I didn’t see the film Grace of My Heart. The Duets Special album came about after a conversation with Rufus Wainwright’s husband, when I impulsively suggested doing an album with Rufus. Rufus wanted to do “Always on My Mind,” and when I looked at the list of nine other songs I’d sent him, I thought: why don’t I ask some other people?
Low is one of my all-time favorite bands, and when I first met Mimi Parker, she immediately felt like someone I’d known all my life. I told her I’d done one of their songs with Debbie Harry, and she looked at me and said, “Why didn’t you ask me?” I thought: touché, Mimi. I suggested “County Line,” but she wasn’t well. I told Mimi I’d wait as long as it takes. Then she died. Alan Sparhawk, her husband, sang it instead, and it’s absolutely amazing.
The Pretenders covered Morrissey’s “Every Day Is Like Sunday,” and now Duets Special features “The First of the Gang to Die.” As one of Morrissey’s oldest friends, how often do your conversations reach a philosophical, political, or moral impasse?
My relationship with him started because we were both vegetarian, and he sent me a postcard asking to meet for tea. Thirty-five years ago, most of my friends—Linda McCartney and so on—were friends because of vegetarianism. Morrissey does stuff for PETA, and he’s an amazing songwriter. A few nights ago, I had dinner with a couple of women he’d worked with. I sent him a picture of the three of us, and he immediately sent back a picture of three women from Coronation Street. He’s always true to himself, and no, we’ve never reached an impasse.
With the Pretenders’ debut turning 45 this year, how much was in the works before you met Pete Farndon, Jimmy Honeyman-Scott, and Martin Chambers?
I was staying in a freezing cold attic in a women’s boarding house in Tufnell Park, north London, and had probably written a few of the songs before I met them. Every guitar player I’ve had since James Honeyman-Scott has been influenced by him—Johnny Marr, for example. The moment James came to my front door, I knew we’d be in a band together. I got friendly with Benji Lysaght—who produced and plays on Duets Special—after he came up to me in catering and said, “Can I ask you something about James Honeyman-Scott?” It’s insane: Jimmy died at 25, only guitar players remember him, and yet he was the sound of the Pretenders. I was an angry biker chick, but he brought out the melody.
The Pretenders’ “2000 Miles” is back on the airwaves for Christmas. Do you have a favorite festive song?
No, I’m like most people—I get pretty fed up as soon as they start playing Christmas music in the shops. But, talking about Jimmy… a year after he died, I was in the Sunset Marquis in LA thinking about him. I rented a guitar and wrote “2000 Miles.” I’ve always regretted that the rental company wouldn’t sell it to me because I wanted that guitar so much.
What was it like to be in an episode of Friends? Were you a big fan?
I’d never heard of it, but Warner Bros. was putting out an album to accompany this new show and asked me for a song, “Angel of the Morning.” Then Friends asked me if I could sit in the background in a coffee shop playing it. I got to go to LA for a week and see my friend, but I didn’t know they’d written a whole part for me. Then Friends was on the cover of every American magazine. I thought, “Oh fuck, this is gonna be big.” The cast and everybody were really nice, but I always regretted it because until then, I could take my…I took my kids to school and nobody knew who I was. Afterwards, all the kids were saying, “Your mom’s on Friends!”
You’ve made it clear you find it awkward when people ask for autographs or selfies. If someone recognizes you on the street, how should they acknowledge you? — SJames42
When punk came along, my manager wanted to put my face on a billboard in Shepherd’s Bush and I sat on my bed and cried. I could already feel my freedom slipping away. Some people have the personality for that—Paul McCartney is great at being a Beatle. I’m not! I’ve never gotten used to it. It always freaks me out and I’m not very gracious. Afterwards, I feel really bad because I don’t want to disappoint people. If they just nod or give me a thumbs up, that’s great.
You were at Kent State University when the Ohio National Guard opened fire on students protesting the U.S. invasion of Cambodia in 1970, killing four. What memories do you have from that time? — mdperry
I was hanging out, smoking pot, and listening to Tim Hardin, Tim Buckley, Neil Young, Jeff Beck, Led Zeppelin, and Jimi Hendrix. When the National Guard opened fire, I was standing right there and had to be carried off campus because I wouldn’t leave. I knew one of the guys who was killed. We were little acid heads… some of the Devo guys were there too, and Joe Walsh from the Eagles. His band, the James Gang, played in a club where I used to sit at his feet and touch his tennis shoes. I have so many memories from that period.
I saw you at the Van Gogh exhibition at the National Gallery. What was your favorite work? — stevensonlesley
I worship him, so I love everything. But I was looking at some of the most magnificent works of all time through a sea of people holding up their phones. I don’t understand why they haven’t banned phones in art exhibitions. They’re standing in front of a painting they may never see again and can admire every brushstroke, but they’re gazing at it through their damn phone!
