Pure Punk Picks
My Way – Sid Vicious
Someone on facebook recently posted the question, “Was Sid Vicious an asshole?”
I didn’t respond but it made me think, “Maybe Sid wasn’t, but surely heroin is.”
And what I mean by that, I feel that once a substance takes over a persons’ life- that person becomes more like the drug they’re taking and it erases their own true personality.
Though, he had a few violent episodes, that I’m sure were sparked by drugs, he seemed like a mild, kind of guy. (And no, I don’t believe he killed Nancy- most agree he wouldn’t have been convicted in court). His vicious moniker was given to him, more as a joke, and maybe for his love of Lou Reed, that had a song by that name off of Lou Reed’s most popular album.
He was a lousy bass player. Which is kind of hilarious, when you realize that, The Sex Pistols were one of the most popular new bands in England at the time when he joined, lots of top ten singles. And this band decides to replace their original bassist with a complete novice! (In what other genre has this ever happened?)
He also, actually was, the original drummer for Siouxsie & The Banshees, where I trust he was equally inept. But after the demise of The Sex Pistols he made a go of becoming a front man, a punk lead singer.
Did you know that Sid was raised in England by an American born hippie mom who fed him drugs as a child, and admitted to administrating that fatal dose of heroin because she felt she was “relieving his pain from life?”
Did you know he died on Groudhog’s Day, forty years ago?
Maybe not, but you probably know that he coded the stereotype of what a typical punk rocker looks like. Something I still see to this day, especially in current Oi bands.
But I think some folks are unaware how much The Sex Pistols had an effect on the music industry and really was a solid, kick in the face to corporate rock.
I realize now that younger people admire, and are influenced, much more so, by The Clash and The Ramones, but those bands had little effect at the time, while The Sex Pistols were causing an uproar, here and in England. But for me they are just as important and potent as the two previous bands I mentioned, even though, even I- prefer those other two bands now.
The music of this song starts out all slow and dripping with sentimentality over descending, strings while a quavering, vibrato voice croons some changed lyrics such as, “You can’t, I’m not a queer.”
Then after this facetious beginning – the music kicks in with a rhythm much like a Ramones/The Damned/ Billy Idol song of those times.
The Dickies were a California punk band then, who specialized in doing covers of sappy, pop songs like The Moody Blues “Nights In White Satin.” (I hope you’re not familiar with the original song.) The Dickies took those songs and energized them into a Ramones/Buzzcocks like vehicle. And this song reminds me of that band.
A lot of times when a band lose their lead singer, then have a member of the band take over on lead vocals. And the replacement often sounds similar to the original singer. The most obvious example I can think of is when Peter Gabriel left Genesis and Phil Collins, the drummer took over, and he had similar sounding vocals. (I’m really glad if you don’t know who I’m referencing!)
I have this theory that in every genre of music there are punk and non-punks. And it’s not necessarily that the punks are better, but they embody more the rebelliousness and the anti-society outlook of punk.
In blues music, Howling Wolf was a punk and B.B King wasn’t. In Jazz, John Coltrane was not a punk but Miles Davis, most certainly was. In rock”n’roll, though I love, Elvis and Fats Domimo- they were not punks, but Little Richard and Jerry Lee Lewis were.
And I consider Johnny Cash the number one punk of all time.
I’d put Frank Sinatra, in his genre, in the punk category, as well. Though he didn’t write this song, his fans believed it reflected his being as he was hard-headed, had aggressive, antisocial behavior and had a huge belief in himself and his opinions.
That sounds like an asshole to me!
So maybe Sid was one, too?
Real art is never socially acceptable, is never easy to digest. Is never polite, nor follows the rules set before them, it never gives credence to the dictates of the past.
They break rules, they upset the social status, they cause anger and annoyance in the regular folks of society.
They bring to light what others try to hide. They express what others don’t want to face or would rather brush aside.
So this leads us back to the original question. Was Sid Vicious an asshole?
What he was and what he came to represent was an art form that wanted to be more truthful, wanted to express what was more real, was one that didn’t want to hide behind old platitudes, wanted to be new and true and more honest. And realized that, fully, I feel, in all aspects.
So I’ve had my regrets, not so much in music, but in life along the way. But as far as music and art and words I’ve believed in? Yeah, there is far too few to mention. And when I hear this song and Sid’s voice that sounds so funny, clever, intelligent- so aware and full of life. I believe in him.
And though, some would hear a life that is about to skid off of the tracks. Which indeed, it did.
I hear the heart of punk.
And Sid didn’t live, but punk did. And don’t listen to fools who say that it’s died. Because truth, passion and guts-
Never will go out of style.
(Slimedog)
