On this date 31 years ago the bass player from the Sex Pistols; Sid Vicious: real name Simon John Ritche, was found dead of an apparent overdose; he was 21. I am not going to divulge into conspiracy theories that he was murdered by his girlfriend, but rather talk about his legacy. Sid will not be remembered for his bass playing, but for his antics. When one thinks about the Sex Pistols they tend not to think about top notch musical talent. They think about the craziness that they caused. Bar fights, heroin and attitude is more what the Pistols represented. Now, I only have seen old vintage video's of their concerts, but from what I can see they put on a hell of a show. Sure it sounded like crap, but one did not go to see them because they wanted to hear a symphony. They went to go see what Sid would do.
Another punk icon known more for his on stage antics would be GG Allin; born Jesus Christ Allin. GG took it to a different level. Consistently saying to crowds that he was going to kill him-self on stage; GG would cut, defecate and piss all over the stage. As disgusting as this all is; he still had a dedicated fan base.
Both of these gentleman had a following; not for their musical prowess; but more for their showmanship. Their antics drew more of a crowd than their ability to play their instruments; begging the question on why they were in a band and not in the circus.
Ask yourself the question; "How important is your favorite bands front-man?". Neither of these guys were backed by a solid band; and I don't care what anyone says about John Lydon; he was not the front man for the Pistols. This being said they both drew crowds based on their behavior and through time actually got people into their music. Job well done indeed. Posing the never ending question on does one need to have talent to make it in the music business; or is showmanship more important?
Just look at Britney Spears.
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