Despite releasing only one album, each Sex Pistols member became a punk icon since their reputation didn’t rely solely on music. Perhaps their bass player Sid Vicious played the biggest part in establishing their wild image since there were several incidents that made him look like the ‘bad boy’ of the band. However, this didn’t contribute to the band’s success, at least according to their drummer Paul Cook.
“Well, it definitely changed the dynamic of the band when Sid got involved,” Paul said in a recent interview with Mark Jeeves when asked about Glen Matlock’s departure. “It just went to another level, actually, the madness, when Sid got involved. We lost a great songwriter with Glen, obviously.”
The drummer also admitted that Vicious’ presence in the Sex Pistols signaled their end even when he first joined in 1977. Cook stated, “It was kind of, I guess, that was the beginning of the end really, which was a shame because I didn’t think we had enough of a good album, even without Glen there. [Everything] got even madder when Sid joined, really. It was difficult to hold it together and didn’t last much longer.”
Fans discovered that Glen Matlock was going to leave the Sex Pistols in February 1977. Following the rumors, the band confirmed their bass player’s departure, but the reason remained ambiguous. While some claimed he was kicked out due to his alleged Beatles admiration, others said he was shown the door because his image didn’t suit the band.
As a result, the band started looking for another bassist, and Matlock was replaced by Johnny Rotten’s friend Sid Vicious. During his tenure, the musician’s destructive behavior wore other members off, which they disclosed many years later. Steve Jones had once said they had lost their focus after hiring Vicious, and nothing was ever normal again after he joined the band, which sounds pretty close to what his bandmate Paul Cook recently revealed.
