Punk rock was never meant to be polite, quiet, or safe. According to Glen Matlock, original bassist of the Sex Pistols, punk was born out of frustration — frustration with boring music, social problems, and a political climate that felt unfair. In a recent interview on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Matlock looked back at how punk began and shared his thoughts on what punk has become today.
When the Sex Pistols formed in the mid-1970s, the music scene felt stale to many young people. Big rock bands dominated the charts, songs felt overproduced, and there was little space for raw emotion or honesty. Matlock explained that the band was simply “fed up” with what was happening musically at the time. Punk became their way of kicking back against the system and doing something loud, messy, and real.
But music wasn’t the only reason punk existed. Britain in the 1970s was dealing with unemployment, social tension, and political uncertainty. Matlock pointed out that, much like today, there was a rise in far-right politics and a sense that society was changing in uncomfortable ways. Punk, for him and his bandmates, was a way to deal with that chaos — not always seriously, but with humour, shock, and rebellion. They wanted to stir things up and make people react.
During the interview, host Amol Rajan asked Matlock whether punks are often misunderstood. Matlock agreed, saying that punk has changed so much over the years that even he sometimes struggles to understand it. What started as a small, angry movement has become very broad, covering many different styles, sounds, and attitudes. Punk today can mean many different things to different people.
One thing Matlock finds especially confusing is seeing punks who support right-wing politicians. He admitted that he is surprised by how many people in the punk scene openly support figures like Donald Trump. To Matlock, this feels strange because punk originally stood against authority, power, and political systems that excluded people. Seeing punk aligned with strong political leaders feels like a contradiction to him.
This difference in views is clear when comparing Matlock to his former bandmate John Lydon (also known as Johnny Rotten). Lydon has publicly praised Donald Trump and even described him as “the Sex Pistols of politics.” Matlock clearly does not