The story of sid vices. Sid Vicious: biography, personal life, best songs, photo Biography of Sid Vices
Bass guitarist for one of the most short-lived but legendary punk rock bands, the Sex Pistols. A true guru of punk-rock philosophy No Future (translated into Russian "There is no future"), who has publicly declared that he will not live to be 25 years old, and this is his conscious path ...
In 1957, in London, through the efforts of a guard at Buckengemskogo Palace and a junk girl with no specific occupation, with an addiction to heroin, Simon Ricci was suddenly born.
By the age of 15, having graduated from high school, the innocently shy and vulnerable Simon did not want and simply was not able to do anything other than what he really liked. The result was his admission to a certain college (an analogue of a domestic vocational school), where he does nothing much, but finds a timid, red-haired introvert who looks like himself, John Lyden (later better known as Johnny Rotten, vocalist of the Sex Pistols). Having made friends, they spend a lot of time together, skipping classes, discussing the absurdity of the school system, aimed at averaging everyone and suppressing individuality in a person, the falsity and injustice of the usual world order, and instead of practical plans for the future, they listen to rock'n'roll records, hang out in squats , drink beer and form their own idea of reality.
At the age of 17, after a quarrel with his mother, Vicious begins an independent life and settles in one of the friendly squats, which have become a real incubator of the punk movement in England.
At 20, determined to become a musician, spent a whole night in bed with a bass guitar, trying to learn how to play it, listening to Ramones records and imitating their style.By morning, Vicious learned to extract a powerful and hard sound, not musical enough for any semi-professional band. but aggressive and assertive enough for punk rock. And a couple of months later, he steps out onto the lawn of Bukimnegsky Palace to sign another super-short-term contract with the Sex Pistols.
In a matter of weeks of their existence, the Sex Pistols have become the number one enemy of society in England. The desperate anger of the participants themselves multiplied due to stereotypical attitudes, provocations and incitements from the media.
January 1978 - the last chapter in the history of the group; apocalypse tour of the cities of the South of America begins with fights with cowboys, ends with an overdose of Sid and the irrevocable collapse of the group
February 1979 - after 55 days of arrest, Sid is released from prison, and the very next day, as a result of another heroin overdose, dies. He was 23 years old.
“I'm not a vicious person myself, really. I believe that I am kind. I love my mom. She understands me and she is glad that I found in life what I like. In general, I will continue to be myself, drink, eat good food, have girls. Not just one constant girlfriend, why do people always want to possess each other? Perhaps I will die before I am 25. But I want to live my life the way I want. "
Soon after the birth of his son, John Richie left the family, and Sid and his mother went to the island of Ibiza, where they spent 4 years. Upon returning to England, Anne married Christopher Beverly in 1965. The family lived for some time 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 dropped out of 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 the nickname that later became famous. According to one version, Lydon's hamster, nicknamed Sid, bit John's hand, and he exclaimed: "Sid is really vicious!" ... Later versions appeared, according to which the nickname was given in honor of Sid 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 Anne recalls, unlike Lydon, who was an extremely withdrawn and shy guy, Sid dyed his hair and behaved in the manner of his then idol, David Bowie. Lydon said that as a duet, they often earned money from street concerts, performing songs by Alice Cooper: John sang, and Sid accompanied him on the tambourine.
For a long time, Sid lived alternately with squatters, then in his mother's house, but at the age of 17, having quarreled with her, he became truly homeless, thanks to which he first entered the punk culture (most of London squatters in those days were punks). Around this time, Syd first entered a store 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 here and played on bass guitar), then through him with Steve Jones and Paul Cook. The latter two had just formed the Swankers group and were trying to persuade store owner Malcolm McLaren (who had recently returned from America, where he ran the New York Dolls for a while) to become their manager. The lineup soon 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 Side.
For a while, Syd was considered as a possible vocalist for another new group, The Damned, but was struck off the lists after not showing up for an audition. In those days, he gathered the infamous squatter band The Flowers of Romance; the contributors included the future The Slits. Until recently, suffering from loneliness, Sid suddenly found himself in the very center of a new cultural movement and decided not to miss his chance: taking (following the example of his new idol, Dee Dee Ramona) the bass guitar, he finally adopted the lifestyle that very soon led him to tragedy.
In September 1976, Sid 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, who by that time already had a reputation as a new, highly promising group with an amazing authoring duo. When it became known that the program freed up time for one more participant, two participants Bromley Contingent- Susie Sue and Steve Spanker (Severin) - immediately offered their services, as two other members of a non-existent "group" inviting Sid (drums) and Billy Idol (guitar; the latter was immediately replaced by Marco Pirroni, a friend of a girl named Sue Woman -cat ( Soo catwoman), with whom Syd was also friends). So, on the first day of the Festival, Sid first appeared on the big stage. However, on the second day he "got off" from it, because he was arrested (for having started throwing bottles on the stage) and placed in the Ashford Remand juvenile prison. After his release from prison, he settled with Catwoman and became for her something like a bodyguard.
Coming to the Sex Pistols
Meanwhile, the Sex Pistols lost their second contract with A&M Records; This was largely due to the fights inspired by Sid. The group signed their third contract with Virgin Records, but by the time of the release of "God Save the Queen" Sid's health deteriorated: he managed to visit the hospital, where he was being 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 some "secret" British sets (SPOTS: Sex Pistols on Tour Secretly), it became clear that Nancy was becoming a dangerous burden for the band. They tried to forcibly send her to America, but the plan failed: Sid and Nancy became even closer: now they confronted the whole world, and nothing could separate them. At times, the couple looked quite respectable: for example, during the 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 step into the microphone (he sang "Chinese Rocks" and "Born to Lose").
American tour
The Sex Pistols' American tour began in the South. Nancy was not there, she was left in England, and Syd fell into 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 the heroin. Thus, the opposite effect was achieved. Sid fled 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 on the plane, and John Lydon (by this time seriously worried about his friend's condition) traveled with Syd in a van. The tour took place in an atmosphere of drug chaos and growing violence. Bottles were constantly flying at Sid; one day, he immediately responded to the offender - with a blow to the head of the bass guitar. With a slashed chest and blood, he (according to John) "turned into a circus performer." Sid stepped onto the stage in Dallas, Texas, scrawling a bloody inscription on his chest: 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, he threw his question into the audience: "Have you ever felt deceived?" - John Lydon announced his departure from the Sex Pistols and was left penniless in America. Steve and Paul went to Rio, Syd continued the 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 transported him to England, to Nancy.
It is believed that Nancy was the cause of Sid's fall. But John Lydon pinned much of the blame on McLaren.
