Sid Vicious
Vicious circa 1977
Background information
Birth name	John Simon Ritchie[1]
Also known as	Sid Vicious Spikey John John Simon Beverley[2]
Born	(1957-05-10)10 May 1957 Lewisham, London
Died	2 February 1979(1979-02-02) (aged 21) New York City
Genres	Punk rock
Occupations	Musician
Instruments	Bass guitar, vocals, drums
Years active	1976–1978
Labels	Virgin, EMI
Associated acts	Sex Pistols Siouxsie and the Banshees Vicious White Kids The Flowers Of Romance
Notable instruments
Fender Precision Bass

Sid Vicious (born John Simon Ritchie^[1] 10 May 1957 – 2 February 1979) was an English musician best known as the bassist of the influential punk rock group Sex Pistols. In 2006 he was inducted posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Sex Pistols.

Early life [link]

Sid Vicious was born John Simon Ritchie in Lewisham, South East London, to John and Anne Ritchie (née McDonald). His mother dropped out of school early due to a lack of academic success and went on to join the RAF, where she met her husband-to-be, Ritchie's father. He was a guardsman at Buckingham Palace and a semi-professional trombone player on the London Jazz scene.^[3] Shortly after John's birth, he and his mother moved to Ibiza, where they expected to be joined by his father who, it was planned, would support them financially in the meantime. However, after the first few pay cheques failed to arrive, Anne realised that he would not be coming. Anne later married Christopher Beverley, a middle class man in 1965, before setting up a family home back in Kent. Ritchie took his stepfather's surname and was known as John Beverley.^[4]

Ritchie's stepfather died six months later from cancer,^[4] and by 1968 he and his mother were living in a rented flat in Tunbridge Wells, where he attended Sandown Court School. In 1971, the pair moved to Hackney in east London. He also spent some time living in Somerset.

Ritchie first met John Lydon in 1973, when they were both students at Hackney Technical College. Lydon describes Ritchie at this time as a David Bowie fan, a poser and a "clothes hound".^[5]

By age 17, Ritchie had begun to hang around London. One favorite spot was Malcolm McLaren and Vivienne Westwood's then-little-known clothing store, SEX. There he met American expatriate Chrissie Hynde before she formed the Pretenders. Though at least five years older, she tried (but failed) to convince John to join her in a mariage blanc so she could get a work permit.

John was given the nickname "Sid Vicious" by John Lydon, after Lydon's pet hamster, Sid. The hamster had bitten Ritchie, who said that "Sid is really vicious!"^[6] The animal was described by Lydon as "the softest, furriest, weediest thing on earth."^[7] At the time, Ritchie was squatting with Lydon, John Joseph Wardle (Jah Wobble), and John Gray, and the four were colloquially known as "The Four Johns".

According to Lydon, the two of them would often busk for money with Sid playing the tambourine. They would play Alice Cooper covers, and people gave them money to be quiet. Once a man gave them "three bob" (three shillings, i.e. 15p in decimal currency) and they all danced.^[8]

According to the band's photographer, Dennis Morris, John was "deep down, a shy person."^[9] However, he did assault NME journalist Nick Kent with a motorbike chain with help from Jah Wobble.^[10] On another occasion, at the Speakeasy (a London nightclub popular with rock stars of the day) he threatened BBC DJ and Old Grey Whistle Test presenter Bob Harris.

Music career [link]

The Flowers of Romance and The Banshees [link]

Vicious began his musical career in 1976 as a member of The Flowers of Romance along with former co-founding member of The Clash, Keith Levene (who later co-founded John Lydon's post-Pistols project Public Image Limited) and Palmolive and Viv Albertine, who would later form The Slits.^[4] He appeared with Siouxsie and the Banshees, playing drums at their notorious first gig at the 100 Club Punk Festival in London's Oxford Street.^[11] According to members of The Damned, Vicious was considered, along with Dave Vanian, for the position of lead singer for The Damned, but Sid failed to show up for the audition.^[12]

Sex Pistols [link]

According to various publications (such as the biography England's Dreaming by John Savage) and films (namely The Filth and the Fury) Vicious was asked to join the group after Glen Matlock's departure in February 1977 due to his being present at every gig. Manager Malcolm McLaren once claimed "if Johnny Rotten is the voice of punk, then Vicious is the attitude."

McLaren also said in person and in a documentary that if he'd met Vicious before he had hired Rotten to be the singer, Vicious would have been the Sex Pistols' front man, because he had the most charisma of anyone on that stage. Alan Jones described Vicious as "[having] the iconic punk look (...) Sid, on image alone, is what all punk rests on."^[13] His nails would be painted in a sloppy manner with purple nail polish.^[14] Vicious played his first gig with the Pistols on 3 April 1977 at the The Screen On The Green in London. His debut was filmed by Don Letts and appears in Punk Rock Movie. What Sid had lacked in musicianship he made up with unmatched punk charisma, as he hurled insults at the crowd and slashed himself. On the group's U.S. tour in January 1978, although not during a show, he carved the words "Gimme a fix" into his chest. In the Longhorn Ballroom concert, he spat into the crowd and mocked and taunted the "Cowboys" in the audience.

