Glen Matlock, the bassist of the Sex Pistols, has said that the reason he first quit the band was because of lead singer Johnny Rotten.

The Sex Pistols were a pioneering British punk rock band formed in London in 1975, known for their rebellious attitude, chaotic performances and their influence on the punk movement. Their raw sound and anti-establishment lyrics captured the discontent of a generation, with songs like “Anarchy in the UK” and “God Save the Queen.”

The band’s original lineup included John Lydon—known by his former stage name Johnny Rotten—as the provocative frontman, Steve Jones on guitar, Paul Cook on drums and Glen Matlock on bass. The band originally disbanded in 1978 after a tumultuous career, and while the heyday of the band was short, their influence on punk and alternative music remains today.

Since then, The Sex Pistols have reformed several times, with notable reunions in 1996 for the Filthy Lucre tour and in 2007 to mark the 30th anniversary of Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols. Matlock left the group in 1977, at which point Sid Vicious, who was a fan of the band who would regularly turn up at their shows, replaced him. After Vicious died in 1978, Matlock rejoined the band for reunion tours and other performances.

During a conversation with Newsweek, Matlock revealed that Lydon was the reason he initially left the band, claiming he wasn’t—and still isn’t—”sincere.”

Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for Lydon for comment on Monday.

“I walked because there was something about John [Lydon]. Good though he was as a frontman and stuff, there was something about him I’ve never found—I’ve never found particularly sincere. And I think he’s been coming out as a Farage and Trump supporter has kind of proved me right,” he explained.

Nigel Farage is the leader of the right-wing political party Reform UK. Lydon has previously shared supportive public comments for both men. In a 2017 interview, Lydon called Trump a “possible friend,” describing him as a figure who “terrifies politicians.” He also praised Farage’s role in Brexit, calling him “fantastic” for connecting with voters.

Matlock claimed his former bandmate would “do anything to get publicity,” including showing his support for the former president.

“I don’t think that’s kind of good enough, really, you know? I think you’ve got, you know, you can’t say you support Trump and wear a MAGA hat for a laugh. It’s not funny, you know. So there you go,” he said.

“Anyway, I think I’ve had the last laugh because [the Sex Pistols] have actually been doing some shows without John, with a different singer, and it’s been going down great … It looks like the world is going to be our oyster next year. So, you know, I’m fortunate that I do lots of things.”

Matlock hasn’t seen his former Sex Pistols bandmate since 2008 but has said that reconnecting is a “two-way street.”

While there has been some dispute over this in the past, the bassist told Newsweek that in the Sex Pistols catalog, he’s got credit on 13 tracks—but clarified that that doesn’t mean he’s written all of them.

“‘Anarchy in the U.K.’ is mainly my music and riff. ‘God Save the Queen’ is my riff of music and ‘Pretty Vacant’ I wrote the whole song and the riff, you know, and then it was interpreted by the guys so that’s kind of cool,” he explained.

“‘Problems,’ my riff, John’s words, ‘Submission,’ me and John sat and wrote—that’s about the only song we sat and wrote together in the pub when Steve [Jones] and Paul [Cook] never turned up. That’s not bad for a start, really.”

In 2011 Matlock’s contribution to the album Never Mind the Bollocks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, was disputed by Jones. He said in an interview with Hustler that he was “tired of Matlock’s claims that he had co-written some of the punk icon’s biggest tunes.”

Matlock is touring the U.K. in November with his band, which features Chris Musto, Jim Lowe and Neal X. The band is starting the tour in Norwich on November 15 and ending at Dingwalls in London on November 30.

More information and tickets are available via www.GlenMatlock.co.uk