Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones has spoken to NME about the band’s upcoming show at the Royal Albert Hall for Teenage Cancer Trust, as well as Donald Trump’s America, future plans, and a scrapped writing session with Arctic Monkeys‘ Alex Turner.
The punk icons were announced today (Monday January 27) as part a week’s programming in aid of the Teenage Cancer Trust, with the annual series returning to London with the likes of The Who, The Corrs and James Arthur.
Jones, bassist Glen Matlock and drummer Paul Cook reformed to acclaim last year with former Gallows frontman Frank Carter stepping in on vocal duties in the absence of estranged singer John Lydon – aka Johnny Rotten.
The announcement of the new show coincides with news of three upcoming ‘Live In The USA 1978’ albums, which document the band’s infamous US tour when manager Malcolm McLaren had the Pistols play relatively obscure venues to largely hostile audiences.
Rotten left the group days after their notorious January 14 show at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, which would be the Pistols’ final gig until their first reformation in 1996.
Check out our full interview below, where Jones also discussed the 2022 TV biopic Pistol, which was based on his memoir, Lonely Boy; Matlock’s criticism of the show, Donald Trump’s America; and Johnny Rotten’s vocal support of the President.
NME: Hi Steve! So, the Pistols are playing the Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust…
Steve Jones: “It’s a good cause. Selfishly, I wanna do it because I’ve never even been to the Royal Albert Hall. Not even to see any other bands, which is bizarre. So I’m excited about that.”
Who knew that one day the Pistols would be welcome at the Royal Albert Hall!
“Yeah, I know, but things change, don’t they?”
Did you think the reformation with Frank would go down as well as it did?
“None of us knew. Frank was the first singer we [tried], because me, Cookie and Glen wanted to play. It just worked straight away. He’s a lot younger than us. He’s 40, so he has all that energy and us old farts can just jam at the back! It was so much fun and people loved it, and I loved looking at people loving it.
“I was ready to throw it in, touring and all that. I couldn’t care less. But with Frank, it just made it easy. We all get along. There’s no aggro. It’s just fun!”
Were you worried that some would say it’s sacrilege?
“John ain’t interested in doing it. You think you’re gonna get a negative thing by doing [it without him], but I’m surprised. There was no backlash whatsoever. There was a few die-hards on Instagram, but they hadn’t even seen us. They just can’t see it without John, which I get, but even the ones that came out of curiosity were into it after a couple of songs.”
Love for the Pistols just keeps coming, generation after generation. Are you surprised by that?
“There was a phase there in the early and middle ‘80s where you go into favour and come out of favour, but it seems that these days it’s there all the time. I used to go to [London New Romantic club] The Blitz and was totally out of favour then. I was, like, invisible. I’m like: ‘Oh, that’s nice!’
“That’s when me and Cookie were doing [their post-Pistols band] The Professionals, but the truth was: I was just out of it on junk. I was well addicted. You can’t function like that and do anything positive. I was in no good place after the Pistols, that’s for sure. I just wanted to check out.”
In your book, you describe that as a coping mechanism…
“Don’t forget: we were, like 21, 22. I never did any dope, really, in the Pistols. I just would drink and do blow and speed and stuff. It was only when I started doing the heroin that it went downhill.”
In the book, you also recall the difficulty of touring with John in 2008. He came on your radio show Jonesy’s Jukebox in 2006, though, and the atmosphere was very warm…
“Yeah, it was a good one. I had a lot of fun with him. I like John. He’s a funny guy; he’s got a great sense of humour and he’s sharp. It just kind of ran its course, that whole relationship. I wish him well. He’s going out this year, doing PiL again, and I hope he does well. I know he must be in a weird place, losing his wife and his best mate [Lydon’s wife Nora Forster and long-time friend and manager John “Rambo” Stevens died in 2023].”
You recently said you haven’t spoken to him since that tour in 2008. Do you think you might get in touch again?
“Who knows? You never know…”
Is there any chance of new Pistols material with Frank?
“I think if you do anything new and you’re playing it live, that’s when people go and get a drink. When was the last time you heard a good Rolling Stones song?”
Their recent album, ‘Hackney Diamonds’, was pretty good…
“Yeah, it’s OK, but it’s not bleedin’… some of the classics. I think you really have a window when you’re young, where you’re really creative and you’re on the ball. When you’re older, I think it runs out. I could be wrong!”
Three live albums from the ’78 US tour are due for release. Were you pissed off that McLaren booked you into such hostile venues back then?
“No, I’ve always been very fond of Malcolm. I wouldn’t say he took me under his wing, but he showed me another… I was just a Herbert who lived in a council flat prior to that. I loved music and I love avant-garde shit, so I was drawn to him. He would take me to these posh parties and we’d go down the speakeasies. This is when I was about 18. I felt really close to him.
“As far as what you’re saying: I totally get it, not playing the usual rock’n’roll places. But it was no fun doing ‘em, that’s for sure, especially in Dallas and San Antonio, where most people came out of curiosity ‘cause of all the bad and good publicity that we were getting in the States. It was all the old ‘We bite the heads off of chickens!’ routine. So a lot of people come with their backs up and was fucking throwing so much crap at us, it was kind of scary.”
