The band Steve Jones prefers to the Sex Pistols
The influence that the Sex Pistols and the punk movement in general had on the musical world cannot be understated. It showed how music can be used to speak truth to corruption and that music does not have to be inaccessible if you aren’t from a musical or wealthy family. Couldn’t afford lessons? Neither could these guys, but they were doing it, so why couldn’t you? Regardless of your opinion on the actual sound, punk needed to happen for music to progress as it did.
Of course, in the way that the Sex Pistols helped music develop, so too do our tastes evolve and change over time. That doesn’t just apply to us as listeners but to musicians themselves. As such, it won’t surprise you to hear that one of the founding members of the punk pioneering Pistols, Steve Jones, doesn’t listen to the music he was responsible for making as much as he used to.
That’s not to say that he doesn’t like it, though. He describes the punk movement in the 1970s as “an important time in music”. He also says he was “glad it happened”, noting that “It made people think … ‘Well, I can do that.’ Prior to that, living in England, you didn’t have many options.”
Interestingly, the music that Steve Jones listens to now and confesses he prefers over Sex Pistols is the complete antithesis of his former punk band. “I don’t particularly listen to punk rock anymore,” he said, “My musical tastes have changed a lot over the years, you know, and I’m 66 years old. I’m not a kid anymore. I think it would be a bit silly if I was still flying that flag… I like Steely Dan. Is that bad?”
The simplicity of the Sex Pistols music was one of the things that set the band apart from anyone else making music at the time. They opened music as an art form up to so many because their ability came from the rawness with which they played, not the complexity of what they were playing.
Steely Dan is different, as they completely immerse themselves in the complexity of music, using various effects, recording techniques and themes to write songs. Their approach to music embraces innovation so much that, for a period, they stopped touring so that they didn’t have to worry about translating what they were making into a live show. They could instead focus solely on creating something unique (and often complicated).
As Sex Pistols represent how music can develop, it’s interesting to see those responsible for its creation’s taste change as a result. Steve Jones optimises this, as the band he listens to the most now is an entirely separate entity from that which he previously made, both in their attitude towards music and their execution when making it.
