July 28, 2025 • 13 mins
The legendary Sex Pistols guitarist talks about their new lead singer, why he's so different from Johnny, and how the band is still relevant!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Steve Jones out on the road with the Sex Pistols.
They'll be at the Mission Ballroom on the tenth of October.
You can get your tickets now through the Fox dot Com. So, Steve,
I know you've done reunions with the Pistols in the past.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Why this go around, Well, it's it's completely different. It's
obviously without John John Lydon, Johnny Rotten, and we've got
a new singer, Frank Carter, and he's a lot younger.
He's like forty one. We're all like almost well, I'm
seventy in September. I will accept presence if anyone wants
(00:34):
to say. And it's it's just a different vibe. This guy,
he's a great front man. He's not trying to be John's.
He's got a bundle of energy because you know, we
don't we meet meet Paul Cook and Glenn Mattlock. We're
just having fun playing playing the songs, you know, order
(00:57):
never mind the bollocks and a few extra and and
it's just great. It's just a lot of fun. I
haven't had this much fun since God knows when, you know,
I was, I was ready to hang up, hang up
the shoes, you know, and you know, there's a long
story how it happened, but it's it's all worked out.
(01:17):
And we've been on the road in Europe. We was
in we did the Royal Albert Hall, we did the
one hundred Club, then we went to Japan, then we
went to New Zealand Australia. Then we came back and
we've been doing Europe now for about a month. I
was just in Serbia yesterday and it was in Spain
(01:40):
before that, and then Thursday we go back to Spain
to a few more and Luxembourg and Vienna. I'm not
done here till September and then and then we go
to South America, do a few shows Argentina, Brazil and Chili.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Then we come to the States.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
So what a treat for everybody to get a taste
of sex pistols so many years after their demise. I mean,
like I said, I know that you've done reunions in
the past. Where did you f find Frank? How did
Frank come into the picture?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Frank come into the picture about a year.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Ago, or maybe it was longer than a year. Me
Billy Idol, the original bass player from Generations X, and
Paul Kok, the original drummer. We put a kind of
a band together and we called it Generation Sex and
we would do Generation X songs and pistol songs and
we did it for We did a bunch of shows
(02:47):
and it was a lot of fun. Again you know,
with Billy it was. It was a lot of fun.
And when we finished that little run, he was doing
his own push for his own solo stuff, which he's
doing now, and we thought that was great.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
We should just do Sex Crystal songs. Let's find the singer.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
And Frank actually came about by Glenn's son who's a
musician and was aware of Glenn, and they said was
aware of Frank and said we should audition him. He's great,
dis Gay, be great for you and lo and behold.
(03:31):
You know, there was this there was this club in
London in Shepherd's Bush that was having a hard time
and Cookie Paul Cook knew the owner, and we thought
this would be a perfect place to see if it
works with this guy, Frank Carter, and we really I
came back because I live in la and I came
(03:52):
back to London. We rehearsed and it was a bit
shaky at first, but then all of a sudden after
rehearsed him for a few days, it all kind of
fell into place. And so we did three nights at
this at this club in Shepherd's Bush and it was
after hook. It was crazy how it all fell into place,
and it was just magic. And we're like, we're onto
(04:13):
something here with with this this this man Frank Carter
and that that's and that's it.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
We ain't stopped since.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
And what's the biggest difference between Frank and John.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Well, energy for majorly one. Right.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
You know, this guy jumps into the crowd and he
gets he gets the crowd surfing, he gets in to
do you know, they're all going around around what do
you call that? I don't even know what it's called.
But he's like so it's insane and he lives for
that and it's just night and day and and he's
a great guy to boot. So he's making it fun,
(04:52):
you know, John, Yeah, I can't, I can't say more.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
I'm I'm I'm I.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Still love Lydon but this is not his bag and
he wouldn't want to do it anyway.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
So we're just moving on and we're just having fun.
You know.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
There there's there's kickback from people saying, oh, it's it's
karaoke or whatever where John actually named it that. But
I've got to tell you, man, the proof is in
the pudding.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
We've done that.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
We've done a load of shows and they go nuts
by the end of the show. They want more and more,
and it's crazy. There's the proof for you. Forget the
Internet and all the nonsense that's on the internet.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
The truth in the pudding.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
We're talking to Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols. They're
coming to the Mission Ballroom on the tenth of October.
