Punk pioneer John Lydon - aka "Johnny Rotten" - has taken aim at Mick Jagger, Simon Cowell and the Catholic Church, and along the way admitted The Sex Pistols are too fat to reunite.

Lydon was speaking at Oxford University on a promotional tour for his autobiography Anger is an Energy when he launched his wide-ranging spray.

According to NME, he first took aim at Mick Jagger, when he was asked if there was an age limit for rock 'n' roll performers.

"No, only if you're Mick Jagger," he said. "Did anybody see last year's Glastonbury? I mean come on Mick ... it's not about age here, it's about the show-off bullshit...

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"It's Mick in ladies' tights and his testicles are frocked and he's running around like a speed freak and then there's the band looking incredibly embarrassed."

Lydon also rounded on Simon Cowell, describing TV talent shows as "brutal" and '"cruel".

"Simon Cowell, that's our worst enemy," he said. "I don't think [the contestants] on the show are that awful, it becomes awful when they become trained into that cruise ship show band mentality, and that's the poison of it…"

"[He] has got us all on his big cruise ship lollipop, and I ain't licking his lollipop."

He was also happy to take a shot at himself and former members of The Sex Pistols, after he was asked if the band would ever re-form.

"Oh no, that's finished. I mean have you seen us? I mean We've all put on weight but Mr Jones here [guitarist Steve Jones] is coming it at 500 pounds! And I did the butter advert!"

Lydon later commented on his mistrust of the Catholic church and priests, describing religion as "vile and poisonous and idiotic".

"They spend all their time trying to make you believe things that can't possibly be true. Sounds a lot like the Tory party."

Lydon is not the only aging rocker to make outspoken statements this week, with Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins also slamming his rock n' roll peers.

But Both Corgan and Lydon maintain complete faith in their own talents.

Asked if he would ever give up music Lydon said: "Only if I got bored with it, and as long as there's human being in the world, I'm not going to get bored."