Sid and Nancy are real. Sid Vicious - biography of a punk hero

Sid and Nancy- drama based on the real life of a punk artist Sid Vicious- bass guitarist of the group Sex Pistols and his girlfriends Nancy Spungen. Directed and written by Alex Cox. Starring Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb.

The story of Sid Vicious is very unusual and has attracted the attention of rock and punk fans since his death. Simon Ritchie, and this is the real name of the rock idol, has become one of the most striking symbols of all punk culture. to his defiant behavior, unprincipled character, odiousness of his figure, Sid became the one whom those who oppose everything in the world have been waiting for so long. This film tells about the formation and disintegration of the group, about the inner life of Sid and his friends, about the terrible ending when he, as we know, killed his girlfriend Nancy for unknown reasons.

Even after so many years, this story has not lost its relevance, although the facts have been rewritten many times. By latest information, it was not Sid who killed Nancy; at that time there were other people in the room, and Vicious himself died because his mother, taking pity, injected an obviously huge dose of the drug into his vein. But that's another story...

The notorious Sid Vicious, who is basking in the rays of his fame, meets a certain Nancy Spungen. She came from New York to London precisely to meet famous group. This meeting will be one of the most important in his life. From this moment until the end, Sid and Nancy will always be together. The authors of the film tried to convey the entire atmosphere of the 70s, the environment and even the vocabulary.

Courtney Love initially auditioned for the role of Nancy, but she ended up playing the minor role of Gretchen in the film, who was one of Nancy's friends. The original version of the film's title was “Love Kills,” however, this would not have saved it from the numerous criticism that rained down on the film after the premiere. Some even called him a punk Romeo and Juliet. Here is the social bottom, the decaying society in which people are born bright stars, but are unable to overcome the barriers, they fade away without ever flaring up in full force.

Some official information:

Simon John Ritchie (Sid Vicious) born May 10, 1957. In 1977 he joined the Sex Pistols as a bass player. On October 29, 1978, allegedly at the request of Nancy herself, Sid Vicious kills her with a knife. On February 1, 1979, he was released from prison on bail and died of a heroin overdose the morning after his release, at the age of 21.

Video Sid and Nancy

“Sid and Nancy” - everyone has probably heard this expression. It has already become almost a household name. Many people associate this phrase with big, clean and true love Sid Vicious, world famous guitarist English group"Sex Pistols", and his girlfriend - American Nancy Spungen. However, in real life everything was completely different. They were both drug addicts - Sid and Nancy. Their story is not a story about a beautiful and terrible nightmare from which they could not get out.

It was filmed in 1986 by director Alex Cox. tragic story Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. The film, released under the title “Sid and Nancy,” is a biography of their relationship. This is a story about them and the time they were together, starting with an unexpected meeting at a mutual friend's house in London and ending with the tragic events in New York at the Chelsea Hotel.

The genre of the film “Sid and Nancy” is biography. This picture based on real events. The film includes recordings concert performances groups. The atmosphere of the film is that “crazy” time of the 1970s, the environment and vocabulary in which the Sex Pistols musicians lived and worked.

So, how it was. Dirt, scandals, drugs, punk rock, love to death and bloody drama - all this is Sid and Nancy. Disgusting photos, obscene language, lines of heroin and a lot of alcohol... They were known during their lifetime. They were even called “the Romeo and Juliet of punk,” as if anticipating the tragic end of their story. But drugs, love and death made them legends.

Sid and Nancy: biography

Sid Vicious - guitarist of the Sex Pistols. Included legendary group Sid got there completely by accident. And he immediately fell under the influence of the scandalous fame for which the group was known. Sid became, perhaps, the most bright character from the group, although he played the guitar very poorly (sometimes he was even specially disconnected from the speakers so as not to spoil the sound). All thanks to the image of the ideal punk rocker.

Nancy Spungen is a cheeky girl from a decent American family and... an experienced drug addict. Nancy came to London with one goal - to sleep with all the members of the Sex Pistols. John was first on her list, then Steve. And then she moved on to Sid. Well, Sid fell in love, instantly and irrevocably. So much so that soon he couldn’t take a single step without Nancy. And without drugs, which the girl always carried around.

They began to live together, and Sid increasingly moved away from the group. His fellow musicians hated Nancy and believed that she serious problem their creativity. Disagreements and scandals began between Sid and the group. When the group was going on a large-scale tour of America, the musicians completely refused to take Nancy with them. Sid was given an ultimatum: either go without her, or not go at all. The musician became depressed. He and Nancy broke up, and Sid stayed off heroin during the tour.

However, after a long separation, they were together again. And they became even closer. Now they were together, alone against the whole world. And nothing and no one could separate them. They again plunged headlong into drugs and passion for each other and traveled the world in search of thrills. Sid began to burden the Sex Pistols with his addictions, and then the group decided that they would continue their work without him.

A bad period began for Nancy and Sid. After Sid left the group, they began to run out of money for heroin. The couple went to New York to visit Nancy's parents to get money. But the family did not accept Nancy and Sid and kicked them out onto the street.

