SEX PISTOLS - ROTTEN: 'LEVENE IS A WASTE OF TALENT'

SEX PISTOLS frontman JOHNNY ROTTEN has blasted his former PUBLIC IMAGE LTD guitarist KEITH LEVENE, branding him a "waste of talent". Levene, a founding member of The Clash, played with Rotten - real name John Lydon - in post-punk band Public Image Ltd (PiL) after the Sex Pistols disbanded in 1978. But Levene's heavy drug use strained their relationship and eventually led to the guitarist's departure from PiL in 1983. And Rotten, 51, insists Levene could have become a rock icon - had he kicked his drug problem earlier on in his career. Rotten, 51, says, "I've got no idea what happened to dear old Keith. What a waste of talent. He used to be a great guitarist. But he made the mistake of over-grandiosing his own position in PiL and then he complicated his life with various substances. "And he ended up doing f**k all. Which is a shame, because there'd be no U2 without Keith's guitar style."