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Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock is criticizing punk musicians who rock out to President Donald Trump.
“It’s a bit strange these days. I’m constantly surprised by how many punks I see on my Facebook who are a bit pro-Trump. It’s a bit strange,” Matlock said in an interview with BBC Radio 4’s “Today” show on Monday.
In November, former Sex Pistols frontman John Lydon, formerly known as Johnny Rotten, described Trump as the “Sex Pistols of politics.” Lydon has a history of praising Trump, but he hit the brakes last year, calling him “one of the most horrible midgets.”
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In his interview for BBC Radio 4, Matlock reflected on his iconic punk band’s rise to prominence in the 1970s, noting that they were “fed up with what was happening musically at the time”.
“There was a lot going on, as there is today… with the rise of the far right,” said Matlock, whose band is responsible for punk classics like “Anarchy in the UK” and “God Save the Queen.” “We were trying to somehow navigate through it, somehow, laugh and shake things up a little bit.”
Matlock said there are a lot of things he doesn’t understand about punk today, stating that the genre has become a “very broad church” that has moved away from the days of Talking Heads, The Slits and Dolly Mixture.
“But also, a lot of punks made mistakes, and maybe some of their parents did too,” he added.
Matlock also said that there is a problem with media outlets and record companies shutting down those who have crossed boundaries, and stated that the music played on the radio is “pretty empty.” However, he did name one musical act that had set itself apart from the rest of the pack, one that Lydon harshly criticized in an interview last year: Irish hip-hop group Kneecap.
Kneecap has displayed its pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel stances at major music festivals, generating intense backlash from UK politicians and leading to the group being banned from entering Hungary.
“Not all the time, but some people make it, even like the Kneecap people, no matter how you feel about them, at least they’re pushing it,” Matlock said.
In a social media post, Kneecap showed his love to Matlock for his comments.
“Well Glen is a lot healthier than Johnny Rotten anyway 💚🤍🧡,” the post read.