|
|
And so a slightly unusual interview with Alan Parker
and his latest book about 'Sid Vicious: Noone Is Innocent' (this is his
third about Sid). Unusual that we're prefacing it with a critical review by Jah
Wobble and which sparked a discussion on the
Talk Punk Forum here but it
does raise some points for debate. Alan could have ducked but addresses
some of Wobble's comments in his interview. |
|
|
|
From the
Independent on Sunday 17//6/07
It's the 30th anniversary of punk this year. (I thought that punk
actually began in 1976 but never mind.) Predictably this has prompted a
media feeding frenzy, and it would be hard not to notice the
proliferation of punk-related books and documentaries that abound at the
moment. Even the 1980s movie Sid and Nancy, starring Gary Oldman, is to
be re-released. Sid seems to have eclipsed all of his erstwhile peers in
regards to marketability. The fact that he was in an archetypically
co-dependent relationship with Nancy Spungen and that they both came to
a sticky end only adds to his allure. Sid is the iconic figure that best
represents the punk zeitgeist. That is to say, he was the most
irreverent, narcissistic and self-destructive of all the dramatis
personae of the punk scene.
It is no wonder that Alan Parker's name should crop up at this time,
because for years he has been churning out indifferent books on all
things Sex Pistol-related. This is the third "biography" of Sid that he
has released. Parker is one of a coterie of blokes that eke out a living
by stripping the last remains from the carcass of punk. Most of them are
from the provinces and the majority of them seem to be in their late
thirties/early forties, and therefore would have been no more than 12 or
13 when it all happened. If they are not writing books, they are
flogging Sex Pistols or other punk-related memorabilia.
It is a very parochial scene, riddled with petty jealousies and
rivalries. Needless to say, petty jealousies and rivalries apart, it is
the absolute antithesis of the punk scene in 1977. Rest assured Sid
would have hated them all. Having said that, I wager that this sad
little punk revivalist scene would be wonderful material for a
Pinteresque play. They all gather at the funerals of punk luminaries,
where they adopt the personae of old soldiers attending the wakes of
fallen heroes.
Apart from Parker's three efforts, there have been several books on Sid
to date. Just like Parker's No One is Innocent and Too Fast to Live,
they often boast corny, sensationalist titles like Mark Paytress's The
Art of Dying Young. In my opinion, Paytress's book forms the template
for Parker's latest effort. The Art of Dying Young, despite the awful
title, is a worthy and serious effort. It digs a little deeper, and is a
bit more considered than most books of its ilk.
The life of Sid is not an easy subject to get your teeth into. Sid was
so determinedly one-dimensional. When Paytress was researching his book,
I helped him out by giving him a lengthy interview. As an old cohort of
Sid's, I was happy to help the author "get it right".
From the way Parker presents No One is Innocent, you would have thought
that I had also done an interview with him. However that is not the
case. I also get a credit in the "thanks and acknowledgement" section,
giving the impression that I have sanctioned the book, which is very
cheeky.
It is a very lazy approach. Apart from paraphrasing Paytress, Parker
also states things that I know full well to be untrue, such as Sid and I
attacking Whispering Bob Harris of The Old Grey Whistle Test at London's
Speakeasy club. Well, I've never even met Bob Harris, let alone
assaulted him. As far as I know, Sid merely insulted Bob Harris and his
entourage. That clarification has been made several times; I believe
that Whispering Bob himself has even put the record straight. It is a
tired, old and discredited story. But of course, as we know so well via
the modus operandi of the tabloid press, why let the truth get in the
way of a good story? That seems to be what the author aspires to: the
sensationalist, exploitative and crass writing style of Fleet Street
hacks.
Parker's main claim, in regard to the book, and probably life generally,
is that he lived for all of three months with Sid's mum, Anne Beverley,
who, like Sid, was a junkie. Anne Beverley passed away in 1996. Parker
has also managed to get Malcolm McLaren to do the foreword to the book,
which is a major coup in the credibility stakes. I wonder if Malcolm did
it for nothing? Probably not. Whatever, McLaren still talks with the
larger- than-life language of a 1950's impresario. There is something of
the Lew Grade about him. The only thing missing is a haze of cigar
smoke. He talks fondly of Sid, but you don't feel that he really knew
him more than Joe Public did. I suspect that Sid was ultimately a
commodity to McLaren. In my view, that doesn't make him any worse than
certain other managers in the history of rock. It's just the way (the
music) business is. He is an amusing and eloquent raconteur, but one
that you take with a massive pinch of salt.
So does Parker bring anything new to the table? Well, there's some
conspiratorial stuff concerning the deaths of Sid and Nancy which is not
particularly well presented or structured. Sid's very early life is
better documented here than in Paytress's book. However I must admit to
having doubts about some of the author's claims. According to Parker,
Sid attended the Soho Parish School in Great Windmill Street, which is
just 200 yards from Piccadilly. Parker states that he got access to
Sid's school records; he also claims that those records contained police
reports on Anne Beverley's drug use. I find that a bit strange; Parker
getting access to confidential school files, and police reports
intermingled with a child's school record? I would have thought that
would be the domain of social services.