Since the beginning of the Sex Pistols' American tour, I have not released it<Сида>out of sight - even on the bus sat next to me. Everything was fine with him, but only before we arrived in San Francisco. Someone will consider this a simple 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 essence, harmless and defenseless! Sid slowly died, and those around him enjoyed the spectacle. Especially Malcolm, who believed self-destruction was the essence of pop stardom. I was furious: we never intended to become pop stars! ..
Two other songs Sid recorded alongside "My Way" - "Something Else" and "C'mon Everybody" - were released singles under the Sex Pistols banner and became hits (# 3 UK). In October, he received from McLaren a fee (by check) and a sum of 25 thousand dollars in cash: the latter was put in the bottom drawer of the table 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 were ready to pay any amount. It is known that at least two drug dealers have visited their hotel room. After receiving the doses, Sid and Nancy fell into oblivion. Sid came to himself on the morning of the 12th. Nancy was in the bathroom: she was killed, apparently, by his knife. He immediately called an ambulance, then the police, and on October 19 was arrested on suspicion of murder. The sum of 25 thousand dollars disappeared from the bottom drawer of the desk and was never found. The musician himself, due to severe alcohol and drug intoxication, did not remember what 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 commit this crime. “He was anything but Vicious; in fact, under that name I did not know him. He was a quiet man, a very lonely person. With Nancy, they were a very sensitive couple and were great to each other. Even in my office, they did not let each other out of their arms. It felt like there was a strong bond 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 the Rockets Redgler, drug dealer, bouncer, actor (and later pop comedian). He was reliably established that night next to Nancy, to whom he brought 40 capsules of hydromorphone. There was also a version according to which the death of Nancy was the result of a failed "double suicide".
Death of Sid Vicious
Sid was taken to Rikers Prison. McLaren persuaded Virgin Records to provide a security deposit ($ 50 thousand), promising a new album from Syd. Warner Bros. collected money for a team of lawyers and the suspect was released on bail. On 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 looked after by his mother, who had flown in from England. Barely leaving, 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 released on bail again and headed to his new girlfriend Michelle Robinson's apartment 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 can swear a pinkish aura arose over him at that moment,” Anne Beverly said later. - In the morning I brought him tea. Sid lay in complete peace. I tried to push him, and then I realized that he was cold ... and dead. "
Chief Coroner of New York, Dr. Michael Baden Michael Baden), who performed the autopsy, found that the heroin found in his body was 80 percent pure, while Vicious usually used a 5 percent solution.
The film also claimed that Anne Beverly, shortly before her death, allegedly confessed that she had indeed administered a lethal dose to her son, because she was afraid that he would be sentenced for many years for the murder of Nancy Spungen.
Musicality
Vicious's ability as a bass player has been challenged. During the interview for Guitar Hero III when Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones was asked why he recorded bass guitar parts instead of Vicious , he replied: "Sid was in the hospital with hepatitis, he could not play, not that he could play at all." Syd asked Lemmy, the bass player for 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 didn't know how to play bass at the time of his death. "
Albums
Year Name Notes (edit) 1979 Sid sings A collection of amateur recordings from concerts by Vicious and his friends in September 1978. 1998 Sid vicious & friends Collection 2000 Too fast to live Collection 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)
- Sid Vicious's height at the time of death is 188 cm, weight 62 kg.
Memory
- The Exploited song "Sid Vicious Was Innocent" is dedicated to Vicious.
- The song of the Chimera group is "Sidu Vishezu".
- The Lumen song is "Sid and Nancy."
- The song of the Yorsh group is "Sid and Nancy".
- The song of the Psyche group is "Sid Spears".
- In the song "Foreva?" Russian punk-rock band Tarakany! mentioned by Sid Vicious.
- The song by NOFX is "Sid & Nancy".
- The song of the Alice group is “It's all rock and roll”.
- In the song "Harakiri" by the punk rock group Civil Defense - "Sid Vicious died before your eyes ..."
see also
Write a review on the article "Sid Vicious"
Notes (edit)
Comments (1)Sources of
- The Filth and The Fury, St. Martin's Press, 2000, p. 13
- (English). - Preface to an interview with A. Parker, author of two books about Vicious. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- (English). - www.punk77.co.uk. Retrieved October 7, 2009. Footnote error: Invalid tag : name "punk1" defined multiple times for different content
- Kit & Morgan Benson.... www.findagrave.com. Retrieved October 7, 2009.
- , The Punk Issue, March 2006, p. 65.
- The Filth and The Fury, St. Martin's Press, 2000, p. 41
- (English). - www.punk77.co.uk. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- , March 2006. The Punk Issue. The Year of Living Dangerously. Ted Doyle. P. 65
- ((cite webvk.com/video?q=Punk%20Rock%20Movie&z=video1382849_159229885 | url = www.roomthirteen.com/cgi-bin/feature_view.cgi?FeatureID=364 | title = It's Only Rock and Roll… Lemmy interview | accessdate = 2009-11-02 | lang = en | description = www.roomthirteen.com | archiveurl = www.webcitation.org/61CA5n9J6 | archivedate = 2011-08-25))
- (English). - www.imdb.com. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- ... www.hotshotdigital.com. Retrieved August 13, 2010.
- (English). - www.punk77.co.uk. Retrieved November 2, 2009.
- ... www.hotshotdigital.com. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
- ... www.punk77.co.uk. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
- ... www.punk77.co.uk. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
- ... www.punk77.co.uk. Retrieved March 2, 2010.
- ... www.chartstats.com. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
- ... www.punk77.co.uk. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
- 1979. ... www.youtube.com. Retrieved April 8, 2010.~ 5:30]
- ... www.youtube.com. Retrieved April 8, 2010.
- ... www.hotshotdigital.com. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- ... news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved May 3, 2010.
- Dirt and fury, Julian Temple, 2000; "The best time in the band was when Sid first joined - he actually decided to learn to play bass, fit in and be part of the band."
- John Savage. England's Dreaming... - Faber & Faber, 1994 .-- S. 194.
Literature
- Parker A. Sid Vicious: Too Fast to Live ... / Per. from English O. Andreeva. - M .: Alpina non-fiction, 2013 .-- 166 p., Ill., 2500 copies. - (Counterculture). ISBN 978-5-91671-257-5
Links
- , in which Nancy tries to assert that Syd and not John was the leader of the group.
Albums Bootlegs Singles Related projects Related Articles Excerpt from Sid Vicious
“Oh, yes,” said Pierre.
The soldiers paused.
- Well, did you find yours? One of them said.
- Well, goodbye! Pyotr Kirillovich, I think? Goodbye, Pyotr Kirillovich! - said other voices.
“Farewell,” said Pierre, and went with his master to the inn.
"We must give them!" Thought Pierre, taking hold of his pocket. “No, don't,” a voice told him.
