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Biography of Sid Vicious. The Creative Path of Sid Vicious

Biography

Shortly after the birth of his son, John Ritchie left the family, and Sid and his mother went to the island of Ibiza, where they spent four years. Upon her return to England, Ann married Christopher Beverley in 1965. For some time the family lived in Kent; after the death of their stepfather, mother and son rented a room in Tunbridge Wells, then lived in Somerset. .

Sid showed no interest in studying and left school at the age of 15, but soon (under the name Simon John Beverly) entered the Hackney Art College (Eng. Hackney College), where he began to study photography. Here he met John Lydon, who gave him his later famous nickname. According to one version, Lydon's hamster, nicknamed Sid, bit Richie on the arm, and he exclaimed: "Sid is really vicious!" . Later versions appeared, according to which the nickname was given in honor of Syd Barrett and Lou Reed's song "Vicious". Together with John Wardle (who later took on the pseudonym Jah Wobble) and John Gray, they formed The 4 Johns. As Ann recalls, unlike Lydon, who was an extremely reserved and shy guy, Sid dyed his hair and behaved in the manner of his then idol, David Bowie. Lydon related that they often made money as a duet playing street concerts playing Alice Cooper songs: John sang and Sid accompanied him on the tambourine.

For a long time, Sid lived alternately - sometimes with squatters, sometimes in his mother's house, but at the age of 17, having quarreled with her, he became really homeless, thanks to which he entered punk culture for the first time (most London squatters in those days were punks). It was around this time that Syd first went to a shop on King's Road called "Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die" (soon to be renamed "SEX") and met - first with Glen Matlock (who worked there and played nights on bass guitar), then through him with Steve Jones and Paul Cook. The latter two had just formed the Swankers and were trying to persuade store owner Malcolm McLaren (who had recently returned from America, where he briefly managed the New York Dolls) to become their manager. Soon the line-up turned into the Sex Pistols and found a vocalist in the person of another regular, John Lydon - although at first McLaren's wife, Vivienne Westwood chose Sid.

For some time, Syd was also considered as a possible vocalist for another new band, The Damned, but was crossed off the list after he did not show up for an audition. During the same days, he put together the infamous squatter band The Flowers of Romance; members included the future The Slits. Having recently suffered from loneliness, Sid suddenly found himself at the very center of a new cultural movement and decided not to miss his chance: taking up (following the example of his new idol, Dee Dee Ramon) the bass guitar, he finally accepted the lifestyle that very soon led him to tragedy.

In September 1976, Syd became a participant in the so-called First International Punk Festival, organized by Ron Watts, manager 100 Club in collaboration with Malcolm McLaren. The headliners here were the Sex Pistols, by then already having a reputation as a new, highly promising band with an amazing author duet. When it became known that the program had freed up time for another participant, two participants Bromley Continent- Susie Sue and Steve Spanker (Severin) - immediately offered their services, as the other two members of the non-existent "band" inviting Sid (drums) and Billy Idol (guitar; the latter's place was immediately taken by Marco Pirroni, a friend of a girl named Sue Woman -cat ( Soo Catwoman), with whom Sid was also friends). So on the first day of the Festival, Sid first appeared on the big stage. However, already on the second day he “got off” it, because he was arrested (for starting to throw bottles on the stage) and placed in the Ashford Remand juvenile prison. After leaving prison, he settled with Catwoman and became something of a bodyguard for her.

Joining the Sex Pistols

Meanwhile, the Sex Pistols also lost their second contract, with A&M Records; in many respects the reason for this was the brawls inspired by Sid. The group signed their third contract with Virgin Records, but by the time God Save the Queen was released, Sid's health had deteriorated: he managed to visit the hospital, where he was treated for hepatitis C. At the same time, his two passions - for Nancy and heroin - grew uncontrollably.

