Pretender's Hynde Slams 'Porn Stars Trying to Make Records'

LOS ANGELES—Anyone under the impression that rock icon Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders might have a soft spot for women unafraid to express their sexuality in a public setting, even a musical one, now knows that they were 180 degrees off. In London for tonight's iTunes Festival, Hynde offered her unfettered opinion on overt sex in music to the Evening Standard. As reported by Classic Rock, Hynde "slammed 'exhibitionist' musicians who put too much sex in their acts, saying they’re more like porn stars than pop stars" and insisted that "any of them who blame record label pressure for their performance are lying." But tell us how you really feel? “There’s a definite division of what I’d call porn stars trying to make records, and then musicians," she opined. “If you go and see Kate Bush you’ll see a real musician. She takes care of business the way she wants. If a girl walks on stage and starts playing like Jimi Hendrix, believe me, no one will be asking her to take her clothes off. “If you’re making music and people like it," she added, "that’s what you’re there for.” Neither does she have any sympathy for musicians who say they have no choice. "If anyone says, ‘I have to do this because my record company told me,’ that’s a lie,” she stated. “The artist is in control of what they’re doing. You can always tell anyone to fuck off. “If they’re under pressure to get their kit off, maybe they should just be making porn films," she added in a final fit of snark. "Maybe they’re in the wrong game.” Photo: Chrissie Hynde performing in 2013, courtesy of Harmony Gerber from Los Angeles | Orange County, USA.