There was no room in the upper rooms of the inn: everyone was busy. Pierre went into the courtyard and, having covered his head, lay down in his carriage.As soon as Pierre lay his head on the pillow, he felt that he was falling asleep; but suddenly, with the clarity of almost reality, a boom, a boom, a boom of shots was heard, groans, screams, the slapping of shells were heard, there was a smell of blood and gunpowder, and a feeling of horror, fear of death seized him. Frightened, he opened his eyes and raised his head from under his greatcoat. Everything was quiet outside. Only at the gate, talking with the janitor and splashing in the mud, was some orderly walking. Above Pierre's head, under the dark seamy side of the canopy, the doves startled from the movement he made, lifting himself up. Throughout the courtyard, the strong smell of an inn, the smell of hay, manure and tar, was spread, peaceful for Pierre at that moment. A clear starry sky was visible between the two black awnings.
“Thank God that this is no longer there,” thought Pierre, closing his head again. - Oh, how terrible the fear and how shamefully I surrendered myself to it! And they ... they were all the time, to the end, were firm, calm ... - he thought. In Pierre's understanding, they were soldiers - those who were on the battery, and those who fed him, and those who prayed to the icon. They - these strange, hitherto unknown to him, clearly and sharply separated in his thoughts from all other people.
“To be a soldier, just a soldier! - thought Pierre, falling asleep. - To enter this common life with the whole being, to be imbued with what makes them so. But how can one throw off all this superfluous, diabolical, all the burden of this external person? At one time I could be this. I could run from my father as I wanted. After my duel with Dolokhov, I could have been sent as a soldier. " And in Pierre's imagination there was a flash of dinner at the club, where he summoned Dolokhov, and the benefactor in Torzhok. And now Pierre is presented with a solemn dining box. This lodge takes place in the English club. And someone familiar, close, dear, sits at the end of the table. Yes it is! This is a benefactor. “Why, he's dead? Thought Pierre. - Yes, he died; but I didn't know he was alive. And how sorry I am that he died, and how glad I am that he is alive again! " On one side of the table sat Anatol, Dolokhov, Nesvitsky, Denisov and others of the same kind (the category of these people was as clearly defined in Pierre's soul in a dream as the category of those people whom he named them), and these people, Anatol, Dolokhov shouted and sang loudly; but from behind their cry the benefactor's voice was heard, incessantly speaking, and the sound of his words was as significant and continuous as the rumble of a battlefield, but it was pleasant and comforting. Pierre did not understand what the benefactor was saying, but he knew (the category of thoughts was just as clear in a dream) that the benefactor was talking about good, about the possibility of being what they were. And they from all sides, with their simple, kind, firm faces, surrounded the benefactor. But although they were kind, they did not look at Pierre, did not know him. Pierre wanted to draw their attention to himself and say. He got up, but at the same instant his legs went cold and bared.
He felt ashamed, and he covered his legs with his hand, from which the greatcoat had really fallen off. For a moment Pierre, straightening his overcoat, opened his eyes and saw the same awnings, pillars, courtyard, but all this was now bluish, light and covered with sparkles of dew or frost.
“Daybreak,” thought Pierre. “But that's not it. I need to listen to and understand the words of the benefactor. " He again covered himself with his greatcoat, but neither the dining-box nor the benefactor was already there. There were only thoughts clearly expressed in words, thoughts that someone said or Pierre himself changed his mind.
Pierre, recalling these thoughts later, despite the fact that they were caused by the impressions of that day, was convinced that someone outside of him had spoken them to him. Never, as it seemed to him, in reality he was not able to think so and express his thoughts.
“War is the most difficult subordination of human freedom to the laws of God,” said the voice. - Simplicity is obedience to God; you can't get away from him. And they are simple. They do not say, but they do. The spoken word is silver, and the unspeakable is golden. A person cannot possess anything while he is afraid of death. And whoever is not afraid of her owns everything. If there was no suffering, a person would not know his own boundaries, would not know himself. The most difficult thing (Pierre continued to think or hear in his sleep) is to be able to combine the meaning of everything in his soul. Connect everything? - Pierre said to himself. - No, don't connect. It is impossible to combine thoughts, but to combine all these thoughts - that's what you need! Yes, you need to pair, you need to pair! - Pierre repeated to himself with inner delight, feeling that by these, and only by these words, what he wants to express is expressed, and the whole question tormenting him is resolved.
- Yes, you need to pair, it's time to pair.
- You need to harness, it's time to harness, your Excellency! Your Excellency, - a voice repeated, - you need to harness, it's time to harness ...
It was the voice of the master waking Pierre. The sun was beating right in Pierre's face. He glanced at the filthy inn, in the middle of which, near a well, soldiers were giving water to thin horses, from which carts drove out through the gate. Pierre turned away with disgust and, closing his eyes, hurriedly fell back onto the seat of the carriage. “No, I don’t want this, I don’t want to see and understand this, I want to understand what was revealed to me during my sleep. One more second, and I would have understood everything. What am I to do? Match, but how to match everything? " And Pierre felt with horror that the entire meaning of what he saw and thought in his dream had been destroyed.
The driver, coachman and janitor told Pierre that an officer had arrived with the news that the French had moved under Mozhaisk and that ours were leaving.
Pierre got up and, having ordered to lay and catch up with himself, went on foot through the city.
The troops left and left about ten thousand wounded. These wounded were seen in the courtyards and in the windows of houses and crowded in the streets. In the streets near the carts that were supposed to take away the wounded, shouts, curses and blows were heard. Pierre gave the carriage that overtook him to a wounded general he knew and drove with him to Moscow. Dear Pierre learned about the death of his brother-in-law and about the death of Prince Andrew.NS
On the 30th, Pierre returned to Moscow. Almost at the outpost he met Count Rostopchin's adjutant.
“We’re looking for you everywhere,” said the adjutant. “The Count must see you by all means. He asks you to come to him at once on a very important matter.
Pierre, without stopping home, took a cab and went to the commander-in-chief.
Count Rostopchin only this morning arrived in the city from his country cottage in Sokolniki. The hallway and reception room in the count's house were full of officials who appeared at his request or for orders. Vasilchikov and Platov had already seen the count and explained to him that it was impossible to defend Moscow and that it would be surrendered. Although this news was hidden from the inhabitants, the officials, the heads of various directorates knew that Moscow would be in the hands of the enemy, just as Count Rostopchin knew it; and all of them, in order to relinquish responsibility, came to the commander-in-chief with questions about what to do with the units entrusted to them.
While Pierre entered the waiting room, a courier from the army left the count.
The courier waved his hand hopelessly at the questions that were asked of him and walked through the hall.