In March 1977, Vicious had met American Nancy Spungen; they began to date. They, and with them the group, deteriorated visibly during the American tour. The Pistols broke up in San Francisco after their concert at the Winterland Ballroom on 14 January 1978.

Solo career [link]

With Spungen acting as his "manager", Vicious embarked on a solo career during which he performed with musicians including Mick Jones of The Clash, Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock, Rat Scabies of The Damned and the New York Dolls' Arthur Kane, Jerry Nolan, and Johnny Thunders. Vicious performed the majority of his performances at Max's Kansas City and drew large crowds. His final performances as a solo musician took place at Max's.^[15]

Musicianship [link]

Vicious' abilities as a bass player were debated. During an interview for Guitar Hero III, when Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones was asked why he, instead of Vicious, recorded the bass parts of Never Mind the Bollocks, Jones responded, "Sid was in a hospital with yellow jaundice and he couldn't really play, not that he could play anyway."^[16] The only song that Sid played on in the studio was "Bodies". Sid asked Lemmy, the bassist of Motörhead, to teach him how to play bass with the words, "I can't play bass," to which Lemmy replied "I know." In another interview Lemmy stated, "Yeah. It was all uphill. And he still couldn't play bass when he died."^[17]

According to Paul Cook, in the few months between joining the band and meeting Nancy, Vicious was a dedicated worker and tried his hardest to learn to play; indeed, this period was Cook's favourite in the band.^[18] Viv Albertine went further in defence of his ability, saying that one night she "went to bed, and Sid stayed up with a Ramones album and a bass guitar, and when I got up in the morning, he could play. He'd taken a load of speed and taught himself. He was so quick."^[19] Keith Levene, a member of The Flowers of Romance with Vicious and later a member of The Clash and then Public Image Ltd, also recounts a similar story: "Could Sid play bass? I don't know, but one thing I do know was that Sid did things quickly. One night, he played the first Ramones album nonstop, all night, then next morning, Sid could play the bass. That was it; he was ready! I told you Sid did things quickly!"^[20] By the time of the last Sex Pistols gig at the Winterland in San Francisco Sid was a reasonably competent bass player, as is evident in the footage of the show.

Nancy Spungen's death [link]

On the morning of 12 October 1978, Vicious claimed to have awoken from a drugged stupor to find Nancy Spungen dead on the bathroom floor of their room in the Hotel Chelsea in Manhattan, New York. She had suffered a single stab wound to her abdomen and appeared to have bled to death. The knife used had been bought by Vicious on 42nd Street and was identical to a collector's knife given to punk rock vocalist Stiv Bators of the Dead Boys by Dee Dee Ramone. According to Dee Dee's wife at the time,^[21] Vera King Ramone, Sid had bought the knife after seeing Stiv's. Vicious was arrested and charged with her murder. He said they had fought that night but gave conflicting versions of what happened next, saying, "I never stabbed her. I loved her, but she treated me like shit", then saying that he did not remember and at one point during the argument Spungen had fallen onto the knife.

On the night of Nancy's death, there was a party going on in their hotel room. She was rumoured to have been showing a lot of money. When they found her dead the next day, the money had gone, as had Sid's knife. None of the party guests have given evidence about what had happened.

On October 22, ten days after Spungen's death, Vicious attempted suicide by slitting his wrist and was subsequently hospitalized at Bellevue Hospital. He was charged with assault after an altercation with Todd Smith (singer Patti Smith's brother) at a Skafish concert. ^[22] Vicious was arrested December 9, 1978 and sent to Rikers Island metro jail for 55 days. He was released on bail on February 1, 1979.

Bail was originally set at $50,000.^[23] However, after court hearings and work from his lawyer, it was lowered. Malcolm McLaren, the Sex Pistols' manager, worked to raise money, and the bond was eventually covered by Virgin Records.^[23]

One theory regarding the murder is that Spungen was killed in a robbery or drug deal gone wrong, in which one of those involved was Rockets Redglare, who would later become known as a stand-up comedian and actor. Redglare, who died in 2001, always denied any part in her death. He stated that the other dealer known to have been there that evening had left before him to obtain more heroin, and was due back after he had left the building. He said he believed that the other dealer returned, found Vicious out cold, and attempted to steal the remaining drugs, leading to a confrontation with Spungen.^[24]

Death [link]

On the evening of February 1, 1979, a small gathering to celebrate Vicious having made bail was held at the 63 Bank Street, New York apartment of his new girlfriend, Michele Robinson, whom he had started dating the day he got out of Bellevue Hospital the previous October. Vicious was clean, having been on a detoxification methadone programme, he detoxed from heroin during his time at Rikers Island.^[25] However, at the dinner gathering, his mother (who was once a registered addict herself^[25]) had some heroin delivered, against the wishes of Sid's girlfriend. The person who delivered it, Peter Kodick, came and stayed for a while. Vicious overdosed at midnight but everyone who was there that night worked together to get him up and walking around in order to revive him.^[26] At 3:00 AM, Sid and Michele Robinson went to bed together. Vicious was discovered dead late the next morning.

