Keith braves a chilly breeze on an English Spring afternoon,
having just had his usual wavy blond locks cut short and
pink-cheeked from the cold. Behind him Trellick Towers
looms: the coveted council tower block that, to many,
looks like a high security prison rather than the feat
of architecture it's generally said to be. It looks over
the Westway, another London landmark often associated
with The Clash, which as it happens, Keith co-founded
with Mick Jones. Joe Strummer, who Keith drafted into
the band, was lollipops over the Westway and which was
visible from Mick's apartment. During that--and post Clash--era,
Keith formed many musically important relationships. He
and these friends were later Known as being the vanguard
of the punk era; at the time, they were too busy living
it to realise the impact they would have later. Keith
became close friends with John Beverly (a/k/a Sid Vicious),
whom he met on the tube where they kept seeing each other
and finally spoke; the rest is fairly well documented.
Sid and Keith formed a few bands, including The Flowers
of Romance. Keith also gave Sid that infamous haircut,
then found and locked the famous chain around Sid's neck--despite
his warning Sid there was no key. When the opportunity
arose, Keith urged Sid to join the Sex Pistols even though
Sid didn't want to go without Keith, but, he said Sid
didn't take much convincing...
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