INTERVIEW: Steve Jones of Sex Pistols
Photo Credit: Jim Dyson
Interview by Gabriella Knapp
On Wednesday, WTBU’s Fenway Frequencies had the privilege of hosting Steve Jones, co-founder of the Sex Pistols, live on air. Jones spoke about the band’s current tour, “Anarchy in the UK / 50 Years of Punk,” their history and how his career has changed since punk rocks rise to prominence in the 1970s.
Gabriella Knapp (GK): You are listening to Fenway Frequencies on WTBU, the beat of Boston University. Today we’re here with Steve Jones, co-founder and guitarist of the punk rock band, Sex Pistols. The band is celebrating 50 years of “Anarchy in the UK” with a North American tour that just kicked off last Friday with Jones, Paul Cook, Glen Matlock, and Frank Carter on vocals. They’re playing at the Royale right here in Boston next Monday with Bad Nerves as the opener. Steve, thank you for joining us.
Steve Jones (SJ): I like the way you said Mattlock. You said Mattcock.
GK: Did I?
SJ: Maybe he should change his name today. It sounds better.
GK: Sure. I like that version. Okay, so you guys just started off your North American tour last Friday. How’s it going so far?
SJ: It’s good. We were doing Europe before we came to the States, and that was very successful. I wasn’t sure how we were going to be received in the States, but it’s been good. We actually just did three shows in Canada: Ottawa, Toronto, and Montreal. And it was great, especially Montreal, the one we did yesterday. We started in Dallas and played this famous place from back in the day called the Longhorn Ballroom, and that was a great show. We did three shows in Houston and another cowboy place, but it was so bloody hot. It was like 200 degrees, and we were all jet-lagged. But now we’re kind of coming down, and it’s good. I can’t wait to play Philadelphia and Boston and a festival in a couple of days in Brooklyn.
GK: Yeah, you guys got a packed list. How are the crowds and energy of this tour compared to the chaos of the 1970s punk rock scene? Is it a similar vibe with the modern crowds, or what’s your opinion?
SJ: Yeah, it’s mixed. There’s young and old. We do get a lot of old guys who like making a mosh pit; they’re not going as fast as they used to, but they’re definitely getting involved, and everyone’s having a great time for sure.
GK: Yeah, that’s good to hear. I feel a lot of people have issues with modern concertgoers, and they say it’s just not what it used to be. So, would you agree?
SJ: Well, I don’t go out. I don’t really see a lot of bands. But when we play, people sing along because they know the album. The album’s been out for 50 years. So if you’re coming to see the Sex Pistols, you know what songs you’re going to hear. You know what I mean? No, it’s great. It really is. In New York right now, hanging out. Just got here. Drove here on the bus from Montreal overnight. It doesn’t get any easier the older you get. Let me tell you that I’m 71 now. So…
GK: Yeah, I mean, how has your relationship with your old songs and music changed now that you’re a little bit older, maybe, and you’re breathing new life into these songs on stage?
SJ: Well, we’re trying to keep it pretty much original, the same way we did it back in the day, maybe a hair slower. But we got a younger singer now. We got Frank Carter. He’s a mere 41, but he’s got a bundle of energy and brings a lot to the table because he gets out into the crowd, instigates the mosh pits, and he’s great. The rest of us, Paul Cook and Glen “Matcock,” we just kind of do, you know. I just wanted to say that name again. Yeah, no, it’s good. It is. We’re not 20. Obviously, it ain’t going to be identical, but we do a pretty good job. It’s pretty powerful still.
GK: Yeah, I’ve noticed Frank Carter’s energy. I think that it’s super awesome that you guys are back on the road. I was wondering who kind of championed that idea. Who was like, we have to go back and do a revival. Like, where was the driving force behind that?
SJ: Well, originally, we’ve been doing it basically now for almost three years, and long story short, me and well, I’ll give you a not so long in the middle story. Me and Paul Cook, the drummer, we were playing with Billy Idol and a guy called Tony James, who was the bass player in Generation X. So me and Cookie, the drummer, we put a band together and called ourselves Generation Sex. We would play Generation Sex songs and Sex Pistols songs, and we did that. We did a bunch of shows. We played some festivals, and then Billy had to do his own thing. And we thought, why don’t we just get another singer and just do Sex Pistols songs? That’s how it came about. And Glen, his son Louis, he knew of Frank. I didn’t know Frank. He said he’d be a good singer, and we literally tried him out. We didn’t have to audition anyone else. It just made sense. And so we did three shows at this club in London to see if it worked. The only way to tell is if you do it in front of an audience and it works. And we are just having fun. If it weren’t fun, we wouldn’t be doing it.
