Throughout his life, Glen Matlock has been closely linked to the Sex Pistols.

However, the captivating documentary I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol showcases that the iconic bassist has enjoyed multiple careers, including time with a reunited version of the Faces (his musical idols) and a fruitful series of solo releases. His narrative extends well beyond the brief existence of the ’70s band that helped ignite many future generations of musicians within the groundbreaking punk movement.

In a recent discussion with UCR, Matlock shared insights about his involvement in the film, now available on Apple TV. He also reflects on his history with the punk legends and expresses his satisfaction with their current resurgence, collaborating with vocalist Frank Carter.

You can listen to our full conversation with Glen on all podcast platforms, and excerpts from the interview are included below.

I enjoyed this new film, and I really liked your book. What was it like to adapt it into a movie?
They had to pin me down. When I wrote a book years ago, I thought it provided a slightly different perspective on the same old story that keeps resurfacing and was more about my side of things [that was one thing]. However, having something filmed about you feels quite strange, you know? They kept sending me edits and everything.

I kept delaying watching it because it felt like watching a horror movie as a child, curled up on the sofa. Eventually, I thought, “Actually, it’s pretty good.” It is what it is, really. I’m happy with the response. It premiered in England and Europe a few months ago, and I’ve received quite positive feedback from it. That’s encouraging. We had a screening in New York that I couldn’t attend, but I’ve also heard good things about that.

How significant was it for you to revisit some of those locations? I imagine it’s been a while since you’ve been to some of them.
Well, yes and no. People often say, “Oh, Glen, you have a great memory for these things.” [But] I don’t wake up every morning thinking about my time in the Sex Pistols. Yet whenever I create a record or do something else, the Pistols come up, and I’ve never been allowed to forget that. There was an interesting interview I saw with Keith Richards where he was asked how much a pint of milk costs at the end.

He replied, “Hey man, I don’t know. I’ve been a rock star my whole life.” Well, I haven’t been a rock star my entire life, but I’ve been an ex-Sex Pistol all my life, and I haven’t been allowed to forget it. Sometimes these locations featured in the movie become relevant when there’s a film crew around; oh, let’s go there. Or I might visit the guitar store.

You know, central London is quite compact. It’s similar to being in Manhattan’s East Village; you run into people frequently. I’m not unfamiliar with those places. Although I’m not sure if it made it into the final cut of the movie originally, we began filming with [director] Nick Mead before Andre Relis got involved.

Watch the ‘I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol’ Official Trailer

We went to Paris and tracked down this venue called Chalet du Lac where we [the Sex Pistols] performed for a couple of nights [in September of 1976]. It was their version of CBGB and featured a small plaque on the wall. The venue was quite modern [back then], but now resembles an old Victorian-style cafeteria. It felt very futuristic when we played there. Walking around made me think, ‘Oh, I don’t remember it like that.’ The plaque mentioned all the notable acts that had performed there.

The Sex Pistols played there during the inauguration for Philippe Stark’s first commission as a designer. I had no idea until we visited; I met Malcolm’s friend [McLaren]. Malcolm used to frequent Paris during the ’60s and knew a fashion designer named Jean-Charles de Castelbajac [at that time]. He had spoken with Malcolm about Philippe Stark’s project for the inauguration and asked what we could do for it. That’s how we ended up in Paris. But until you actually go and experience those moments you can’t connect all those little dots from back then.

Listen to Glen Matlock on the ‘UCR Podcast’

I liked hearing you mention in the film that you eventually recognized your art as being songwriting.
I don’t know; I just believe you’re only as good as your last song idea from this morning or wherever your inspiration comes from for songs. I’ve released six solo albums over the years [that haven’t] which sold reasonably well; there’s some good material on them. What stands out is when I had an amazing riff but needed some lyrics or a catchy phrase to complement what I was starting to develop lyrically.

Feeling cold one day, I went to adjust my thermostat at home but noticed it said hot water instead of heating. That sparked an idea: “Hot water!”—and just like that, I had a great title for a song. Ideas can come from anywhere; you just have to be open to them. I appreciate what Picasso said about how he doesn’t just have good ideas through work; he finds that ideas often come when he’s engaged in work too. You have to put yourself in that mindset to be receptive to what inspiration comes your way.

Generally speaking, when did you realize that what you were doing with the Sex Pistols was groundbreaking and making an impact in creating a new scene?
Honestly, even before we played our first note. We weren’t formed by him directly, but we all came together in Malcolm McLaren’s shop; Steve [Jones] was quite the rogue in West London. Malcolm’s shop was next door to Granny Takes a Trip where both the Rolling Stones and Beatles got their outfits. It’s located in World’s End—essentially at one end of King’s Road in Chelsea.

Bryan Ferry would casually stroll by with Antony Price while Gary Glitter would be heading out as well. We used to frequent this pub [around there] where they all seemed like multimillionaires at that time. Malcolm thought they were pretentious; so did we. Even before we picked up guitars, we already had the right rock-and-roll attitude.

