Paul Cook Reflects on Punk, Football, and the Changing Face of Chelsea FC

Sex Pistols drummer Paul Cook recalls the band’s notorious television appearance on the Today show in December 1976, where host Bill Grundy provoked them into swearing live on air. The incident sparked nationwide outrage and catapulted the London-based four-piece into the public eye. “I think he met his match,” Cook reflects. “He was an establishment figure, very condescending, and he got what he deserved.”

The scandal cemented the Sex Pistols as cultural revolutionaries overnight. “There was nothing like us at the time,” Cook explains. “We had Top of the Pops and The Old Grey Whistle Test, but we helped change that.” Their track Anarchy in the UK became the anthem of a disillusioned generation. “It was a violent time—strikes, football hooliganism—it all spilled into punk,” he adds. “Everyone was angry in the ’70s.”

A Chelsea Fan Through and Through

Cook’s ties to Chelsea FC run deep. A famous photo from the 1970 FA Cup match between Chelsea and QPR at Loftus Road shows him as a teenager grinning behind a yawning policeman, his Dr. Martens boot jutting out toward the camera. “I was from Shepherd’s Bush, so technically I should’ve been a QPR fan,” Cook laughs. “But my mates took me to Stamford Bridge, and that was it. My family was from Fulham, so I had a soft spot for them, but Chelsea won me over in the mid-’60s.”

His favorite player from the era? “Charlie Cooke. He was a real entertainer, like George Best. We signed a lot of Scottish players then, and I even wanted to put an ‘e’ at the end of my name to match his.”

Sitting in The Green, a pub near the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, Cook flips through a selection of football programs he’s collected over the years. Among them is a program from Chelsea’s FA Cup final replay against Leeds United in 1970, the first such replay in 58 years. “I missed the first game because I messed up my token collection,” he admits. “That rivalry was intense, especially for a young kid. Away games were terrifying.”

Football violence was a grim reality of the time, particularly in clashes between Chelsea and Leeds. Cook himself wasn’t immune to the dangers. “If you were in the wrong place at the wrong time, you could get caught up in it. I wasn’t a fighter, but I had a knack for walking into trouble. I got beaten up badly near here once by a bunch of Teddy Boys just for looking like a punk. We were public enemy number one, and the media fueled it, though we did bring some of it on ourselves.”

The Evolution of Football Culture

The footballing world has changed dramatically since Cook’s youth. “I try not to be that old guy saying, ‘Back in my day, it was better,’” he says. “And yeah, it was great, but the grounds were rough, the violence was intense, and the facilities were awful. Now, football is all corporate boxes and tourists. It’s a different crowd every week. It’s great in some ways, but I’m not sure it’s all for the better.”

Despite the transformations, he acknowledges the positive shifts. “The violence and racism aren’t totally gone, but they’re so much better than they were.”

When discussing Chelsea’s modern era, Cook is candid. He never expected to see the club win the league in his lifetime, let alone lift the Champions League trophy twice. “I have no regrets about the Abramovich era,” he says. “People talk about having a ‘sugar daddy’ owner like it’s a bad thing, but let’s be honest—Newcastle and Man City fans don’t complain now that they have one.”

The Sex Pistols’ Legacy and the New Lineup

In August, the Sex Pistols returned—without John Lydon—to raise funds for Bush Hall. With tensions still simmering between Lydon and his former bandmates following a legal battle over the band’s legacy, Cook, guitarist Steve Jones, and bassist Glen Matlock now perform with Frank Carter on vocals.

“I don’t bad-mouth John,” Cook says. “He was iconic. But the band won’t happen again with him. It just became too toxic. Now, we’re having fun. We’re not saying Frank is the new Johnny Rotten, but people still want to hear Never Mind the Bollocks.”

Matlock remains a QPR fan, while Cook and Jones have stayed close, particularly in their mutual love for Chelsea. “Steve wasn’t into football back then. He went to QPR matches for the chaos. He’d bunk in, cause trouble, and nick all the hot dogs,” Cook chuckles.

Later, in Los Angeles, Cook and Jones donned football kits for Hollywood United. “Americans don’t quite get it, but they’ve had good teams. They’re fit and hard to play against. We even had friendly matches with Vinnie Jones and Frank Leboeuf—they take it seriously.”

For Cook, the link between football terraces and punk is unmistakable. “Terrace chants came from the music hall tradition, where people sang together, and that fed into punk’s anthemic choruses. There’s nothing like 5,000 people singing together—it’s uplifting. But it’s not quite like that at Chelsea anymore. Maybe in Liverpool or Newcastle, where the working-class support is still strong, but not down at the Bridge.”