While waiting in the waiting room, Pierre looked with tired eyes around the various, old and young, military and civilian, important and unimportant officials who were in the room. Everyone seemed displeased and restless. Pierre approached a group of officials, one of which was his acquaintance. Having greeted Pierre, they continued their conversation.
- How to send and return again, there will be no trouble; and in such a position one cannot be held accountable for anything.
“Why, he’s writing,” said another, pointing to the printed paper in his hand.
- This is another matter. For the people it is necessary, - said the first.
- What is it? - asked Pierre.
- And here's a new poster.
Pierre took it in his hands and began to read:
“The Most Serene Prince, in order to quickly unite with the troops that are marching towards him, crossed Mozhaisk and stood in a strong place where the enemy would not suddenly attack him. Forty-eight cannons with shells were sent to him from here, and His Serene Highness says that he will defend Moscow to the last drop of blood and is ready to fight even in the streets. You, brothers, do not look at the fact that the offices of office have been closed: things need to be cleaned up, and we will deal with the villain with our own court! When it comes to what, I need good fellows, both city and country. I’ll call the call in two days, but now I don’t need to, I’m silent. Good with an ax, not bad with a spear, and best of all is the pitchfork of a triad: a Frenchman is not heavier than a sheaf of rye. Tomorrow, after lunch, I will raise Iverskaya to the Ekaterininskaya hospital, to the wounded. We will consecrate the water there: they will sooner recover; and now I am healthy: my eye hurt, and now I look both ways. "
- And the military people told me, - said Pierre, - that in the city it is impossible to fight in any way and that the position ...
“Well, yes, that's what we're talking about,” said the first official.
- And what does it mean: my eye hurt, and now I look at both? - said Pierre.
“The count had barley,” said the adjutant, smiling, “and he was very worried when I told him that people came to ask what was the matter with him. And what, count, - said the adjutant suddenly, turning to Pierre with a smile, - have we heard that you have family troubles? As if a countess, your wife ...
“I haven't heard anything,” Pierre said indifferently. - What did you hear?
- No, you know, they often make up. I say I heard.
- What did you hear?
“Yes, they say,” said the adjutant again with the same smile, “that the Countess, your wife, is going abroad. Probably nonsense ...
“Maybe,” said Pierre, absentmindedly looking around him. - And who is this? He asked, pointing to a short old man in a clean blue chuyka, with a big beard as white as snow, the same eyebrows and a ruddy face.
- It? This is one merchant, that is, he is an innkeeper, Vereshchagin. Have you heard perhaps this story about the proclamation?
- Oh, so this is Vereshchagin! - said Pierre, peering into the firm and calm face of the old merchant and looking for an expression of treason.
- It's not him. This is the father of the one who wrote the proclamation, said the adjutant. - That young man is sitting in a pit, and it seems to him that it will be bad.
One old man, in a star, and the other - a German official, with a cross around his neck, approached the conversation.
“You see,” said the adjutant, “this is a complicated story. Then, about two months ago, this proclamation appeared. The Count was told. He ordered an investigation. Here he was looking for Gavrilo Ivanovich, this proclamation was in exactly sixty-three hands. He will come to one: who do you have from? - From that then. He goes to the one: who are you from? and so on. We got to Vereshchagin ... a half-trained merchant, you know, a merchant, dear, ”said the adjutant, smiling. - They ask him: who do you get it from? And the main thing is that we know from whom he gets it. He has no one else to have from, as from the director's mail. But evidently there was a strike between them. He says: from no one, I composed it myself. And they threatened and asked, stood on that: he wrote it himself. And so it was reported to the count. The Count ordered to summon him. "Who did you get the proclamation from?" - "I composed it myself." Well, you know the Count! The adjutant said with a proud and cheerful smile. - He flared up terribly, and think: such impudence, lies and stubbornness! ..
- A! The count needed him to point to Klyucharev, I understand! - said Pierre.
“It’s not necessary at all,” the adjutant said in dismay. - Klyucharyov had sins even without that, for which he was exiled. But the fact is that the count was very indignant. “How could you compose? - says the count. I took this Hamburg newspaper from the table. - There she is. You didn’t compose, but translated, and translated it badly, because you don’t know French, you fool ”. What do you think? "No, he says, I have not read any newspapers, I have composed." “If so, then you are a traitor, and I will bring you to justice, and you will be hanged. Tell me, from whom did you get it? " - "I have not seen any newspapers, but I have composed." And so it remained. The count also called on his father: he stands his ground. And they were put on trial, and sentenced, it seems, to hard labor. Now the father has come to ask for him. But you cheesy boy! You know, a kind of merchant's son, a dandy, a seducer, he listened to lectures somewhere and really thinks that the devil is not his brother. What a young fellow! His father has a tavern here near the Stone Bridge, so in the tavern, you know, there is a large image of the Almighty God and a scepter is presented in one hand, a state in the other; so he took this image home for a few days and what did he do! Found a scoundrel painter ...In the middle of this new story, Pierre was summoned to the commander-in-chief.
Pierre entered Count Rostopchin's office. Rostopchin, grimacing, rubbed his forehead and eyes with his hand, while Pierre entered. The short man said something, and as soon as Pierre entered, he fell silent and left.
- A! hello, great warrior, - said Rostopchin as soon as this man came out. - Heard about your prouesses [glorious exploits]! But that's not the point. Mon cher, entre nous, [Between us, my dear,] are you a freemason? - said Count Rostopchin in a stern tone, as if there was something wrong in this, but that he intended to forgive. Pierre was silent. - Mon cher, je suis bien informe, [My dear, I know everything well,] but I know that there are Masons and Masons, and I hope that you do not belong to those who, under the guise of saving the human race, want to destroy Russia.
- Yes, I am a Mason, - Pierre answered.
- Well, you see, my dear. You, I think, are not unaware that Messrs. Speransky and Magnitsky have been sent where they should be; the same was done with Mr. Klyucharyov, the same with others, who, under the guise of building the temple of Solomon, tried to destroy the temple of their fatherland. You can understand that there are reasons for this and that I could not have sent the local director of the post if he was not a harmful person. Now I know that you sent him yours. a crew to get out of town and even that you took paper from him for storage. I love you and do not wish you any harm, and as you are twice my age, then I, as a father, advise you to stop all intercourse with such people and leave here yourself as soon as possible.
- But what, Count, is Klyucharev's fault? - asked Pierre.
“It’s my business to know and not yours to ask me,” Rostopchin cried out.
“If he is accused of distributing Napoleon’s proclamations, it’s not proven,” said Pierre (without looking at Rostopchin), “and Vereshchagin ...