Tickets now at the Fox dot com. And so what
do you make of this, this new generation coming to
see the Pistols.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
It's great, I mean, as young and old.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
It's just I think revival bands or bands from the
past doing albums I think is a big thing these days.
I don't know if it's old people want to render
list of the old, or it's new people wanting to
see what it's all about.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
But it's just.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
People love it and I love seeing them loving it.
It makes me feel good and it's a lot of fun.
We really didn't do never mind the bollocks a lot.
We did a re we broke up in seventy eight
Win the winter Land, and we didn't get back together
(06:29):
till nineteen ninety six for a reunion and we did
about seventy six seventy shows or whatever then and we
left it alone for a bit and we did some
more two thousand and seven, and then the last one
we did like thirty shows in two thousand and eight,
and that was the end. I'm like, I ain't doing
this anymore. But so we were not like the Rolling Stones,
(06:50):
where you've been playing them for you know, fifty years,
so there's still life in them for the band, me,
Paul and Glenn, where we're still enjoying doing it. It's
not like just going through themotions. We're having a lot
of fun with playing them too, you know, you.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Know, and that's a word that keeps coming up. Fun.
Did you not have fun when John was in the band?
I know you said that you loved him and that
he has his place and everything, but it doesn't sound
like it was much fun with John.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
No, it wasn't, in all honesty, not in the later
like the ninety six it started that good, then it
gets all weird and toxic, and you know, we made
a bit of bread for the first time ever, which
I didn't mind because we deserve.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
It, And then we didn't.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
We did a few more later on, like I said,
but the one in two thousand and eight we did
furry shows and it was just it was just horrible.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
It was just no fun. It was just toxic. And
it's just the way it is.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Bands are the same man, you know, all bands have,
you know, they don't get along.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
But with Frank it's magic.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
And I wish Rotten and John the same person all
the best. He's out on the road doing pill right now,
and I wish him all the best. I'm just having fun.
The drama's having fun, blend the bass players having fun.
Frank's having fun. What's wrong with that?
Speaker 1 (08:20):
That's great? No, I love it. I love the fact
that you're having fun with the music that you wrote.
Do you find that the songs and attitude of the
sex pistols of the late seventies are relevant today in
twenty twenty five?
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Totally relevant?
Speaker 2 (08:35):
It sounds fresher than it was when it came out,
It really does. It's the three guys you know who
wrote the songs and performed them, were just with a
different singer. It's not like the first time someone's used
a different singer. I don't know why everyone's you know,
not everyone, I should say, the hardcore punk guys who
(08:57):
worship John you're never going to please them. But there
have been a lot of them who've changed their mind
once they saw us as well.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
But you know what, if they don't like it, that's fine.
It's not for everybody. I guess that.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
But you know, like I said, we're playing big places
and they're not booing us, they're loving us.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
They're not throwing things at you. So that's a good thing.
So Steve is there is the possibility of new music
with with Frank.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
You never know.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
I mean, we're not thinking about that right now. We
want to get through this. We're done. We're done in
Los Angeles on the I think it's like the sixteenth
of October and then we'll have a little break and
we'll assess what's going on. I know, I know the
next year is like the fifty year anniversary of Pistols
or punk or whatever you want to call it. So
(09:52):
I don't know, you know, I don't know what we're
going to do. I would imagine we could we could
run this again with add some different songs and whatnot.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
And maybe I like, you.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Know, personally me, I don't think people give a who
about new songs. Whenever an old band do new songs,
everyone goes and as to the barroom, no one's interested.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
They just want to hear the bloody he hits, you know, right.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Right, and that's what you're delivering, and you'll deliver it
on the tenth of October at the Mission Ballroom. How
cool it is to have this experience, to be able
to see the sex Pistols with the you know, three
original members. And you know, I've seen video of Frank.
I searched the internet to check everything out, you know,
and he sounds great and he's not he's not trying
(10:40):
to be Johnny, so which is great. That makes it
even better that way, he's he's making it his own
and that's how you get the freshness, you know.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Yeah. And he's got that energy. He's got tons of energy. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Yeah, and he looks a little pissed off too, so
that's good.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
And he does what and asked the old farts just
on stage, you know, rocking through it.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Well, we're excited to see you old farts at the
Vision ballroom Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols taking time
out to talk to us about the project. Things are
going on the road and uh them coming to Denver.
When's the last time you were in Denver, Steve?