Then they had to return to England again. Sid tried in vain to start solo career. Nancy even managed to arrange a couple of concerts for him. But the public did not want to see the drunk and drunk former punk rocker.

After a series of failures with concerts, Sid and Nancy lay low. But not for long...

On the morning of October 12, 1978, at the Chelsea Hotel, Sid woke up from a drug-induced nightmare to find his beloved Nancy dead on the bathroom floor in a pool of blood and with a knife in her chest. There was no one else in the room except him...

Sid spent several months under investigation. He was accused of killing his girlfriend, but he categorically denied everything and said that he could not kill Nancy, although due to severe drug intoxication he did not remember anything about the events of that night.

But Sid never found out who killed his beloved Nancy. On February 1, 1978, Vicious was released on bail. And the very next day he was found dead. The cause of death was a heroin overdose.

The film “Sid and Nancy” is a biography of the most scandalous couple in rock music and their story, which grew into a legend. The main role in the film (Sid Vicious) was played by a young and talented man, and he played it superbly.

In the last scene of the film, the writers stepped back from reality and showed us that even after death, Sid and Nancy remained together.

But does this “heroin paradise” in which Sid and Nancy are reunited after death really exist? Probably not after all. But there definitely was a heroin hell into which they turned their lives, and which destroyed them. Sid and Nancy. They were so young, eager for new experiences and full of hope, but instead of life they chose death.

British musical drama "Sid and Nancy" from the director Alex Cox is a true illustration of the life and work of the famous English musician Sid Vicious. The film was based on real events, what happened to Sid and his girlfriend, as well as the overall history of the group "Sex Pistols" that period.

Starring famous actors Gary Oldman And Chloe Webb, and also David Hayman.

Movie slogan:"Love kills."

• Cast and crew of Sid and Nancy

• Director: Alex Cox.
• Writers: Alex Cox, Abby Wool.
• Producers: Eric Fellner, Peter Jacques, Margaret Matheson and others.
• Cinematographer: Roger Deakins.
• Composer: Dan Wool.
• Artists: Linda Burbank, J. Ray Fox, Andrew McAlpine and others.
• Editor: David Martin.
• Cast: Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, David Hayman, Debbie Bishop, Andrew Scofield, Xander Berkeley, Perry Benson, Tony London, Sandy Baron, Cy Richardson and others.

Contents of the film Sid and Nancy

Famous bass player of the group "Sex Pistols" Sid Vicious wasn't the most talented musician around the world and even in London, but he perfectly fit the image of a punk rocker in the late 70s. Sid easily fit into the group and became an integral part of it. But just as an integral part of it own life once became a young drug addict Nancy.

Nancy had only two really big desires - to sleep with all the musicians from the Sex Pistols and get another dose. She realized both to the fullest extent. But if the rest of the group treated the girl as an ordinary episode, then Sid really fell in love with her.

The painful relationship between the musician and his girlfriend, based on a common love for heroin, was initially doomed to a sad ending.

I can't understand how anyone could take on making a film like Sid and Nancy and not even talk to me. Alex Cox didn't. He used whomever he used as sources. Joe Strummer? That singer from The Clash with a guttural roar? How the hell would he know about Sid and Nancy? It’s just that we probably couldn’t find anyone else. There was a point where Alex Cox tried to get me involved and sent the guy who played me to me in New York. This actor said he would like to discuss the script. I stayed there for two days and during this time I only learned from him that the film had already been completed. Everything was a complete fiction. A ploy to use my name in connection with the film as an endorsement.

For me, this film is the lowest that nature is capable of. I honestly think it glorifies heroin addiction. This kind of glorification is definitely evident in the finale when that stupid taxi takes to the skies. Complete nonsense.
The scenes in the shabby New York hotel rooms worked perfectly, except that the rooms should have been even more shabby. The whole London scene involving the Pistols is complete nonsense. No sense of reality. The guy who played Sid, Gary Oldman, was pretty good. But he also played a stage character, not real person. I don't think it's Gary Oldman's fault, he's good actor. If only he had a chance to talk to someone who knew Sid. I don't think they even intended to do any serious research to make a serious movie. It's all about money, isn't it? To belittle a person's life so much, and to do it so successfully... it makes me very uncomfortable. The irony is that I still get asked questions about the film. We have to explain that everything is wrong there. That all this is the fucking fantasy of some Oxford graduate who never caught punk. Bastard.
When I returned to London, I was invited to the premiere. I went there and was completely shocked. At the first meeting with Alex Cox, I told him that I would shoot him if possible... I still have an extremely low opinion of him. Maybe it's time for the real Sid to finally appear?

Well, the way they portrayed me is not offensive. Too far from life and ridiculous. Totally absurd. Champagne and baked beans for breakfast? Sorry. I don't drink champagne. He didn't even speak like me. With a Liverpudlian accent. Worst of all, there is a hint in the film that I was jealous of Nancy, and this is especially disgusting. Something put there on purpose. I think with this Alex Cox decided to demonstrate his playfulness, typical of the middle class. Everything there is too superficial, too clear.