GK: Yeah, of course. So, for you, did those performances with Billy Idol influence your playing in any way? Have you changed some of your musical influences? How has your personal playing changed?
SJ: Well, I’ve always liked all different kinds of music. My genre was wide. If I like the song, I don’t care what genre it is. It’s just something that you connect with. You know, one minute I’d be listening to Otis Redding, and then I would be listening to Hawkwind. It’s really a big span. But I mean, I’m playing it a bit slicker than I used to be when I was 20, when I’d only been playing guitar for three months. But I’m limited. I don’t like twiddly twiddly guitars. I like just basically chords and a little bit of bleed. That’s it. But I do it good.
GK: Yeah, I would say good is a little bit of an understatement, because you guys are keeping busy. You guys have a lot of shows up ahead. Do you think once this tour wraps up, you see this version of Sex Pistols continuing, or is this just a strict, like, limited celebration? Are you ready to keep playing for a long time?
SJ: I’ll be glad when this leg’s over in the States. But then we’ve got a few shows in Christmas time in England again. We’ve got about 10 more shows: Ireland, Scotland, England, and we’re going to end where we grew up in a place called Hammersmith, West London, and then we’re done, and we don’t know what’s coming next. I think Frank wants to do his band Gallows next year, and we’ll see. We’ll see what happens.
GK: Do you have any projects on your radar other than this?
SJ: There’s going to be a play on my book with the Royal Shakespeare in England, and I’ve re-released my book “Lonely Boy: Tales of the Sex Pistols.” That was out a few years ago, but a new book company, Penguin, decided to re-release it, and I got a foreword by Noel Gallagher. So there’s a few things going on. You can see the book if you go onto my Instagram, Jonesy’s Jukebox.
GK: Yes, Jonesy’s Jukebox. Is that the name of a radio podcast you used to have?
SJ: Yeah, I did it for many years. It was actually on the radio for many years as well. I didn’t really do a lot of podcasts. Every Tom, Dick and Harry’s got a podcast. I think you’re just drowned in a sea of a million podcasts. So when it was on the radio, I could play music as well, live, all live, of course.
GK: Yeah, that’s awesome. We’re trying to get more live music into our little college studio right now. I was wondering, do you have any fun memories of Boston from back in the day? From any old shows you were playing?
SJ: Oh man, no, I don’t. Actually… actually, hang on. I had another band called the Neurotic Outsiders, which was me, John Taylor from Duran Duran, Duff McKagan from Guns N’ Roses, and Matt Sorum from Guns N’ Roses. We actually had a record deal, and I remember we played in Boston, and there were a lot of faces there. Stephen Tyler was there, and Billy Idol was there. That’s all I remember. I don’t remember the club. It wasn’t a big place, and I remember it was very humid when we were there.
GK: Sounds like Boston! On this tour, what are you most excited to play? What songs are you excited to revive?
SJ: I don’t know. They’re all good. Some of them less than others, but we only have one album, so you’ve got to pretty much stick to all of it. You know, you can’t chop and change. We do a couple of covers as well, but it’s a lot of fun, and we play for an hour, 75 minutes if you’re lucky. I actually prefer that if I ever do go out to see bands, I don’t want to be there for three hours. I’m bored out of my brain. An hour’s perfect for me, so I’m glad we’re only doing that.
GK: Yeah. Do you have any worst concert memories, worst gig memories?
SJ: Oh, I don’t know. I forget. I forget the ones that were bad.
GK: What about best memories?
SJ: Well, I must say we had a great one in Montreal. I was really shocked. I thought Toronto was going to be better, but they kicked ass in Montreal. They [the fans] really got into it, and they kept wanting more. We just didn’t have any more. It’s all about participation. Makes you play better as well. You know what I mean? Like, let’s say in Toronto, they did not dislike it, but they weren’t like going nuts either, so you kind of feed off the vibe, and we got there in the end. But on one note, I mean Montreal, they just were ready to rock, and it was so great.
GK: Yeah, that’s got to be the best feeling when you’re doing so well, you run out of things to play.
SJ: Yeah. You coming to the Show?
GK: I am actually coming to the show. We’re sending people to the show, I believe. Yeah, we’re sending a photographer.
SJ: Cool.
