Musicians Do Drugs # 2 Viv Albertine & Johnny Thunders

Sid & Viv

 

From Viv's great, recently published memoir. London Bohemia. This blog of course does not condone the taking of illegal drugs. Johnny has just told her that Sid is planning to kick her out of early punk band The Flowers of Romance.

 

'Viv, I told Sid he was wrong. I said what the fuck does it matter how well she plays? She's totally cool and looks great.'

 

But no one - not even the revered Johnny Thunders - has any effect on Sid. I'm out. There's nothing more to say. We step back into the haze of the living room. Has Johnny told them? No one takes any notice of me so I flop onto a floor cushion. Thunders, always the leader, takes command of the room.

 

He announces that it's 'Time to shoot up now,' like a playground teacher. There's a ripple of excitement. He looks down at me.

 

'Want some Viv? It'll make things better.'

 

. I've been offered heroin before. I've never taken it. I've never had any intention of taking it- but today is the perfect day. Today I'm devastated. I want to belong, if not to my band then somewhere else, anywhere, I don't care. I just need the world to go away.

 

So I nod. 'Yeah'

 

 

Johnny knows I've never taken smack before and he becomes reverential. He tells me that I can go frst as we're all going to share the same needle and he wants it to be clean and sharpest for me. I understand - this is a honour. He produces a black-and-red bandana from out of nowhere like a magician. He ties the bandana round the top of my arm and taps my veins with two fingers to bring them up. I've seen this ritual so many times. It doesn't express me, it doesn't excite me. I'm numb.

 

As Johnny sucks the liquid out of the spoon into the syringe, I feel no sense of occasion - no 'Oh my god, this is Johnny Thunders from the Heartbreakers, about to turn me on to heroin for the first time in my life'. And I  have no fear. I'm detached, just watching it all happen to me. Johnny compliments me on my lovely virgin veins, then slides the needle into the biggest blue one in the crook of my arm and unleashes the smack.

 

A rush starts in my toes and surges up through my body. Thousands of tiny bubbles of love and happiness are released into my veins. I feel like a shaken up bottle of Lucozade. Then I vomit. Right there on the carpet. I should be embarrassed but I can't quite muster up the feeling. I look at Johnny and he smiles. He strokes my hair and tells me everything is OK, this is completely normal, then he crouches down and injects himself.' 

 

Somehow she makes it across town and Sid does sack her. As I said all this dabbling with darkness  can't be condoned but it's a powerful little rites of passage story. The book is much recommended.

 

 

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