Glen Matlock has addressed the possibility of John Lydon rejoining the Sex Pistols. He made his position clear in an interview published by Billboard.
When asked directly whether he would be open to welcoming Lydon back into the band, Matlock left little room for ambiguity. In response to the question, “Are you open to having John Lydon back in the Sex Pistols if he wished?”, Matlock gave a definitive answer.
“It’s just not gonna happen,” Matlock said. “He’s moved on from [the Sex Pistols] now. But good luck to John; he’s got the Public Image thing going.”
Matlock also pushed back on criticism that the band, without Lydon, amounts to little more than a tribute act.
“People say we’re a tribute band without John, but there’s three of us, and he’s the only Public Imager,” he continued. “I think he’s painted himself into a corner of a very big hallway.”
The comments come as the remaining members of the Sex Pistols continue to perform without their iconic frontman. Lydon, meanwhile, carries on with his band Public Image Ltd.
The remarks arrive at a moment when both camps appear firmly set in their separate directions. There is little sign of any reconciliation on the horizon.
Matlock has been making the rounds in recent interviews tied to his memoir I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol, keeping the band’s history — and its internal divisions — firmly in the public conversation. His candid comments about Lydon reflect a long-standing rift that has never fully healed since the band’s original split.
That rift has also played out in the courts. As reported by TBS News, Lydon lost a legal battle to prevent the other members from using Sex Pistols music in a planned television series. The ruling further deepened the divide between him and his former bandmates.
Meanwhile, Lydon has remained active with Public Image Ltd. and has been candid about the financial realities of keeping the band going. American Songwriter reported that Lydon appeared on The Masked Singer twice specifically to fund Public Image Ltd.’s next album. “The money I made on the show,” Lydon said, “is going straight into recording.”
Paste Magazine noted that Lydon has also been reflective about his time with the Sex Pistols. “They’re all about selfish indulgence. That’s not my way. I don’t step on anyone to get anywhere. It was the same with the Sex Pistols,” he said. The comment underscores just how far apart the two sides remain — not only professionally, but personally.
With Matlock promoting his memoir, the Sex Pistols continuing to tour as a three-piece, and Lydon focused on funding new music with Public Image Ltd., a reunion looks less likely than ever. The enduring public fascination with one of rock’s most iconic and turbulent lineups, however, shows no signs of fading.
