[.ca] Sid Vicious: Rock 'n' Roll Star (ISBN 0859653730)

The Comprehensive Life of a Coathanger:
Wow - I wish I had started my recent foray into Sid lore with this book! Butts covers the rich spectrum of Sid's short but eventful life with a juicy array of alternative versions of each fascinating turn. Did Sid's mother knowingly allow him to administer his own fatal dose of heroin, or was it stolen from her pocket in the apartment where they were staying? Did Mick Jagger offer to bail Sid out of jail after Nancy's murder, or was Mick asked and refused? Were Sid and Nancy the worst thing that ever happened to each other, or star-crossed true lovers? As other reviewers have said, Butt's book is a heady stream of intriguing, gritty details from the seamy world of period punkdom -- a treasure trove of rumors, opinions, eyewitness accounts, unconfirmed reports found in no other available sources. Where else can you find a link between Rockets Redglare, recently deceased East Village underground actor/minor sleaze icon, and Nancy Spungen's death? ...And learn that Nancy's young body was so deteriorated that, in death, it began to decompose in a remarkably short six hours! Unlike most others who write about Sid, Butts refreshingly keeps moralistic commentary about the brief but compelling life to a minimum. But in the last chapter he does include part of John (Rotten)Lydon's oft-quoted tirade and lament that Sid's no-talent, useless personage has now been mythologized, when in actuality he was 'nothing more than a coathanger.' Well, coathanger he may have been, according to green-and-personal friend Lydon! But Sid's been dead now longer than he was alive, and ironically, people like me still want to read all about him.

wonderful,yet short biography:
A great biography...the only reason I rated it a 4 was because the author was sometimes wary on details.When you read about Sid,you realize he wasn't as "cool" as everyone thinks he is.He was just like anybody else,a regular human being.People put him on this high pedestal thinking "Wow,he's so cool.I want to wear leather jackets just like him!" well maybe not exactly like that,but you get the point.It shows he was just like most people...insecure at times,and liked to have fun.I read this all in one day...I couldn't put it down.

rock historians...a must read:
Be careful what you wish for. Sid wanted to be a rock and roll star. For one year, he was. Then he was dead. And for those of us, who, like him, spent our younger years flipping the bird to the establishment, there but for: ....... go us. As a middle aged father of three and pre-juvinile delinquent you wish with each page you could be there to help him make smart choices. But real juvie's know their is no help when your in a state of stupidity. Sid was the epitome of stupidity. For a guy who did everything to appear cool it's ironic that his only musical legacy is "My Way" the best version of the most disgusting song ever written. An absolute must read before or after this book, is John Lydon's (Johnny Rotten) bio. "No Irish, No Blacks, No Dogs." A facinating read that places Sid and the Pistol's where they belong. In the most important company of rock and roll history: Elvis, Beatles and the Pistols. Rock and roll will never die. But it sure can make a mess of things. Onward

HE DID IT HIS WAY:
Finally, a book about Sid that covers his entire life, not just his short time in the limelight. This is an excellent addition to any Sex Pistols/punk rock fan's library that's packed with a lot of cool b & w pictures (a lot of which I've never seen). After finishing this book I was struck again how much Sid & Nancy seemed to be the original Kurt & Courtney. It's a shame that that one didn't turn out the way this one did (or that both guys lived). Just remember - Sid did it his way. R.I.P. Sid.

*punk*:
Was everything you heard about Sid Vicious fact or fiction? You can find most of your questions answered in this book.Mr. Butt is a great author who dared explore Sid Vicious's short life.You learn fasintating things. you must read this book if you want to know the truth about sid .He indeed was a briliant person who was died to soon .