[via Clash]

Oddly enough, after recent news of the Sex Pistols suing an ice cream company for using their likeness, there now comes wind of John Lydon defending his recent, first-time TV endorsement for British butter firm Country Living from late last year/early this year. Apparently the TV spot helped the butter firm’s profits soar by 85 percent, while also aiding Lydon’s music endeavors. Of course, longtime fans of Lydon’s anti-establishment ways called him a “sell out.”

Lydon recently explained to Camden New Journal that without the TV spot, he wouldn’t have been able to go on tour with Public Image Ltd.

From the interview: “Why are they questioning me?” he said. “What manual am I supposed to adopt? I’m promoting a British product which I’m very proud of. Anything I can do to help British industry is fine by me and in return you’ve got PiL.”

Check out the TV commercial after the jump.

These days, I think it’s kind of shortsighted to just up and label someone a sell out without first understanding how the music industry works. Or doesn’t work, as it were. Also, isn’t it kind of ironic that the endorsement is for butter? That’s slathered on bread? I dunno. Probably a stretch, but I found some humor in that. Or humour, as it were. Anyway, I don’t know about you, but this whole thing reminds me of a few lines from the song “Boxcar” by Jawbreaker.

Public Image Ltd. tour is set to kick off on December 15th in Birmingham.

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