Sid Vicious
No One Is Innocent
Alan Parker
I didn’t realize this book came out in 2007 and received it as a gift from a very dear friend.
I have a romanticized notion of Sid and the Pistols and voraciously read what I can (when I can) about them As an insomniac my latest hours tend to be filled with books.
I was intrigued from the start on this one as the forward was written by none other than Malcom Mclaren. Now if you recall he is the so called Godfather of punk and owner (with Vivian Westwood) of the London Shop ‘SEX”, from which the Pistols were spawned.
Most biography’s on Sid focus on the Nancy Spungeon years or the murder/ suicide/ whatever.
The best thing about this particular story is the focus on Sids younger days. Alot of this really focuses on mother Anne Beverely Sid really being Simon Beverly, I think It seems the poor waif had as many names as homes. The woman was a train wreck addicted to drugs and dragging her boy all over the place from Spain to London from flat to rehab. Its no wonder he ended up as he did and it sickens me to envision a world of a mother plagued with addiction. I haven’t walked in those shoes so I cant judge but to read that Ms Beverly shot up amphetamines with her own son sharing needles and only boiling between use. A bleak life indeed and so sad.
There really isn’t any great revelations about Sid or that time frame there are some cute antidotes but they really seem self serving almost elitist in its reporting. I’m not really a fan or Parkers style but the point comes across loud and clear. From the tone of the book it seems Mr Parker is a bit smug. Hes better than this lot almost looking down his nose at it all. I find the most amusing part about Alan Parker on the inner dust jacket it says “Alan Parker was co coordinator at EMI and the author of several books on punk. He lived with Anne Beverly for three months.” What the hell sort of lame authors note is that?
So back to Sid after a pathetic intoxicated up bringing hes off to art school to use more drugs, sell drugs, whore himself out, beat up old ladies and steal their drugs loves Marc Bolan, paints some pretty cool pictures, hangs out in shops pisses on cars and pukes. Alot. How Punk.
Again nothing any Pistol fan or anyone who lived back in the day didn’t already know but the visuals painted by Parker are a bit clearer maybe its just the repetition of information. I’m unsure.
I will say the photographs in my hardbound book are fantastic. I especially love the one of young Sid and his mom in Ibiza. Too cute and so very opposite visually of what the book reports.
The book reports the Sex Pistols touched down at JFK January 3, 1978 at 7pm. Its trivial yet precise facts that make me not the biggest fan of this book. More time should have been spent on the difficulties of getting these kids to the states, the surety bonds that had to be put up by Warner Brothers and the delays from immigration to even let them touch US soil. I cant say this book is glorifying but its almost like the drunk guy at the end of the bar reminiscing trying to sound cool.
A unique spin is the New York City days going into a mock investigative mode, sorta dumb really and no great revelation. Parker has taken a fascinating topic and used it for self glorification, after all he lived with Sids mom for 3 whole months so he’d know best.