Glen Matlock says he finds it “weird” that punks support Donald Trump
Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock has admitted that he finds it “weird” that members of the punk community have embraced Donald Trump.
During an appearance on the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 on January 19th, Matlock looked back at the origins of his band, reflecting, “We were fed up with what was going on musically at the time,” which inspired the Sex Pistols to kick out against the musical establishment.
Matlock then added of the political atmosphere of the time, “There was a lot going on, as is today, plus ça change with the rise of the far-right, and I think, we were trying to navigate our way through that, somehow, and have a laugh, stir things up a little bit.”
When asked by host Amol Rajan whether punks are “misunderstood”, Matlock admitted to finding the current trend of punks supporting right-wing politicians confusing to him.
He said, “There’s a lot of stuff these days I don’t understand about punk myself. It became a very broad church, a long way from the Sex Pistols to the Talking Heads and from The Slits to the Dolly Mixture or something like that, musically. But also a lot of punks got the wrong end of the stick, and maybe some progenitors of it did as well.”
Matlock continued, “It is kind of weird these days. I’m constantly surprised by how many punks I see on my Facebook thing that are pro-Trump. It’s a bit weird”.
Later on, during the same interview, Rajan probed Matlock about whether “rebellious guitar music” still exists today, to which he replied, “I think it is,” before saying that his two sons “are having a go at doing it”.
Matlock continued, “I think the problem is that the media and the record companies have had so much practice over the years and shutting things out that are kind of pushing it a little bit, and I think it’s become quite vacuous what we do get to hear on the radio.”
He then praised Kneecap, adding, “Not all the time, but a few people do come through, even like the Kneecap people, whatever you feel about them, at least they are pushing it.”
In contrast, Matlock’s former bandmate John Lydon has spoken about his “love” for Donald Trump during an interview with Far Out in 2023, and even labelled him as “the Sex Pistols of politics”.
Another area of disagreement between Matlock and Lydon is Kneecap, who the former Sex Pistols singer said “need a bloody good kneecapping” during an interview on Good Morning Britain last year.
Meanwhile, Matlock is set to head back on the road with the Sex Pistols this summer. The new look line-up, featuring Frank Carter on vocals, will play a series of special outdoor shows in the UK to celebrate the 50th anniversary of punk.
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