Rockets Redglare, Sid and Nancy, The Chelsea Hotel

Why was Rockets Redglare, with Sid and Nancy, at the Chelsea Hotel, in room #100 the night Nancy Spungen died?
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[@maddog8356]

Thank you for bringing attention to this tragedy again. I’ve never believed Sid murdered Nancy, not for one second. But RR? Guilty as the day is long.

[@RetroRoomYT]

Yes, Sid was out for the count. Him being the killer never made sense to me

[@hgreen8666]

Sid was violent but he would never have killed her. She was his true love.

[@booognish]

Yeah I’m sure you knew them all so well lol.

[@sherrihoffer6360]

That's the guy!!! The suspect I couldn't think of his name!! Everyone involved swears it was him. Because Sid was totally passed out.

[@mjh5437]

He wasn`t the only visitor that night though.

[@xtina6569]

I've never believed it was sid, he was too f'ked up. Plus wouldn't nancy have been able to call for help instead of just sitting in the bathroom bleeding out?

[@perfidodesignnyc]

I knew Rockets in the late 90’s East Village; my girlfriend owned a restaurant and club that he used to frequent. I think it was 1998 and he had asked one day if he could spend the day reading a book in the unused storefront. From that moment on he set up himself in their and did not want to vacate. He was cutting hair for people and whatever else. One day I saw him on East 2nd, asked him for his keys, and told him to hit the road finally. When I went through some of his. Stuff I did find a handful of id’s which was odd for sure but did not think much of it accept that one of them was a guy I studied with at Cooper Union. No idea what he was up to but he was really overweight and lumbering around. Don’t recall seeing him after that.

[@RetroRoomYT]

That is very interesting 🤔 Thank you 🙏 for sharing this I wonder what he used all those id’s for?

[@patrickadolfsson4784]

@@RetroRoomYT Comitting fraud in different ways with stolen IDs , hot on the ”black market” always sellable..! 👊👊✌️

[@robertafierro5592]

I remember him quite well. He was a talentless hanger on. He was huge. Wide and sloppy. He wasn't so much of a dealer as he was an opportunist..

[@BeLoud13]

I met him briefly when he sat at a bar where I worked as a cocktail waitress. I think he was giving or getting coke from the bartender. Bad vibes, man. Not because of the drugs..who cares about that. Just "bad news" vibes.

[@TheMichelex20]

Wow. I just learned something new. I never knew there was a name to the other suspect. Sad the police never thoroughly investigated this.

[@RetroRoomYT]

Thanks mickey! I agree ☝️

[@jodiainslie6771]

I never thought Sid did it. Love you Sid.

[@BeLoud13]

I love Sid's version of, "My Way." Young Gary Oldman did a great job in the movie, "Sid and Nancy" playing Sid.

[@janebailey8032]

I met Rockets in the early 90's while traveling in the same circles. He and I saw each other and hung out regularly. I found him to be intelligent, kind, and forth coming about his drug use. He would regularly warn me to avoid getting close too close to people who used and were junkies which I did. Although I didn't know him in the 70's or 80's, I find it hard to believe he killed anyone. Especially a woman! I was much younger than he and am from a small town. I remember thinking.."Wow, this guy was in Stranger Than Paradise." But he never bragged about anything to me. He didn't even talk about himself unless asked. I of course, never ask him about the rumors re: Nancy and her death. And that's what I think, just rumors. Do I think he could have made an inappropriate joke about her death and people just ran with it? Yes, possibly. But you've got to consider that he was the most famous guy at the table and wannabes were a little jealous of his B list fame. He and I lost touch in the late 90's. I kinda had my fill of the East Village crowd, and Rockets was getting too heavy. The last time I saw him, he was so big he could barely get into a cab. But I have good memories of him. R.I.P. Rockets!!

[@Canuckhardtail]

Was he a junkie? How do know? A junkie will always lie about there intake. He was also a dealer.

[@MR-um9ck]

Great story, Farty Breath!

[@LillyAntiLolita-vj5zy]

Many have said this about him. Plus, the timeline doesn’t fit for him as the killer.

[@MissCane9]

I stayed at the Chelsea Hotel and remember Rockets from '79-'81- roughly. He use to hang at the Nursery Club and the UK. on 3rd ave. He was a drug addict and a hustler and the time line fits perfectly.

