Post by Fuggle on Sept 24, 2004 16:40:03 GMT -5
Michael T Thornhill on Sid Vicious (Simon John Beverley, 1957-59):
Vicious took some heroin from his mother's purse and injected himself with what proved to be a lethal dose ... Sid Vicious's death at 21 was worldwide news and instantly elevated him to the "live fast, die young" hall of fame. Iconic status was ensured. At the Sex Pistols' peak, elements of the establishment regarded the band as a treasonous threat - best seen in Julian Temple's documentary film The Filth and the Fury (2000). But even then Vicious's contribution owed more to the fantasy of rock martyrdom than to any serious questioning of society's values. His drawn-out drug-induced demise turned punk rebellion into a revolt against the self. By 1979 punk was just another product and his death prompted one last surge of hype.
Vicious took some heroin from his mother's purse and injected himself with what proved to be a lethal dose ... Sid Vicious's death at 21 was worldwide news and instantly elevated him to the "live fast, die young" hall of fame. Iconic status was ensured. At the Sex Pistols' peak, elements of the establishment regarded the band as a treasonous threat - best seen in Julian Temple's documentary film The Filth and the Fury (2000). But even then Vicious's contribution owed more to the fantasy of rock martyrdom than to any serious questioning of society's values. His drawn-out drug-induced demise turned punk rebellion into a revolt against the self. By 1979 punk was just another product and his death prompted one last surge of hype.