Last month, KEXP chatted with Steve Jones, founding member and guitarist for The Sex Pistols, about his autobiography Lonely Boy: Tales From a Sex Pistol. One of the many things Jones reveals in his book is that he secretly wished he were a member of The Clash, admiring how the band members came across as more authentic and seemed to be having a better time. (In contrast, his bandmates seemed to always "be on.")
KEXP Morning Show Producer Owen Murphy asked Jones about his memories of The Clash, as part of our International Clash Day programming. Lonely Boy: Tales From a Sex Pistol is out now via Da Capo Press (and will be reprinted in paperback form on April 10, 2018).
INTERVIEW BY OWEN MURPHY
TRANSCRIPTION BY MICHAEL APPLETON
You write in the book also about hopping on stage with The Clash and playing with them on occasion. From your perspective, what made that enjoyable? What made them enjoyable?
Well, it was different. It was a different -- you know, I wasn’t in a camp of hatred. I was the new guy who was just jumping up on stage with them and it was refreshing to me. I never — people say I was trying to get in, to join The Clash. That wasn’t the case at all. I just used to like driving up the freeway, or wherever it was — in London — and getting up and doing a couple of songs at the end. That was fun to me. The fun had left at this point in the Sex Pistols. It was just a drag.
What were the fellows in The Clash like as people?
You know, like I said, they all hate each other. But I like all of them. I love Joe. I love Mick. Paul Simonon. I got along great with them guys.
KEXP is celebrating International Clash Day all day long, both online and on the air; click here to see more KEXP interviews and articles.
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