[@user-pi6kj5hm5g]

I'm soooo glad you're back!!! I remember hearing something like this in a sid and Nancy documentary but I never knew the guy was a celebrity. I missed your q and a video, but I do wonder why I haven't heard any statements from Michael alig's former friends about his death. I only saw the video from Ernie glam. Any updates on any of our club kid favs?

[@RetroRoomYT]

Thanks! I’m happy to be back! I’m working on some club kid updates so stay tuned 😀

[@CaesarCapone]

Celebrity? Not quite.

[@MsRyland511]

​@@CaesarCapone lol, you're right!!!

[@amandacrosslin4604]

I definitely don’t think it was Sid and I don’t think it was an accident. Some say she may have done it to herself but I also doubt that even though she had many suicide attempts under her belt. The police work was shotty and no one cared because they were “junkies” aka “the less dead.” It’s very sad for her family to never have known the actual truth that Sid most likely didn’t kill her and was blamed for it.

[@RetroRoomYT]

Yes, I’ve heard a similar theory, that it could have been a botched suicide pact. But that never passed the smell test for me. Cause someone took allot of cash from their room. So someone else was there

[@RGZ112]

The sad thing is, Sid may have died thinking that he might have killed Nancy. People say he was very depressed at 63 Bank Street

[@pantoponrosegoatoe4129]

I was fortunate enough to live at the Chelsea Hotel. The history is so intriguing.

[@RetroRoomYT]

That’s awesome! 🤩

[@hgreen8666]

Wasn’t there a lot of suicide there?

[@Mytube777]

This is the story I heard too, from people staying in a room very close to their room. Funny how they would never mention his name. It was always “the drug dealer”. Well now I know and I’m gonna bring it up to them.

[@RetroRoomYT]

Ya, it’s weird that the case was closed without a conviction. 🤔

[@breakfastsurreal5650]

Bring it up to anyone who will listen. He was the worst type of drug dealer, the kind that not only sells opiates but is addicted to them at the same time. Dealers with addictions are some of the most volatile and dangerous people I have ever known personally. Their habits are usually voracious due to the quantity they typically have on hand. Often times they work on a front basis and wind up robbing Peter to pay Paul because they wind up using their entire supply between selling to their customers and feeding their own addictions. Needless to say that when things like robbery are occurring the possibilities for catastrophic fallout are many. I've seen so much death and destruction with my own eyes navigating that world; I wouldn't wish that life on my worst enemy. I will never go back to that scene again as long as I live. It's like putting invisible shackles on your very soul. Take care and be well!! Enjoy your weekend!

[@mjh5437]

@@RetroRoomYT The cops just wanted to get it over and done with asap.

[@crystalvichi6804]

It’s so sad that Nancy’s mother never knew this . At least from what I gather from her interview and book… she definitely believed it to be Sid 🥺 I definitely was sure it wasn’t so it was kinda a painful read when she gets into that. Thank you for this!!!!!

[@grungeisdead8998]

It definitely was not Sid the poor guy was just framed by the police because he was a punk rocker and an addict he was the "perfect suspect" in the police departments eyes

[@booognish]

Yeah and you being so sure means a lot since I’m sure you knew him and were there

[@LillyAntiLolita-vj5zy]

Nancy’s mother knew all about the Michael theory. The timeline simply doesn’t support it.

[@caranelson7457]

Deborah Spungen is well aware of this theory.

[@mjreikiriot3302]

Everyone in New York says this, and one of my friends in Germany, that was part of the scene, swears by it as well. The sad fact: not much has changed in NYC, when it comes to investigation of overdoses. There's either such a high volume they can't, or they just don't care and see it as, "just another junkie". Very sad...

[@RetroRoomYT]

Yeah that is very sad. It seems so obvious, that someone else was in the room that nite besides Sid and Nancy And there were witnesses that said so

[@mjreikiriot3302]

@@RetroRoomYT Exactly 💯. You cover a story so well and so concisely, it's such an easy watch.

