John Lydon, the Sex Pistols frontman, took part in a fiery interview with mild-mannered broadcaster John Humphrys on Radio 4 today. The famously abrupt Lydon didn't react well to the journalist's suggestion that he wasn't the only young person to be "anti-establishment."

John LydonJohn Lydon went toe to toe with good old, mild mannered, John Humphrys

"What you were doing was what every young person with a bit of energy, with a bit of interest in life, was doing and that is being anti-establishment," said Humphrys, quite reasonably.

More: check out our John Lydon pictures

"Stop it, don't be silly," responded Lydon. "That's neither here nor there. That's just the backdrop of nothing. I was standing up and being counted; I made my opinions very clear and you can't lighten that load at all.

"It was no fun to be discussed in the Houses of Parliament, under a traitor and treason act - that wasn't what everyone was doing."

Humphrys riled Lydon further by suggesting "it was great publicity", with the singer responding, "Great publicity? It carried a death sentence mate. Let's get serious."

John HumphrysJohn Humphrys riled John Lydon in the Radio 4 interview

The interviewer continued: "You can't be both outside the establishment looking in and saying, 'I want to change things or I am different."

"Says who? Says you! Says you!" yelled Lydon. "Don't tell me what to do, don't tell me nothing, don't tell me what to wear, don't tell me what to think. I mean you no harm. I'll let you trundle along as merrily as you like, so long as you don't step into my space."

Lydon, now a spokesperson for Country Life Butter adverts, also dismissed Humphrys suggestion that he'd changed over time.

"I wouldn't say I've mellowed over time or calmed down; that's just not ever gonna happen," he said.

More: check out our Sex Pistols news