Danny Garcia has done it again; the indie producer of "The Rise And Fall Of The Clash" and "Looking For Johnny" (about the late Johnny Thunders of The NY Dolls) is ready to unleash "Sad Vacation: The Last Days Of Sid And Nancy", the real, comprehensive over view of the life of post-Sex Pistols Sid Vicious and his doomed paramour , the late Nancy Spungeon. Danny has developed a high profile over a period of well received, successful films dealing with the 1970's punk scene, which seems to be more popular and successful in America now than it was when it was actually happening. The first film, based around The Clash, was a critically received success, and I first got to see it on VH1 Classic, as did the rest of the country and the world. His Johnny Thunders film was exquisite, and paid proper tribute to John, his good and his bad days, and his time wih The Dolls and The Heartbeakers before gong solo.
There have been many attempts to detail the saga of Sid and Nancy, including the Hollywood film that was actually titled "Sid And Nancy", which was interesting enough, in a Hollywood sort of way, but didn't really capture the grit, the sleaze, and the grime (and crime ) that was prevalent on the scene at the time that the 'incident; (which, like the death of Johnny Thunders, basically remains unsolved.) took place: : "Sad Vacation" captures the atmosphere and mood of NYC at that moment in time; I know, I was there,also playing Max's Kansas City with the Psychotic Frogs in the same time frame that the Sid/Nancy tragedy unfolded in.
Garcia has assembled the definitive lineup of participants from Sid's brief NY invasion of the Chelsea Hotel, as well as Max's Kansas City, the legendary rock club where he did his final gigs; if you play drinking games, have a shot every time someone say 'Max's" during the film. Sid's desire to follow in the footsteps of his hero, Thunders, is accented by the use of classic tracks by Thunders post Dolls band, The Heartbreakers. Sid and Nancy were the Kanye and KIm of their day, they would certainly have had their own reality tv series if they were around now, instead of the media restricted 70's. Watch for "Sad Vacation' when it shows up in a theater. It's an absolute must for rock fans and punk obsessives.
The film will be shown in select theaters in the biggest cities in the world, and then will be released as a DVD by MVD Distribution, the biggest source of this type of film in North America, and possibly the world; I would imagine that Jungle Records UK will release a soundtrack album for the film, as they did with the excellent "Looking For Johnny" soundtrack vinyl and CD. Prepare yourself for a Sid and Nancy New Year; we'll see you at the movies!
