by Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones recently addressed the possibility of the band creating new music. He shared his candid thoughts on the matter in a statement to ABC Audio.
Jones expressed skepticism about the idea when asked about the Sex Pistols’ possible plans for a new record.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea, personally,” Jones said. “I think to try and attempt to do new Pistols songs is, I mean, it’s so long ago. I can’t imagine it being good.”
Jones elaborated on his reasoning. He drew from observations about audience reactions to new material from veteran bands.
“No one’s interested when they go to see it live, they go to the toilet when they play a new song, no one cares,” he continued. “I just think it would be the same with us if we did new songs.”
Jones’ comments reflect the complex history of the band’s attempts at collaboration over the decades.
The Sex Pistols have a complicated track record when it comes to reunions. American Songwriter reported that their most notable reunion was the 1996 Filthy Lucre Tour. This brought the original lineup together after 18 years apart for 72 shows worldwide. Tensions remained high throughout the tour despite the commercial success.
The band members were refreshingly honest about their motivations for reuniting. Wikipedia noted that frontman John Lydon admitted they came together chiefly “for the money.” He acknowledged that the members still disliked each other despite their professional collaboration.
“We’ve found a common cause and that’s your money,” Lydon famously declared during the tour. This highlighted the purely financial nature of their reunion.
The strained relationships between band members have persisted well beyond the 1996 tour. Ultimate Classic Rock documented that further reunion attempts occurred in 2002 and 2007. The relationships between members, especially between Jones and Lydon, remained difficult. Jones remarked in 2017 that their “marriage went wrong and we got divorced.” This indicated the ongoing challenges of collaboration within the group.
Jones has left the door open for future possibilities despite these tensions. His recent comments about new music suggest any reunion would likely focus on their classic material rather than creating fresh songs for their legendary catalog.
