The combination of three words, band, punk and rock, usually connects mentally with tough, alternative, dissolute, excessive types. Johnny Rotten did not fail to meet expectations when he was the leader of the Sex Pistols in the 1970s, the furious face of punk rock who sang of anarchy and exuded as much anger as he accumulated fervor among his fans, who were faithful and numerous. Their anti-establishment lyrics caused them to be banned by the BBC and rejected by two record labels, but the group started a musical trend that changed rock and pop. They broke up in 1978, Rotten formed another band Public Image Ltd, had more hits, and 30 years later the Sex Pistols were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and recognized for their role in music. Now Rotten, whose real name is John Lydon, is a 65-year-old man living in California, far from the bustle of his homeland, the United Kingdom, where younger, less-busy musicians clamor for the same things he sang in his songs.

Anarchy is far away for the lead singer of the Sex Pistols and the main reason is that he is now dedicated to a goal that has little to do with music or leaving things to chance: taking care of his wife, sick with alzheimer. Johnny Rotten and Nora Forster, who is currently 78 years old, have been together for 45 years, some reviews claim that they were married in 1979 but they have never confirmed it. Nora now needs order and calm and the old rocker is there to give it to her even at his own expense. He has the rebellion left to rant about the new biopic that Danny Boyle is preparing about the Sex Pistols without having consulted him: “It's the most disrespectful shit I've ever had to put up with. I'm sorry you think you can do this. It will not happen. Not without a big fight. I'm Johnny Rotten and when you mess with me things get very ugly”, he said in a recent interview in The Sunday Times. But his maximum concentration is focused on Nora, a full-time job caused by Alzheimer's, a disease that he defines as "a perverse, debilitating and slow process but that we are going through together."

The singer's consolation is summed up by the words with which he referred to his wife in the emotional interview: “She doesn't forget me. She forgets everything else but me." Very realistic, he says that he knows that the disease is incurable and his wife will never get better, but he explains that “you have to face it and put self-pity aside. It's something I can proudly say that was instilled in me by my parents from an early age: 'don't feel sorry for yourself, just move on'. And almost throws a challenge to his followers: "God, if you know that fucking Johnny Rotten can do it, damn what's your excuse?"

The couple has lived in the United States since the 1980s, a decision that was influenced by the good climate in the area and the one they lacked in London. “Blue skies cheer me up,” says the artist in his meeting with The Sunday Times. They have lived for three decades in a 1910 house that originally belonged to the actress Mae West and that seems to them "an enchanted castle". He doesn't lack money, he has other houses in Malibu and London, but he can't find help for his wife's problem, which is how he always refers to her whether or not legal papers are involved. "This disease is a big unknown," explains the former leader of the Sex Pistols. "Nora has always eaten healthy, it must be genetic but I am open to any idea." And the artist goes on to describe his wife's life, which is his own: “Traveling by plane scares her and she gets disoriented in hotels. He needs to know that things are his: his chair, his teddy bear... We like to watch sitcoms together and the news. I know it's going to deteriorate and this is going to turn into something terrible, but we are facing it with a sense of dignity. It would be quite easy to run away and say, 'it's not my responsibility', but I'm John and when I commit it's forever and I keep it. I am very proud to do the best I can for her. We have been together for 45 years; We are not going to change anything. We are a couple, we love each other, we adore each other.”

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He explains that Nora Forster, whom he calls Babbie, keeps herself in good physical shape and has always been very outgoing, adventurous, and fun-loving. But he is also aware of the dark side to which he leads this disease and launches almost a plea directed at others who may find themselves in the same situation: “As a full-time caregiver, one can become quite suicidal. I will have moments that are overwhelmingly sad and at the same time filled with anger. But things are what they are, and you have to accept it, and sadly, I have to say, you almost enjoyed it for the experience. Stay mentally intact and be proud of what you are doing. Life must go on; must fight for life to the bitterest end."

Johnny Rotten knows what he's talking about. He grew up in North London in a family of Irish parents and three younger siblings. At the age of seven he suffered meningitis that caused him to spend a year in the hospital and that when he woke up from the coma he did not even recognize his parents. He had to relearn how to eat, walk, speak... "Having memory loss is terrifying," he now says about that time. “You feel abandoned and nobody says anything to you except those strangers, mom and dad, who keep showing up and you don't recognize. Those skills I am applying now with my dear wife”.

The couple have not had any children, but Nora had a daughter, Ariane, from a previous marriage who went on to form a punk band, The Slits, in which she was a singer. Rotten believes that Nora's disease began to show signs precisely when Ariane died 11 years ago, at 48, from breast cancer. “Losing your daughter was an inexplicable pain. From there, small problems arose that accumulated. It happened so gradually, so slowly, that by the time it becomes definitive it's impossible to trace." Johnny Rotten who raged against the English monarchy and who only three years ago was expelled from the place where he planned to celebrate his 62nd birthday for being too drunk, is now a naturalized citizen of the United States who has parked his vices: "I can't be a drunk, I am a full time caregiver.” Who shouted to the world “there is no future” in the chorus of the song God save the queen, now sends a message of hope: “Eliminate self-pity and face an obvious tragedy with an open mind. This is how the cards have fallen. This is what it is. This is your future. But that's not the end of your future. You will have a life after. You can only wait."