscent of the couple’s happy vacation in Hawaii.
The singer, who rose to fame under the stage name Johnny Rotten, released ‘Hawaii’ with his current band Public Image Ltd (PiL). As announced on the band’s website on Monday, Lydon wants to represent Ireland with the song in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. “Hawaii” has already made it into a preselection of six titles. On February 3rd, a special on the late-night show on the “RTÉ” station will decide which of the songs will be submitted for the ESC semi-finals. The final will then take place in Liverpool on May 13th.
Ireland is the country of birth of Lydon’s parents, he himself was born in Great Britain. When asked why he wanted to represent his parents’ home country at the ESC, he said in an interview: “Let’s be honest, the English would never give me the opportunity, would they?” He also spoke to the two Irish moderators about Irish influences and dialects that shaped his childhood. The singer has been married to Nora Forster since 1979. In 2018, Lydon announced that his wife had Alzheimer’s disease. (dpa)