When you first arrived in the UK from the States, what made you decide to stay? — Aubrey26
I loved everything about the UK and had always been drawn to it. When I was a kid, I loved horses and would draw them all the time. I knew there was an English style of riding and an English saddle. Then, when I was 14, I heard the Beatles and there was no turning back.
When you visit the U.S., what’s the main thing you miss about it? — nivlek47
I don’t miss it. When they tore out the train system and got rid of public transport, I had a feeling it wasn’t going to work for me, so I left at 22. I still take the tube in London.
I saw you arrested live on stage at the Nashville in West Kensington around 1981. Why did that happen? — TonyBrown
I don’t think I was arrested. I think the police stopped the show because of a noise issue or something. What I remember most about that show at the Nashville Rooms is that I had drunk a lot of tequila beforehand, and I never drank before a show again because it affected my performance. That night, I pierced Johnny Rotten’s ear in the bathroom by pushing an earring through it into a bar of soap.
If in 1976 Johnny Rotten or Sid Vicious had accepted your proposal to get married, what would life together have been like? — Dmitry_S
That was just so I could stay in the country. Life with either of them would have been chaos. I knew Sid before the Pistols. One night, we were walking down the street and he said, “John’s asked me to join the band.” I said, “But it’s like you’re already in it.” And he said, “Yeah, I know.” I watched him learning to play bass on speed for three days, listening to Ramones records. He was lovely. Then came drugs, alcohol, and violence, and he changed.He went downhill fast once he met Nancy [Spungen]. He had a great voice. I think he was more talented than he ever got to show.
Do you still keep in touch with the less famous women you knew in the early punk days? Not necessarily people like Siouxsie Sioux, but more the punk girls and women you met in Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren’s shops or at gigs? — robCornelius
I didn’t really know Jordan [AKA Pamela Rooke, a punk scene linchpin], but she was part of the gang. Then, 35 years later, I reconnected with her by email because I was interested in compassion in farming—her nephew had a farm, and Jordan did cat rescue. I meant to spend time with her, but then she passed away. I sometimes have dinner with Viv Albertine. She’s good fun. I stayed friends for years with Patti Palladin and Judy Nylon from the band Snatch. After I saw the Selecter documentary, I wrote to Pauline Black and told her she was amazing, but we haven’t gotten together. I never saw Gaye Advert again, but I really admired her: she was beautiful and had a sticker on her guitar that said, “Fuck off.”
Pride of place on our mantelpiece is a photo of you and my wife when she was 16. She met you and Patsy Kensit outside an Oasis gig in 1994. It was a freezing night, and you lent her your gloves, which she unsuccessfully tried to sneak off with. She always says how nice you were and would be so happy if you pretended to remember her. — JSA_1972
Of course I remember you. You’re the girl who tried to nick my gloves.
Chrissie Hynde & Pals’ Duets Special is out now via Parlophone. Pretenders Live – Kick ’Em Where It Hurts! is also out now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Of course Here is a list of FAQs about the famous story of Chrissie Hynde piercing Johnny Rottens ear
FAQs Chrissie Hynde Johnny Rottens Bathroom Ear Piercing
Beginner Factual Questions
1 Is it true that Chrissie Hynde pierced Johnny Rottens ear
Yes its a welldocumented story from the early punk scene Both Hynde and Rotten have confirmed it in interviews and autobiographies
2 When and where did this happen
It happened in late 1976 or early 1977 in the bathroom of the famous London punk club the Roxy
3 Why did she do it
Reportedly Johnny Rotten wanted his ear pierced but didnt want to pay for it or go to a professional He asked Hynde a friend and fellow punk figure to do it on the spot
4 What did she use to pierce it
She used a simple stud earring and a bar of soap The soap was used to numb the area slightly and help the earring push through the earlobe
5 Was it safe or sanitary
By todays standards absolutely not It was a very DIY punk rock method with a high risk of infection It was more about the attitude and immediacy than safety
Advanced Contextual Questions
6 What was the significance of this event
Its a perfect snapshot of the DIY antiestablishment ethos of the early punk movement It rejected professional norms and embraced raw instant selfexpression
7 How does this story reflect their relationship
It shows they were part of the same closeknit chaotic London punk circle It was a gesture of friendship and punk camaraderie not a random act
8 Did Johnny Rottens ear get infected
Accounts vary Some stories suggest it healed fine while others imply it became infected which wouldnt be surprising Rotten himself has made light of it over the years
9 Was Chrissie Hynde known for doing piercings
Not professionally She was a musician and a key figure in the scene This was a oneoff favor that became legendary because of the people involved