GK: Yeah, we’re really excited about that. After this show, after Boston, you’re headed to the CBGB festival in Brooklyn. Are you excited about that?
SJ: Yeah, because I like a bunch of the bands that are playing. I think Iggy Pop, Morrissey, I believe, is playing, and a few other bands that I like. We just had a girl band who played this little period that we’ve just done in Texas and Canada. They were really good. I’ve spaced out on their name, though.
GK: Well, what about your current openers? Bad Nerves.
SJ: That’s the ones. That’s the ones we’re talking about.
GK: Perfect.
SJ: No… no, no, no. Panic Shack. Panic Shack.
GK: Okay, perfect. I just wanted to make sure we were on the same page.
SJ: Yeah, Panic Shack is the girl band that just ended now after doing that little leg from Texas to here. There’s a few other bands that are going to be tagging along.
GK: That’s super exciting. How do you feel they’ve set you guys up? Do you think that they fit in with your crowds you normally play for?
SJ: Yeah, they go down well. This band, they’re really, really good. They were sweet. They came on and danced to our last song yesterday in Montreal. We did “Anarchy in the UK,” and they came on, and it was great.
GK: Have you felt that you are making a good impression on new fans in the punk scene? Are they coming out to your shows, and how have they responded?
SJ: They all seem to like it. It’s crazy, but yeah. I think they’re sons or daughters of the old farts, you know. Or grandkids.
GK: Absolutely, I’m sure my dad would say similar things. He’s definitely influenced my current love for music. So yeah, I can totally see that. How are you celebrating this tour? Similarly to how you used to in the ‘70s, or is it looking a little different this time around?
SJ: Oh yeah, I’m clean and sober 35 years. I have a cup of tea before I go to bed.
GK: Congratulations.
SJ: Thank you. And 25 years off cigarettes too.
GK: Oh, congratulations! It’s very impressive to see. Have you noticed that that’s been helpful in your performance and playing? I know that it’s been a few years, but…
SJ: Oh, forget about it. If I weren’t clean and sober, this wouldn’t be happening. No question about it. Do you vape?
GK: I do not vape, but I also just recently quit smoking cigarettes.
SJ: How many would you smoke in a day?
GK: Maybe I shouldn’t disclose that.
SJ: Sounds like a lot then.
GK: How many packs would you smoke a day before you quit?
SJ: Well, if I was doing heroin I’d smoke like four packs a day. At least a pack a day. I started smoking when I was 14.
GK: Do you have any tips for quitting for me specifically?
SJ: Well, I went to a hypnotist and I got to tell you, it worked. I couldn’t believe it, but it actually worked. I never tried quitting before. This was the first time I actually tried quitting because I always thought it was going to be a nightmare. You’d be climbing up the walls, but with this guy who hypnotized me, it was, yeah, it’s great. He helped my fear of flying as well.
GK: Wow, that’s impressive. What did he do? Did you fall asleep? Do you remember that experience?
SJ: Well, it’s a weird thing. He talks to you for about 20 minutes, then he says, “Okay, lie back [on] the lazy boy,” and he starts, “Okay, we’re going down. We’re going down nine, eight…” And you think you’re just going along with it, like you could open your eyes at any point, but the next thing I know, it’s over, and it’s done. I went to him for three visits, and I’m so grateful for this guy because I love not smoking.
GK: Yeah! Wow! I will take that into consideration.
SJ: His name’s Kerry Gaynor. He’s in Los Angeles. He has CDs as well. I mean, or whatever online, he’s probably got online stuff now. CDs. It sounds so old, but yeah.
GK: I’ll look into him. So you were afraid of flying as well?
SJ: Yeah. Not now. I’m good now.
GK: That’s very impressive that he healed that. Would it affect your previous tours if you didn’t want to fly?
SJ: Yeah, [it would] be complicated. Well, it wouldn’t be possible, actually.
GK: So that’s very impressive. He saved the tour. He saved this tour.
SJ: 25 years ago he did this.
GK: Wow. Is there anyone else that you would credit with making this tour happen? Anyone else that really inspired it?
SJ: No, just me.
GK: Wow, well we really appreciate you taking the time to talk to us. Thank you so much. Again, the Sex Piece Pistols featuring Frank Carter are playing at the Royale on Monday, September 28, with Bad Nerves opening. Steve, please enjoy the rest of your tour. Thank you for joining us!
SJ: You’re welcome. Stay away from cigarettes.
GK: I will.
SJ: All right love, see you later.
*This interview has been edited for clarity*