Intercourse Pistols’ Glen Matlock on being requested to play bass for “boring” Oasis and why he by no means discovered Johnny Rotten’s lyrics “honest”
Intercourse Pistols bassist Glen Matlock has spoken to NME about as soon as being invited to hitch Oasis, what the longer term holds for the punk icons with Frank Carter, and his ideas on John Lydon‘s lyrics and pro-Trump stance.
Matlock is presently touring the UK to advertise his 2023 solo album ‘Penalties Coming’. Chatting with NME, the 68-year-old mentioned his half in Blondie’s “heavy” and “atonal” new album and mirrored on the Intercourse Pistols’ current UK reunion tour, which featured himself, unique members Steve Jones (guitar) and Paul Prepare dinner (drums), with visitor vocalist Frank Carter instead of the estranged Lydon.
Try our full interview beneath, the place he alo expressed annoyance on the ongoing veneration of “likeable nitwit” Sid Vicious, who changed him because the Pistols’ bassist in 1977, and defined his dissatisfaction with Danny Boyle’s 2022 Pistol TV biopic, which was tailored from Jones’ memoir Lonely Boy.
NME: Hello Glen! You’ve all the time had eclectic music tastes. Is that one thing you needed to convey with ‘Penalties Coming’, which options rock’n’roll and doo-wop?
Glen Matlock: “Yeah, I’d prefer to not simply be often known as the punk rocker bloke from a very long time in the past – there’s a component of that. There’s solely good music and dangerous music. Magnificence is within the eye of the beholder, however I are usually proper and everybody else is improper!”
The title monitor is about feckless politicians getting their simply desserts. How have you ever felt about Donald Trump’s return to energy?
“I’m shocked, so possibly I used to be improper about that. However I believe there might be a consequence coming with him, as properly. When [Boris] Johnson bought in, all these individuals wrote to me, who tended to be Public Picture [Ltd, the band Lydon formed after the Pistols] followers: ‘Glen, don’t you realise that proper is the brand new left and that’s the place true rebel lies?’ They’d been hoodwinked! They’re attempting to make it like Putin in Russia, controlling the whole lot and no one actually will get a say-so. I nonetheless stand by what I mentioned on that report.”
Have been you shocked to see John Lydon come out as pro-Trump lately?
“Method again when, there was one thing about John that I didn’t get on with as a result of I couldn’t fairly put my finger on it. And him popping out with that sort of encapsulates the entire thing, actually. John was unbelievable again then. He wrote some nice lyrics, however did he actually imply ‘em? Ah, that’s the factor. I by no means discovered him that honest.”
How was the upcoming Blondie album sounding while you laid down your bass components?
“It was sounding good. It was all sort of heavy, a bit atonal. Among the different guys within the band are youthful than me they usually try to be a bit extra trendy. I simply assume you need to get the track throughout. However I’ve not heard the completed factor with Debbie [Harry]’s vocals and stuff. It’s gonna be thrilling listening to it.”
Any thought when it’s popping out?
“I believe it’s gonna be early within the new yr, however I don’t wanna say an excessive amount of as a result of I’m simply the bass participant in Blondie and I’m not 100 per cent positive.”
The Intercourse Pistols exhibits with Frank Carter have gone down rather well. Did he assist to make these songs new?
“Yeah! He’s youthful, for a begin. He’s bought much more power than individuals of our age. He’s within the crowd; he’s a category act. He was really helpful by my son, Louis, who’s in tune with what’s occurring. It’s not the identical as with John, but it surely’s not alleged to be. It appears to have struck a chord with individuals and all of the naysayers on-line are individuals who’ve by no means seen it. Everybody who’s come to see it says it really works.”
What made Frank the individual for the job?
“I’m not gonna inform you who, however another person was urged. I didn’t actually fancy the concept. I used to be on the cellphone to our American supervisor, on hands-free, and I believed I used to be dwelling on my own. Hastily, my son appeared and he’d overheard. He mentioned, ‘No, no, no! Frank Carter!’ So we organised a espresso, bought on with him, he got here down and had a play.”
