Glen Matlock is planning to start working on a new album.
The 68-year-old bassist has had a busy 2024 touring with Blondie, doing solo shows in the US and recently playing a host of gigs in Britain with his Sex Pistols bandmates Paul Cook and Steve Jones with Frank Carter replacing original frontman John Lydon – aka Johnny Rotten – on vocals, but he’s now ready to turn his attention to writing some fresh songs.
Glen accepts that any LP he puts out now is not going to sell hundreds of thousands of copies, but it does give him an impetus to go on tour.
Speaking to BANG Showbiz, he said: “I’m beginning to slowly think about writing some new stuff, if I’m going to make another album or not. The thing is, to do a solo album, they tick over alright but there never going to make you a millionaire these days. The more I know about the music business, the less I know about it.
“But by putting a record out it’s kind of like a calling card and you get to go and play, ‘hey, Glen’s got a new record out, he’s doing some shows, come on down,’ that’s how it works. And not just for me, but for other bands as well. Even Roger Daltrey from The Who said when he was asked, ‘You gonna make a new record? He said, ‘Well nobody buys it, there’s not much point, we’re just going to play.’
“But if you write songs, once you’ve got about a dozen songs around your head which haven’t been released you can’t think straight. So that’s kind of why I do it. But I’ve been so busy I’ve hardly had a chance to pick up the guitar to think about stuff.
“It’s been non-stop this year, I’ve been out with Blondie, my stuff in the States, the Pistols things. I put a book out earlier in the year called Triggers which has been well received.”
Glen is heading out on solo tour of the UK in November with his band Chris Musto, Jim Lowe and Neal X.
The ‘Pretty Vacant’ rocker has played bass for iconic singers like Debbie Harry and Lydon, but he relishes the chance to stand at the front of the stage because he doesn’t think anyone can understand how to sing his own songs better than himself.
He said: “I like playing bass when somebody else is singing. I play rhythm guitar when I’m singing. All the songs I’ve written, I write on a guitar at home, I know how they go and I don’t think anybody can mean a lyric as much the person who sings them. I don’t pretend to be the Great Caruso but I think I can put on a show and put over what the vibe is about and get a good time vibe going.
“I’m in my mid to late 60s now and I know that if I don’t go out and do my own stuff I’m never going to do it. People dig it. I don’t pretend that we’re the new Sex Pistols or anything like that, but it’s a pretty good night out and I’ve got a whole host of stuff that I’ve written over the years and I do something from all aspects of my career. They hang together pretty well.”
Glen’s tour kicks off in Norwich on November 15 and ends at London’s Dingwall on November 30.
Go to http://www.glenmatlock.co.uk/ for more information and tickets.