- Nous y voila, [Indeed it is,] - Rostopchin suddenly screamed, interrupting Pierre, even louder than before. “Vereshchagin is a traitor and a traitor who will receive a well-deserved execution,” Rostopchin said with that fervor of anger with which people speak when remembering an insult. “But I did not summon you to discuss my affairs, but to give you advice or an order, if you wish. I ask you to stop communicating with gentlemen like Klyucharyov and leave here. And I will knock out the nonsense, whoever she is. - And, probably, realizing that he seemed to be shouting at Bezukhov, who was not guilty of anything yet, he added, taking Pierre's hand in a friendly manner: - Nous sommes a la veille d "un desastre publique, et je n" ai pas le temps de dire des gentillesses a tous ceux qui ont affaire a moi. Sometimes my head is spinning! Eh! bien, mon cher, qu "est ce que vous faites, vous personnellement? [We are on the eve of a common disaster, and I have no time to be nice to everyone with whom I have business. So, my dear, what are you doing, you personally?]
- Mais rien, [Oh, nothing,] - Pierre answered, still not raising his eyes and not changing the expression of his pensive face.
The Count frowned.
- Un conseil d "ami, mon cher. Decampez et au plutot, c" est tout ce que je vous dis. A bon entendeur salut! Goodbye my dear. Oh yes, ”he shouted at him from the door,“ is it true that the Countess fell into the clutches of des saints peres de la Societe de Jesus? [Friendly advice. Get out soon, I'll tell you what. Blessed is he who knows how to obey! .. the holy fathers of the Society of Jesus?]
Pierre did not answer and, frowning and angry, as he had never been seen, left Rostopchin.When he arrived home, it was already getting dark. Eight different people visited him that evening. The secretary of the committee, the colonel of his battalion, the manager, the butler, and various petitioners. Everyone had things to do with Pierre, which he had to resolve. Pierre did not understand anything, was not interested in these matters and gave only such answers to all questions that would free him from these people. Finally, alone, he opened and read his wife's letter.
“They are soldiers on a battery, Prince Andrew has been killed ... an old man ... Simplicity is obedience to God. You need to suffer ... the meaning of everything ... you need to match ... your wife is getting married ... You need to forget and understand ... ”And he, going up to the bed, without undressing, fell on her and immediately fell asleep.
When he woke up the next morning, the butler came to report that a specially dispatched police official had come from Count Rostopchin to find out if Count Bezukhov had left or was leaving.
Ten different people who had business with Pierre were waiting for him in the drawing-room. Pierre dressed hastily, and instead of going to those who were waiting for him, he went to the back porch and from there went out through the gate.
From then until the end of the Moscow devastation, none of the Bezukhovs' household, despite all the searches, saw Pierre again and did not know where he was.The Rostovs remained in the city until September 1, that is, until the eve of the enemy's entry into Moscow.
After Petya entered the Obolensky Cossack regiment and left for Bila Tserkva, where this regiment was being formed, fear found the countess. The thought that both of her sons are at war, that both of them have left under her wing, that today or tomorrow each of them, and maybe both together, like three sons of one of her acquaintances, may be killed, in the first once now, this summer, it occurred to her with cruel clarity. She tried to get Nikolai to her place, she wanted to go to Petya herself, to find him somewhere in Petersburg, but both turned out to be impossible. Petya could not be returned otherwise than together with the regiment or by transferring to another active regiment. Nicholas was somewhere in the army and after his last letter, in which he described in detail his meeting with Princess Marya, did not give a word about himself. The Countess did not sleep at night, and when she fell asleep, she saw murdered sons in her dreams. After much advice and negotiations, the count finally came up with a means to calm the countess. He transferred Petya from Obolensky's regiment to Bezukhov's regiment, which was being formed near Moscow. Although Petya remained in military service, during this transfer the Countess had the consolation of seeing at least one son under her wing and hoped to arrange her Petya so that he would not let him out anymore and always write to such places of service where he could never get into battle. While Nicolas alone was in danger, it seemed to the countess (and she even repented of it) that she loved the elder more than all the other children; but when the youngest, mischievous, badly studied, breaking everything in the house and annoying Petya, this snub-nosed Petya, with his cheerful black eyes, fresh blush and a little fluff on his cheeks, got there, to these big, terrible, cruel men who there is something fighting and something in this they find joyful - then it seemed to the mother that she loved him more, much more than all her children. The closer the time came when the expected Petya was to return to Moscow, the more the countess's anxiety increased. She already thought that she would never wait for this happiness. The presence of not only Sonya, but also her beloved Natasha, even her husband, irritated the countess. "What do I care about them, I don't need anyone but Petya!" She thought.
In late August, the Rostovs received a second letter from Nikolai. He wrote from the Voronezh province, where he was sent for the horses. This letter did not calm the countess. Knowing one son was out of danger, she became even more worried about Petya.
Despite the fact that already from the 20th of August, almost all of the Rostovs' acquaintances left Moscow, despite the fact that everyone tried to persuade the Countess to leave as soon as possible, she did not want to hear anything about leaving until her treasure returned, adored Peter. Petya arrived on August 28. The painfully passionate tenderness with which his mother greeted him did not like the sixteen-year-old officer. Despite the fact that his mother concealed from him her intention not to let him out from under her wing now, Petya understood her plans and, instinctively fearing that he would not play pranks with his mother, not get drunk (so he thought to himself), he treated himself coldly with her, avoided her, and during his stay in Moscow he exclusively adhered to the company of Natasha, for whom he always had a special, almost in love, fraternal tenderness.
By the usual carelessness of the count, on August 28, nothing was yet ready for departure, and the carts expected from Ryazan and Moscow villages to lift all the property from the house came only on the 30th.
From 28 to 31 August, all of Moscow was in trouble and movement. Every day, thousands of wounded in the Battle of Borodino were brought into the Dorogomilovskaya outpost and transported around Moscow, and thousands of carts, with residents and property, went to other outposts. In spite of Rostopchin's posters, or independently of them, or as a result of them, the most contradictory and strange news was broadcast throughout the city. Who said that no one was ordered to leave; who, on the contrary, said that they had raised all the icons from the churches and that they were all expelled by force; who said that there was still a battle after Borodinsky, in which the French were defeated; who said, on the contrary, that the entire Russian army was destroyed; who spoke about the Moscow militia, which will go with the clergy in front of the Three Mountains; who quietly told that Augustine was not allowed to leave, that traitors were caught, that the peasants rebel and rob those who leave, etc., etc. But this was only said, and in fact, those who were traveling, and those who remained (despite the fact that there was still no council in Fili, at which it was decided to leave Moscow), everyone felt, although they did not show it, that Moscow would certainly be surrendered and that it was necessary to get out as soon as possible and save your property. It was felt that everything should suddenly burst and change, but until the 1st, nothing had changed yet. Just as a criminal who is being led to execution knows that he is about to die, but still looks around him and straightens a badly worn hat, so Moscow involuntarily continued its usual life, although it knew that the time of death was near, when everyone would be torn apart. those conditional relationships of life to which we are accustomed to submit.