That’s why we thought you might hold it against him!
“No, I know. At this point, though, it was such a mess. By the end of that, I’m like: ‘I’ve had enough of this.’ After the Winterland, that’s when me and Cookie went to Brazil and did The Great Rock’n’roll Swindle [mockumentary], which I wanted to do to get away from John and Sid [Vicious, who replaced Matlock on bass in 1977] and all that. It was just too chaotic. In hindsight, we were young. I didn’t know what I was doing. I basically just wanted to run and get away from it. Brazil sounded like a good place to be. Everyone left; I stayed there for a couple more weeks by myself.”
Did that help you decompress?
“Well, I will tell you something: the blow was unbelievable!”
Does it feel weird that that tour is being celebrated by these new releases?
“No, I don’t care. I’ll probably never listen to ‘em.”
Do you think you might go back to the States with this current version of the Pistols?
“We are!”
Blimey! That’s yet not been announced…
“Yeah, but no one knows where we’re playing.”
Tell us more!
“I don’t wanna put my foot in it! I’m excited. I know the dates, so I know it’s gonna be good…”
Pistol, directed by Danny Boyle, was hugely successful in introducing the band to a new generation…
“90 per cent of it, I thought was great. There was a few things… You’re never gonna be completely happy if it’s based on your book. There’s stupid stuff like my guitar. I would have gladly given ‘em my guitar; they’ve got some two-bob one that looks like it’s from Woolworths! But whenever anyone does any rock’n’roll stuff, they always get it a little bit wrong. Don’t get me wrong, though: Danny Boyle captured the mid-’70s timeline.”
Glen has been a bit dismissive of the show, mind…
“He’s got a thing about how he was portrayed in it: ‘Was he fired or did he leave?’ That was a big thorn in his side with Danny. There’s quite a lot of Sid in it, too, so that probably bugs him. But you can’t avoid that: Sid was in the band for a little bit. And he’s iconic, Sid, whether you like him or not. Him and John standing together was a vision. You couldn’t beat it. With the girlfriend [Nancy Spungen] dying, it’s one of them rock’n’roll classics.”
You don’t seem to mind Glen slagging it off…
“Everyone’s got their opinion. It is what it is. I’ve been sober 34 years now and I just come to a point where it’s not worth getting into petty beefs, you know?”
You appeared in the video for Arctic Monkeys’ ‘R U Mine’ in 2012…
“I’m a fan of Alex – Mr. Turner – and I think he’s very talented. He’s a great songwriter. We hung out a few times. He was into motorbikes at the time – this is when he was doing the thing in the desert with Josh Homme [in the late 2000s]. He’s got a good, sarcastic sense of humour and he looks great, too. He’s a cool dude. I like the fact that he’s maturing. A lot of the original fans probably hate it because it might be too mellow or whatever, like on that hotel in space album [‘Tranquillity Base Hotel & Casino’].”
Have you stayed in touch over the years?
“He’s abandoned me! He wanted to get together and write – five, six, seven years ago. I was sick when he wanted to get together. He was with Miles Kane and we were just gonna go over to his place, get together with some acoustics and fart around. We also did a [Jonesy’s Jukebox] show live from London and him and Miles come on. I got [‘70s glam rocker] Alvin Stardust on there as well.”
What a crew! You’ve lived in the States in the early ‘80s. What do you make of current US politics and Donald Trump’s return to power?
“I don’t get into politics, mate. I think they’re all crooks. They’re just faces, you know? I think there’s a bigger picture that’s pulling the strings, to be honest with you. I don’t get annoyed if someone likes what you think is the other side. It’s all the same. I think that’s just a mirage to make you think that what you voted for is the right way. It’s all the same old bollocks. It doesn’t matter.”
Do you ever worry that John’s Trumpism might tarnish the Pistols’ legacy?
“No, not at all. Everyone’s got a right to like whoever they wanna like. I know it’s probably not in favour, especially when John was wearing that [MAGA] t-shirt [in 2018], but I like that John stands up and don’t go along with the flow. He sticks his neck out a lot more. I can’t be bothered. I don’t want no anger from people!”
Oasis have long cited the Pistols as a key influence. Are you happy about their reunion?
“I like Noel and I like Liam. They’ve been on [my radio show] too. They were a lot of fun. I’ve seen Noel a few times when I come back to England. We went to a football game, a Champion’s League final, hanging out. I’m happy for them that they’re gonna make a few quid.”
What can we expect from the Sex Pistols with Frank Carter’s show at Royal Albert Hall for the Teenage Cancer Trust?
“It’s gonna get sweaty and you’re gonna love it. It’s entertaining, high-energy and it’s a good vibe, man. It’ll give you a buzz, which is needed these days! If you like rock’n’roll, that is…”
Sex Pistols with Franker Carter will perform at the Royal Albert Hall on Monday March 24 in aid of Teenage Cancer Trust. Tickets will be available here from 9am of Friday January 31.