So you left and formed Rich Kids with Midge Ure? Rich Kids – (L-R) Midge Ure, Rusty Egan, Glen Matlock and Steve New All the record companies were chasing us trying to get a slice of punk rock. I got approached by a guy called Mike Thorne, he’s still a big friend of mine, he was the junior A&R guy at EMI and he said: ‘Look, can I take you out for a curry?’ I said: ‘Who’s paying?’ and he said: ‘EMI’ and I went “Oh all right then!” He said: ‘Listen, we know there’s a problem between you and John in the band and as a record company and a friend we hope you sort it out, but if you don’t, both myself and EMI would be more than interested in anything you come up with.’ I was having so many rucks with John at that time, I thought to myself this is more trouble than it’s worth.
Yes it was – it seemed like quite a good idea at the time and to be honest I didn’t stop. When you left the Pistols was it a relief to get off that rollercoaster? Steve wrote Lazy Sod that was his idea originally, Pretty Vacant was my song, Submission me and John both wrote the words together and I worked out the music and then Steve and Paul both put their stamp on it. To me Steve was really the spirit of the Sex Pistols and when we found John he could put that spirit into words. Steve was like a character out of Jean Genet book – he was a real livewire scoundrel, unabashedly so. Chris Musto – and that’s when we went on the lookout for a singer and found John. I’m playing a residency at a place called Boisdale in Canary Wharf 30, 31 July and 1,2,3 of August and Earl’s going to come over and play, so that’ll be pretty cool. I said: ‘Any ideas for a guitarist?’ and he said: ‘Well how about Slick?’ I said I knew him and he said: ‘Well he’s a big buddy of mine!’ So that worked out okay. I was with Slim Jim and I told him I’d like to record in America, so it sounds a bit different. I’ve done a couple of little things with Earl, I had a little project with him and Clem Burke ( Blondie) that nothing really happened on, but we kept in touch. If I want to play punk music I’ll do it with The Sex Pistols. What I’ve been trying to do with this album is put a band together and instead of just doing the punk thing – just do something different.
It’s an album I’m kinda pleased with, songs I’ve been writing for the past few years. It’s some stuff that I recorded a year and a half, two years ago, in upstate New York with some mates of mine – Slim Jim Phantom from the Stray Cats on drums, Earl Slick on guitar – and it’s a bit of a departure for me. So Glen, tell us about the new album Good To Go A Teenage Sex Pistol – Matlock (2nd left) with Lydon, Jones and Cook I caught up with him as he prepared to do his bit to make the world a safer place by performing at a peace festival in the demilitarised zone on the border between North and South Korea. To celebrate the release of Good To Go he’ll be playing a five-night residency in London, starting on July 30. Now he’s back with a new band, featuring David Bowie sideman Earl Slick on guitar and a new album collection, with songs ranging from swampy blues-rock to skiffle and rockabilly. He’s twice revived Rich Kids for one-off shows and released an autobiography I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol, along with several solo albums with backing group The Philistines. The short-lived group made one Mick Ronson-produced album, Ghosts of Princes in Towers, after which Matlock toured with Iggy Pop and played bass on his Soldier album.Ī tireless live performer, he’s had stints in numerous bands including his beloved Faces, and hooked up with his old partners in crime on three Pistols reunion tours. He went straight on to form power pop quartet Rich Kids in 1977, sharing lead vocals with a pre- Ultravox Midge Ure.
Replaced by Sid Vicious – so the legend goes – for the heinous crime of “liking The Beatles“, Matlock has been arguably the busiest of the ex-Pistols ever since. No sooner had I finished recounting the exploits of John Lydon and Paul Cook at Camden Rocks, than I got the chance to have a chat with Glen Matlock ahead of the release of his new solo album Good To Go. Sex Pistols – you go years without encountering one – and then three come along at once.
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