Winter Auction 2015 closing February 7
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/8/2015
Sid Vicious was asked to join the influential punk rock group the Sex Pistols in February 1977 after Glen Matlock's departure. Manager Malcolm McLaren once claimed, "If Johnny Rotten is the voice of punk, then Vicious is the attitude." McLaren also said in person and in a documentary that if he'd met Vicious before he had hired Rotten to be the singer, Vicious would have been the Sex Pistols' front man because he had the most charisma of anyone on that stage.
The rise of the Sex Pistols with Vicious was rapid and chaotic. It was during this period that Vicious met his eventual girlfriend and manager Nancy Spungen. The two entered a destructive relationship punctuated by bouts of domestic violence and drug abuse. On the morning of 12 October 1978, Vicious claimed to have awoken from a drugged stupor to find Spungen dead on the bathroom floor of their hotel room in New York. Spungen had suffered a single stab wound to her abdomen and appeared to have bled to death. Vicious was charged with her murder but died of a heroin overdose in February 1979 before the case went to trial. Various authors and filmmakers have speculated about Vicious' role in Spungen's death and the possibility that a drug dealer who frequented their room may have killed Spungen.
This original 11 x 14 photo of Vicious was taken in 1978 and seems to represent some of the events surrounding Vicious’ life. From the cunning, one-eyed stare to the slashes on the forearms, Vicious seems to be far from the place of internal tranquility. The photo is labeled “Sid Vicious – 1978” and is signed by photographer Bob Gruen and inscribed “NYC ’93.” Comes with Gotta Have It LOA.