Speaker 2 (11:20):
I think in ninety six we played the What's the Rock?
The you know, the what's the place in Denver?
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Well, there's a few places. That was probably the called
the Mammoth Events Center at the time, which is now
the Fillmore.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
No, No, it was the place you know we can't breathe?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
What is it called the Ogden but it's made out
of stone, it's.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Red rocks, red rocks.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Of course.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
That was the last time I thing I was in Denver. Well,
that was in ninety six.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
It's been a minute then. So yeah, well we miss
We wish you much success, Say hi to the rest
of the guys, and we'll see you on the tenth
of October at the mission. You're gonna love this room.
This is a great running Do.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
I need an oxygen bottle for that place?
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Well you might because we're still a mile high in Denver,
so you might need a little oxygen.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
There, Steve, is it outdoors or indoors?
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Indoors?
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Okay, well this AC I guess.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
It will be October. It shouldn't be that bad, so yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Now I'm looking forward to coming to the States. I
want to. I'm curious to see how people take this
on board. I am right on.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Steve Jones from the sex Pistols on the Great Stone Show.
Thanks for taking time, Steve, have a great day, and
like I said, we'll see you on the tenth of October.
That's at the Mission Ballroom. Tickets now through the Fox
dot Com. Steve Jones from sex Pistols on the Fox.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Thanks Steve, Thank you very much.
Steve Jones out on the road with the Sex Pistols.
They'll be at the Mission Ballroom on the tenth of October.
You can get your tickets now through the Fox dot Com. So, Steve,
I know you've done reunions with the Pistols in the past.
Speaker 2 (00:13):
Why this go around, Well, it's it's completely different. It's
obviously without John John Lydon, Johnny Rotten, and we've got
a new singer, Frank Carter, and he's a lot younger.
He's like forty one. We're all like almost well, I'm
seventy in September. I will accept presence if anyone wants
(00:34):
to say. And it's it's just a different vibe. This guy,
he's a great front man. He's not trying to be John's.
He's got a bundle of energy because you know, we
don't we meet meet Paul Cook and Glenn Mattlock. We're
just having fun playing playing the songs, you know, order
(00:57):
never mind the bollocks and a few extra and and
it's just great. It's just a lot of fun. I
haven't had this much fun since God knows when, you know,
I was, I was ready to hang up, hang up
the shoes, you know, and you know, there's a long
story how it happened, but it's it's all worked out.
(01:17):
And we've been on the road in Europe. We was
in we did the Royal Albert Hall, we did the
one hundred Club, then we went to Japan, then we
went to New Zealand Australia. Then we came back and
we've been doing Europe now for about a month. I
was just in Serbia yesterday and it was in Spain
(01:40):
before that, and then Thursday we go back to Spain
to a few more and Luxembourg and Vienna. I'm not
done here till September and then and then we go
to South America, do a few shows Argentina, Brazil and Chili.
Speaker 3 (02:03):
Then we come to the States.
Speaker 1 (02:06):
So what a treat for everybody to get a taste
of sex pistols so many years after their demise. I mean,
like I said, I know that you've done reunions in
the past. Where did you f find Frank? How did
Frank come into the picture?
Speaker 3 (02:20):
Frank come into the picture about a year.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
Ago, or maybe it was longer than a year. Me
Billy Idol, the original bass player from Generations X, and
Paul Kok, the original drummer. We put a kind of
a band together and we called it Generation Sex and
we would do Generation X songs and pistol songs and
we did it for We did a bunch of shows
(02:47):
and it was a lot of fun. Again you know,
with Billy it was. It was a lot of fun.
And when we finished that little run, he was doing
his own push for his own solo stuff, which he's
doing now, and we thought that was great.
Speaker 3 (03:04):
We should just do Sex Crystal songs. Let's find the singer.
Speaker 2 (03:10):
And Frank actually came about by Glenn's son who's a
musician and was aware of Glenn, and they said was
aware of Frank and said we should audition him. He's great,
dis Gay, be great for you and lo and behold.
(03:31):
You know, there was this there was this club in
London in Shepherd's Bush that was having a hard time
and Cookie Paul Cook knew the owner, and we thought
this would be a perfect place to see if it
works with this guy, Frank Carter, and we really I
came back because I live in la and I came
(03:52):
back to London. We rehearsed and it was a bit
shaky at first, but then all of a sudden after
rehearsed him for a few days, it all kind of
fell into place. And so we did three nights at
this at this club in Shepherd's Bush and it was
after hook. It was crazy how it all fell into place,
and it was just magic. And we're like, we're onto
(04:13):
something here with with this this this man Frank Carter
and that that's and that's it.