We emerged during a period when glam rock was fading out; David Bowie had kind of moved on or if any band from England found success they would head over to America for better financial opportunities. There wasn’t much happening [in our opinions] so we decided to take matters into our own hands and create something new when everyone else was searching for something fresh—and we happened to be that something.

Watch Glen Matlock’s Memories of Developing ‘Anarchy in the U.K.’

The moment we raised our heads [up] and waved our flag saying “Oh, this is what we’re doing”—it wasn’t even termed punk rock back then—people began rallying around us. We were hanging out at Malcolm’s shop alongside art students and fashion enthusiasts; we attracted quite a trendy crowd including [were also] figures like Billy Idol and Siouxsie from Siouxsie and the Banshees along with Jamie Reid [and other people].

We played at Chelsea School of Art even before securing our record deal; Malcolm invited one of his friends down as a potential producer but forgot to add him to the guest list so he couldn’t get in—possibly because he was being stingy—and that friend turned out to be John Cale! [Matlock chuckles] So John Cale wouldn’t pay 50 pence (about 75 cents) just to see us perform! It’s amusing.

READ MORE: Why Malcolm McLaren Couldn’t Get Glen Matlock Back in Sex Pistols

Glen, I’ve managed not to get banned throughout my life while you guys faced significant bans on grand scales. We understand how it appeared from our perspective—what did it feel like on your end?
Well, that marked essentially the beginning of our decline—you’re referring to Bill Grundy [television show], where Steve happened to be more intoxicated than usual and swore excessively during an interview. By then we were already front-page news in music publications but after that incident Steve found himself on all sorts of sensationalist daily papers’ front pages—it became an entirely different narrative.

We embarked on our Anarchy tour during which we struggled to find venues willing to host us—it became tedious traveling across England without being able to perform anywhere effectively. If we hadn’t shown up at these gigs despite censorship pressures we likely wouldn’t have secured guarantees for future shows either.

The Heartbreakers were on our tour bus along with The Clash while we burned through money from our record label advance; however tensions between John [Lydon] and me escalated so much that my time with them didn’t last much longer after that point—but all songs intended for our album were already written by then—and at just 20 years old sometimes it’s hard to see clearly amidst chaos—but that’s how things unfolded.

READ MORE: Revisiting Sex Pistols’ Anarchy on Television

But what you accomplished set an important precedent.
Yes perhaps—it embodied this do-it-yourself ethos—but one thing is certain: we worked hard! We managed to secure rehearsal space right in Soho’s heart located on Denmark Street known as Tin Pan Alley.

Steve and I lived there while having access downstairs for rehearsals every day together—you know typically if you’re part of an English band trying hard you’d rehearse once weekly if fortunate enough at some studio you rented out—setting everything up only later realizing nobody had any decent ideas!

But since we rehearsed daily with gear already set up we’d only have one day before discovering whether someone lacked creativity! [Laughs] Then we’d reconvene again next day—we committed ourselves fully because there wasn’t anything else going on—we chose not having anything better occupying our time—that’s how everything fell into place.

Musically speaking…we each had numerous influences among us—I liked Small Faces while Paul [Cook] did too—but John despised all that preferring Van De Graaf Generator along with hippie music instead! However there was some overlap since he appreciated Can which resonated with me—one unforgettable concert experience was seeing Can perform live at Hammersmith Palais back around 1973! Captain Beefheart? I’m fond of him too! But it’s simple: if you’re making fish stew—you can use one type or various types yielding richer flavors!

Musically speaking—we understood what we didn’t want our sound resembling yet still pursued creating it regardless—it emerged naturally drawing upon ideas stored within us! Another notable figure associated with us was Nick Kent who resembled England’s Lester Bangs—he wrote for NME magazine—he knew John Cale personally giving us this tape featuring one song which captivated us immensely despite having no clue regarding its meaning—it simply sounded fantastic! We started playing this track which turned out being “Roadrunner” from Modern Lovers album released later—we were perfectly positioned at just right time alongside right people!

I appreciate how you’ve opened new chapters alongside Frank Carter—it seems you’re all enjoying yourselves immensely!
Absolutely! Frank’s fantastic—I hadn’t fully contemplated this until now—but collaborating with him feels reminiscent of working alongside John; [who] he penned incredible lyrics! Frank writes lyrics too—but we’re yet not at that stage together—but there’s this youthful enthusiasm reminiscent from earlier days prior when John gained notoriety through media coverage—Frank has truly revitalized us—it feels like he’s ideally suited for this role!

READ MORE: Sex Pistols and Frank Carter 2026 Tour Dates

It appears there’s genuine motivation among you all regarding exploring songwriting possibilities together?
Perhaps—but he’s significantly younger than us! I’ve got several ideas brewing; [if] everyone seems eager yet complexities arise concerning ownership rights surrounding name recognition tied back towards Sex Pistols—it’s more intricate than merely proceeding forward who knows?