That time Chrissie Hynde was supposed to marry Sid Vicious

Chrissie Hynde last October he released his latest album, “Duets” (read the review here). He spoke about this and more with the British newspaper The Guardian who asked her questions submitted by readers. Below is the part relating to her arrival in Great Britain in the mid-seventies, she being American, and her connection with the Sex Pistols.

When you came to the UK from the US, what made you want to stay?

I loved everything about the UK and was always drawn to it. As a child, I loved horses and always drew them. I knew there was an English riding style and an English saddle. Then, at 14, I listened to the Beatles and never went back.

When you return to the United States, what is the thing you miss the most?

I don’t miss anything. When they demolished the rail network and eliminated all forms of public transport, I suspected it wouldn’t work for me, so I left at 22. In London I still take the tube.

I saw you get arrested live on stage at the Nashville, West Kensington around 1981. Why did this happen?

I don’t think I was arrested. I think the police stopped the concert due to a noise problem or something. The only thing I remember about that concert at the Nashville Rooms was that I drank a lot of tequila beforehand and I never drank before a concert again because it impaired my ability. That evening, I pierced Johnny Rotten’s ear in the toilet, putting an earring inside a bar of soap.

If Johnny Rotten or Sid Vicious had accepted your marriage proposal in 1976, what would life have been like together?

I only did it so I could stay in Britain, but life with both of us would have been chaos. I knew Sid before the Pistols. One evening, as we were walking down the street, he said to me: ‘John asked me to join the band.’ I replied: ‘But it’s as if you were already in the band’. And he said, ‘Yes, I know.’ I watched him learn to play bass under speed for three days, listening to Ramones records. It was adorable. Then came drugs, alcohol and violence, and he changed quickly after meeting Nancy (Spungen, his girlfriend, ed.). He had a fantastic voice. I think he was more talented than he ever showed.”