After the Sex Pistols returned from Scandinavia and played several "secret" British sets (SPOTS: Sex Pistols on Tour Secretly), it became clear that Nancy was becoming a dangerous burden for the group. They tried to forcefully send her to America, but the plan failed: Sid and Nancy became even closer: now they opposed the whole world, and nothing could separate them. At times, the couple looked quite respectable: for example, during charity concerts in Huddersfield in favor of the miners (where John took part in the “cake fight”), Sid and Nancy talked with the children and made the most pleasant impression on everyone. Here, for the first time, Sid was given the opportunity to go to the microphone (he sang "Chinese Rocks" and "Born to Lose").

American tour

The Sex Pistols' American tour began from the South (in Atlanta, Georgia). Nancy was not around, she was left in England, and Sid fell into a depression. In addition, Warner Bros. Records, the band's American label, assigned security guards (led by Noel Monk) to him for the sole purpose of keeping him out of heroin. Thus, the opposite effect was achieved. Syd ran away after a concert in Georgia and returned the next day with a certain Helen Keeler (one of the Pistols fans).

The group soon split into two camps. Steve Jones, Paul Cook and Malcolm McLaren continued to tour by plane, while John Lydon (by this time seriously concerned about his friend's condition) traveled in a van with Sid. The tour took place in an atmosphere of narcotic chaos and growing violence. Bottles were constantly flying at Sid; once he immediately answered the offender - with a bass guitar blow to the head. Chest slashed and covered in blood, he (in John's words) "turned into a circus performer." On stage in Dallas, Texas, Sid walked out, scrawling across his chest a bloody inscription: Gimme a Fix. On January 14, the remnants of the group, until recently considered the most popular in the world, gathered in San Francisco to give their last concert in Winterland Ballroom. At the end of it, throwing his question into the hall: “Have you ever felt deceived?” - John Lydon announced his withdrawal from the Sex Pistols and remained in America penniless. Steve and Paul went to Rio, Sid continued his drug orgy with new friends who provided him with drugs. One of them (a certain Boogie) saved him from death after an overdose and, on the second attempt, sent him to England, to Nancy.

I haven't released it since the beginning of the Sex Pistols US tour.<Сида>out of sight - even on the bus sat next to me. Everything was fine with him, but only until we arrived in San Francisco. Someone will consider this a mere coincidence, but as soon as Malcolm appeared in our hotel, Sid went down like a stone ... The tragedy was that he naively believed in his own image. But he was, in fact, harmless and defenseless! Sid slowly died, and those around him enjoyed the spectacle. Especially Malcolm, who believed that self-destruction was the essence of pop stardom. I was beside myself with rage: we never intended to become pop stars! ..

Two other songs recorded by Syd at the same time as "My Way" - "Something Else" and "C'mon Everybody" - were released as singles under the Sex Pistols banner and became hits (# 3 UK). In October, he received from McLaren a fee (by check) and a cash sum of 25 thousand dollars: the latter was placed in the bottom drawer of the desk in the hotel room on the same day. The day came October 11: Sid and Nancy urgently needed a dose. There was a rumor that they had money, and they were ready to pay any amount. It is known that at least two drug dealers visited their hotel room. After receiving the doses, Sid and Nancy fell into oblivion. Sid woke up on the morning of the 12th. Nancy was in the bathroom: she was killed, apparently, with his knife. He immediately called first an ambulance, then the police, and on October 19 he was arrested on suspicion of murder. The $25,000 sum disappeared from the bottom drawer of the desk and has never been found. The musician himself, due to severe alcohol and drug intoxication, did not remember what had happened and categorically denied his guilt.

In the very first hours after the incident, people who knew Sid and Nancy began to express confidence that he could not have committed this crime. “He was anything but Vicious; In fact, I didn't even know him by that name. He was quiet, a very lonely man. With Nancy, they were a very sensitive couple and were great with each other. Even in my office, they did not let go of each other's arms. It was felt that there was a strong connection between them, ”said Stanley Bard, manager of the Chelsea Hotel.