Whatever, I would certainly not dispute the fact that Sid's early life
was far from easy. I recall seeing him use a syringe to inject drugs
with his mum. I was 16; it was a shocking and stark image to behold. To
me, at that age, your mum was someone who left your tea in the oven, not
someone who you banged up drugs with.
|
|
Old Punk Git August 2007... As I was sitting down to
write this I put a CD in as I always do when I write, for some reason it
was a Stranglers Album, the Raven with cover notes by Alan Parker. Being
passionate about Punk I buy books and replace my old vinyl with CDs like
we all do. More often then not "the gimmick" keeps
popping up. His writings about the thing I care most passionately about
are everywhere. Record companies, Film makers all seem to seek his
advice. Therefore, It was with more than a little interest that I
interviewed Alan on the verge of his biggest work to date - "Sid Vicious
- No One Is Innocent". |
|
|
Being a
prolific writer it comes as some surprise to find that Alan suffers from
Dyslexia AP:I wrote short stories at School, normally with zero
punctuation and almost always spelt wrong everywhere, the perils of
dyslexia I’m afraid! I can’t say I was hugely drawn to writing, I guess
like most things at school it was a drag...long term writing was a happy
accident." Alan's problems at school did not end with his dyslexia
AP:"...bullying was very much a school thing, once we left that ended,
because I was 6 ft and then some, by then. I think a lot of it was me
being so different to the other kids, you know, dyslexic, double skull
(which Debbie Harry has too, so it ain’t all bad!) and quite shy, it all
worked against me. I really had no intention of writing at the
beginning." So how did Alan start writing when he was held back by his
Dyslexia? AP:"I always say I had the best English teacher ever! Because
I cured my own dyslexia via Charles Dickens, so I was taught at the feet
of a master!". |
|
|
|
|
Before the arrival of
Punk the music that excited us back then was Glam, Alan was no
different "I was a firmly committed Glam kid, I had a paper-round,
and every penny I earned found its way into the till of a Blackburn
record shop called Ames Records", but with the birth of Punk that
was all about to change but not immediately AP: "I first heard punk
singles in the school record room, when the older kids started
playing them...some kid played ‘God Save the Queen’ and I remember
buying ‘Anarchy’ on French import at Ames that weekend. My first
punk gig was The Stranglers at King Georges Hall, although we saw
Elton the following week in Preston, so it didn’t happen overnight".
So even by school age Alan had the 2 things that were going to be
the foundations of what lay ahead, writing and a love of music, it
was not long before the 2 were combined and Alan started his first
venture into publishing AP: "Well, I had a fanzine ‘4000 Holes from
Blackburn, Lancashire’ which
reached 16 issues, and I interviewed a lot of the groups for that,
cause everybody played Blackburn back then. I first met SLF via that
and a whole cast of thousands! The first thing I ever wrote for
Spiral Scratch was a piece about The Rich Kids, because I couldn’t
understand why a lot of people hated them! And that led to about 2
years work there." |
|
|
|
Alan is known for
many things he has wrote, but it is the Sid writing he is best known
for, so was Alan a big Sex Pistols fan? AP: "I loved the Sex Pistols,
and I defiantly remember having every Sid poster I ever set eyes on!
Although I’d never say they were my number 1 band, I’ve always been
very committed to SLF, The Clash, The Ramones, Buzzcocks, lots of
groups from that time, so yeah the Pistols were in there, but like
I’ve said before not that big considering what happened next!!" What
happened next Alan could not have had predicted.
While working on
the fanzine Spiral Scratch Alan was approached by Sid's mother Anne
Beverley who was apparently impressed by his writing, she wanted him
to write the definitive book about her son but things didn't quite
work out like that AP: "the original manuscript was about 70,000
words, but I think you’ll be lucky if there are 28,000 words in it!
Anne
wanted a definitive book, but I’m sure now she never realised that
means the world gets to read it! Once we’d done all the interviews
and type set them, she withdrew about 70% of what she had said, her
opinion was that it’s fine to tell me in a little front room, but
not the world. So, the finished version is a picture book." |
During the writing of the first book "Sid's Way", Anne and Alan
became good friends, as a way of acknowledging this Anne gave Alan
the ring that Sid had
given Nancy, not so much an engagement ring for Nancy, their
relationship was too unconventional for that, but the closest their
was ever gonna be. Alan
later sold the ring and I asked him if he regretted that AP:
"Selling the ring was my best move ever, because it paid the deposit
on the apartment I now live in, so it couldn’t have been put to
better use, it’s not many people that can say Sid & Nancy helped
them move in! And to be fair Anne always said if it comes in handy,
then what will be, will be…". |
|
Following the death of Anne, Alan didn't rush into writing another
book about her son even though her consent had been given to do so
AP: "Anne’s death was a bullet out of the blue, sometimes when people
take their own lives there are odd signs, but that just happened.