[@ivand9610]

Rockets red glare never hurt a fly, you guys a full of shit he was a gentleman

[@wylierichardson-tu6zs]

But as quasi-celebs, the cops may have not taken such a dismissive attitude towards the whole affair. There were inherent problems with the whole matter, such as the fact that it took place behind closed doors, and there were no witnesses.

[@KingMercury]

I heard in a documentary that the wound Nancy had in her stomach would have taken hours (3 I think) to kill her. I think she would have made more noise and fought more if she was still alive when Rockets stabbed her and took the $. Unless she did heroin before getting stabbed. But they say her blood was all over the bed and the room.

[@mardipantz]

Yes I always heard that it was him. They were so young! Sad. Great video hun ♥️

[@RetroRoomYT]

Thanks Mardi ❤️🥰 So sad, they were barely in their twenties, when they died 😔

[@angelmorrigan7680]

id heard this but didnt know any details- thankyou!🖤🖤🖤

[@RetroRoomYT]

You are welcome, Angel!

[@KFilippi2525]

I was a teenage Punk in love with Sid the Pistols and their music! Although I am an American I immersed myself in the culture. Even now, 44 years later, I still believe that Sid DIDN'T kill Nancy. He was too out of it to even kill a cockroach that the Chelsea was FULL of. Either it was Rockets or he was there and saw what happened. Nancy was not too careful with their money and wasn't exactly all there. Some sources say she was fearless but knew that someday she was going to mess with the wrong person. Karma comes for us all and she just didn't care. Sid on the other hand was someone with a messed up childhood, who never really knew his father, his mother was an addict and didn't know how to love or raise him properly. The guy just wanted to be loved and love someone himself. Nancy saw this and immediately took advantage of it. Sadly, he became an icon in death because of her. Johnny Rotten still blames himself for introducing him to her. He and Malcolm McLaren (their manager) tried over and over again to get him away from her, but the drugs and his loneliness made him keep going back to her. His mother finally admitted on her deathbed that she killed Sid by overdose. He was afraid of getting convicted for her murder (I believe he would've been acquitted and deported) and going to prison for the rest of his young life. After Nancy died, Sid almost immediately got himself a new and better girlfriend who didn't do hard drugs and truly liked and developed feelings for him. Really wanted to help him get better and live. Drugs and loneliness will make you do some really stupid things that can not only mess up your life but get you killed. This is 2024 and in 5 years, 2029 they will be gone 50 years and the NYPD still hasn't got a clue and as far as the public knows STILL HASN'T found who murdered Nancy. I'll keep saying that Sid DIDN'T kill Nancy!!!

[@keltar4071]

25k missing? Dude i mean come on that was a murder.

[@TheActualCathal]

Great video. I landed on this by a bit of a fluke while looking up Rockets' acting career.

[@suzy8track]

I remember when this happened! I was about 14 at the time. Definitely got me interested in the Sex Pistols music after the incident Nancy Spungen's family lived in Huntingdon Valley, PA only a few miles from where I grew up. I never truly believed that Sid killed Nancy, I thought it may have been a robbery. What puzzles me is how lazy the police were, once Sid was dead it was case closed?

[@nikki9doors500]

You never ever disappoint me! I love your content! :-) so glad you’re back!

[@RetroRoomYT]

Thanks Nikki ❤️♥️❤️

[@630unc]

I like ur channel u look up stuff im into like the club kids sid n Nancy just the whole NYC back then keep em comin u even did this one great content sir.

[@RetroRoomYT]

I appreciate that lefty_fromthe_el

[@Kelly-fq7bs]

Wow 🥺 I always knew it wasn't Sid but I never knew who. Great video 😌💜💜💜

[@RetroRoomYT]

Thanks Kelly ☺️

[@uberglamazon]

This story was a part of East Village lore for a long time. Hadn't heard this in ages, and was reminded of the story being told to me one night in an old dive bar by some very earnest punk rock chick snapping gum saying 'It's totally true' every third of fourth line! 🙀🙀🙀

[@RetroRoomYT]

🤞love this comment I wonder how many time that same conversation has been had in the East Village

[@QueensLadyDay]

Also in Steve Buscemi's 'Trees Lounge' (1996) 😊

[@francescadulash3511]

Welcome back & what a cool topic!

