We Never Learn!

Messy musings sprung from the punk missives in my book, We Never Learn: The Gunk Punk Undergut, 1988-2001 - by Eric Davidson

[depsidase]

[republicansaredomesticterrorists]

[socialjusticeinamerica]

[effbombmom]

as well they should because its fucking illegal. im tired of this administration getting away with crimes

[weneverlearn]

Happy Birthday and bottomless thanks, Bob Dylan.

[liberalsarecool]

Capitalism kills.

[gaslit-dipshits]

[rejectingrepublicans]

Satire ?

[weneverlearn]

[weneverlearn]

Random cool Death of Samantha photo, circa 1985. IYKYK, if don’t, find out!

[itsmythang]

[gaslit-dipshits]

[trumptyverse]

[thickness-protection-program]

Dang rip America

[weneverlearn]

Glen Matlock: Original Sex Pistol, Charming Bloke - a New Interview

L-R: Glen Matlock; Eric Davidson - outside East Village Radio, 4/1/26

Before you assume some kinda April Fool's joke -- nope, it's true, I was fortunate enough to get asked to interview original Sex Pistols bassist, the guy who wrote many of their riffs, Rich Kids founder, and all-around charming music maker bloke, Glen Matlock, for East Village Radio. He came into the EVR studio on April 1 during my We Never Learn show, and we had a near-hour long chat, mixed in some Pistols deep cuts, and had a great time.

Check out the radio interview below at Mixcloud, and tune into my show live, every other Wednesday, 2-4p.m. EST. (All episodes stream here.)

Inside the EVR studio, pointing.

After Glen sauntered down the road and flew back home to England the next day, it dawned on me that there were still a couple other things I'd hoped to cover. So he was gracious enough to email answer a few more questions -- exclusive to this here blog, below.

Glen was in town to help hype the upcoming NYC premiere of the new documentary about him, I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol -- screened as part of the Dock'n Roll Festival, and based on his 1990 biography of the same name.

They sent me a screener, and it's a great flick. Yes, there've been numerous documentary and fictionalized films about the Sex Pistols, but this one really does set straight the central role Matlock had in that legendary band. There's some great archival footage I've never seen, including some cool Pistols clips and shots of the SEX shop.

Thanks again to Glen!

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When and how did the idea of the I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol documentary start? Since your book was from 1990, was the documentary idea kicking around for awhile?

Well, yes it had been in the back of my mind for a while, but it was just a question of meeting the right people at the right time, which I did a couple of years ago. And now since it’s 50 years of Punk this year -- so I am told -- the timing has worked well. All comes to he who waits as they say.

In the doc, when you go to visit the original Pistols practice space -- when was the last time you were there? And you mentioned in the film that you practiced in the basement, but you didn't film down there. Was it under construction or something?

I was there a few days ago filming promo with a Dutch TV company. Think we didn’t show that downstairs as it didn't look as it does now because it is part of a Swanky hotel £ 600 a night! Whereas upstairs they have preserved our graffiti for those who like that kind of thing. I guess there are some well heeled-punks at large these days.

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Were there people that said no to being interviewed for the doc? I assume Johnny Rotten said no.

I didn’t ask John. Long past caring about his opinion. I did ask a few others, but being in the right place at the right time to be filmed was tricky, and a few people have historical links with John, so I guess that made them a little cagey.

What do you think of Julian Temple's Pistols doc, The Filth and the Fury? Was there any info in that you kind of wanted to correct with I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol?

Well, yes there was stuff that wasn’t quite how I remembered. Julian is fine, but he was more in the Malcolm/John camp, so I think he didn’t really big up or understand my original contribution. So now with my doc, it's my chance to shine.

I Was A Teenage Sex Pistol filmmaker interview

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We talked about you touring with Iggy Pop. Did you see him perform live before the Sex Pistols years, or around that time?

Yes I saw him a few times, but the best was in the tour with Hunt and Tony Sales, and where Bowie played keyboards with a pint of beer on top of his piano and a potted plant arranged just so next to it.

Do you have a memory of first seeing the Clash? Also, how was London SS, Mick Jones' band before the Clash?

The Clash, as a five-pièce, supported us at the Black Swan in Sheffield as their first public show, so of course I watched that. They were pretty ramshackle, but had something going. I never saw the London SS although I knew the guys. I did go to see them, but was a bit late getting there and got chatting to a young lady in the foyer of the venue who eventually became my wife. So indirectly, they had a big effect on me. By the time we went into the hall, they had just walked off stage.

In the doc, there's mention of how the Teddy Boys were mad once Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's shop changed from Let It Rock / Too Fast To Live... to SEX, and they'd hang around outside kind of pissed off. Any good memory of a Teddy fight outside of SEX?

Well, there was always a bit of pushing and shoving, but I have always believed discretion to be the better part of valor, and as long as as they were scrapping amongst themselves, would keep my distance.

SEX shop, 1976 - Photo by Sheila Rock

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Rich Kids (Glen Matlock, bass), 1978.

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Can you give a quick description in your words of Tony Barber -- how you know him, why you brought him in for this East Village Radio interview?

Tony is a cook Englishman living in New York, was a chum in London, played in Boys Winder and the tail end of the Buzzcocks as a bassist, and was my roadie in the '90s. He is a salt of the earth, working class guy from North London and has an encyclopedic knowledge of all things punk and the better dudes of pop music. He introduced me to Alan McGee, Eddie Philips, and Kim Fowley, so has connections. And he is handy with a screwdriver and soldering iron. He is a top bloke.

Of all the first-era British punk scene bands, who was your favorite? And/or who was overrated?

Well, I liked the Buzzcocks, Cortinas, and Johnny Moped were a giggle. There were some horrors, but not going to go into that.

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[damienhaaas]

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[weneverlearn]

[weneverlearn]

TODAY!!!

No Kings March 28th · No Kings on Mobilize

What began in 2025 as a single day of defiance has become a sustained national resistance to tyranny, spreading from small towns to city cen

Get out and get inspired and get loud!!!