Sid Vicious Arrested After Violent Clash in New York

On This Day 9th December 1978

On this day in history, Sid Vicious, former bassist of the Sex Pistols, was charged with assault following a violent altercation at the New York dance club Hurrah. The incident unfolded during a performance by the new-wave act Skafish, when Sid already spiralling in the aftermath of the Sex Pistols’ breakup and the death of his girlfriend Nancy Spungen became involved in a confrontation with Todd Smith, brother of punk poet Patti Smith.

Accounts of the night suggest that Sid, heavily intoxicated and volatile, reacted aggressively after an exchange with Smith. The scuffle escalated quickly, and Smith was left injured, prompting police to intervene. Sid was arrested and charged with assault, adding yet another entry to the long list of chaotic and destructive events that marked his final months.

Following the incident, Sid Vicious was sent to Rikers Island, New York’s notorious metropolitan jail complex. There, he spent 55 days undergoing enforced detoxification, a grim and painful process for the heroin-dependent 21-year-old musician.

Rikers was a harsh environment overcrowded, violent, and unforgiving and Sid’s time there represented one of the few periods when he was completely separated from drugs. Friends later said that during his release he seemed clearer, calmer, even optimistic about rebuilding his life and pursuing a solo music career.

Tragically, just weeks later, Sid would die of a heroin overdose in February 1979, cutting short one of punk’s most infamous and troubled lives.

On my Rock & Roll Tour of Soho, we explore how the punk movement exploded in London. Stand at the doorway of the Soho club that banned the Sex Pistols after a chaotic performance and teh street where they lived between 1975-77.

📆 Check the Calendar in the main menu for tour dates and times,

🧑‍🧑‍🧒 To arrange a private group tour please email me direct.