Original text(English)

I cannot understand why anyone would want to put out a movie like Sid and Nancy and not bother to speak to me; Alex Cox, the director, didn’t. He used as his point of reference - of all the people on this earth - Joe Strummer! That guttural singer from The Clash? What the fuck did he know about Sid and Nancy? That’s probably all he could find, which was really scraping the bottom of the barrel. The only time Alex Cox made any approach towards me was when he sent the chap who was playing me over to New York where I was. This actor told me he wanted to talk about the script. During the two days he was there, he told me that the film had already been completed. The whole thing was a sham. It was a ploy to get my name used in connection with the film, in order to support it.

To me this movie is the lowest form of life. I honestly believe that it celebrates heroin addiction. It definitely glorifies it at the end when that stupid taxi drives off into the sky. That"s such nonsense. The squalid New York hotel scenes were fine, except they needed to be even more squalid. All of the scenes in London with the Pistols were nonsense. None bore any sense of reality. The chap who played Sid, Gary Oldman, I thought was quite good. But even he only played the stage persona as opposed to the real person. I don't consider that Gary Oldman's fault because he's a bloody good actor. If only he had the opportunity to speak to someone who knew the man. I don’t think they ever had the intent to research properly in order to make a seriously accurate movie. It was all just for money, wasn’t it? To humiliate somebody’s life like that - and very successfully - was very annoying to me. The final irony is that I still get asked questions about it. I have to explain that it "s all wrong. It was all someone else’s fucking fantasy, some Oxford graduate who missed the punk rock era. The bastard. When I got back to London, they invited me to a screening. So I went to see it and was utterly appalled. I told Alex Cox, which was the first time I met him, that he should be shot, and he was quite lucky I didn't shoot him. I still hold him in the lowest light. Will the real Sid please stand up?

As for how I was portrayed, well, there's no offense in that. It was so off and ridiculous. It was absurd. Champagne and baked beans for breakfast? Sorry. I don't drink champagne. He didn't even speak like me. He had a Scouse accent. Worse, there's a slur implied in the movie that I was jealous of Nancy, which I find particularly loathsome. There is that implication that I feel was definitely put there. I guess that’s Alex Cox showing his middle class twittery. It's all too glib, it's all too easy.

John Lydon, 1994

“Heroin paradise, and the two of them there,
And we'll probably get there
Along the roads of veins, along the paths of dust,
After all, we loved so much, we were...

Like Sid Nancy...

Sid and...”

Sid and Nancy legendary story love of the main drug addicts of the 20th century. Stories and various fables are made about them. The love of a punk and a girl who dreamed of becoming famous musical field. Their life was fleeting, and their death was not so easy. But what was it really? Ordinary infatuation that has grown into drama, habit, or indeed sincere feelings.

Many musicians believed that Nancy turned to Sid as her last salvation...

They treated it very ambiguously, but more remained negative memories about her.

Malcolm McLaren recalled:

„When Nancy Spungen entered my store, it was as if Dr. Strangelove would have sent this terrible disease of his specifically to England, specifically choosing my store for this... I tried every means so that she would either be run over by a car, or poisoned, or kidnapped and send it We're going by sea to New York"

The press dubbed them “Romeo and Juliet”, not suspecting that Sid and Nancy expected almost the same outcome. Some say that Nancy significantly alienated Sid from the group and all his close people, demanding a lot of attention to herself.

« If I call her a monster, it will not be out of any special malice. This was a human being bent on self-destruction, determined to take as many people with him to the grave as possible. Nancy Spungen was the perfect Titanic in search of her iceberg, and she wanted to be loaded to the brim.”, said John Lydon.

His wife Nora echoed him: “She was beyond destroyed and vicious. I didn’t doubt for a second that the girl was planning to slowly commit suicide. This, in fact, made her little different from other heroinists. But she didn’t want to leave alone. She wanted to take Sid with her."

The Sex Pistols.

After the Sex Pistols broke up, the couple moved to New York, where they hoped to achieve success. Nancy became Sid's manager and booked him several concerts. But drug addiction was slowly but surely killing young people. They lived in a New York hotel and made ends meet, since almost all the money was spent on drugs. In my opinion, they were both going through depression, Sid was at the peak of success until the group fell apart. In the city that was new to him, nothing worked out and constant quarrels with Nancy finished off Sid’s deplorable state.

October 12 was the noisiest day in New York, the body of the dead Nancy Spungen was carried out of room number 100 of the Chelsea Hotel. Sid was in a foggy state. According to witnesses, they used drugs all the time. It is known that Nancy was killed with a knife that she herself bought for Sid. Sid Vicious was taken to the station and charged with second degree murder. He was later released on $50,000 bail. It is still not clear who killed the musician’s girlfriend, as it could have been drug dealers who came to them. The testimony differed, and the case had to be closed. After Nancy's death, Sid tried to commit suicide by taking a huge dose of drugs and cutting his veins. He kept saying, “I want to reunite with her. I didn't fulfill my part of the agreement."