FESTIVAL MUSIC | Previews
QUICK Q&A WITH . . . GLEN MATLOCK: I WAS A TEENAGE SEX PISTOL Glen Matlock was allegedly thrown out of the Sex Pistols for the crime of ‘liking the Beatles’. He busts this and other myths in his one- man words-and-music show at the Fringe this year I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol
What did music mean to a teenage Sex Pistol? It was an exit from the potential 9-to-5 world. ‘God Save The Queen’ was originally called ‘No Future’ because that’s what it seemed like in London at the time. We didn’t have a pot to piss in but that gave us a good spirit. Where did it all go right? We never followed the trend. Any success I’ve had has been because I ploughed a lonely furrow myself or with a few like- minded souls. I think it’s always best to stick out like a sore thumb. Where did it all go wrong? The punk thing came along and people just copied us. You can imagine notices going up in youth centres: we’re punks, we’re trying to form a punk band, we play punk music, by the way you must be a punk. It became very narrow. Why go back? It always surprises me that 35 years later somebody still wants to talk about it, but it really struck a chord.
(Interview by Fiona Shepherd) ■ Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 1–6 Aug, 7.30pm, £15-£18. Preview 31 Jul, £9.
62 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014
ALL BACK TO BOWIE’S Bowie-inspired, referendum-themed cultural salon
February 2014: David Bowie wins a Brit Award and uses the occasion to appeal – via a proxy, who just happens to be Kate Moss – ‘Scotland, stay with us.’ Some idiots threaten to bin their Bowie collections, but playwright David Greig, who describes his hero’s indyref intervention as ‘typical Bowie – quite enigmatic, delivered by an alter ego, yearning but also commanding’, chooses to respond with a Fringe show.
‘It was kind of thrilling that he cared, even though I don’t think he really has any sense of what’s going
on,’ says Greig. ‘I love David Bowie so I take anything he says seriously. It made me think harder.’
All Back To Bowie’s is the result – a cultural salon involving music, discussion and writing inspired by the ideas thrown up around the referendum debate, with a different Bowie-titled theme to be explored each day. ‘Waiting for the Gift of Sound and Vision’ spotlights the media, ‘Suffragette City’ looks at women and independence and ‘A Godawful Small Affair’ contemplates Tory Scotland (ouch).
Confirmed guests so far include Nicola Sturgeon, Elaine C Smith, Jim Sillars and Lesley Riddoch
– all firm advocates of a Yes vote. All Back To Bowie’s is not conceived as a balanced debate, but a forum for ideas. ‘As long as people know we’re not “neutral” then they’ll be able to enjoy the show without feeling
hectored,’ says Greig. ‘We’re not trying to convert anybody. I honestly don’t care if a Bowie show affects how you vote in the referendum. I only want it to be interesting, and to explore in depth the amazing flowering of ideas and politics in Scotland right now.’ ‘But knowledge of David Bowie is vital – because knowledge of David Bowie is vital for life,’ says Greig.
Surely we can all agree on that? (Fiona Shepherd) ■ Stand in the Square, 558 7272, 12.20pm, 1–24 Aug, £8 (£6).
A TRANNY ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKDOWN Detroit showgirl talks boy troubles
After last year’s hit show A Tranny is Born, Mzz Kimberly knows she has a lot to live up to. ‘I’m scared as hell,’ admits the Detroit singer. ‘Last year I had rollerskates and videos showing – this year it’s just me.’ A Tranny on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown
may be stripped down compared to 2013’s extravaganza, but it’s still packed with jazz, gospel and show tunes, plus ‘stories about relationships with men from her hometown’. Mzz Kimblerly’s not afraid of controversy either. Reclaiming a transphobic slur in her show title hasn’t sat easily with some in the LGBT world, but she says it’s essential. ‘I wanted to talk about the word “tranny” and being a trans woman. It’s a fun show but I wanted it to be a bit educational.’ In the wake of Orange is the New Black’s openly
trans actress Laverne Cox heralding what Time magazine claimed is a ‘transgender tipping point’ in terms of public understanding and media representation, she’s finding attitudes are changing. ‘I’m treated with so much respect at the Fringe,’ she raves. ‘I’m so glad they asked me back.’ With a setlist full of exciting new material, so are we. (Kaite Welsh) ■ Voodoo Rooms, 556 7060, 2–24 Aug (not 11, 18), 6.15pm, free.