That was in 1975 when Matlock was a founding member and bassist in the Sex Pistols, the seminal British punk band.
While frontman Johnny Rotten was the face and voice of the insolent band, Matlock was the chief architect behind the punk rock classic "Anarchy in the U.K." and the sneering anti-monarchy anthem, "God Save the Queen." Both songs made the Sex Pistols public enemies to much of the English isles.
Even though Matlock provided the melody and lyrics for 10 of the 12 tracks on the band's groundbreaking album "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols," he was eventually replaced by Rotten's best mate, Sid Vicious. Rumor has it Matlock got sacked for being a Beatles fan. It makes for a good myth, but in his 1990 autobiography, "I was a Teenage Sex Pistol," Matlock wrote that he left the band in 1977 of his own volition.
The musician went on to form the new wave pop band The Rich Kids, toured with American punk icon Iggy Pop and rejoined the Sex Pistols for various reunion tours between 1996 and 2008.
He's mellowed a bit since. On Friday, Matlock, 56, brings his Acoustic Anarchy tour to The Jewish Mother in Virginia Beach. He'll be joined by former New York Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvain, who was added to the bill after Tommy Ramone had to cancel.
During a recent phone conversation from his home in London, the musician talked about his punk past and the appeal of going unplugged. With his gruff cockney accent, he's not the easiest guy to understand, but here are a few of the highlights we were able to decipher.
The Filthy Lucre
"It's a laugh that the media said we were selling out when we reunited. Could we have done five tours if people weren't buying tickets? So if the chance comes along and we get offered some good money, why not do it? You might as well give people what they want.
"People hang on to the Sex Pistols, all their memories, hang-ups, relationships, lots of things, I suppose. But it's never going to be the same as when we started out... because the socio-economic political climate is different now. It was a product of the time.
"I am proud of what the Sex Pistols achieved and always will, but whatever we all do individually will always be measured against that. It was such a big deal that nothing is ever going to eclipse that."
Sid & Glen
"The era of the Sex Pistols was a very intense period, and when John started getting in the magazines it upset the power balance and it all fell apart. I was sick of it.
"People think I hated Sid, but it's not true. We weren't the best of chums, but we were neighbors and we used to go drinking now and then. We even did a one-off show just to prove that we weren't enemies. We called it The Vicious White Kids.
"The thing with Sid is that he was a really good rock 'n' roll singer. I mean he certainly had something going for him, he just wasn't a bass player. He was atrocious. But as a frontman for a punk band, he would have been very good."
Punk goes acoustic
"I consider myself to be a songwriter above all else; that's my art form. It's like being a carpenter. If you're a carpenter, sometimes you need a chisel and sometimes you need a mallet to get to the final result. That's kind of what I'm doing when I write a song, and it all starts on the acoustic guitar.
"I think the audience gets more out of a performer with an acoustic show. There's no hiding behind all that noise and equipment. It's actually much more nerve-wracking to do an acoustic show, but that's why I do it. It's an occasion to get in the ring, so to speak. I've done this kind of tour a few times now, and I keep getting asked back, so people must like it, or maybe they're just manic."
Anarchy in the AARP
"I know my audience is a bit older now. The thing I like to do these days is to have a laugh instead of going on about politics. I don't ever write out a set list because I just want to go with what the crowd is getting off on. Some of the people that have grown up with me don't necessarily want to come to something that is going to bring them down. I'm just having fun. I've got nothing to prove at this point."
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