Just what drew YOU to Sid?

[Snoogans4Jay]

I am really interested in what it exactly is, as stated by his fans, that makes Sid remain so upfront and present.......sometimes it seems he has a more loyal following that our John......

I should point out I love Sid quite alot myself and am not being insulting in any way to his fans.........the subject is just interesting to me.......

[mashrum]

I also often wonder why is Sid still so popular... Even people who know nothing about the Pistols know Sid's name. I think that the reason why he still seems so present is ironically the fact that he died so young - he kinda lives on in our minds as the young punk and it's easy to relate to him for the young Pistols fans, if you know what I mean. The best way how to become immortal is to die. Some punks also didn't agree with Pistols' reforming in 1996, so they might have turned to Sid who led that hardcore punk life (though some might disagree) and sums up that Pistols' 70s "essence".

[Snoogans4Jay]

mashrum said:

I also often wonder why is Sid still so popular... Even people who know nothing about the Pistols know Sid's name. I think that the reason why he still seems so present is ironically the fact that he died so young - he kinda lives on in our minds as the young punk and it's easy to relate to him for the young Pistols fans, if you know what I mean. The best way how to become immortal is to die. Some punks also didn't agree with Pistols' reforming in 1996, so they might have turned to Sid who led that hardcore punk life (though some might disagree) and sums up that Pistols' 70s "essence".

I agree with you Mashrum. But I don't think that it is just that he died so young although that is a huge bit of it. I think with Sid it is also that he represented us. The fans. He loved the Pistols, worshiped John stating that John would rather die than state falsehoods. The Pistols were his favorite band and he longed to live the rock life style. So what did he do? He became not only a member of his favorite band though he played no instrument proficiently, he became the name synonymous with it. He also scored the ultimate groupie in Nancy. To Sid she was NOT an inconvenience but a worldly traveler down the rock way, some one like himself.........To us he was the anti-hero, the any-man, the average Joe who made it big. He, when he sang Eddie Cochran's "Something Else", was ALL of us standing in our underwear in front of that mirror mimicking a hero. Sid was US. He was our representative.

[mashrum]

Yes, that's so true, Snoogs! Sid is like the ultimate Pistols' fan! I like those interviews where (if he is not stoned and keep falling asleep ) you can see how much was he into the punk thing and how hard he really believed in those Punk and Pistols' ideals. I always hate when people keep degrading him for poor bass playing - I think that if he didn't take drugs he would have been at least as good as Paul Simonon. Like in this old article about Sid by Nick Kent members.tripod.com/nihilismontheprowl/interviews/id41.htm members.tripod.com/nihilismontheprowl/interviews/id42.htm - you can see how frustrated he was about his musical inabilities and the state in which the group was in it's final days...

[Gin-Uhhh 8D]

I think it's because he seems a lot more obtainable to people.

Like, people could be him easier than they could they others.

He couldn't actually play but he wanted to and he finally learned a little. The everyday person can't play bass but if they were in a band as the bassist, I think they'd do it the same way. Try to learn to avoid the embarrassment.

(Now, I'm a pretty big Sid fan and I don't mean to insult him, if any of this is)

Sid was also, more conventually attractive.
I'm not saying the others weren't attractive, but Sid sort of stood out because he was attractive in a more... boisterous? way.

He was also shy, but had a persona.

Iunno about you, but, if I was suddenly in a band as a bassist without knowing how to play, I would get a persona too.

Jsut saying.

RIP, Sid

[justina]

Personally, I just heard somewhere about him so I got hooked. It's kinda silly, but even before I found out about The Sex Pistols, I have already knew about Sid. Weird, hey?

[M!$H]

I guess I'll provide the alt opinion here:

I am not drawn to Sid at all. To me, he was not as charismatic as people make him out to be.

People latch onto his story because 1.) he tragically died young with a really good story that can be embellished ten thousand ways to make it seem romantic or depraved or epic or etc. etc. etc. and 2.) kids tend to be obsessed with people who seem to dwell on that edge of danger, which is what he did. It's the second option that I find really scary and it worries me when young kids are drawn to Sid and "look up to him" because let's be honest, the choices he made were stupid and no one should look up to those decisions.

To me, he was a sad kid. I think it's horrible what happened to him. But at this point, it's time for society (as underground as Sid's story can seem sometimes) to move on from Sid and what happened. Seriously, time to look past it. Sid's gone. Let those who KNEW him (and really KNEW him) remember him and keep THAT spirit alive. To continually bring up the spirit of a broken little boy at his darkest time is somewhat cruel to what Sid really was and what he could have been.

[Gin-Uhhh 8D]

I feel sort of like a hypocrite but I agree completely with Mish up there.