Speaker 3 (04:18):
We ain't stopped since.
Speaker 1 (04:20):
And what's the biggest difference between Frank and John.
Speaker 3 (04:25):
Well, energy for majorly one. Right.
Speaker 2 (04:29):
You know, this guy jumps into the crowd and he
gets he gets the crowd surfing, he gets in to
do you know, they're all going around around what do
you call that? I don't even know what it's called.
But he's like so it's insane and he lives for
that and it's just night and day and and he's
a great guy to boot. So he's making it fun,
(04:52):
you know, John, Yeah, I can't, I can't say more.
Speaker 3 (04:55):
I'm I'm I'm I.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
Still love Lydon but this is not his bag and
he wouldn't want to do it anyway.
Speaker 3 (05:04):
So we're just moving on and we're just having fun.
You know.
Speaker 2 (05:07):
There there's there's kickback from people saying, oh, it's it's
karaoke or whatever where John actually named it that. But
I've got to tell you, man, the proof is in
the pudding.
Speaker 3 (05:17):
We've done that.
Speaker 2 (05:18):
We've done a load of shows and they go nuts
by the end of the show. They want more and more,
and it's crazy. There's the proof for you. Forget the
Internet and all the nonsense that's on the internet.
Speaker 3 (05:31):
The truth in the pudding.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
We're talking to Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols. They're
coming to the Mission Ballroom on the tenth of October.
Tickets now at the Fox dot com. And so what
do you make of this, this new generation coming to
see the Pistols.
Speaker 3 (05:45):
It's great, I mean, as young and old.
Speaker 2 (05:48):
It's just I think revival bands or bands from the
past doing albums I think is a big thing these days.
I don't know if it's old people want to render
list of the old, or it's new people wanting to
see what it's all about.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
But it's just.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
People love it and I love seeing them loving it.
It makes me feel good and it's a lot of fun.
We really didn't do never mind the bollocks a lot.
We did a re we broke up in seventy eight
Win the winter Land, and we didn't get back together
(06:29):
till nineteen ninety six for a reunion and we did
about seventy six seventy shows or whatever then and we
left it alone for a bit and we did some
more two thousand and seven, and then the last one
we did like thirty shows in two thousand and eight,
and that was the end. I'm like, I ain't doing
this anymore. But so we were not like the Rolling Stones,
(06:50):
where you've been playing them for you know, fifty years,
so there's still life in them for the band, me,
Paul and Glenn, where we're still enjoying doing it. It's
not like just going through themotions. We're having a lot
of fun with playing them too, you know, you.
Speaker 1 (07:05):
Know, and that's a word that keeps coming up. Fun.
Did you not have fun when John was in the band?
I know you said that you loved him and that
he has his place and everything, but it doesn't sound
like it was much fun with John.
Speaker 2 (07:19):
No, it wasn't, in all honesty, not in the later
like the ninety six it started that good, then it
gets all weird and toxic, and you know, we made
a bit of bread for the first time ever, which
I didn't mind because we deserve.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
It, And then we didn't.
Speaker 2 (07:38):
We did a few more later on, like I said,
but the one in two thousand and eight we did
furry shows and it was just it was just horrible.
Speaker 3 (07:46):
It was just no fun. It was just toxic. And
it's just the way it is.
Speaker 2 (07:51):
Bands are the same man, you know, all bands have,
you know, they don't get along.
Speaker 3 (07:57):
But with Frank it's magic.
Speaker 2 (08:00):
And I wish Rotten and John the same person all
the best. He's out on the road doing pill right now,
and I wish him all the best. I'm just having fun.
The drama's having fun, blend the bass players having fun.
Frank's having fun. What's wrong with that?
Speaker 1 (08:20):
That's great? No, I love it. I love the fact
that you're having fun with the music that you wrote.
Do you find that the songs and attitude of the
sex pistols of the late seventies are relevant today in
twenty twenty five?
Speaker 3 (08:34):
Totally relevant?
