Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon has hit out at Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty – calling the latter a “coward”.

In an interview with the Daily Record, Lydon said that the Babyshambles singer had become trapped in a pulicity campaign that has “run out of order”.

"Another fool who is given a golden opportunity to do something wonderful in his life and he'd rather be selfish and cowardly. Drugs are the modus operandi of the coward,” Lydon Said.

"Pete is a fine lad that needs to sort himself out. This is Mister Rotten telling you I waltz on stage sober because no drug in the world is as good as being absolutely 100 percent honest with your audience.

“Nothing compares to that emotion. People like him and Amy Winehouse are getting it wrong as usual."

In the same interview, Lydon referred to Winehouse as “Aimless Winehouse”, saying it would be a better name for the singer.

"I love all kinds of music but the one thing I have never done is imitate black music in her idiotic way,” he said.

"There's not a single word that means anything. It's not like these songs are deeply moving or inspirational or cultural in any way you could find useful.

"I don't like pale imitations and shades of things and I am always wary when people go jazzy because jazz is the best cover up for a lack of talent the world has ever known. It don't wash real with me.

"And the cover up for her which is probably the guilt trip is that she requires vast amounts of drugs to hide the fact that she is fake."

(by Jason Gregory)