Are you ready to learn some stuff? It’s October 12th and here’s what happened Today in Rock History!
In 1978, Sid Vicious’ girlfriend Nancy Spungen was found dead in the the couple’s bathroom in their room at the Hotel Chelsea. The cause of death was a single stab wound from a knife owned by Vicious. Vicious was arrested immediately, charged with murder and was released on bail. Four months later Sid died of a heroin overdose before his trial was to take place.
We lost Ricky Wilson of The B-52’s in 1985 from complications to AIDS
While performing at Madison Square Garden in 1979, Jethro Tull lead singer Ian Anderson suffers a rather disgusting injury, as a thorn from a rose thrown from the crowd tears his eye open
Let’s lighten the mood, shall we? As we got Pearl Jam’s VS. album in 1993
Other releases include Fleetwood Mac’s Tusk in 1979, October from U2 in 1981, and Sum 41’s Chuck in 2004!
In 1996, The Rolling Stones’ concert film Rock and Roll Circus was released 28 years after it took place. The show featured performances from The Who, Jethro Tull, the Stones (of course), and a one-off supergroup called Dirty Mac. Dirty Mac was led by John Lennon and featured Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, Mitch Mitchell and Ivry Gitlis. And Yoko Ono was there too I guess…
MTV aired the Unledded reunion concert special of Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and Jimmy Page in 1994
Wes Borland quit Limp Bizkit in 2001. He would reunite with the band in 2009.
It’s David Vanian of The Damned’s birthday!
In 1974, Blondie played their first show as Blondie at CBGB’s after going by the name Angel and the Snake for a few dates.
And finally in 1994, during the first of their 15-night run at Earls Court in London, Pink Floyd were less than a minute into their song Shine On You Crazy Diamond before a scaffolding holding 1200 fans, collapsed, throwing hundreds 20 feet to the ground. It took over an hour to free everyone, with 96 people being injured, 36 of them needing hospital care. The band immediately cancelled and re-scheduled the show AND sent a note of apology as well as a free T-Shirt to all fans seated in the collapsed stand.
This has been Today in Rock History! Keep on Rocking, keep on Rolling! Check back tomorrow for your next rock history lesson!