Phil Strongman states in Pretty Vacant: A History of Punk that Nancy's killer was most likely Rockets Redgler, a drug dealer, bouncer, actor (and later comedian). He was reliably determined to have been with Nancy that night, for whom he had brought 40 hydromorphone capsules. There was also a version according to which Nancy's death was the result of a failed "double suicide".

Death of Sid Vicious

Sid was placed in Rikers Prison. McLaren persuaded Virgin Records to provide a security deposit (50 thousand dollars), promising a new album from Sid. Warner Bros. raised money for a team of lawyers and the suspect was released on bail. October 22, still in a state of deep shock from the death of his beloved, Sid tried to commit suicide. While he was in the hospital, he was cared for by his mother, who flew in from England. Barely discharged, Sid got into a fight on December 9, smashed a bottle on the head of Patti Smith's brother Todd Smith, and was arrested for 55 days. On February 1, he was again released on bail and headed to the apartment of his new girlfriend Michelle Robinson with his mother and a group of friends. Here he took a dose of heroin and lost consciousness. Those present managed to bring him to his senses, after which he took heroin again. “I could swear that at that moment a pinkish aura appeared over him,” Ann Beverly later said. I brought him tea the next morning. Sid lay in complete peace. I tried to push him, and then I realized that he was cold ... And dead.

New York Chief Coroner Dr. Michael Baden Michael Baden), who performed the autopsy, determined that the heroin found in his system was 80 percent pure, while Vicious usually used a 5 percent solution.

The film also claimed that Ann Beverly, shortly before her death, allegedly admitted that she had indeed injected her son with a lethal dose, because she was afraid that he would be sentenced to life for the murder of Nancy Spungen.

Musicality

Vicious' ability as a bass player has been disputed. During an interview for Guitar Hero III when Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones was asked why he instead of Vicious recorded the bass parts for Never Mind the Bollocks, he replied: "Sid was in the hospital with hepatitis, he couldn't play, not that he could play at all." Syd asked Lemmy, the bass player of Motörhead, to teach him how to play bass, saying, "I can't play bass", to which Lemmy replied, "I know." In another interview, Lemmy said, "It wasn't easy. He still couldn't play the bass guitar at the time of his death."

Albums

Singles

"My Way" (June 30, 1978)

"Something Else" (February 9, 1979)

"C'mon Everybody" (June 22, 1979)

bootlegs

My Way/Something Else/C'mon Everybody (1979, 12", Barclay, Barclay 740 509)

Live (1980, LP, Creative Industry Inc., JSR 21)

Vicious Burger (1980, LP, UD-6535, VD 6336)

Love Kills N.Y.C. (1985, LP, Konexion, KOMA)

The Sid Vicious Experience - Jack Boots and Dirty Looks (1986, LP, Antler 37)

The Idols with Sid Vicious (1993)

Never Mind the Reunion Here's Sid Vicious (1997, CD)

Sid Dead Live (1997, CD, Anagram, PUNK 86)

Sid Vicious Sings (1997, CD)

Vicious & Friends (1998, CD, Dressed To Kill Records, Dress 602)

Better (to provoke a reaction than to react to a provocation) (1999, CD, Almafame, YEAAH6)

Steppin' Stone (1989, 7", SCRATCH 7)

Probably His Last Ever Interview (2000, CD, OZIT, OZITCD62)

Better (2001, CD)

Vive Le Rock (2003, 2CD)

Too Fast To Live… (2004, CD)

Naked & Ashamed (7", Wonderful Records, WO-73, 2004)

Sid Live At Max's Kansas City (LP, JSR 21, 2004)

Sid Vicious (LP, Innocent Records, JSR 23, 2004)

Sid Vicious McDonald Bros. Box (3CD, Sound Solutions, 2005)

Sid Vicious & Friends (Don't You Gimmyyyyyyyyyyyyyyye) No Lip/(I'm Not Your, 2006)

see also

Notes
Comments
Sources
The Filth and The Fury, St. Martin's Press, 2000, p. 13

Jah Wabble. www.punk77.co.uk (English) . - Preface to an interview with A. Parker, author of two books about Vicious. Archived

Sid Story, part 1 Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2009.

Kit & Morgan Benson Sid Vicious. www.findagrave.com Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved October 7, 2009.

, The Punk Issue, March 2006, p. 65

The Filth and The Fury, St. Martin's Press, 2000, p. 41

Sid Story, Pt.2 (English) . - www.punk77.co.uk. Archived

, March 2006. The Punk Issue. The Year of Living Dangerously. Ted Doyle. Page 65

It's Only Rock and Roll… Lemmy interview (English) . - www.roomthirteen.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2009.

Sid Vicious. - www.imdb.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2009.

Sid Vicious Biography. www.hotshotdigital.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2010.

Sid Story, Pt 3. (English) . - www.punk77.co.uk. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2009.

Sid Vicious Biography. www.hotshotdigital.com. Archived from the original on August 25, 2011. Retrieved March 2, 2010.

This guy became a punk rock legend without leaving behind a decent musical legacy. This is not surprising - he, by and large, could not sing or play. But if you say “punk”, in at least 2/3 of the cases you will remember Sid Vicious - the living personification of true punk, which has absorbed anarchy, violence and self-destruction.

Childhood and youth

In fact, Evil Sid (as the name of the punk sounds in English) was called John Simon Richie. A boy was born under the sign of Taurus - May 10, 1957. The biography of the newborn Londoner was not set initially. Ann's mother was an unemployed hippie drug addict, and father John, who worked as a security guard, left the family immediately after the appearance of the offspring.

Ann, taking the baby, went to Ibiza, where she lived for four years. Then the Richies returned to England, and little John had a stepfather - Christopher Beverly. At first the family lived in Kent, then in Somerset, and after a while Christopher died.

At the age of 15, leaving school, under the name of Simon John Beverly, the future Sid Vicious entered an art college to study photographic art.

There, friend John Lydon came up with a nickname that is now known to the whole world. Lydon's hamster, Sid, bit the future punk star on the hand, and he exclaimed: "Sid is really vicious!" ("Sid is really mean!").

In one interview, Sid stated that he should not study or work, he did not like the rules. At the age of 17, having quarreled with his mother, the guy became homeless and joined the squatters - people who arbitrarily settle in empty housing. Drinking and drugs (and Vicious was taught to do drugs by his own mother) were interspersed with drumming in rock bands. And the punk that was gaining momentum became a second “I” for Sid.

Vicious loved to give interviews and pose for photographers. Working for the public led to the fact that it was Syd who became the personification of punk rock, although he has neither sensational albums nor world hits to his credit - only a few cover versions and only one song written personally.

Personal life

Sid and Nancy - these two names have already become household names. According to the recollections of people close to Vicious, his girlfriend was a very unpleasant person. But for Sid, from the moment they met, Nancy Spungen became the only one. Except for their common "friend" - heroin.

Sid met Nancy almost immediately after starting to work with the Sex Pistols. Groupie with heroin addiction, the girl had a goal - to sleep with the whole group. Started with Steve and John, then got to Sid, and he suddenly lost his head. A little later, Vicious was treated for hepatitis C and became increasingly addicted to Nancy and heroin.

Rotten tried to follow a friend, the group broke up. In January 1978, the Sex Pistols ceased to exist. Sid and Nancy starred in The Great Rock and Roll Swindle (The Great Rock and Roll Swindle), after which Sid went to odd jobs, and Nancy became a producer of a lover and even organized several concerts in the States.

In the summer of 1978, Sid and Nancy went to New York, where they organized their own band, Vicious White Kids, which in Russian sounds like Vicious White Kids. But when at the concert Vicious, being under heroin, lost consciousness, the musicians refused to perform with him.

In October of that year, Sid and Nancy rented room 100 at the Chelsea Hotel in New York. Then Vicious received money for recording several songs, and $ 25 thousand found a place in a desk drawer in a hotel room.

Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen in 1978

On October 11, local drug dealers received information that two of the "hundredth" guests would not stand up for the price, so the dose was needed. And on October 12, Sid, waking up, found his beloved Nancy dead. The girl, bloody, with a knife sticking out of her stomach, was lying on the bathroom floor.

Vicious was arrested on suspicion of murder and sent to jail, although he said that he was high and did not remember the previous night. Thanks to the work of Sid's lawyers, drug dealers fell under suspicion, because $ 25,000 disappeared. And the punk legend was released on bail, which was made by McLaren.

Death

In the three months after Nancy's death, Vicious survived several suicide attempts, another arrest. On the evening of February 1, 1979, Sid took another dose of heroin and did not wake up the next morning. Usually Vicious was content with a 5% solution of heroin, and 80% heroin was found in the killer syringe. There is a version that Sid's mother injected a lethal dose to save him from prison. So, having lived in the world for 21 years, the punk rock star went out from an overdose.

On February 7, Sid was cremated, and soon his mother scattered his ashes over Nancy's grave. True, it was rumored that Ann Beverly dropped the urn with the ashes of her son at Heathrow Airport.

Passion and death of Sid and Nancy inspire creative people. Songs are dedicated to the couple, Alan Parker wrote the book "Sid Vicious: Too Fast to Live ...". And director Alex Cox in 1986 made the movie "Sid and Nancy", in which Vicious is played by an actor, and Nancy Spungen is played by Chloe Webb.

Discography

Albums

1979 - "Sid Sings"
1998 - "Sid Vicious & Friends"
2000 - "Too Fast To Live"

Singles

June 30, 1978 - "My Way"
February 9, 1979 - "Something Else"
June 22, 1979 - "C'mon Everybody"

is a British musician who gained fame as the bassist of the cult punk band the Sex Pistols. He became famous for his rebellious character and love for Nancy Spungen, which ended tragically for both. Names Sid and Nancy have become common nouns.

Sid Vicious: Biography of a Musician

Sid's real name is John Simon Richie, but there is no single version about his pseudonym. According to one version, the nickname came up with fellow Sex Pistols John Lydon, after Sid was bitten by John's hamster and he exclaimed "Sid is really vicious!" According to another version, he owes his stage name to Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd and Lou Reed's song "Vicious".

After a while, they began to take to the streets, performing cover versions of Alice Cooper songs. At that time, he begins to dye his hair in bright shades, and a little later they gather the group The 4 Johns, in which, as you might guess, 4 Johns gathered.

After that, Sid gets the opportunity to become the vocalist of The Damned, but did not show up for the audition, a little later he joins The Flowers of Romance. In September 1976, he, along with other musicians, filled the vacancy by performing at the first international punk festival and getting a taste of the big stage, and at the same time the prison, which he soon ended up in because of his ugly behavior on stage.

Sid Vicious and the Sex Pistols

In early 1977, Syd joined the Sex Pistols, replacing Glen Matlock in it, which he could have gotten into a year earlier, but John Lydon was chosen as the vocalist instead. Now he became the band's bassist, and the choice fell on him more because of his image than because of his virtuoso playing, since everyone (including his teacher Lemmy) believed that he was weak on the bass guitar. Sometimes it was even turned off at concerts. At that time, Sid invented the dance that became characteristic of early punk and was called the pogo.

Soon Vicious meets a Sex Pistols fan, American Nancy Spangel, who became his mistress. A little later, he ends up in the hospital with hepatitis C. At this time, his heroin addiction becomes so dangerous that his friend Lydon was forced to constantly accompany him. The group was falling apart right before our eyes, Sid was constantly being attacked by fans, falling under a hail of bottles and occasionally reciprocating, so in America it was decided to disband the Sex Pistols right after the tour. Sid indulged in drug dope for a while in the company of new acquaintances, who later sent him to England to Nancy, saving him from an overdose.

Then Sid and Nancy took part in the filming of the film "The Great Rock and Roll Swindle", after which they were released from the management of McLaren (manager of the Sex Pistols). Nancy becomes his new manager and organizes a number of concerts in the US.

For a series of recordings, the couple receive $25,000 in cash from McLaren, which they hid in their Chelsea hotel room. This was the beginning of the end. October 11, 1977 Nancy needed a dose and after that Sid and Nancy fell into a drug addiction, from which Sid woke up the next morning, and Nancy was destined to fall asleep forever. She was found dead, stabbed to death with Sid's knife. Vicious was arrested for murder, although few believed that it was he who did it, especially since 25 thousand disappeared without a trace.

Sid Vicious: cause of death

For 50 thousand he was released on bail, but on October 22, Sid Vicious attempted suicide and ended up in a clinic. After that, he once again goes to jail for fighting. Finally, after bail, he arrives at Michelle Robinson's apartment, where he takes two doses of heroin, in between taking which he loses consciousness. The next morning he was found dead. Death of Sid Vicious came from a drug overdose. After an autopsy, an 80% solution of heroin was found in his body instead of the usual five percent.

Sid Vicious forever remained in the memory of the fans as a rebel who looked for his own ways and became, perhaps against his will, one of the symbols of the punk movement.

Sid Vicious was and still is a cult figure. If you ask anyone you meet to name the first punk that comes to mind, most likely you will hear the name Sid Vicious. He was the epitome of punk rock in its truest form: anarchy, wild antics, violence and complete disregard for everyone. Perhaps the death of Vicious at such an early age was fatal, as he embarked on the path of self-destruction and went through it to the end.

early years

Sid Vicious was born in London on May 10, 1957. His father worked as a security guard, and his mother, a hippie drug addict, was unemployed. Sid's real name is John Simon Richie. There are many versions of the origin of the nickname, the most famous of which says that it was given to the young man in honor of Lou Reed's composition "Vicious" and Syd Barrett.

Immediately after the birth of his son, his father left the family, and Sid and his mother settled on the island of Ibiza, where they lived for 4 years. Returning to England, they lived for some time in Kent, and then in Somerset. There, the mother remarried, but after a while her second husband died.

Sid showed no interest in learning and stopped attending school at the age of 15. He then briefly studied photography at an art college. Once Sid said that he could neither work nor study. He was not interested in reading books, and he did not like order and rules. At the same time, Vicious was introduced to the trendy punk culture that changed him forever. He began to dye his hair and behave in the manner of his idol David Bowie.

Vicious met the musicians from the "Sex Pistols" in the "SEX" store. Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook played here on punk rock nights. At first they were called "Swankers", but after the owner of the store Malcolm McLaren became their manager, they renamed themselves "Sex Pistols". Vicious was not taken to the newly formed group, although McLaren's wife wanted to see him as the vocalist. Only in 1977, after the departure of bass player Glen Metlock, Vicious was taken in his place.

scandalous fame

Sid Vicious shocked the audience for only two years, but became the most famous musician in the history of punk rock. However, he had an indirect relationship with music, as he played the guitar very mediocrely and was the author of only one song. However, the group was in no hurry to say goodbye to the restless Sid, because he could turn on the audience like no other.

The musicians forgave Vicious everything, even the fact that he did not appear at rehearsals and was always on heroin. By the way, his mother taught him to use drugs. Childhood friend Jah Wobble recalled being horrified when he saw Sid's mother giving him a dose of heroin.

To understand what Vicious was, it is enough to recall a few cases from his life. In 1978, the "Sex Pistols" went on tour in the United States, where they received incredible popularity. At one of the first concerts in Memphis, Sid showed up to the rehearsal drunk and started throwing chairs at everyone. Then he cut his hand with a knife, which caused shock among the musicians. During the concert, he took off the bandages on his arm and showed the audience a deep bleeding wound. According to the policeman who kept order in the hall, it seemed that there was a psycho on the stage who had escaped from the hospital. This was all Vicious, personifying the punk hysteria of that time.

Perhaps the fate of Sid Vicious would not have been so tragic if it were not for his acquaintance with drug addict Nancy Spungen. No one could save him, not even his best friend John Rotten. Sid blindly loved Nancy and did not see that she was pulling him to the bottom. Rocker's friend Pamela Rook said that Nancy Spungen was a very unpleasant person, and everyone saw it, except Sid. She gravitated toward self-destruction even more than he did, so it's no surprise that their lives went awry.

Despite their lack of self-discipline, the Sex Pistols played amazing shows in the US. Their fame went ahead of them, and after a while they already competed with the famous New York punk band "The Ramones". When the group returned to England, Sid was offered to go to Paris to perform Sinatra's song "My way" in one of the films. He really liked the idea of starring in the film, and he gladly accepted. However, for those who did this project, working with Vicious turned out to be a real torture. The reckless musician was constantly on heroin, so he had little understanding of what was happening in reality. Julien Temple recalled that for two days the film crew tried to get Sid to sing the song, but he could not open his mouth.

Romeo and Juliet punk

It's hard to tell how much Sid and Nancy loved each other. There are legends about their love, they compose songs and make films, but no one knows how they really felt. One thing is for sure - their heroin addiction was so strong that in the end they both "burned out".

In the summer of 1978, Sid and Nancy went to New York, where they organized their own band, the Vicious White Kids. They began to be presented to the public as the Romeo and Juliet of punk culture. The group's reckless shows reached the point of absurdity. At one concert, Nancy was sitting in the front row in a wedding dress, and suddenly Vicious, who was singing a song on stage, started shooting at her with a pistol. The audience was shocked by the bloody mess, but as it turned out, it was just part of the show! Soon the audience already knew that anything could be expected from the group, but the press still called them psychos.

The bloody omen came true. On the morning of October 12, 1978, Sid woke up in a Chelsea hotel room after a storm of drinking and, not finding Nancy, went to the bathroom. The picture that appeared before his eyes shocked the musician. Nancy lay in the bathroom with a knife in her stomach, and all the walls were spattered with blood. Vicious did not remember anything and generally refused to understand what had happened. He confessed to the crime, but due to lack of evidence he was released. It is said that Nancy was killed by a drug dealer, but Sid blamed himself and even tried to commit suicide several times.

After three months of torment, during which there were both re-arrest and suicide attempts, Vicious took too much heroin one evening and did not wake up. There is a version that his mother prepared this dose for him, and that the heroin was 80% pure, while he used 5%. He wasn't even 22 years old...

Sid Vicious is the face of punk rock with all its madness, fury and naive charm. Evil Sid is the pseudonym of Londoner John Simon Richie, who is called the epitome of punk culture from a difficult childhood through a violent youth to a ridiculous death and an idiotic incident with an urn with his ashes - the perfect punk in life and after death. After that it was.

Ann's mother took the cremated remains of her son, who died in New York, home to England and, landing at London Heathrow, either by accident or intentionally (Annie Ritchie was a hippie and was very familiar with heroin and other types of hard drugs that young Johnny I tried it for the first time at home in the company of my mother.So you can expect everything from this woman, according to one version, she is even suspected of killing her child idol) knocked over an urn at the airport, allowing the ashes of the cult rocker to fly into the ventilation pipe.

Photo by Sid Vicious

The musical career of the iconic punk was tumultuous, frantic and short. In 1957, Johnny was born, in the early 1970s he picked up a guitar and renamed himself Sid, in 1977 he became part of the already popular Sex Pistols and literally during his debut concert he turned into a real star, the brightest, most noticeable and recognizable character "sex pistols". A bony skinny figure, defiant clothes, hooligan behavior in public, poisonous hair color, disheveled hair - no matter how evil punk. Although the photos of Sid Vicious are deceiving, because in ordinary life he was a very shy and timid guy who was turned into a madman by drugs. And when their action ended, the odious rocker again became quiet and calm, as far as possible from his stage image of a rebel, anarchist and bully. Although he played his part really well - the punk-rock-sex-gun charisma is felt in every presented photo of half a century ago.