“Too fast to live. Too young to die.”Feb. 2 marks the 30th anniversary of the death of the notorious former Sex Pistol, punk rock’s ultimate nihilistic guitarist.
Punk Originals
Perhaps more than any other figure, the Sex Pistols' bassist Sid Vicious personified what punk rock was about ... anarchy and rebellion. In this 1978 photo he poses with his American girlfriend Nancy Spungen, in New York.London Features International
Beginning of the End
By the fall of 1978, Sid and Nancy's lives had descended into a cycle of heavy drug abuse. On October 12, Nancy died from a single stab wound. Sid was the chief suspect, but due to drug use he had no memory of the night's events. In this photo, her body is removed from New York's Chelsea Hotel, where the couple was living in Room 100.AP
Pretty Vacant
New York police charged Sid with murder. It is still unproven whether or not he committed the crime.Michael Ochs Archives / Getty
Police Escort
Two months after his arrest, after being released from Rikers Island prison for bottling singer Patti Smith's brother, Sid overdosed on heroin.AP
Doing Things his Way
Considered the most 'Sex Pistol' of them all, Sid — seen here performing his punk rendition of "My Way", in the movie The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle, a scene which climaxed with him shooting members of the audience — is widely regarded as the personification of punk rock rebellion. But, aged just 21, he ended up being just another sex, drugs and rock and roll cliché. Everything he would have hated.John Tiberi / Redferns
No Future
Born Simon John Ritchie, Sid was the son of Anne Beverley, a single mother with a history of heroin addiction who brought him up in a poor suburb of London, England.Daily Express / Hulton Archive / Getty
Battle Scarred
According to manager Malcolm McLaren, "When Sid joined (the Sex Pistols) he couldn't play guitar but his craziness fit into the structure of the band. He was the knight in shining armor with a giant fist." In Dallas, Sid infamously carved the words 'Gimme a fix' into his chest. He was an orgy of self destruction.Michael Ochs Archives / Getty
SPOTS the Difference
Sid became bassist with the Sex Pistols in 1977, who had already caused outrage with their antics on and off stage. To avoid being banned, they played under a secret tour name SPOTS (Sex Pistols On Tour Secretly).Michael Ochs Archives / Getty
Anarchy in the U.K.
The band sign a short-lived record deal with A&M Records in front of Buckingham Palace, home to England's Queen Elizabeth II (under pressure from its own employees, artists and distributors, A&M broke contract with the Pistols six days later). To mark the 25th anniversary of her reign, the Pistols released the anarchic anti-Royal anthem God Save the Queen, which became a punk classic.Graham Wood / Evening Standard / Getty
Baiting the Audience
Sid performs beside his friend and the Pistol's venomous frontman, John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten. The gigs were often riotous affairs with the band sometimes attacking their audience.Michael Ochs Archives / Getty
Sid and Nancy
Not long after joining the Sex Pistols, Vicious took up with New Yorker Nancy Spungen. It was a love affair hell bent on self destruction, immortalized in the film .Hulton Archive / Getty
Final Countdown
The Sex Pistols perform their last concert in San Francisco's Winterland, on January 14, 1978. After the performance Rotten addressed the audience directly — "Ever get the feeling you've been cheated? Good night" — before throwing down his microphone and walking offstage. Sid, who was withdrawing from heroin, ran riot throughout the tour. Rotten left the band the next day and the group split up on January 17 (though they would reform during the 1990s).Michael Ochs Archive / Getty
Too Fast to Live. Too Young to Die
After the break-up Sid took his act to New York. His farewell U.K. gig was in London performing with former Pistol Glen Matlock, under the guise The Vicious White Kids.Stephanie Chernikowski / Michael Ochs Archives / Getty
