Steve Jones: “Punk wasn’t about starting a band to sell clothes.”

About to turn 70, Steve Jones (Shepherd's Bush, London, 1955) can't stop playing the songs that made him famous with the Sex Pistols, which he'll be bringing to the Cruïlla festival in Barcelona on Thursday alongside the other original members of the group, drummer Paul Cook and bassist Glen Matlock—replaced by the late Sid Vicious—but with Frank Carter as vocalist instead of John Lydon. Long gone are the anti-establishment proclamations of songs now transformed into a rock machine for all ages. Jones kindly answers questions via videoconference and doesn't hesitate to ask if the heat wave is affecting us in Barcelona and if there's still a drought, because he remembers the tragic fires that occurred last year in Los Angeles, where he's lived for many years.

It will be inevitable that the public will compare Frank Carter with John Lydon...

Frank is great. He's 40, much younger than us, and brings a lot of energy. He sings the songs brilliantly and is a great MC. He loves going into the crowd and creating moshpits. The last time I played with John was in 2008, and it wasn't much fun, whereas now everyone's having a good time and no one's complaining. The whole band is really enjoying themselves, and that's what this stage of the game should be about.

I guess you have no relationship with Lydon...

No, in fact I haven't spoken to him since 2008, the last time we played together, when we performed in the Basque Country (they participated in the Azkena festival).

He never stops criticizing them.

What can you do? I have no animosity toward John. We had a great time when we were young, and everyone has a right to their opinion. What he says is predictable; in fact, I don't expect him to say anything other than criticizing us. The only thing in life is experience, and I don't think the same way I did when I was 19. You have to move forward and grow. That's what life is about; you can't stay the same, and I can only take care of myself; I can't be thinking about other people.

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Where is the rage from when the Sex Pistols started?

Now it's more about having a good time and celebrating the album Never Mind the Bollocks, which will soon be 50 years old. It's not about anything else, just getting away to watch us play for an hour and a half, a time when they won't have to worry about all the other shit going on in the world, which I think is sorely needed right now.

The vital anguish of the seventies is still very present...

Yes, but there's always been despair throughout history, in every generation, and that's nothing new. All I can do right now is try to make sure we have a good time; that's my only concern. We want to have fun, and that's what's happening.

Those dozen songs have become huge hits...

They're catchy songs, it's true, but that wasn't the plan; we just did them that way, and that's how we liked them. We wrote most of them before we had a record deal. We didn't write many songs, but the ones we did are great.

Don't you get tired of playing the same songs so many years later?

To be honest, we didn't really play that much either. Originally, we didn't play many shows and broke up early on. Later, we did the 1996 reunion and tour, when we played about 70 shows, and then we did a few more shows after that. We haven't played that much; we're not like the Rolling Stones, who've been playing the same songs for a hundred years. So it's still fun to play them.

Despite their age, the band is in a good moment.

Of course, and I'll be 70 in September, I'm an old fogey.

Luckily, his music doesn't need ultra-fast solos, it's more rhythm and attitude, right?

Well, I could do shredding or any of that shit if I tried, but I just don't like it, I don't understand it, it just sounds like noise to me and there's nothing worth remembering. It's not my thing; I like guitarists like Mick Ronson—best known for playing with David Bowie—or Paul Kossoff—guitarist of Free—especially people who have good rhythm, that's the only thing that interests me. In fact, I never rehearse.

Do you just go on stage, play, and that's it?

Yes, that's right, and I'm happy with what I do. I don't have great technical talent, but I have a good feeling .

Are you very connected to current music? What do you listen to?

I like a lot of different bands, but I don't really listen to much hard music, only sometimes, and I like bands like Arctic Monkeys. I listen to a lot of instrumental music or just soft music to relax, as well as old-school reggae. When I did a radio show, I listened to a lot of new music because I wanted to discover new bands, but not anymore. I still love music, but I don't listen to punk or metal or anything; it doesn't interest me. The truth is, music changes and so do people, and you're not supposed to like what young people like.

The relationship with John Lydon "I haven't spoken to him since 2008, when we last played together in the Basque Country."

After a year of touring, is there any possibility of recording new songs?

We're focused on these shows; we have about 40 more to go. After that, we'll see where we are, and maybe... you never know. Maybe we could write something, but right now we're just having a good time.

For many people, punk was little more than an aesthetic fad.

We weren't a boy band , that's nonsense. We were a real band, and we happened to have Malcolm McLaren and his wife, Vivienne Westwood, as designers to make clothes. From a band perspective, it's clear it wasn't about selling clothes. Vivienne made money selling clothes, but the whole movement was fashion, image, and songs. It was all together, not one particular thing, like Jamie Reid and his illustrations. It was a combination of elements, but it wasn't designed to be a band and sell clothes. That's all nonsense. We were a real band.

And there are those who still throw it in his face...

Well, there are a lot of unhappy people on the internet, and they like to throw shit. I don't care. A movement is a living proof, and when people come to see us, they have a great time, and so do we, and it makes me happy that the fans are having a good time; that's all that matters. And what someone says online is nonsense; it means nothing. Unfortunately, many people these days just live in front of their computers and don't even go out to watch anything. It's crazy. But hey, I say that, and I like Instagram, where I have an account... although it's often a waste of time, and when you suddenly realize you've spent an hour looking at who knows what, you don't feel good.

You still use your old guitars and amps, right? You don't use digital technology...

Exactly. I still play a white Gibson Les Paul and use Marshall amps, a couple of pedals, not many. In fact, I only have two touring guitars, not 50. I don't have time for this crap, it's too complicated. Besides, I wouldn't even know where to start with digital pedalboards. I use a few effects pedals, a wah-wah, a phaser, and distortion, and that's enough.