Interview with Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen
Chelsea Hotel, New York, September 1978.




Nancy Spungen
Oh Sid, please wake up. Talk! Because what you're saying is like, totally unintelligible, and you can’t understand you. And we called them so that means it’s a waste of his time, so let’s give him a good interview.

Sid Vicious
Well, do you know what I mean?

Nancy
Do I know what you mean? About why you called it a day? Yeah, I know what you mean. Everybody was for Sid, I mean, Sid was like, I don’t know if you saw any of the gigs but Sid was like, really shining out, and John was being like, nothing, you know he just wasn't giving it any more, he just wasn’t, and he wasn’t shaping up. He was looking awful, the way he was dressing, the way he looked, looked horrible, he wouldn’t listen to anybody and like, you know, I mean, Sid tried to talk to him time and time and time again…

Nancy trails off, losing interest in what she was saying. She looks around, bored. Sid is asleep, Nancy spreads her legs and thrusts her crotch at camera.

Nancy (sarcastic)
Shall we kiss for you? (she blows a kiss to the camera)

Sid drifts momentarily into consciousness, tries to take a drink of scotch, gives up, it’s too much effort. Starts hopelessly looking round for something on the bed.

Nancy (to Sid)
We'll go to sleep later on. What are you looking for?

Sid (mumbling)
It’s okay...um, yeah so like, the only two people that I can think of… (his mumbles become unintelligible, then fade away altogether, and his head drops and he starts to snore)

Nancy (reproaching him)
Sid! Sid, He's not interviewing me, please try and wake up. Do you want me to make you a cup of coffee?

Sid
Where's my scotch? Yeah, could you?

Nancy
Yes, I'll make you a cup of coffee, but will you try and fucking wake up, please?

Nancy stands up and walks out of shot

Sid
Yeah, okay!

Nancy (getting a cigarette)
Because we gave him an interview, we want to give him a good interview.

Sid
Yeah, I'll do it…

Nancy
You're not talking intelligibly, you're falling asleep with your sunglasses on, Wake the fuck up!

As soon as Nancy shuts up Sid is asleep again.

Nancy (in a hushed voice off camera while Sid is fast asleep)
He's been very...It’s hard for him to talk, I'm trying to get him to wake up and talk to you. I’ve been taking care of him, feeding him good food.

Nancy (to Sid)
Will you wake up...please?

Nancy starts spraying an asthma inhaler in Sid's mouth. Sid, barely conscious, tries to inhale)

Nancy
Just wake up!

Sid
Yeah okay, I’ll wake up. Right, now what's the next question?

Nancy
He ain’t gonna drop dead, take it from me. He's just fucked up, I mean he's been sick for three months that he's been on the road, the whole time, I mean look at that poster up there, he's yellow on that poster, you can see it, can't you?

Nancy (screeching)
Sid! What are you...

Sid
You got the ashtray?

Nancy
Yeah, you put the cigarette on the bed!

Nancy starts adjusting the tight black rubber T-shirt she is wearing, she is clearly hot and uncomfortable.

Nancy
...I told him, I said "watch, you watch, the first thing he's gonna say is ‘what am I doing here’". And like the band have so many problems at the moment, and that's like the first thing he said. Fuck. Sweat…

Sid
Stand up, I'll help you take it off.

Nancy
Excuse us a second. You'll just have to bear with us. I hope you're not really mad.

They lift up the T-shirt, revealing Nancy’s tits

Nancy (realising)
I don’t have anything on under it!

Nancy goes to the closet

Nancy (sarcastically)
An interview with Sid and Nancy, Sid and Nancy at home.

Nancy puts on a bra

Nancy
God, I'm sweating… I've been with Sid ever since the first day I ever got to England. We're partners in crime. We have good fun, we help each other out.

Sid is asleep and snoring again, Nancy looks at him, helplessly.

Nancy (trying to keep the conversation going) Like, Sid would have died 15 deaths if I hadn't been around That's just the way he is.

Nancy gestures to something at the side of the bed

Nancy
This is what he does when he's not with me.

Sid has woken up and they kiss messily, with tongues

Nancy
It’s shit when people say he can't play, because he can. He learned all the Pistols songs in two weeks, and it just made him want to work all the more.

Sid (to Kowalski, who is off camera)
Hey, do you want to make a pornographic movie? Give us a hundred pounds.

Nancy (amused)
Oh stop! We made one for Sex Pistols Number Three in Huddersfield. It was great fun, on a dirty floor with a Never Mind the Bollocks poster under us.

Kowalski
What were you doing, screwing?

Nancy
It was great fun, being dominant and submissive, Sid licking my feet…Oh no! Sid!

Sid (waking up fast, panicking)
What?

Nancy (looking at her tights)
It's not even on the seam either!

Kowalski
Despite all the hassle, what was it that the Sex Pistols were trying to do, really kick the establishment up the arse?

Sid is wearing sunglasses, and smoking a cigarette, giving the impression that he is awake. Suddenly he snores loudly.

Kowalski
Sid?

Nancy (jumping as Sid burns her with a cigarette)
Oww! Sid, damn you!

Sid
Yeah? I'm sorry, I can't help it.

Nancy
That’s the eighth time. You've stubbed cigarettes on me, you've spilled coffee on me, you've spilled orange juice on me…

Sid
I'm just so tired and worn out. What's the next question? What was that question?

Nancy (really pissed off)
DON’T DROP IT ON ME AGAIN!

Sid
What was the question?

This interview was recorded for Lech Kowalski's seminal punk documentary DOA.  If you haven't seen it, you should.