During these three days, which preceded the capture of Moscow, the entire Rostov family was in various everyday worries. The head of the family, Count Ilya Andreevich, incessantly traveled around the city, collecting rumors from all sides, and at home made general superficial and hasty orders about preparations for departure.
The Countess watched the cleaning of things, was unhappy with everything and followed Petya, who was constantly running away from her, jealous of Natasha, with whom he spent all the time. Sonya alone was in charge of the practical side of the matter: packing things. But Sonya has been especially sad and silent all this lately. The letter from Nicolas, in which he mentioned Princess Marya, provoked in her presence the countess's joyful reflections about how she saw God's providence in Princess Marya's meeting with Nicolas.
“I was never happy then,” said the countess, “when Bolkonsky was Natasha’s fiancé, and I always wished, and I have a presentiment that Nikolinka would marry the princess. And how good it would be!
Sonya felt that it was true, that the only way to improve the Rostovs' affairs was to marry a rich woman, and that the princess was a good match. But she was very bitter about it. Despite her grief, or perhaps precisely because of her grief, she took upon herself all the difficult worries of making orders for cleaning and packing things, and was busy for days. The Count and Countess turned to her when they needed to order something. Petya and Natasha, on the contrary, not only did not help their parents, but for the most part bored and disturbed everyone in the house. And the whole day they were almost audible in the house of their running, screaming and unreasonable laughter. They laughed and rejoiced not at all because there was a reason for their laughter; but they felt joyful and cheerful in their souls, and therefore everything that happened was the cause of joy and laughter for them. Petya was cheerful because, having left home as a boy, he returned (as everyone told him) a good man; it was fun because he was at home, because he was from Belaya Tserkov, where there was no soon hope of getting into a battle, ended up in Moscow, where one of these days they will fight; and most importantly, it was cheerful because Natasha, to whose mood he always obeyed, was cheerful. Natasha was cheerful because she had been sad for too long, and now nothing reminded her of the reason for her sadness, and she was healthy. She was also cheerful because there was a person who admired her (the admiration of others was the ointment of the wheels, which was necessary for her car to move completely freely), and Petya admired her. Most importantly, they were cheerful because the war was near Moscow, that they would fight at the outpost, that they were distributing weapons, that everyone was running, that they were leaving somewhere, that something extraordinary was happening, which was always joyful for a person, especially for a young person.On the 31st of August, on Saturday, everything in the Rostovs' house seemed to be turned upside down. All doors were opened, all furniture was taken out or rearranged, mirrors, paintings were removed. The rooms were filled with chests, hay, wrapping paper, and ropes. The peasants and courtyards, who were carrying things out, walked with heavy steps on the parquet. In the courtyard were crowded peasant carts, some already packed on horseback and tied up, some still empty.
The voices and footsteps of the huge courtyard and the peasants who had arrived with carts sounded, echoing, in the courtyard and in the house. The count left somewhere in the morning. The Countess, who had a headache from the hustle and bustle, was lying in the new couch with vinegar bandages on her head. Petya was not at home (he went to a friend with whom he intended to go from the militia to the active army). Sonya was present in the hall while the crystal and porcelain were being laid. Natasha was sitting in her ruined room on the floor, between the scattered dresses, ribbons, scarves, and, motionlessly looking at the floor, held in her hands an old ball gown, the very (already old fashion) dress in which she was for the first time in St. ball.
Is a British musician who gained fame as the bassist of the cult punk band 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 household names.
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, his nickname was invented by his fellow Sex Pistols John Lydon, after Sid was bitten by John's hamster and he exclaimed “Sid is really vicious!”. In another version, he owes his stage name to Sid Barrett of 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 began to dye his hair in bright shades, and a little later they formed the group The 4 Johns, in which, as you might guess, 4 Johns gathered.
After that, Syd gets the opportunity to become the vocalist of The Damned, but did not show up for the audition, a little later he joins the group The Flowers of Romance. In September 1976, he, along with other musicians, filled the vacant place, performing at the first international punk festival and feeling a taste of the big stage, and at the same time, the prison into which he soon fell because of the ugly behavior on the stage.
Sid Vicious and the Sex Pistols
In early 1977, Sid joined the Sex Pistols, replacing Glen Matlock, 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 poorly fluent in bass guitar. Sometimes she was even turned off at concerts. At that time, Sid invented a dance that became characteristic of early punk and was called pogo.
Soon, Vicious meets a Sex Pistols fan, American Nancy Spangel, who has become his mistress. A little later he gets to the hospital with hepatitis C. At this time, his addiction to heroin becomes so dangerous that his friend Lydon was forced to constantly accompany him. The group was falling apart right before our eyes, Syd constantly became the object of attacks from 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 for a while indulged in drug intoxication 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 Great Rock and Roll Swindle, after which they were freed from McLaren's management (manager of the Sex Pistols). Nancy becomes his new manager and organizes a number of concerts in the United States.
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. On October 11, 1977, Nancy needed a dose and after that Sid and Nancy fell into a drug addict, 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. Vishes 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 the clinic. After that, he goes to jail again for a fight. Finally, after being released on bail, he arrives at Michelle Robinson's apartment, where he takes two doses of heroin, in the intervals between 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% heroin solution was found in his body instead of the usual 5%.
Sid Vicious will forever remain in the memory of fans as a rebel who was looking for his own ways and became, perhaps against his will, one of the symbols of the punk movement.
(real name John Simon Richie (05/10/1957 - 02/02/1979)) - British musician, band member Sex Pistols, a legendary personality in the history of music, whose name will always be associated with punk.
Sid Vicious was born on May 10, 1957 in London to John Ritchie (a security guard who once worked at Buckingham Palace) and Ann, a hippie woman who used drugs for many years. Jah Wobble (a childhood friend of Sid and later a member of Public Image Limited) recalled how horrified he was when he saw that Ann was giving his son a dose of heroin: “I was 16 years old, and at that age mom is the person who leaves you dinner in the oven, and not a syringe, which I myself used ... ".
Soon after the birth of his son, John Richie left the family, and Sid and his mother went to the island of Ibiza, where they spent 4 years. Upon returning to England, Anne married Christopher Beverly in 1965. The family lived for some time 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 dropped out of school at the age of 15, but soon (under the name Simon John Beverly) entered the Hackney College of Art, where he began to study photography. Here he met John Lydon, who gave him the nickname that later became famous. According to one version, Lydon's hamster, nicknamed Sid, bit John on the hand, and he exclaimed: "Sid is really vicious!" Later versions appeared, according to which the nickname was given in honor of Sid 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 Anne recalls, unlike Lydon, who was an extremely withdrawn and shy guy, Sid dyed his hair and behaved in the manner of his then idol, David Bowie. Lydon said that as a duet, they often earned money from street concerts, performing songs by Alice Cooper: John sang, and Sid accompanied him on the tambourine.
