John Lydon and the “true original” of rock and roll who David Bowie “copied”
John Lydon, who became the Sex Pistols’ frontman in the midst of punk’s rebellion against progressive rock, later praised Van der Graaf Generator and its songwriter Peter Hammill. He called Hammill “a true original” and suggested David Bowie borrowed heavily from his solo work, highlighting a possible link between prog and the music that influenced punk.
Van der Graaf Generator were active from 1967 to 1972 and, despite limited commercial success, made music that was harder and more experimental than much of the progressive rock scene. The article argues that their sound may have helped shape Bowie’s glam rock and, indirectly, punk, whose followers often regarded Bowie as a rare source of hope in early 1970s rock.
- Lydon praised Peter Hammill as a “true original”.
- He said Bowie may have borrowed from Hammill’s solo work.
- The article traces a possible prog influence on punk.
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Van der Graaf Generator were an English band formed in the late 1960s, led by singer and songwriter Peter Hammill. They became known for adventurous, often intense music, though they had limited commercial success during their first years together.
David Bowie was a major influence on glam rock, while the Sex Pistols became one of punk’s best-known bands in the 1970s. Punk audiences often rejected the long, elaborate music associated with progressive rock, so any musical links between those scenes offer context for how sounds and ideas crossed between them.
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The case for
Hammill’s distinctive, emotionally intense solo work and Van der Graaf Generator’s harder, more experimental sound may have helped shape Bowie’s glam rock, making them part of a musical lineage that reached punk. Lydon’s praise draws attention to influences that a simple story of punk rejecting progressive rock can overlook.
The case against
Resemblances between Hammill’s work and Bowie’s do not by themselves establish that Bowie borrowed heavily from him; artists can arrive at similar sounds through shared influences or independent experimentation. The proposed path from Van der Graaf Generator through Bowie to punk is therefore suggestive, but the account offers limited evidence that this band was a major influence on either.