Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock has taken a swing at the “weird” corner of punk that’s been cosying up to Donald Trump, while also giving props to Kneecap for keeping that boundary pushing spirit alive.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today, Matlock looked back on punk’s origins, saying Sex Pistols were born out of being “fed up with what was going on musically at the time”.
He also drew a line between the chaos of the band’s early days and the current political climate, noting both eras have seen “the rise of the far-right”.
“There was a lot going on, as [there] is today”, Matlock said, adding: “I think we were trying to navigate our way through that, somehow, and have a laugh, stir things up a little bit.”
As reported by NME Matlock sounded genuinely baffled by how some punks have ended up backing right wing politics, especially as John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) has publicly praised Trump before, even calling him “the Sex Pistols of politics”.
“There’s a lot of stuff these days I don’t understand about punk myself,” Matlock said. “But also a lot of punk have got the wrong end of the stick, and maybe some progenitors of it did as well.”
“It is kind of weird these days. I’m constantly surprised by how many punks I see on my Facebook that are pro-Trump. It’s a bit weird,” he added.
Rebellious music still exists
Asked whether rebellious guitar music still exists, Matlock said yes, but reckons the industry’s become good at locking the truly sharp stuff out.
“I think the problem is that the media and the record companies have had so much practice over the years, shutting things out that are pushing [the boundaries] a little bit,” he said. “And I think it’s become quite vacuous what we do get to hear on the radio.”
Kneecap responded bluntly, calling Matlock “way fucking sounder than Johnny Rotten”.
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