For a long time, Sid lived alternately with squatters, then in his mother's house, but at the age of 17, having quarreled with her, he became truly homeless, thanks to which he first entered the punk culture (most of London squatters in those days were punks). Around this time, Syd first entered a store 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 here and played on bass guitar), then through him with Steve Jones and Paul Cook. The latter two had just formed the Swankers group and were trying to persuade store owner Malcolm McLaren (who had recently returned from America, where he ran the New York Dolls for a while) 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 Side.
For a while, Syd was considered as a possible vocalist for another new group, The Damned, but was struck off the lists after not showing up for an audition. In those days, he gathered the infamous squatter band The Flowers of Romance; the contributors included the future The Slits. Until recently, suffering from loneliness, Sid suddenly found himself in the very center of a new cultural movement and decided not to miss his chance: taking (following the example of his new idol, Dee Dee Ramona) the bass guitar, he finally adopted 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 of the 100 Club in collaboration with Malcolm McLaren. The headliners here were the Sex Pistols, who by that time already had a reputation as a new, highly promising group with an amazing authoring duo. When it became known that the program had free time for another participant, two members of the Bromley Contingent - Suzie Sue and Steve Spanker (Severin) - immediately offered their services, as two other members of a non-existent "group" inviting Syd (drums) and Billy Idol (guitar; the latter was immediately replaced by Marco Pirroni, a friend of a girl named Sue Catwoman (Soo Catwoman), with whom Sid was also friends). So, on the first day of the Festival, Sid first appeared on the big stage. However, on the second day he "got off" from it, because he was arrested (for having started throwing bottles on the stage) and placed in the Ashford Remand juvenile prison. After his release from prison, he settled with Catwoman and became for her something like a bodyguard.
After the Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock was forced to leave in January 1977, his place was offered to Vicious, who was weak on the instrument, but had an image of the ideal punk. He sincerely tried to master the instrument, but his playing was uneven and weak. In particular, Steve Jones believed that Syd had never learned to play. The same opinion was held by Lemmy, from whom Sid took lessons. At concerts, it was often necessary to disconnect his bass from the amplifiers so that he did not confuse other musicians (Vicious did not play in the studio). Syd's concert debut in the group took place on April 3, 1977 at the Screen on the Green club in London. This performance was filmed by Don Letts; the recording was included in the Punk Rock Movie.
Getting into the Sex Pistols almost by accident, Sid Vicious was in the glow of the band's scandalous fame and immediately became its most striking character. The press was especially attracted by the image and manners of Vicious, who loved to pose and give interviews, which is why, in the perception of the general public, Vicious, even more than Rotten and the rest of the band members, became the personification of punk, although he actually invested a little into the work of the Sex Pistols (one written song and several rehash strangers). Meanwhile, it was Sid who invented the famous "dance" of the pogo. “I hated the Bromley Contingent and I figured out a way to drive them around this 100 Club. I just ran from side to side, bouncing - boing, boing, boing! - and knocked them down on the floor, ”he said.
It is believed that it was thanks to Sid that the atmosphere of violence around the group thickened. It was alleged that he once attacked journalist Nick Kent with a bicycle chain, allegedly at the instigation of McLaren and Rotten, who were outraged that Kent had performed with The Damned the day before. Subsequently, the reality of this fact was questioned, since there were no witnesses to the attack, and everyone learned about it from the articles and memoirs of Kent himself. The myth of the "formidable" Side also does not correspond to the fact, confirmed by many eyewitnesses, that Syd did not know how to fight at all and was repeatedly beaten - in particular, by Paul Weller, David Coverdale and Thin Lizzy guitarist John Robertson.
Almost immediately after joining the group, Syd met Nancy Spungen, a drug addict groupie who had arrived in London from New York with the sole purpose of sleeping with the Sex Pistols. Pamela Rook, a friend of Sid's who worked in a clothing store, recalled: “From John and Steve, she went to Sid, and he fell in love instantly. For him, among other things, Nancy was the personification of a whole culture centered in New York, where his beloved band, the Ramones, reigned. " The couple settled in Rook's apartment near Buckingham Palace, where all three settled on the same mattress - in the dining room.
Meanwhile, the Sex Pistols lost their second contract with A&M Records; This was largely due to the fights inspired by Sid. However, Jah Wobble, in a review of Alan Parker's book Sid Vicious: Noone Is Innocent, claims that rumors about them were greatly exaggerated. So, for example, there was no "attack" on radio host Bob "The Whisperer" Harris at the Speakeasy club: Sid only said a few harsh words to him.
The group signed their third contract with Virgin Records, but by the time of the release of "God Save the Queen" Sid's health deteriorated: he managed to visit the hospital, where he was being 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 some "secret" British sets (SPOTS: Sex Pistols on Tour Secretly), it became clear that Nancy was becoming a dangerous burden for the band. They tried to forcibly send her to America, but the plan failed: Sid and Nancy became even closer: now they confronted the whole world, and nothing could separate them. At times, the couple looked quite respectable: for example, during the 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 step into the microphone (he sang "Chinese Rocks" and "Born to Lose").
In London, McLaren, busy making a film (which was then called "Who Killed Bambi": it later came out under the name "The Great Rock and Roll Swindle"), made it clear to Sid and Nancy that they would not get money from him if they did not agree to do all his instructions regarding the film. Syd went to Paris to shoot and recorded a version of "My Way" (a song made famous by Frank Sinatra) there. The recording was not easy: Sid now and then refused to work with "these French idiots." The finished tapes were sent to London: here Steve Jones overdubbed the guitar parts and gave the track a Pistol-specific sound. "My Way" was released as a single in June (from "No One Is Innocent") and immediately began to climb the charts (# 7 UK Singles Chart). In gratitude for his participation in the film, Sid was freed from McLaren. Nancy Spungen, who officially became his manager, flew to New York and took up the organization of the upcoming tour there. With the group The Vicious White Kids (Glen Matlock, Steve New and the Rat Scabies), Syd gave one gig at the Electric Ballroom and, having received money, immediately flew to New York. Upon arrival, Sid and Nancy went to the Chelsea Hotel, once famous for its guests, but now glorious only for drug orgies, and rented a room here (No. 100). Nancy did manage to organize several concerts: Jerry Nolan and Killer Kane (ex-New York Dolls), as well as guitarist Steve Dior, appeared in the new group along with Syd. Mick Jones, the guitarist of The Clash, appeared at the Max's club as a guest.
