Sex Pistols' Glen Matlock feels "shafted" over Pistol series

11 April 2023, 15:01

Glen Matlock talks Sex Pistols series PISTOL — Glen Matlock has talked about the Sex Pistols series PISTOL. Picture: 1. Ian Dickson/Redferns/Getty 2. FX/Disney+

By Jenny Mensah

The bassist of the legendary punk band has revealed he was "very disappointed" in the Danny Boyle-directed TV series.

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Glen Matlock was “very disappointed” with the Pistol television series and felt he was "shafted" by its show runners.

The Danny Boyle-directed TV series - which starred Anson Boon as Johnny Rotten, Louis Partridge as Sid Vicious, Jacob Slater as Paul Cook and Christian Lees as Glen Matlock - was based on guitarist Steve Jones’ memoir Lonely Boy: Tales From A Sex Pistol and premiered on 31st May 2022.

Matlock was among some of the band's former members to be consulted over the FX and Disney+ series, but in a new interview, the bassist has said: "[I was] very disappointed in it, actually, considering I had meetings with Danny Boyle about it.”

He added: “I’m not disappointed that it came out, and I thought it was important that it went ahead because it was based on Steve’s story and take on things. And he was the guy that formed the band — not John [Lydon], Steve.

"John was the last one in the band… But my portrayal, and particularly my leaving the band — I left the band; I was not sacked. That whole episode where Steve sacked [me] is just bollocks.”

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The 66-year-old rocker argued that the series should have been more factual, and "gritty," but added that the director very much knows his feelings about it.

“I just think it should have been more truthful,” added Matlock. “And I think the real story is more gritty… And I met Danny Boyle again in Los Angeles after it had come out and I had [attended] a private screening. [He said], ‘Hey, Glen, how are you doing?’ [And I said], ‘Danny, you’re a c***.’ So he knows where I’m coming from on it.”

Asked if he had any involvement or input in the show, Matlock confirms he had meetings with Boyle, which he claims were ignored. He added that he was left "embarrassed" by the the portrayal of himself.

At the beginning, I had some meetings with Danny in particular and the production team," he explained. "And thought it had all been ironed out. But then I was ignored. So, I’m not happy. I feel shafted."

He went on: “I went to see it with my son Louis, and I was a bit embarrassed, really. Louis sort of quite astutely said, ‘The thing is I know you did this, that and the other, and I also know this about Steve,’ he said, ‘but you and Paul just come across like two-dimensional characters; there’s no background [or information about] your family and all that.’

“A bit of that could have been in there and [they could] have fleshed things out a little bit more. And [Danny] can say, ‘Well, there’s no time for all that in there.’ Well, there was a whole episode on Chrissie Hynde not getting married to Steve, which took up an hour of everybody’s lives, which never happened.”

Former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon, who'd been left out of discussions entirely, was also critical of the series calling it "middle class fantasy".

A statement on his official website, johnlydon.com reads: "We were originally led to believe “Pistol” was a Steve Jones story, not a Sex Pistols story. Going by the trailer it doesn’t seem to be the case. John’s “likeness” is clearly being used to sell this series, a series he was not involved in, and was put together behind his back. Putting words in John’s mouth and rewriting history. A middle class fantasy.

"Disney have stolen the past and created a fairytale, which bears little resemblance to the truth."

It adds: "It would be funny if it wasn’t tragic."

Watch the trailer for Pistol below: