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Sid and Nancy


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Sid and Nancy

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In November 1977 Vicious met and soon after began a relationship with American Nancy Laura Spungen, who, legend has it, had come to London "to sleep with a Sex Pistol". Spungen was a heroin addict, and inevitably Vicious, who was already believing in his own "live fast, die young" mythology, came to share this dependence. Although deeply in love with each other, their often violent relationship had a disastrous effect on the Sex Pistols, with both the group and Vicious visibly deteriorating throughout the course of their 1978 American tour.

Things finally came to a head at their concert at the Winterland Ballroom, San Francisco on January 14, when Johnny Rotten walked out of the band. Vicious also left shortly afterwards, and with Spungen acting as his 'manager', embarked upon a short and ignoble "solo career". Some of the musicians he performed with included Mick Jones of the Clash and members of the New York Dolls.

By this time Vicious and Spungen had become locked in their own world of drug addiction and self-destruction. Contemporary interview footage shows the couple attempting to answer questions from their bed: Spungen is barely coherent whilst Vicious lapses in and out of consciousness. Vicious also came very close to death following a heroin overdose, and was, for a while, hospitalised.

On the morning of October 12 1978 Vicious awoke from a drug-induced stupour to find Spungen dead in their apartment at the Hotel Chelsea, Room 100 in New York. She had been killed by a single stab wound to her abdomen. Vicious was arrested and charged with her murder, although he claimed to have no memory at all of the previous night's incidents. Bail of $50,000 was put up by Virgin Records at the request of Malcolm McLaren, and in February 1979, a party was held at the home of his new girlfriend Michelle Robinson to celebrate his release. During his time at Rikers Island prison, Vicious had undergone drug rehabilitation therapy, and was supposedly "clean". However, at the party, he was able to obtain some heroin (supplied by his mother, Ann Beverley, herself an ex-addict), and was discovered dead the following morning, having taken a large overdose. Speculation has persisted that Vicious, unable to live without his beloved Nancy, took his own life. He wrote the following poem about her:

You were my little baby girl,

I knew all your fears.

Such joy to hold you in my arms

and kiss away your tears.

But now you're gone, there's only pain

and nothing I can do.

And I don't want to live this life,

If I can't live for you.

After his death, his mother phoned Nancy's mother to request that Sid be buried next to Nancy, and she declined. So late at night, Sid's mother jumped the graveyard fence where Nancy was buried and scattered his ashes over his beloved for them to be together for all time.

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I remember the whole story, I wasn´t a Pistols fan but a rock journalist, and my friends were all playing in punk bands... and I couldn´t believe that Nancy and Syd could be so destructive... it didn´t schocked me at all when I learned about her death nor when Syd Vicious ODed some time later... Yeah, TeePee, she was seriously stupid... :drummer:

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Here I am :D

You two sure know how to make a guy feel missed! Sid and Nancy were victims of their own stupidity and lack of control. Sudden fame and some money were a shock to Sid, and he had built up a reputation for being outlandish. I think the preasures and expectations put on Sid made it easier for him to get on the horse. Once he and Nancy were hooked, well junkies are not known for making great decisions. "Sidney's more than a mere bass player. He's a fabulous disaster. He's a symbol, a metaphor, he embodies the dementia of a nihilistic generation. He's a f#*kin' star!"

Anyway, what I am trying to say is Sid did not handle his fame too well and died as a result. Sadly, it may have been for the better. I would hate to see him on some lame M-TV reality show which, quite possibly, could have been in his future...

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dont you think that a swastika t-shirt would be shocking today? i would still be freaked out if i saw someone in the streat wearing one!

In Germany it´s forbidden... seems in England it´s very normal as the young prince Harry wore it in some party... I guess it´s just part of being stupid and easy to manipulate... in the best of cases, sure...

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Sadly, I would have to say it is less shocking or outrageous today than it was in the 70's or 80's. I think that this is due to several things. Young people today may not fully appreciate just what that symbol stands for (at least here in the US) due to pathetic public schools and general apathy. It seems with a lot of younger kids, if it did not happen to them or in their lifetime, there is no intrest in it. I think that as time passes, people forget about Nazi Germany and what it stood for, so the symbol of their doctrine looses a lot of it's stigma. They have become desensitized. This is sad and dangerous.

My brother in law lost several family members in Auschwitz and believe me, he has not forgotten.

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It seems with a lot of younger kids, if it did not happen to them or in their lifetime, there is no intrest in it. I think that as time passes, people forget about Nazi Germany and what it stood for, so the symbol of their doctrine looses a lot of it's stigma. They have become desensitized. This is sad and dangerous.

My brother in law lost several family members in Auschwitz and believe me, he has not forgotten.

Guess marc said it better than nobody. My mother didn´t lose nor parents nor uncles or cousins (they were very lucky to escape), but all the rest of her family died because they had a Jewish name. I saw the tatooed number on many people´s wrists when I was living in France and that too I have for sure I´ll never forget.

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But that was Sid's talent, Katie/ invisible , and he died for his 'art'/image , so I say" party on, Sid". Thank goodness not all entertainers play it safe and , as Marc noted, end up old and on 'where-are- they-now' programs or the like. Rock and roll would lose some of it's appeal, it's danger then, and I think some of us would lose interest more quickly. Morrison, Jimi, Janis, etc. I'm not comparing Sid in talent ( ha!) but certainly iconicly .Rock needs it's martyrs, blood if you will, to stay vibrant and edgy and it has continued on with Cobain and others.

Modern sensibilities ( or maybe we're just getting older ) say that stars should look after themselves, make smart investments, be charitable, etc. but will most of those who do impact Rock fans half as much as the others I mentioned ?

The best thing thing those Boy-groups, Simpson girls, Usher, Lavinge, etc. could do to contribute to Rock per se is to act like jerks, get a drug habit, lose their fortunes, etc. if they really want to give us their all ! Eminem knows this. He's clever. ::

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So to be a rocknroll star you must wear svastikas, scream "no future", kill your girlfriend and die from an OD? All the same person? Keith Richards is no sister of mercy but he didn´t kill nobody, didn´t wear svastikas and though his famous heroin habit he keeps on rocking since 1963. Being a idiot is not the same as being a rocknroll star... I respect Kurt Cobain or Jimi Hendrix or Janis Joplin or so much of them, who lived fast according to their beliefs and made great music... but what music did Syd Vicious? "God Save the Queen"? "Anarchy in the UK"? Who´ll remember those songs? Was he happy? No. I guess Syd and Nancy deserve the ***hole Award of Rock and Roll Hall of Shame.

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