Glen Matlock

With the possible exception of Pete Best, no musician is more famous for getting kicked out of a band than Glen Matlock. In February 1977, just as the Sex Pistols were beginning their rise from cult phenomenon to a British national scandal, bassist Matlock was fired and superfan Sid Vicious was invited to take his place, even though he had no particular aptitude for the bass. History has shown sacking Matlock was a mistake -- he had a strong melodic sense, wrote the tunes to most of their best songs, and was a highly capable instrumentalist. Matlock had the chance to set the record straight when the Sex Pistols staged an international reunion tour in 1996, but by that time he was nearly two decades into a journeyman's career that saw him lead groups like the Rich Kids, the Philistines, and Dead Men Walking; serve as backing musician for Iggy Pop, Ian Hunter, and Frank Black; pen his memoirs, and record and tour as a solo act. Matlock has shown he has a knack for strong, straightforward rock & roll in the classic British style in the manner of the Faces, no coincidence as he would later perform in a latter-day version of that iconic group. In the 2020s, Matlock was busier than ever, hitting the road as a member of Blondie and releasing his sixth solo LP, 2023's politically charged Consequences Coming. Glen Matlock was born in London, England on August 27, 1956. A former student at the St. Martin's School of Art, Matlock was working at Sex, a boutique dealing in latex and leather items, bondage wear, and purposefully confrontational designs, when in 1974 the manager, Malcolm McLaren, introduced him to Paul Cook and Steve Jones, two aspiring musicians who wanted to form a group, with McLaren managing. The embryonic trio would evolve into the Sex Pistols, with Matlock playing bass and writing the majority of their tunes, while vocalist John Lydon (aka Johnny Rotten) penned the lyrics. In November 1975, the Sex Pistols made their public debut, and a February 1976 gig where they opened for Eddie & the Hot Rods earned them a review in New Musical Express that made music fans take notice. Thanks in large part to McLaren's knack for creating outrage, the Sex Pistols' elemental and powerful music, paired with their venomous lyrics, made them the de facto leaders of a new underground music scene that was dubbed punk rock. Matlock was on hand to record their debut single for EMI, "Anarchy in the U.K.," which was released in November 1976, and he was there when the Sex Pistols were interviewed on live television in December 1976. When host Bill Grundy asked Steve Jones to say something outrageous, he replied with several F-bombs that made them the enemies of the tabloid press overnight. (The fact Matlock, earlier in the interview, when asked about the group's recording advance, replied "We've f–kin' spent it, ain't we?" escaped with little notice.) The Sex Pistols' sudden infamy heightened tensions within the group, with Rotten making no secret of his dislike of Matlock, and in February 1977, he was fired, though some sources claimed he was brought in to play some of the basslines of the band's album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, since new bassist Sid Vicious wasn't up to the challenge. Matlock landed on his feet, forming a new group called the Rich Kids with guitarist Stella Nova, drummer Rusty Egan, and vocalist Midge Ure. EMI quickly signed the Rich Kids, and their debut, Ghosts of Princes in Towers, arrived in August 1978. The album leaned toward clever new wave-styled pop rather than punk, and while the title track enjoyed some success as a single, the album fizzled in the market place and they broke up within a year. After playing a one-off show with Sid Vicious in the ad hoc band the Vicious White Kids, Matlock and Nova were recruited to join Iggy Pop's road band, touring with the proto-punk hero in 1979. Matlock played bass on Pop's 1980 album Soldier and co-wrote four of the songs. Matlock next formed the Spectres, which also featured former Tom Robinson Band guitarist Danny Kustow. The Spectres recorded a pair of singles for Demon Records before they splintered. His next project, Hot Club, included guitarist James Stevenson, who would later play in Gene Loves Jezebel and the Alarm; they cut a pair of singles for RAK, issued in 1982 and 1983. In 1984, Matlock joined the group London Cowboys, featuring Steve Dior and Barry Jones of the Idols, appearing on their album Tall in the Saddle, and he spent some time in Johnny Thunders' road band, with some of his work appearing on the 1990 compilation Bootlegging the Bootleggers. In 1990, Matlock allowed fans to