The tragic tour that brought heroin to the UK punk scene
Rock and roll has never been shy of a few musicians up to a bit of misbehaviour. From the psychedelic scene showing acts like The Beatles experimenting with LSD to the cocaine-fuelled bands that led the 1980s, every artist normally had the one vice that they kept close to the chest or saved for when the dressing room doors were officially closed. Although everything seemed innocent at the very beginning of the UK punk scene, things began to take a dark turn once Sex Pistols and The Clash set out one fateful tour.
When the genre started, it seemed like a healthy back-and-forth conversation between the US and the UK. Despite many theories that say that punk officially began in England and spread out everywhere else, the germs of proto-punk had already begun with acts like The Stooges, and Ramones’ debut record was already going to be pressed when Nevermind the Bollocks was storming up the UK charts.
Even though there were a lot of rivalries between bands in those days, they at least had one common goal: stomping our corporate rock. The Peter Framptons of the world had been up at the top for too long, and listening to what prog rock was doing at the time, it was necessary for songs like ‘Anarchy in the UK’ and ‘White Riot’ to take over from whatever episodic adventure Emerson, Lake and Palmer were taking their audiences on.
During a major punk rock tour featuring Sex Pistols and The Clash, though, they had a few partners in crime in The Heartbreakers. Prior to Tom Petty having his own band under that banner, Johnny Thunders was quickly turning into one of the greatest guitar heroes of the underground scene after working with New York Dolls. Although everyone in the group came to party, Thunders also had one special friend along for the ride: heroin.
Although some of the biggest names in rock and roll, like John Lennon and Keith Richards, had dabbled with the drug during their prime, this was the first time that punk rock had dealt with someone deliberately strung out. While Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock claimed to have never heard of heroin before that run of dates, it didn’t stop Thunders from playing gigs while high and causing some truly raucous performances.
Heartbreakers manager Lee Black Childers even remembered how easy it was for Thunders to carry on after his body gave out, saying, “We would have a bucket behind the amp, so he could go over and throw up. But then he would go right back and put on the most amazing shows. At one point, he was supposed to be on Methadone. I would measure out his ounce of Methadone and watch him drink it in front of me.”
Even though Thunders managed it to the best of his ability, it would become all too tragic once Sid Vicious entered the big picture. Despite the common belief that he was only hired by John Lydon for his looks, it’s hard to tell whether his inadequate bass playing came down to his incompetence or how little his motor skills worked by the time he got onstage.
And while Vicious’s famous love story with Nancy Spungen has become the punk rock equivalent of Romeo and Juliet for some people, meeting the Heartbreakers may have been the biggest mistake in the history of punk rock. Lydon may have been able to get by and even blossom out further when working with Public Image Ltd, but the thought of what could have been had they been able to hold things together is too depressing to think about.
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