Sex Pistols Lydon feels responsible for Sid’s death

Sex Pistols mainman John Lydon says he feels partly responsible for the death of Sid Vicious.

The bassist died of a heroin overdose in 1979 and Lydon reveals he feels bad because he brought Vicious into the band, exposing him to the lifestyle that accompanied the group.

He tells the Gloucestershire Echo: “He didn’t stand a chance. His mother was a heroin addict. I feel bad that I brought him into the band – he couldn’t cope. I feel a bit responsible for his death.

“There you are – I’ve confessed my demons.”

Lydon is currently promoting his book Anger Is My Energy: My Life Uncensored, which he says is a “story of my childhood and Johnny Rotten – not the one invented by Malcolm Mclaren.”

He also explains he got the name Rotten when he was at school because of the state of his teeth.

He adds: “I never used a toothbrush as a kid and only saw my dad using a brush to get the muck off his boots. My teeth and gums were so bad they almost killed me. I’ve spent a small fortune on reconstructive surgery for my choppers.”

Earlier this year, the punk icon was due to star in a US stage production of Jesus Christ Superstar, but the plug was pulled just 10 days before the first show.

Scott Munro
Louder e-commerce editor

Scott has spent more than 30 years in newspapers and magazines as an editor, production editor, sub-editor, designer, writer and reviewer. After initially joining our news desk in the summer of 2014, he moved to the e-commerce team full-time in 2020. He maintains Louder’s buyer’s guides, scouts out the best deals for music fans and reviews headphones, speakers, books and more. He's written more than 11,000 articles across Louder, Classic Rock, Metal Hammer and Prog and has previous written for publications including IGN, the Sunday Mirror, Daily Record and The Herald covering everything from daily news and weekly features, to video games, travel and whisky. Scott grew up listening to rock and prog, cutting his teeth on bands such as Marillion and Magnum before his focus shifted to alternative and post-punk in the late 80s. His favourite bands are Fields Of The Nephilim, The Cure, New Model Army, All About Eve, The Mission, Ned's Atomic Dustbin and Drab Majesty, but he also still has a deep love of Rush.