Sex, drugs, and rock n’ roll: this phrase originated from LIFE magazine in 1969. It was used to describe the counterculture movement of the 1960s and 1970s. It was a description which has become a badge of pride for punk movements ever since.
Since the 1960s, and in some cases even earlier, the lives of rock stars have been defined by their deviance from social norms and alignment with this creed. The off-stage lives of famous musicians are many times seedy and taboo, defined by the other two parts of the famous phrase: sex and drugs.
The Punk Movement
Among the earliest bands to truly encapsulate this phrase, helping to usher in the punk movement, was the Sex Pistols. First formed in England in 1975, the band became famous after releasing their only album, Never Mind the Bollacks, Here’s the Sex Pistols, in 1977.
The band’s members included Johnny Rotten, the lead singer; Steve Jones, guitarist; Paul Cook, drummer; and bassist Sid Vicious. Vicious replaced the band’s original bassist in early 1977.
Although the band gained notoriety for their foul language, political music, and anti-establishment behavior, the most heinous legacy of the band is tied to Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen.
Spungen’s Early Life
Spungen was born in Philadelphia in 1958. She was troubled from the beginning.
During her delivery, she nearly died when the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. Doctors were able to save her life and determined she did not suffer any lasting damage from oxygen deprivation.
However, in the process of saving Spungen, she was denied early connection to her parents, which may have damaged her psyche. She was a troubled child growing up, demonstrating violent behaviors constantly.
By 15, she was diagnosed with schizophrenia, which did little to curb her deviant behavior. It led to her being expelled from college and moving to New York by age 17.
Supporting herself with odd jobs and sex work, Spungen began following around rock bands as a groupie. Then, in December of 1976, she flew to London and met the Sex Pistols, who were joined by Vicious shortly after.
Nancy Meets The Sex Pistols
The rest of the band did not like Spungen, who was loud and violent. However, she was able to get drugs for the band which is how she was able to stay around against their wishes.
By March of 1977, Vicious and Spungen had moved in together. This was the beginning of a tumultuous relationship.
Over the next year and a half, Spungen became addicted to heroin thanks to Vicious already heavily abusing multiple drugs before their relationship. This amplified the couple’s violence.
They would regularly verbally and physically abuse each other. Spungen even earned the nickname “Nauseating Nancy” for her constant angry behavior in public.
The band organized their first American tour in 1977 after jumping through visa hurdles due to criminal records. Due to the complications, the band was scheduled to perform at bars throughout the American South rather than concert venues.
At the same time, the band members’ relationships were beginning to fray. Rotten behaved as if the band and himself were a gift from God to the world, while simultaneously insulting every fan he could.
Vicious was devolving into a violent druggie who attacked fans and security alike. Spungen’s continued following of the band raised tensions further as she enabled Vicious’ behavior.
In January of 1978, the band finally split up. They cited Vicious’ incessant drug use and his relationship with Spungen as part of the reason.
The Band Breaks Up
As the band members went their separate ways, Spungen and Vicious moved to New York together and lived in the Chelsea Hotel. They lived in room 100 together, under the name “John Simone Ritchie”: Vicious’ birth name.
For nearly the next year, Vicious produced music as a solo act. The music would be released the next year under the title Sid Sings. Spungen acted as his manager during this time.
In the meantime, the pair continued their deviant lifestyle, holding large parties and partaking in excessive drug use. This would ultimately lead to Spungen’s death in October of 1978.
The Fatal Party
The pair had hosted a party on the night of October 11, not unlike the hundreds they had held before. Vicious was seen taking 30 Tuinal tablets. These were strong barbituates which knocked him unconscious until the next day.
The groggy morning after was brought into sudden clarity by the discovery of Spungen’s body on the bathroom floor. She was dead from a stab wound in her chest.
Vicious was still recovering from the night before when the police arrested him for her murder as he wandered the hotel halls. The police assumed that he was responsible since he had an affinity for knives.
It was assumed that he owned the murder weapon. He was released on bail.
After getting into another fight in December, he was arrested again and placed in Rikers Prison for two months. During this time he was forced to detox cold turkey. Upon his release in February of 1979, Vicious attended a party and died of a heroin overdose.
Murder or Suicide?
There are rumors that Vicious’ death was intentional and that he and Spungen had a suicide pact which led Vicious to kill himself as easily as possible. However, his reduced tolerance due to his detox likely led to an overdose.
Regardless, the New York Police Department closed the case of Spungen’s death after Vicious died. She was buried in Philadelphia.
The couple have since gone down as one of the most notorious pairings in rock and roll history. They were a divisive branch of a divisive band and both died in tragic and notable ways. Such is the way the story goes when you live by sex, drugs, and rock and roll.
References
Ott, Tim. “Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen: Their Turbulent and Tragic Love Story.” Biography.com, April 2, 2020. https://www.biography.com/crime/sid-vicious-nancy-spungen-love-murder.
Wakeman, Jessica. “Flashback: Nancy Spungen Found Dead at Chelsea Hotel.” Rolling Stone, October 12, 2017. https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/flashback-nancy-spungen-found-dead-at-chelsea-hotel-118648/.