One minute things seemed fine and not the next. I was offered book
deals within a month of her death by many companies, but I turned
everybody down." So what gave Alan the impetus to write "Too Fast to
Live"? AP: "I guess ‘Too Fast To Live’ came about purely through my
involvement with EMI Records, because the CD was agreed on first,
and the book sort of happened because of it, slightly later the same
day! I was always pleased with it, and again it did wonders for my
career." |
|
It was said at the time that with the publishing of "Too
Fast to Live" there was not much left to write about Sid. So
I asked Alan what was the motivation for him to write the
new book AP: "Well, for a start I was with a much bigger
publisher, so I was granted far more room to do things, I
spent three years on and off re-interviewing everyone, this
is the biggest book I’ve ever written, and those few who
have read it, tell me I should be proud because it’s
flawless! Which is way past flattering." So will this be the
last Sid book? AP: "I don’t think there will be need for
another Sid book beyond it, not by anyone. I owe a huge debt
to Jane Dalton, because I wasn’t going to write it, and she
talked me into it, so God bless her for that, more than
anything I just hope people understand that this is the Sid
book I spilled blood for." |
|
|
The new
book was originally going to be called "20th Century icon", this is
now change to what I consider a stronger title, what was the
reasoning behind the change? AP: "The publishers never liked the
original title, though I was keen on it and so was my agent, so
after a while we decided to change it, what they need was something
that fitted with the group, but also outlined
the story within the book, and I think ‘No One Is Innocent’ just
sums it all up nicely." Personally I think the title works on many
levels, what does the title mean to Alan? AP: "There wasn’t a living
soul who passed through Sid’s life that was totally innocent, and of
course, some where more guilty than
others!". It is obvious that Alan is proud of this work, in
reference to the Master who taught him to write he said AP: "if
Dickens taught me anything, then this is my ‘Oliver!’" |
|
|
|
|
Sid has featured to some extent through Alan's career, would Alan
have been the successful author he is today without Sid? "...well
I’ve managed to clock up nearly a dozen books that don’t mention him
once, so I hope I’d have half a chance, and the plan now is to move
forward in a very different direction, but I think we are going to
be linked forever, that is now inevitable." This
I think is very true. It appears to me Alan and Sid are indelibly
linked, but I think this is not a derogatory thing, remember it was
Sid's mum who invited Alan to write about her son. It was she who
recognised that Alan was the author who was most able to do her son
justice, something I don't think she believed was achieved during
his life, or after. Having
spent time with Alan I was always curious what he would say to Sid
if he met him today, maybe over a pint in the "Spice": AP: "I think
if Sid was alive today we’d have a lot to talk about, I have been
involved in his world one way or another for 22 years now and that’s
longer than he lived! Alan Jones said the other day that I’d kept
his flame burning which was really
nice." I did notice recently a comment on a Sid pic posted on a
MySpace site it read "Thanks mate you opened a lot of doors for me",
the comment was posted by...Alan Parker. |
|
|
Postscript:
Jah Wobble (friend of Sid Vicious and John Lydon) recently reviewed
Alan’s new book for the Independent, his views though not all
negative weren’t exactly complimentary either. In the review Jah
Wobble claims not to have been interviewed for Alan’s book. A point
Alan does not accept AP: “Firstly myself and Jah Wobble did meet up,
with a number of witness' in Soho... We drank coffee and spoke about
the old days... So, for me that's cool... When it came to doing the
Bob Harris story” (Jah Wobble and Sid allegedly attacked Bob Harris
in London’s Speakeasy Club) AP: “We met with Derek Green (A&M
Records) and he name checked Wobble, then I went through Mik Wilkojc
at BBC Radio and asked of Bob Harris (yeah, the man himself - who
for obvious reasons doesn't do Sex Pistols related interviews) just
who was it that attacked you at the Speakeasy? His reply was a
simple; ‘Wobble - the one who later ended up in PIL!’. Again Jah
Wobble has a different memory of that nights events, it was 30 years
ago though. |
|
|
|
|
Alan has his own theories why Jah Wobble appears so negative about
his latest work AP: “You will also notice that in his Independent
'review' Wobble hints that there was something was a-miss that
Malcolm McLaren was paid for his foreword... Well guess what kids?
Wobble was paid very nicely by the Independent, we know this because
they admitted it to my agents office... Jah Wobble's book is signed
to a major publishing company already, and (by all account) will be
on sale next year... To date I wish him all the best with it... Hope
it reads well...” << I've run out of
pictures so it's another gratuitous flesh shot I'm afraid!! |
|
So what next for Alan AP: “I am already hard at work on my next
book; it's not remotely got anything to do with Punk and is
sanctioned 100% by the group I am working with... "
|
Back
To Top
© OldPunkGit 2007 -
OldPunkGit MySpace
|