Post by Fuggle on Jul 8, 2004 20:17:14 GMT -5
Simon John Ritchie was born to Jeanette Ann Ritchie in London on May 10th 1957. In his early years they lived in Lewisham south London. His mother Ann had never had a stable childhood herself and a similar pattern would develop for young Simon. During the late Fifties the new youth movement were the Beat nicks and that was what his mother would become. In 1960 The family intended to take a short break to Ibiza, a holiday island off the Spanish east coast. Ann and Simon left first, John Ritchie intending to follow them out later. For one reason or another this did not happen and instead the Anns marriage to John fell apart. For several months they remained in Ibiza staying with various friends of Anns. She found some work occasional typing jobs, but in the main She bummed money from friends.
"I called him Sid after my pet, the softest furriest, weediest thing on earth, this soppy white hamster." John Lydon
Rotten No Irish No Blacks No Dogs
To make ends meet she do the odd run to Morocco to score grass later sold on to others on Ibiza. Poverty and a hand out from the British High Commission helped them return to the U.K.
Where Ann got work in Ronnie Scoots Jazz Club on Gerard Street. During this period Ann had her first introduction to heavier drugs. A friend convinced her to fake needle tracks and sign on with a helpful G.P. This would supplement her income and help to make ends meet. (Drugs were at that time available on prescription from the National Health Service ). Of course things did not go that way and Ann developed a habit of her own that took the help of her family to break.
Early school days in the U.K. were not a great success. Simon seemed to draw the attention of the school bullies due to his accent which was not London based. It could not have helped to have his mother turn up outside the school looking wasted either. In 64 clean of drugs Ann moved with Simon to Oxford and there meet the love of her life one Chris Beverley a student at Oxford. And in 65 they were married. The happiness was not to last and in August of that year Chris Beverley died of liver failure
Chris Beverley's family who were based in Tumbridge Wells in the Kent countryside helped Ann and Simon through this period. Down in Kent Simon attend a fee paying school, while Ann took over the management of a public house ( bar ). Tumbridge Wells was followed by a short stay in Clevedon near Bristol on the west coast. From there they returned to London and rented accommodation in Stamford Hill before a last move to Council housing on an estate in Londons Hackney. By now Simon interest in clothes and music had taken off. Bowie and the androgynous look were the rage and he went for it big time.
In 1972 he left Albion Road Secondary Modern School and went to work in clothing manufacturers on Londons Kingsland Road not far from where they lived in Grange Court. It was a dead end job and Simon did his best to make sure he didn't keep it. Instead he went to Hackney College of Further Education to study Art and here he meet one John Lydon. They became friends so much so that Lydon was to give his friend the name he would carry forever more: Sid Vicious.