Sex Pistols’ Paul Cook on punk and performing with The Professionals: ‘We don’t want anyone to have a heart attack’
The drummer of influential British punk bands says he’s still rocking in his 60s because, ‘What the hell else am I going to do?’
Never mind the bollocks None of the four of us who formed the Sex Pistols in 1975 came from a musical background. We were just a gang of lads from Shepherd’s Bush, in London, with a love of music and the fashion scene. Someone had a light-bulb moment and said, “Why don’t we learn to play instruments and form a band?”
It all started in (punk impresario) Malcolm McLaren’s shop in the King’s Road, west London. Glen (Matlock; bassist) worked there and Steve (Jones; guitarist) and I liked to hang out there. One day John (Lydon; aka Johnny Rotten) came in to do some shopping and he just looked great. We were looking for a singer, so that was it really. I guess the planets were aligned.
Anarchy in the UK It’s a bit different now from performing with the Sex Pistols and The Professionals back in the 1970s and early 80s, at the height of the punk era. The intense energy is still there on stage – you are right in the moment – but it’s not quite so mad now in the crowd. Before it was just chaos, total chaos. Everyone was up for it and ready to party and get their rocks off.
We still get great audiences but they tend to be a little older, a bit more sedate. I don’t know where all the fighting and spitting came from originally. It would be great to see everyone moshing again but we don’t want anyone to have a heart attack.
I wanna be me After the Sex Pistols split up, Steve Jones and I formed The Professionals in 1979 but it lasted even less time than the Pistols and all imploded after a car crash on our US tour in 1982. What in the World (2017) is our first new album in 35 years. It’s getting great reviews, we are touring in Asia – but yeah, I do think sometimes, “What am I doing at my age? At 62, is this any way to lead your life?”
But I have spoken to loads of professional musicians my age and we all say the same thing: “What the hell else am I going to do?” I would soon get bored of gardening and I have to keep in shape to be on the drums and bash it out. We are just having fun, playing some new stuff, being creative and enjoying being in a great band. What is there not to like about it?