Interviews with
Glen Matlock of The Sex Pistols & Sylvain Sylvain of The New York Dolls
Acoustic Anarchy Tour - March 19, 2013 -
@ Westcott Theater in Syracuse, NY
Those who know me, know that I am obsessed with The Sex Pistols. I was turned on to them at eight years old, and have loved them ever since.
As part of my HeroQuest Campaign, I have been trying to meet and interview them for many years.
I went to England in August of 2006 to see the WASTED Festival, where Glen Matlock was to perform, but thanks to a terrorist plot that was foiled, the airports were closed down and Glen got stuck in Istanbul, Turkey and was unable to make it to the show.
On September 11, 2011, Dawn and I trekked down to New York City to see Glen perform with The Philistines. We got to meet Glen and speak with him outside the venue and I got my photo taken with him. The scheduled opening act: High Teen Boogie were amazing.
But, because the promoter added three additional, unannounced bands to the bill, Glen was scheduled to go on so late that we were only able to catch ten minutes of his set before having to leave to catch our train to the bus terminal to get home to Syracuse for work the next morning.
So, when it was announced that Glen Matlock would be coming to Syracuse on March 19th with Tommy Ramone as part of the Acoustic Anarchy Tour, I was psyched beyond belief. As soon as tickets went on sale, I snatched them up and began counting the days.
A few weeks before the show, it was announced that Tommy Ramone was ill, and would be cancelling. (He promised to re-schedule when he gets better and we all wish him well.) But, in the same press release, it was made known that Sylvain Sylvain of the New York Dolls would be taking his place for the tour. As sad as it was to learn Tommy Ramone wouldn't be here, it was just a great to hear that Sylvain would be coming instead.
I contacted the PR company to set up an interview and was hearing nothing in return from them, so I took a different approach... I have been Facebook friends with Glen for a few years and sent him a note explaining who I was, and asked if we could do an interview. He said "No problem" and sent me the contact info to get directly in touch with his press people and we sorted it all out.
They also set me up with an interview with Sylvain Sylvain of The New York Dolls.
We arrived at the Westcott Theater to do the interviews and Glen and Syl weren't there yet, so we chilled for a while and talked with the guys from the opening act Fugulele, an all-Eukele tribute to Fugazi. They were a nice bunch of guys and I couldn't wait to see their performance.
Glen and Sylvain showed up and we got down to business with the interview.
When we were done, I gave Glen one of the Syracuse The Bath Salt City shirts that I make. I explained the point behind it and he laughed.
After that, Glen went to get ready for the evening, and I went off to do my interview with Sylvain.
Fugulele took the stage and had a great show. I highly recomend them. If you get the chance, check them out.
Sylvain Sylvain played a great set as well, and after he finished, I went out for a cigarette. I got talking to some people and lost track of time, and suddenly, Glen was playing... I quickly finished my smoke and headed inside, and to my surprise, Glen was wearing the shirt I gave him!!! Too cool! Glen even chided me about not being in there for the opening when he showed off the shirt.Glen played a mix of songs from The Philistines, The Sex Pistols, and The Rich Kids. Glen's acoustic version of "Ghosts of Princes in Towers" was fantastic!
When he finished his full set, Glen was joined onstage by Sylvain and they did a few songs together including the New York Dolls classic "Jet Boy/Jet Girl." The two seemed to be having a genuinely good time, as did the audience.
At the end of the evening, bot Glen and Syl came out, wandered around the Westcott, posed for pictures and signed autographs.
Afterward we went to Alto Cinco for something to eat and Glen joined us there as well.
Finally, Glen & Syl were ready to go, and with a few handshakes and hugs, they were gone, but this night will live on for eternity in my memory!