hear his side of the story of his life in music with his autobiography I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol, co-authored by Peter Silverton. He sat in as bassist on Ian Hunter's 1994 album Ian Hunter's Dirty Laundry, and a collaboration between Dave Vanian and Rat Scabies led to a studio reunion of the Damned, with Matlock appearing on the sessions that surfaced in 1996 as Not of this Earth (aka I'm Alright Jack and the Beanstalk). In 1996, Matlock also landed a deal with Creation Records and recorded his first solo album, Who's He Think He Is When He's at Home? Though the album was warmly received by critics, it was lost in the shuffle when, shortly after its release, the Sex Pistols announced they were reuniting for an international concert tour, with Matlock burying the hatchet with bandmates John Lydon, Steve Jones, and Paul Cook for the six-month trek. One of the first dates of the tour was a massive outdoor concert in London's Finsbury Park; the show was recorded and was in shops only weeks later under the title Filthy Lucre Live. The Sex Pistols would stage additional reunion tours in 2002, 2003, 2007, and 2008 before retiring the act. In 1997, Matlock sat in with Creation Records act 18 Wheeler for a pair of singles, and contributed to the sessions for Primal Scream's album Vanishing Point. 2000 saw the debut album from Matlock's next project, Glen Matlock & the Philistines, Open Mind appear. The lineup included Stella Nova, Terry Edwards, Chris Musto, and David Donley, and former Clash guitarist Mick Jones appeared on two cuts. The Philistines would release two more albums, On Something (2004) and Born Running (2010), while the compilation Rattle Your Cage: The Best Of came in 2013. Matlock also worked for a while with the Flying Padovanis, featuring original Police guitarist Henry Padovani, and toured with Dead Men Walking, a loose acoustic all-star group that included Mike Peters of the Alarm, Kirk Brandon of Theatre of Hate, and Pete Wylie of Wah! Matlock also took part in yet another ad hoc band, the Slinky Vagabonds, alongside veteran guitarist Earl Slick, Blondie drummer Clem Burke, and musician and fashion designer Keanan Duffty. The Rich Kids staged a one-night-only reunion show in January 2010, a benefit to aid Stella Nova, who had been diagnosed with cancer; it was one of Nova's final performances, as she died four months later. In 2010, the Faces staged a reunion tour featuring original members Ron Wood, Ian McLagan, and Kenney Jones, and Matlock was recruited to play bass in place of the late Ronnie Lane; Matlock would work with the band into 2011. After winding down his time with the Faces, Matlock found himself working with Clem Burke again in the International Swingers, with James Stevenson and Gary Twinn; their self-titled debut album was issued in 2015. In 2012, Matlock added acting to his résumé with his role in the British film The Paddy Lincoln Gang; in the great tradition of method acting, he played a member of the Faces. In 2013, he set out on tour with Sylvain Sylvan of the New York Dolls; the two proto-punk heroes billed the show as the Sex Dolls Tour. He set out with several other punk legends in 2017 for a tour paying tribute to the Heartbreakers' classic studio album L.A.M.F.; also in the lineup were Walter Lure of the Heartbreakers, Mike Ness of Social Distortion, and Clem Burke. Also in 2017, Matlock released an EP, Sexy Beast, that included backing from Earl Slick and former Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom; the disc featured one new original tune and covers of classics from Richard Hell, David Bowie, and Pharrell Williams. The title tune would appear on Matlock's next full-length release, 2018's Good to Go, a 12-song LP with contributions from guitar ace Chris Spedding and Neil X of Sigue Sigue Sputnik. In April 2022, when Blondie bassist Leigh Foxx was forced to drop out of their tour of North America and the United Kingdom due to an injured back, Matlock was brought into the lineup; he was kept on for shows in 2023 and recording sessions for their next album project. 2022 also saw Matlock's tenure in the Sex Pistols dramatized in the TV mini-series Pistol, based on Steve Jones' memoirs; Matlock, who was played by Christian Lees, was not impressed with the finished product, and said the portrayal of his departure from the group was inaccurate. Matlock was too busy to fret about it for long; in April 2023, he released a solo album, Consequences Coming, a set with a strong political slant as Matlock expressed his displeasure with Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, and Brexit.
© Mark Deming /TiVo