But after September 7, 1978, at the last concert, Vicious appeared on heroin and, having barely sang a cover of Iggy Pop's song "I Wanna Be Your Dog", fainted, all the musicians refused to perform with him. Shortly thereafter, Syd went with Nancy to visit her parents, but the visit was unsuccessful. Both were consummate drug addicts, looked terrible, and horrified and resented the respectable Jewish family.
Two other songs Sid recorded alongside "My Way" - "Something Else" and "C'mon Everybody" - were released singles under the Sex Pistols banner and became hits (# 3 UK). In October, he received from McLaren a fee (by check) and a sum of 25 thousand dollars in cash: the latter was put in the bottom drawer of the table 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 were ready to pay any amount. It is known that at least two drug dealers have visited their hotel room. After receiving the doses, Sid and Nancy fell into oblivion. Sid regained consciousness on the morning of October 12th. Nancy was in the bathroom: she was killed, apparently, by his knife. He immediately called an ambulance, then the police, and on October 19 was arrested on suspicion of murder. The sum of 25 thousand dollars disappeared from the bottom drawer of the desk and was never found. The musician himself, due to severe alcohol and drug intoxication, did not remember what 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 commit this crime. “He was anything but Vicious; in fact, under that name I did not know him. He was a quiet man, a very lonely person. With Nancy, they were a very sensitive couple and were great to each other. Even in my office, they did not let each other out of their arms. It felt like there was a strong bond 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 the Rockets Redglare, drug dealer, bouncer, actor (and later pop comedian). He was reliably established that night next to Nancy, to whom he brought 40 capsules of hydromorphone. There was also a version according to which the death of Nancy was the result of a failed "double suicide".
Sid was taken to Rikers Prison. McLaren persuaded Virgin Records to provide a security deposit ($ 50 thousand), promising a new album from Syd. Warner Bros. collected money for a team of lawyers and the suspect was released on bail. On 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 looked after by his mother, who had flown 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 released on bail again and headed to his new girlfriend Michelle Robinson's apartment 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 can swear a pinkish aura arose over him at that moment,” Anne Beverly said later. - In the morning I brought him tea. Sid lay in complete peace. I tried to push him, and then I realized that he was cold ... and dead. "
New York City's chief coroner, Dr. Michael Baden, who performed the autopsy, determined that the heroin found in his body was 80 percent pure, while Vicious usually used a 5 percent solution.
On February 7, 1979, Sid Vicious was cremated, and a few days later, Anne Beverly (despite the protests of the Spungen couple) scattered his ashes - believed to be over Nancy's grave in the King David Cemetery. Later, however, there were reports that she accidentally or intentionally knocked over an urn with ashes at Heathrow, and all the contents went into the ventilation system of the airport.
Vicious's ability as a bass player has been challenged. During an interview for Guitar Hero III, when Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones was asked why he recorded bass guitar for Never Mind the Bollocks instead of Vicious, he replied: “Syd was in the hospital with hepatitis, he could not play, not that so that he can play at all. " Syd asked Lemmy, the bass player for 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 didn't know how to play bass at the time of his death. "
According to Paul Cook, in the months between joining the band and meeting Nancy, Vicious worked devotedly and struggled to learn how to play. Viv Albertine, a member of The Flowers of Romance, which included Vicious, said that one night she “went to bed and Sid stayed with the Ramones album and bass guitar, and when I woke up in the morning he could play. He took a bunch of speeds and taught himself. He was fast. " Keith Levin, another member of The Flowers of Romance and later The Clash and Public Image Ltd, tells a similar story: “Could Syd have played bass? I don’t know that, but I know that Syd did things very quickly. One night he played the first Ramones album nonstop, all night, and the next morning he could play bass. That's how it was; he was ready! Sid did things really fast! "
Sid Vicious was and still is a cult figure. If you ask anyone you meet to name the first punk that comes to mind, you will most likely hear the name of Sid Vicious. He was the epitome of punk rock in its truest form: anarchy, wild antics, violence and complete disregard for everyone. Perhaps Vicious's death at such an early age was fatal, since he took 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 drug addicted hippie, 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 the composition of Lou Reed "Vicious" and Sid Barrett.
Immediately after the birth of his son, the 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 became acquainted with the fashionable punk culture, which 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 at the SEX store. Steve Jones, Glen Matlock and Paul Cook played punk rock here on nights. They were originally called "Swankers", but after being managed by store owner Malcolm McLaren, they were renamed "Sex Pistols". Vicious was not taken to the newly formed group, although McLaren's wife wanted to see him as a vocalist. Only in 1977, after the departure of bassist Glen Metlock Vicious, was he replaced.
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 to music, since he played the guitar very mediocre 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 the audience on 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 how to use drugs. Childhood friend Jah Wobble recalled that he was 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 incidents from his life. In 1978, the Sex Pistols toured the United States, where they gained immense popularity. In one of the first concerts in Memphis, Sid showed up for a rehearsal drunk and started throwing chairs at everyone. Then he cut his hand with a knife, which shocked 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, the impression was that there were a psycho on the stage who had escaped from the hospital. This was all Vicious, personifying the punk hysteria of the time.
Perhaps the fate of Sid Vicious would not have been so tragic if it had not been 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 for Sid. She gravitated towards self-destruction even more than he did, so it's not surprising that their life went awry.
Despite their lack of self-discipline, the Sex Pistols played amazing concerts in the USA. Their fame went ahead of them, and after a while they already competed with the famous New York punk group "Ramones". When the group returned to England, Sid was offered to go to Paris to perform Sinatra's composition "My way" in one of the films. He really liked the idea of starring in the film, and he happily agreed. However, for those who did this project, working with Vicious was a real torture. The reckless musician was constantly on heroin, so he little understood 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 say how much Sid and Nancy loved each other. Their love is legendary, songs are composed and films are made, but no one knows how they really felt. Only one thing can be said with certainty - their heroin addiction was so strong that in the end they both "burned out".
In the summer of 1978, Sid and Nancy traveled to New York, where they formed their own band, Vicious White Kids. They began to be presented to the public as "Romeo and Juliet of punk culture". The band'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 performing a song on stage, began to shoot 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, viewers already knew that anything could be expected from the group, but the press still called them crazy.
The bloody omen came true. On the morning of October 12, 1978, Syd woke up in a Chelsea hotel room after a violent drunkenness and, not finding Nancy, went to the bathroom. The picture that appeared to his gaze shocked the musician. Nancy was lying in the bathroom with a knife in her stomach, and all the walls were splattered 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 dealer who brought drugs, but Syd blamed himself and even tried to commit suicide on several occasions.
After three months of torture, during which there was a second arrest and attempts at suicide, 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 was not even 22 years old ...