A few days after Vicious' cremation, his mother found an alleged suicide note in the pocket of his jacket:

We had a death pact, and I have to keep my half of the bargain. Please bury me next to my baby in my leather jacket, jeans and motorcycle boots. Goodbye.^[27]

Since Nancy was Jewish she was buried in a Jewish cemetery. However, Vicious was not Jewish so he could not be buried with her. According to the book Please Kill Me: The Uncensored Oral History of Punk by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain,^{[citation needed]} Vicious' mother scattered his ashes over Nancy's grave. This has not been fully substantiated as fact.

Discography [link]

Singles [link]

• "My Way" (30 June 1978)—(B-side Chatterbox)
• "Something Else" (9 February 1979)
• "C'mon Everybody" (22 June 1979)

Albums [link]

• Sid Sings

Films that include Sid Vicious [link]

1. Sex Pistols Number One (1976, dir. Derek Jarman)
2. Will Your Son Turn into Sid Vicious? (1978)
3. Mr. Mike's Mondo Video (1979, dir. Michael O'Donoghue)
4. The Punk Rock Movie (1979, dir. Don Letts)
5. The Great Rock N' Roll Swindle (1979, directed by Julien Temple; Julien Temple's The Great Rock N' Roll Swindle features famous Sid Vicious footage, such as his videos for "My Way" and "Something Else," along with various live Sex Pistols footage. There is also a video for "C'mon Everybody," of which only snippets are shown in the film; VHS/DVD)
6. DOA (1981, directed by Lech Kowalski)
7. Sid and Nancy (1986, directed by Alex Cox, DVD)
8. Buried Alive (1991, Sex Pistols)
9. Decade (1991, Sex Pistols)
10. Bollocks to Every (1995, Sex Pistols)
11. Filth to Fury (1995, Sex Pistols)
12. Classic Chaotic (1996, Sex Pistols)
13. Kill the Hippies (1996, Sex Pistols, VHS)
14. The Filth and the Fury (2000, directed by Julien Temple, VHS/NTSC/DVD)
15. Live at the Longhorn (2001, Sex Pistols)
16. Live at Winterland (2001, Sex Pistols, DVD)
17. Never Mind the Bollocks Here's the Sex Pistols (2002, Sex Pistols, VHS/DVD)
18. Punk Rockers (2003, Sex Pistols, DVD)
19. Blood on the Turntable: The Sex Pistols (2004, directed by Steve Crabtree)
20. Music Box Biographical Collection (2005, Sex Pistols, DVD)
21. Punk Icons (2006, Sex Pistols, DVD)
22. American Hardcore (2007, DVD)
23. Chaos! Ex Pistols Secret History: The Dave Goodman Story (2007, Sex Pistols, DVD)
24. Pirates of Destiny (2007, directed by Tõnu Trubetsky, DVD)
25. Rock Case Studies (2007, Sex Pistols, DVD)
26. Who Killed Nancy? (2009, directed by Alan G. Parker)

References [link]

Further reading [link]

• Anne Beverley, The Sid Vicious Family album (1980, Virgin Books) ISBN 978-0-907080-02-2
• Gerald Cole, Sid And Nancy (1986, Methuen) ISBN 978-0-413-41210-2
• Alex Cox & Abbe Wool, Sid And Nancy (1986, Faber and Faber) ISBN 978-0-571-14545-4
• Keith Bateson and Alan Parker, Sid’s Way (1991, Omnibus Press) ISBN 978-0-7119-2483-3
• Tom Stockdale, Sid Vicious. They Died Too Young (1995, Parragon) ISBN 978-0-7525-0689-0
• Malcolm Butt, Sid Vicious. Rock‘n’Roll Star (1997, Plexus) ISBN 978-0-85965-373-2
• David Dalton, El Sid (1998, St. Martin’s Griffin) ISBN 978-0-312-15520-9
• Sid Vicious, Too Fast To Live...Too Young to Die (1999, Retro Publishing)
• Alan Parker, Vicious. Too Fast To Live... (2004, Creation Books) ISBN 978-1-84068-110-9
• Spungen's mother, Deborah, wrote a book about her daughter and her involvement with Vicious in And I Don't Want to Live This Life. ISBN 978-0-449-91141-9
• Ed Hamilton, "Legends of the Chelsea Hotel: Living with the Artists and Outlaws of New York's Rebel Mecca" (2007, DeCapo Press) ISBN 978-1-56858-379-2

External links [link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Sid Vicious

• Sid Vicious at MySpace
• Vicious' confession to the NYPD and other documents
• Site with pictures of the murder scene
• Sid Vicious day-by-day timeline
• Sid Vicious at Find a Grave