Sid Vicious Letter Lists 12 Things He Loved About Nancy

Huffington Post    
First Posted: 02/ 7/2012 12:05 pm Updated: 02/ 7/2012 1:04 pm

If we sifted through your old drawers and boxes and published all the love letters you wrote at 20 years old, chances are there would be some embarrassing phrases.

And what if we went back even further? A likely treasure trove of "Do You Like Me? Check Yes Or No" letters would rain down from the attic, heart-dotted i's and terrible poetry abounds.

If you're Sid Vicious, the former bassist for the Sex Pistols and one of the world's most renowned punk rock musicians, your love letters are apparently pretty straightforward. At least the one recently published by Letters of Note, a blog that highlights past correspondences.

In his letter, which can be read here in full, Vicious writes a list of things he loves about his then girlfriend, the punk groupie Nancy Spungen, on a piece of torn-out notebook paper.

(Warning: cover you children's eyes for number nine. Or at least be prepared for an awkward conversation.)

"What Makes Nancy So Great By Sidney"

1. Beautiful
2. Sexy
3. Beautiful figure
4. Great sense of humour
5. Makes extremely interesting conversation
6. Witty
7.. Has beautiful eyes
8. Has fab taste in clothes
9. Has the most beautiful wet p***y in the world
10. Even has sexy feet
11. Is extremely smart
12. A great Hustler

The letter was written in 1978, just months before Spungen was mysteriously stabbed and killed in a hotel room. The knife that killed her was traced to Vicious, but numerous conspiracy theories are attached to her death. One version was explored in Alex Cox's 1986 biopic, "Sid and Nancy," which took a look at their complicated, violent relationship and paints its own picture of the night Spungen was stabbed.

Vicious was set to go on trial for her murder, but before the trial took place he overdosed on heroin and died.

After the tragic events, the rock critic Lester Bangs famously wrote: "A young woman is dead. I don’t care. You probably don’t care. The police don’t care. The papers don’t care. The punks for the most part don’t care. The only people that care are (I suppose) her parents and (I’m almost certain) the boy accused of murdering her."

When New York Magazine reported on the anniversary of her death 30 years later, they quoted Legs McNeil as saying that the events surrounding Spungen's death "killed punk overnight." The scene was never the same.

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If we sifted through your old drawers and boxes and published all the love letters you wrote at 20 years old, chances are there would be some embarrassing phrases. And what if we went back even fu...
If we sifted through your old drawers and boxes and published all the love letters you wrote at 20 years old, chances are there would be some embarrassing phrases. And what if we went back even fu...
If we sifted through your old drawers and boxes and published all the love letters you wrote at 20 years old, chances are there would be some embarrassing phrases. And what if we went back even fu...
If we sifted through your old drawers and boxes and published all the love letters you wrote at 20 years old, chances are there would be some embarrassing phrases. And what if we went back even fu...
 
 
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
dublindude
Obscure quote to give the impression I'm deep.
03:35 PM on 02/14/2012
Worst bassist of all time in the greatest punk band of all time. The Ramones and Stigges were wusses compared to them. Pistols were real punk rebellion. Steve Jones' riffs and Lydon's lyrics - classic. "Never Mind The Bollocks" is a watershed moment in rock. One of the greatest albums ever. The band was supposed to disintigrate quickly otherwise they would become part of the system they were fighting. It was meant to end the way it ended. I will always be infatuated with them.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
parisnoire
I love my mysterious lady parts...
02:27 PM on 02/10/2012
I guess I'm in the minority, but I think his letter list is quite sweet. Sid and Nancy were some messed up folks. No one is disputing that. But he seems to be expressing genuine affection for her here, and who am I to say that doesn't matter?

Oh, and while I hope no one ever says I'm a "great hustler" I wouldn't mind being associated with the rest of the stuff on this list!
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
signgrrl
design & production
10:02 AM on 02/09/2012
excellent sid and nancy book, And I Don't Want to Live This Life, by nancy's mom, Deborah Spungen. FYI.
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PathofTotality
Regret serves no purpose
03:43 PM on 02/08/2012
"Iiiiiiiiiii wannaaaaaaa beeeeeeeee, anarchy"

And they were. They made their mark in a very big way to the point of being the face of Punk.
Seems like a heart felt love letter btw.
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03:11 PM on 02/08/2012
John Lydon was on Judge Judy once.
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08:20 PM on 02/10/2012
the Dead milkmen were on Peoples Court
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
meccano
Pick the center square...for the win!
01:55 PM on 02/08/2012
Aw, a love letter from Sid to Nancy just in time for Valentines. Nothing says I love you like heart-shaped track marks.
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American Subversive
Free markets are beneficial to ruling class only.
10:31 AM on 02/08/2012
Syd was a joke, who couldn't play bass! He stood on stage with a guitar that was not plugged in, while someone else played the chords!
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01:36 PM on 02/08/2012
they were all a joke, a band formed by malcom McClaren to sell clothes after he saw what people were doing in America. I think the Dolls and the stooges were much more raw and punk then the pistols.
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American Subversive
Free markets are beneficial to ruling class only.
04:11 PM on 02/08/2012
We may agree on Sid, but we part ways on the band. One of the best r&r bands of the 70s, although I'm a fan of the Dolls and Stooges as well.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
americancolonyinhell
02:48 PM on 02/10/2012
I prefer the SP's to those two other bands. Like RH and the Voidoids a lot, too.
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TheBlueCoyote
Random Opinion Generator
03:41 AM on 02/08/2012
13) Inflatable
07:33 PM on 02/07/2012
all good qualities. specially #9...
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05:45 PM on 02/07/2012
talk about an album that does not stand up ! Total malcom Mclaren bay city rollers band. Yawn.
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the grange gorman
Rachel Corrie is the greatest person since Lennon
09:57 AM on 02/08/2012
except Pretty Vacant which is a great song
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01:32 PM on 02/08/2012
I'd agree with that, and must admit an undeserved fondness for " Submission."
(You may laugh but when it came out, i remember thinking it was subtle. )

out of anything these folks were involved in, PiL's 'Flower of Romance" is my cup of tea.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
efell
Careful with that axe, Eugene
02:11 PM on 02/07/2012
R.I.P. Syd. I listened to you last night.
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Leninist
Vermonter
07:05 AM on 02/08/2012
actually, you didn't...Sid was never allowed to play bass on the pistols studio work...Steve Jones played all the lines after Glen Matlock took off...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
efell
Careful with that axe, Eugene
06:16 AM on 02/09/2012
Sorry about the tardiness of this reply. Just received yours this AM. I was listening to a rough copy of a concert the Pistols played in San Antonio in 1978. Matlock was back in the U.K. at that time. If you were referencing "Bullocks", I agree with you but Sid laid down the bass line for 'Bodies'. I don't know how long it will take for you to receive this post. I don't think HP puts a high priority on the punk rock comments. Regards.
12:52 PM on 02/07/2012
They may not have been the smartest people, but they were in love.
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HUFFPOST COMMUNITY MODERATOR
Gronkie
Radical Independent
12:23 PM on 02/07/2012
He forgot:

13. Excellent ability to score good heroin.

Oh, maybe that's what he meant by #12.
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05:41 PM on 02/07/2012
By 12) he meant prostitute.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
Annette Hammond
Don't like it--Lump it!
07:36 PM on 02/07/2012
Not necessarily.Hustling can mean a few different things.But....never will know as far as Nancy.I was not there to know.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
ajinnyc
12:21 PM on 02/07/2012
I'm going with number 13 - None of the above.