“The thing is, before the lockdown, I was meant to play there. I know Mike Scott isn’t Irish, but he lives in Ireland.” Eager to perform in Dublin again, Matlock informs me that he’s never been to Cork, but I’m also anxious to hear if he’s interested in performing to an American audience. Neal X, Matlock tells me, will be playing the lead guitar licks tonight at the 100 Club, and keyboardist James Hallawell, Matlock says, holds an Irish connection “James plays for The Waterboys. With an electric, you have to plug it into the correct amp, and maybe this one’s not right. I’m playing electric guitar tonight, but I do like the sound of the acoustic guitar. “I like the sound from The Spiders from Mars. “I like the acoustic guitar,” he continues. “There’s only so many songs I can expect the band to play, but when I’m doing my own thing, I play all the songs I wrote.” “I won’t be playing ‘Ghosts of Princes in Towers’ tonight, but I do play that one on my own,” he confirms. As it happens, he’s preparing for a gig in London (“I’m playing tonight, actually,”) and says he’ll do an acoustic tour once he’s finished with the upcoming gigs. He confirms that he wrote “Anarchy In The UK” on an acoustic guitar, but feels he’s a rhythm player at best – he leaves lead guitar to those more qualified to fulfill the role. “That comes about, because when you’re on stage, you’re doing a lot of pointing, and it’s hard to jump around and point when you’re playing bass.”
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He seems happy to let other people play bass when he’s singing his own material. “Whenever I get a photo with Norman, for a laugh I say, ‘I’m a bass player, and he’s a bass player and a half,’” Matlock cackles. Guitarist Earl Slick ( Young Americans) contributes to the album (“We play together, but he lives in America, so it’s difficult right now,”) as does Norman Watt Roy. We also have a wacky cover – it’s a K.D.Lang song – and it sounds a bit like a cross between ‘Harlem Shuffle’ by The Rolling Stones and David Bowie’s ‘Ashes to Ashes’.” I think that’s what is going to happen in. There’s a song called ‘Consequences Coming’, and another called ‘Head On A Stick’. “The last one had a bit of rockabilly to it, but on this one, I’m going for more of an ‘English Bruce Springsteen’, if you like. We’re talking over the phone, but I can clearly imagine the songwriting bassist is shaking his head and hints that his new album will have a more polemical slant to it. He voted for Brexit, and I asked him about traveling abroad. I got into a rut with a builder recently. I’d love to travel there, bring back some money, and pay tax on it, but they’re making it much harder. “There’s about a hundred million, billion, pounds in the music industry here, and they’re stopping gigs in Europe. “I’m about as English as you get, which I’m not very happy about right now.” He clearly doesn’t share Lydon’s views and laments how much harder it is to travel across Europe. Does Matlock have Irish blood? “John’s the only Pad in the band,” he sighs. I tell him how ironic it is for John Lydon to espouse the virtues of Brexit. Inevitably, we turn to the dreaded “B” word, still making headlines more than half a decade after it was voted on. Matlock is ringing from England and quickly gauges that I’m Irish. “They’re saying we should get The Sex Pistols back together, but I’m like, ‘Do I really wanna share a stage with someone championing Farage ?’ I’m guessing the Guinness and Beamish have influenced some of John’s choices.” As bassist and chief songwriter for The Sex Pistols, Matlock can likely relate to this predicament, especially since the band’s lead singer has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons. Matlock’s referring, of course, to the Band Aid fracas, where Geldof walked off with Midge Ure’s thunder. But if it happened to me, then it probably happened to Midge.”
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Talking’s like playing lead guitar or being an Olympic athlete, there’s an aptitude to it, and some people have the gift of the gab. There are these pregnant pauses, where you think you can get some words in, but you don’t.
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“I like Bob a lot, he’s a good bloke, but it’s hard to get a word in edgeways. “I did an interview with Bob Geldof a few weeks ago,” says singer-songwriter Glen Matlock.