Matlock, Phantom & Slick

The result is Matlock, Phantom & Slick, a trio of legendary musicians set to serve equal portions of anarchy, glam and rockabilly on their upcoming Australian tour. The band – Glen Matlock on bass and vocals, Earl Slick on guitar and Slim Jim Phantom on drums – has been a going concern for around two years, and while former Sex Pistol Matlock is keen to talk about a range of subjects, the band’s live playlist is another matter.

“I’m not going to tell you,” he laughs. “It’s a bit like telling the punchline of a joke too soon. Not that it’s a joke, but you’ve got to have some surprises. But there are certain songs [to be expected]; if I went to see the sadly deceased David Bowie and he hadn’t done ‘Heroes’, I’d be going home disappointed. So we all know there are certain songs people expect to hear, and I’m sure you can work out which ones they might be. We do songs from all of our careers. That’s fair enough, innit?”

Refreshingly humble for a co-writer of what is often considered one of the most influential rock albums of all time in Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols, Matlock is keener to talk about the future than his illustrious, if short-lived, punk past.

“We’ve actually got an album in the can of mainly my material,” he says. “We did it about a year ago and have been talking to people about getting it out. We went to a studio in Upstate New York with this guy Mario McNulty who engineered the Bowie album before the one that’s just come out. It’s cracking stuff and I’m proud of it. We do a cover version of ‘Montague Terrace (In Blue)’ by Scott Walker, believe it or not, and Jim plays kettle drums on it. You’ll have to hear it to understand where we’re coming from. It’s hard to describe your own music. The record business is quite different now; everybody is chasing the latest 17-year-old they think are going to be the new Beatles, but invariably aren’t.”

Having played their individual parts in many important moments in rock history, Matlock, Slick and Phantom have direct connections to both the recently departed Bowie and Lemmy Kilmister – a possible hint at that live setlist.

“I knew both of them,” Matlock says. “I was fortunate to meet Bowie quite a few times and I got on really well with him. He sought other people’s opinions and listened to what you had to say and took it on board. But he was a laugh as well, you know? Lemmy I’ve known for years. He used to knock around with all the punks not long after he’d left Hawkwind and was trying to get Motörhead together. The last time I played in the States with the Pistols at the Whisky A Go Go he came backstage to say hi and everybody had a lot of time for him.”

While all four founding members of the Sex Pistols are very much alive and kicking, hope remains for another reunion tour. “[There’s nothing] I know of as yet, but never say never,” Matlock says. “It’s the beginning of 40 years of punk this year, but also 40 years of the Sex Pistols, if you want to hang it on something. It’s down to John [Lydon]’s whims quite a bit, but I know my bank manager would be happy.”

Matlock was famously dumped from the Pistols in 1977 in favour of the chronically untalented Sid Vicious. Claims by manager Malcolm McLaren that the reason was “for liking the Beatles” have been repeatedly refuted over the years.

“That was bollocks for a start,” says Matlock. “It was just something McLaren said. I left because John could be really hard work. When you’re 19 going on 20, you don’t always see the wood for the trees. When we reformed in ’96 I felt vindicated, because of all the people in the world they could have asked, they asked me again, so they possibly came round to my way of thinking a little bit more.”

When it is suggested he might not have been given fair dues for his songwriting contributions to the Sex Pistols, Matlock shrugs it off with characteristic humility and humour.

“I think I’ve managed to claw a bit of that back now,” he says. “I think people have [recognised] my contribution to the band. But I don’t wake up in the morning thinking about how I used to be in the Sex Pistols. There are lots of things to do in life. The phone always rings with interesting projects and invitations to go and do this, that and the other. The only time I think about the past is when [journalists] ask me about it, you know what I mean? So ner-ner ner-ner-ner [laughs].”

Dubbed the Men Of No Shame Tour, the upcoming run of shows will see the band perform seven times along the east coast, with a pre-show Q&A session giving the audience a chance to verbally prod their hosts.

“I would rather have called it the Tough Cookies Tour because that’s what we are,” Matlock says. “[The Q&A] is something the promoter dreamed up, but I’m used to it. I’ve done similar things at the Edinburgh Festival; playing acoustic shows, telling stories and inviting questions. That was during the show, but before the show will be a bit different, because you’re usually worried about where you left your eyeliner, you know? I’m a big boy and I can deal with it.”