7. Vicious Swung His Bass Better Than He Played It
Outside of his theatrics and over-the-top lifestyle, Sid Vicious was also known for being utterly incapable of playing his bass. Rock and punk greats like Lenny Kilmister of Motorhead and his bandmates in the Sex Pistols reportedly attempted to teach Vicious to play but found him uninterested and inattentive. However, despite not knowing how to play the bass, he most certainly knew how to swing it – especially at people.
Continuing Vicious’ legacy of bad behavior in Texas on the Sex Pistols’ American tour, he was egged on to violence by a rancher. Brian Faltin, a member of a prominent Texas ranching family, attended a show in San Antonio intending to start a fight with the band, who he referred to as “sewer rats with guitars.” Faltin first attempted to pick a fight with Johnny Rotten but found him unresponsive.
Faltin then turned his attention to Vicious, who could never be called unresponsive. After throwing his own bloody bandage, applied to self-mutilation earlier in the evening, into the crowd Vicious erupted into a fit of rage at Faltin and swung his 10-pound bass guitar directly at Faltin. Luckily, Vicious missed Faltin and only grazed a nearby roadie who was attempting to hold back the worked-up crowd.