Musician, singer and songwriter Glen Matlock, is one of the founding members of the Sex Pistols. He started his artistic career at Central Saint Martins on an art foundation course, and he combined his studies with jobs at Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood’s shop. He was accepted onto a degree in fine art but declined, deciding to focus on the Sex Pistols full time, instead.
Although we might think of Glen primarily as the writer of iconic punk songs such as ‘God Save the Queen’, he has also travelled the world playing with major groups as a bass guitarist. Musicians he has supported in this role include Iggy Pop, Blondie, Mick Ronson, Primal Scream and David Bowie.
Glen's approach as a composer - combining his conversational lyrics with the riffs and beats of drummer Slim Jim Phantom and guitarist Earl Slick - create an end result of sounds which convey the discord and dissonance on his first solo album ‘Good to Go’. Favourites from his song catalogue are ‘Pretty Vacant’ with the Sex Pistols, ‘Ghosts of Princes in Towers’ with Rich Kids and ‘On Something’ with The Philistines.
Glen grew up in London, which he says could be pretty grim in the 1960s. In the winter there were icicles on the inside of the windows, while outside on the line his underpants would be frozen solid. But on hot summer days, Blue Beat floated across the neighbourhood.
Glen sees punk as an attitude that does not, necessarily, require the wearing of bondage trousers. Glad that music strengthens protest movements, he has been known to stand up to politicians who do not understand the soft power British bands deliver around the world.