The same week as The Good, The Bad & The Queen were playing the Tower of London – see Roisin Dwyer’s breathless report in our last issue – ex-Sex Pistol Glen Matlock was getting together with Blondie’s Clem Burke, former David Bowie sidekick Earl Slick and designer Keanan Duffy under the Slinky Vagabond moniker.
“Keanan went to St. Martin’s Art College like I did, played in bands but ended up concentrating on the rag trade side of things, and designed some clothes for the last Pistols tour,” Glen explains. “He stuck some demos up on his MySpace, which Earl heard and wanted to turn into a proper record. So, he asks me and Clem Burke – who’s been a mate of mine for 30 years – to join their band, which is named after his fashion label.
“I was prepared for it to be a complete fucking disaster, but from the first rehearsal onwards, there’s been a vibe.”
The Matlock/Burke mutual appreciation society dates back to an infamous 1977 show in London’s Electric Ballroom.
“I did a gig with Sid Vicious for one night and one night only as The Vicious White Kids, and the whole of Blondie came down to check us out,” he recalls. “He’s one of the best all-round drummers I’ve come across, a lovely bloke and looks good too. Wanker!”
When not on Vagabonding duty in New York, Glen can be found working his way round the celebrity DJ circuit.
“I’ve been in all the B’s – Barcelona, Bristol and Brazil – and had a fucking ball. You expect ‘Lust For Life’ and ‘Sheena Is A Punk Rocker’ to go down well, but the other week I had a roomful of young Catalans pogoing to ‘There’s Nothing Like A Gang Bang’ by the Sensational Alex Harvey Band!”
Does he play the Pistols?
“If I went to a David Bowie gig and didn’t hear ‘Heroes’ I’d be pissed off so, yeah, ‘Anarchy In The UK’ normally makes an appearance,” he divulges. “I ran into Andrew Innes from Primal Scream recently after he’d been at one of Mani’s DJ gigs and he said, ‘It was so embarrassing ‘cause all he played was us and the Roses!’ There’s a thin line between celebrating the past and being masturbatory!”

Glen Matlock DJs at Sassy Sue’s Go Go Inevitable night in The Sugar Club, Dublin on September 21.