What can we do to make you give us that rejected title?
“I need 1,000,000 {dollars} in gold bullion deposited in my Submit Workplace account. In 5 minutes.”
Whereas we’re checking down the again of the NME couch, what are the possibilities of a brand new Pistols album with Frank?
“We’ve performed these exhibits, everybody’s bought their separate methods: Steve’s gone again to the States, Frank’s touring, I’m touring, I’m not fairly positive what Paul’s doing for the time being – in all probability consuming pie and mash someplace. We’ll see once we get again collectively once more. I’ve been actually busy with Blondie and what I’m doing now to provide you with some concepts, however simply travelling round, you get a bit factor behind your head that you just don’t realise you’ve bought till you choose up a guitar. Perhaps once we begin rehearsing, one thing will come out.
“However is the world prepared for a brand new Intercourse Pistols report? I dunno. I like what John mentioned with this in ’96 [during the band’s Filthy Lucre reformation tour]. This journalist requested: ‘Are you gonna make a brand new report?’ John mentioned: ‘Why? What’s improper with the outdated one?’”
John was reportedly unhappy about your shows with Frank Carter, saying they’d be “bollocks”…
“Effectively, he was improper, wasn’t he, as a result of they had been good.”
Have you ever heard from him about it?
“Not personally, no. There’s in all probability been just a few little ‘use of the title’ rights points, which have been scattered round, however we’ve sorted that one out. John’s made his mattress – he can lie in it. He’s completely happy doing his Public Picture stuff. Good luck to him. It’s not my factor and I’m positive my factor isn’t his factor. With me doing my club-level stuff, as a result of I’ve been doing the Pistols, I don’t really feel obligated to only flip up and be Glen Matlock from the Intercourse Pistols. Marky Ramone, who I like, goes and performs all of the Ramones songs. I believe that’s a bit bit lame.”
Steve Jones lately mentioned he hasn’t spoken to John since 2008. When was the final time you spoke with him?
“About the identical, actually.”
Do you not need to keep in contact in any respect? You guys modified the world collectively!
“How lengthy have you ever been in journalism?”
About 15 years…
“Who had been the primary individuals you labored in an workplace with? Do you continue to hang around with them?”
One or two…
“Effectively, there have been 4 of us within the band and three of us nonetheless hang around collectively, in order that’s not a nasty share.”
- READ MORE: Does Rock ‘N’ Roll Kill Braincells?! – Intercourse Pistols’ Glen Matlock
Shortly earlier than the Queen died, John mentioned ‘God Save the Queen’ was “anti-royalist, but it surely’s not anti-human”, which sort of de-fanged the assertion. How did you are feeling about that?
“I believe he’s nonetheless attempting to assume he’s gonna get an MBE or one thing, and he was backtracking to cowl his tracks. I sing the track each few nights after I’m enjoying; throw it in simply to maintain the gang completely happy. I do know the lyrics kinda higher than John from singing ‘em. It’s fairly anti-establishment.”
Whenever you mentioned earlier that you just “by no means discovered him that honest”, what did you imply?
“I believe some individuals experience being contrarians. And this entire Trump factor, which he supported, and Farage – if he believes that, that’s one factor. If he’s simply saying it to garner these sorts of individuals to comply with him, that’s not trustworthy and I believe it’s even worse.”
Partly due to Pistol, Sid Vicious remains to be a giant cultural icon who’s celebrated on Instagram…
“What can I do about it? It annoys me. It’s simply that entire factor of people that died younger. Marilyn Monroe, who made some nice motion pictures. James Dean: made three nice motion pictures. Jimi Hendrix: unbelievable, should you like that sort of factor. And Sid performed bass on one monitor. It’s a bit galling, to be trustworthy. I knew Sid – we had been neighbours. We frolicked a bit collectively and he was a likeable nitwit.”
Regardless of his lack of musical expertise, he did embody the spirit of punk…
“That may be the case that he’s a poster boy and blah blah blah, but it surely’s not doing him a lot fucking good now, is it?”
