Mick Jagger and The Rolling Stones didn’t just dominate rock music — they practically invented the art of tearing down their rivals. While Jagger often tipped his hat to artists like Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix, and later even The Strokes and The Hives, he was equally quick to unleash scathing criticisms on anyone who dared threaten the Stones’ turf.
This instinct went into overdrive when punk exploded onto the scene, rattling the old guard of classic rock. For years, The Rolling Stones had cultivated an image of rebellious, decadent danger — but in the face of punk’s raw aggression, Jagger seemed desperate to remind everyone who really wrote the book on outrage.
“No matter what Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious do, they can’t be more disgusting than The Rolling Stones are in an orgy of biting,” Jagger boasted to Interview magazine in 1977, sounding like a playground brawler insisting his dad could beat up yours.
Still, punk wasn’t just about chaos. It was about tearing down a bloated rock establishment — and Jagger didn’t fully grasp that, reacting instead with bluster and, at times, regretful comments. He famously told NBC News their next album would be “more racist and more sexist,” completely missing punk’s deeper social critique.
When it came to personal clashes, Jagger focused much of his ire on the Sex Pistols.
“They’ve stopped short at violence,” he sneered. “I think even Sid Vicious is basically a nice guy, but Johnny Rotten keeps talking bad about me. He’ll get his rotten teeth kicked in one day.”
That punch never landed. In fact, according to John Lydon, Jagger later helped cover Sid Vicious’ legal fees — and Keith Richards even admitted the Stones looked to the Pistols for inspiration to stay relevant.
But no such backhanded respect was reserved for The Stranglers.
Despite being one of punk’s most musically accomplished bands — blending snarling aggression with the precision of seasoned players — The Stranglers earned nothing but Jagger’s contempt.
In 1977, he unleashed a brutal verdict in NME: “Don’t you think The Stranglers are the worst thing you’ve ever fucking heard? I do. They’re hideous, rubbishy. So bloody stupid. Fucking nauseating, they are.”
He offered no elaboration. He didn’t think he needed to.
For The Stranglers, though, hatred became fuel.
Bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel later said the band “thrived on being disliked,” describing their punk-era ethos: if a gig didn’t end in a riot or boos, it wasn’t a good night. It was an attitude that fit perfectly in Thatcher-era Britain, a time of unrest and disillusionment.
And it worked.
The Stranglers went on to sell a staggering 40 million records — outperforming punk icons like The Clash and Sex Pistols. Their enduring legacy isn’t just in sales or in live shows that still pack crowds decades later. It’s in their defiant survival.
As Burnel pointedly said: “It’s less than U2, but they’re boring and smug. The Rolling Stones were fantastic for their first ten years, but haven’t done much since… I’m trying to be sentient and valid, not living in the past.”
In the end, Jagger’s insults were just another battle cry for a band too sharp to fade and too stubborn to be ignored.