Speaker 2 (08:35):
It sounds fresher than it was when it came out,
It really does. It's the three guys you know who
wrote the songs and performed them, were just with a
different singer. It's not like the first time someone's used
a different singer. I don't know why everyone's you know,
not everyone, I should say, the hardcore punk guys who
(08:57):
worship John you're never going to please them. But there
have been a lot of them who've changed their mind
once they saw us as well.
Speaker 3 (09:04):
But you know what, if they don't like it, that's fine.
It's not for everybody. I guess that.
Speaker 2 (09:09):
But you know, like I said, we're playing big places
and they're not booing us, they're loving us.
Speaker 1 (09:17):
They're not throwing things at you. So that's a good thing.
So Steve is there is the possibility of new music
with with Frank.
Speaker 3 (09:29):
You never know.
Speaker 2 (09:29):
I mean, we're not thinking about that right now. We
want to get through this. We're done. We're done in
Los Angeles on the I think it's like the sixteenth
of October and then we'll have a little break and
we'll assess what's going on. I know, I know the
next year is like the fifty year anniversary of Pistols
or punk or whatever you want to call it. So
(09:52):
I don't know, you know, I don't know what we're
going to do. I would imagine we could we could
run this again with add some different songs and whatnot.
Speaker 3 (10:02):
And maybe I like, you.
Speaker 2 (10:03):
Know, personally me, I don't think people give a who
about new songs. Whenever an old band do new songs,
everyone goes and as to the barroom, no one's interested.
Speaker 3 (10:16):
They just want to hear the bloody he hits, you know, right.
Speaker 1 (10:19):
Right, and that's what you're delivering, and you'll deliver it
on the tenth of October at the Mission Ballroom. How
cool it is to have this experience, to be able
to see the sex Pistols with the you know, three
original members. And you know, I've seen video of Frank.
I searched the internet to check everything out, you know,
and he sounds great and he's not he's not trying
(10:40):
to be Johnny, so which is great. That makes it
even better that way, he's he's making it his own
and that's how you get the freshness, you know.
Speaker 3 (10:50):
Yeah. And he's got that energy. He's got tons of energy. Yeah.
Speaker 1 (10:54):
Yeah, and he looks a little pissed off too, so
that's good.
Speaker 3 (10:57):
Yeah.
Speaker 2 (10:58):
And he does what and asked the old farts just
on stage, you know, rocking through it.
Speaker 1 (11:05):
Well, we're excited to see you old farts at the
Vision ballroom Steve Jones from the Sex Pistols taking time
out to talk to us about the project. Things are
going on the road and uh them coming to Denver.
When's the last time you were in Denver, Steve?
Speaker 2 (11:20):
I think in ninety six we played the What's the Rock?
The you know, the what's the place in Denver?
Speaker 1 (11:31):
Well, there's a few places. That was probably the called
the Mammoth Events Center at the time, which is now
the Fillmore.
Speaker 3 (11:37):
No, No, it was the place you know we can't breathe?
Speaker 2 (11:44):
What is it called the Ogden but it's made out
of stone, it's.
Speaker 3 (11:52):
Red rocks, red rocks.
Speaker 1 (11:55):
Of course.
Speaker 2 (11:57):
That was the last time I thing I was in Denver. Well,
that was in ninety six.
Speaker 1 (12:03):
It's been a minute then. So yeah, well we miss
We wish you much success, Say hi to the rest
of the guys, and we'll see you on the tenth
of October at the mission. You're gonna love this room.
This is a great running Do.
Speaker 3 (12:16):
I need an oxygen bottle for that place?
Speaker 1 (12:19):
Well you might because we're still a mile high in Denver,
so you might need a little oxygen.
Speaker 3 (12:24):
There, Steve, is it outdoors or indoors?
Speaker 1 (12:27):
Indoors?
Speaker 3 (12:28):
Okay, well this AC I guess.
Speaker 1 (12:33):
It will be October. It shouldn't be that bad, so yeah, yeah, yeah.
Speaker 3 (12:37):
Now I'm looking forward to coming to the States. I
want to. I'm curious to see how people take this
on board. I am right on.
Speaker 1 (12:47):
Steve Jones from the sex Pistols on the Great Stone Show.
Thanks for taking time, Steve, have a great day, and
like I said, we'll see you on the tenth of October.
That's at the Mission Ballroom. Tickets now through the Fox
dot Com. Steve Jones from sex Pistols on the Fox.
Speaker 3 (13:02):
Thanks Steve, Thank you very much.
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Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.