Was it additionally galling to see him develop into a face of the band after you had been compelled out?
“I didn’t care. I used to be actually busy immediately doing my Wealthy Children [his post-Pistols band] factor, and when that form of occurred however didn’t fairly occur, I used to be on tour with Iggy Pop for a few years, making a report [1980’s ‘Soldier’], touring America and Europe.”
For years it was falsely reported – due to Malcolm McLaren telling a porky to NME – that you just had been kicked out for liking The Beatles…
“I by no means actually preferred The Beatles that a lot anyway! I preferred bands like The Small Faces and The Kinks. That’s the place I used to be coming from. The Beatles had been round after I was rising up, I preferred a few of their rockers and I believed a few of ‘em had been a bit soppy. It hasn’t performed Oasis any hurt!”
You weren’t eager on Danny Boyle’s Pistol TV biopic. Have you ever ran into Danny because you referred to as him a “cunt” due to it?
“No, I haven’t seen him since then.”
What was your subject with the present?
“I ran into Paul Weller and he mentioned: ‘Have you ever seen it? It’s Rock Follies [a ‘70s drama about a rock band], isn’t it?’ [Rock Follies] was tacky, low-cost and naff, and that’s what I thought of Steve’s factor. I believe he’s not bought an excellent reminiscence anyway. I advised him that: ‘Steve, you’ve bought a stunning fucking reminiscence.’”
Did you learn Lonely Boy?
“I flicked by way of it. I’ve bought a pile of books on the aspect at dwelling from buddies and compatriots and other people I like. You come to take a look at ‘em and also you assume: ‘I’ll learn ‘em after I’m within the care dwelling.’”
You talked about Oasis earlier. What have you ever product of the joy round their reunion exhibits?
“In case you’re a fan, it’s comprehensible. They’ve bought a number of followers. I’ve all the time seen Oasis as a bit Standing Quo. [With Quo], to listen to one track as soon as was sufficient. It’s a bit like that with Oasis: to listen to one track as soon as is sufficient. I simply discover them sort of samey. I do know the fellows. Good blokes. I’ve gotta watch out what I say as a result of I stumble upon Noel [Gallagher] quite a bit. He lives across the nook from me. I believe Liam is unbelievable. He sings nice – he’s like Johnny Rotten however can carry a tune. He’s bought a magnetic stage character: he can simply stand there and it’s riveting. The remainder of the fellows? No. I believe they’re boring reside. I’d by no means go to see ‘em.”
Have you ever ever been to see them?
“There was a little bit of speak about me serving to them out with bass a very long time in the past – in ’95, ’96 – after which they sorted out the issue they’d with the bloke who was doing it. I bought invited to see ‘em at Earl’s Courtroom. I left. It was boring. I went once more to see ‘em in upstate New York with [Blondie’s] Clem Burke. Nah – I couldn’t wait to go.”
No likelihood of you filling in on bass for them subsequent yr, then…
“The rationale they didn’t need me within the first place is as a result of they needed somebody who’d stand nonetheless. Alan McGee requested me. So I went to see ‘em and I believed: the very last thing they want is another person standing nonetheless.”
Anything you’d prefer to get off your chest, Glen?
“Oranges aren’t the one fruit; Intercourse Pistols aren’t the one arrow in my quiver. When you’ve written two or three fairly good, well-respected songs around the world, it doesn’t imply you’ll be able to’t write one other one. So give us a break, come down, test it out. It’s an awesome reside present. Everyone goes dwelling buzzing. We’re good!”
The Glen Matlock Ban’s tour rolls into Stereo in Glasgow tonight (Sunday November 24) earlier than he performs. Hill on Tuesday November 27, Docks Acacemy in Grimsby on Wednesday November 27 and London’s Dingwalls on Saturday November 30.
Intercourse Pistols That includes Frank Carter are on account of carry out at Obtain Competition subsequent yr, in addition to showing at Glasgow Summer time Periods on Saturday June 21 and Dreamland Margate on Saturday August 23. Visit here for tickets and extra data.