[@RetroRoomYT]

Thank you Francesca ❤️♥️❤️

[@angelamatlock1932]

rockets did it..

[@nomiddlenamenmn427]

Michael Morra left while Nancy was alive at 5 a.m. He stopped by the front desk in the lobby to make a phone call (which was tracked and matched by police telephone records). Shortly before 7:30 a.m., Vera Mendelssohn overheard Nancy moaning. It would have taken Nancy two and a half hours to bleed out. He did not tell the police he murdered Nancy. He bragged to drunks in a bar. Did Morra report the money was missing if he allegedly stole it? Good video, but I believe timelines don’t add up.

[@LillyAntiLolita-vj5zy]

Finally! A comment that actually knows the timeline of the case! Vera heard what were described as pleasurable sex moans come from Sid and Nancy’s room at 7:30. Michael left (with a witness) hours before that. Sid wasnt in a coma all night and in fact while on Tuinal assaulted the front door guy and another hotel resident - he was running around sporadically all over the Chelsea most of the night and morning because that’s the effect of most sleeping pills, you aren’t in a coma the entire time… you’re doing weird shit totally out of it. Sid admitted to police and friends that he murdered Nancy but that it was an accident. I get Sid has fans but my goodness the cognitive dissonance is THICK in the comments here.

[@pfunkster83]

I think Nancy stabbed herself. She was a 20-year-old diagnosed schizophrenic, self-harmer, who tried to commit suicide in the past. She and Sid had a rumored suicide pact. Nancy bled to death from her wound. It probably took a while. You'd think if she was stabbed by someone, she would have cried out and tried to get help. Redglare was probably the last to see her alive when he sold her drugs around 2:30 am. He was a great storyteller who was known to exaggerate. $24,000 is equivalent to $100,000 in today's money. Redglare lived in the Neiborhood, you'd think people wound have noticed him getting rich. Probably the drug dealer "Michael" who lived at the Chelsea, who knew about the money, took it before the police arrived. (They came an hour after Sid called 9-1-1) Nobody ever saw the guy again.

[@psychospacecadet]

It is sad and it really shows nobody cared and nobody had an interest in solving the murder. I guess too much time has gone by and nobody is alive or will ever know. I wonder if you have anymore updates on The Chelsea

[@RetroRoomYT]

That’s true, psychospacecadet I am working on a Chelsea update I hope to have it out asap 😀

[@psychospacecadet]

@@RetroRoomYT thank you!! I only know the last time I checked it was still in turmoil and current events have made matters worse!

[@mjh5437]

@@RetroRoomYT Ready yet?

[@jackwalls7170]

If they had 25k they would not have been staying in the Chelsea Hotel, that would have been equivalent to100k in those days.

[@mjh5437]

Its a fact,the cash was payment for solo gigs Sid had been doing.

[@LillyAntiLolita-vj5zy]

$1400 was missing, not $25k.

[@MissCane9]

Not true.

[@Fulltimesports7]

What's up with the Chelsea today? I've heard so many odd stories, Are they really remodeling or is it full of Homeless?

[@RetroRoomYT]

I’m looking into that now S Reed I will try and have an update for you in the next couple of weeks

[@Maw0]

​@@RetroRoomYTUpdate?

[@bearclawgirl6866]

I never heard of this guy.

[@RetroRoomYT]

Many people have never heard of him

[@nomiddlenamenmn427]

I personally believe he had nothing to do with it. He injected himself into the story for attention.

[@blackhope]

Damn this is interesting, thanks for making.

[@yaboym3247]

Who was Rockets' accomplice then? The mysterious Michael guy or Neon Leon?

[@MissCane9]

Unfortunately, things like that were common back then. Doing too many drugs for too many days straight made people do things.. I knew Rockets from The Nursery and U.K. Club around '79 - 81" Sid was passed out on drugs that night

[@patrickadolfsson4784]

I got a couple of friends in my town that killed someone, 4-5 do I hang out with ! They don’t act like idiots or act like They killed someone! Someone said he didn’t thought he would be able to! To Nice, so? I also lived /( lives) a less calm life, knowing quite some coming to H users! U get whiny & grumpy from opiater, but most people are allt talk& no action..! Believe me I do know since 30 some years& I know that a lot of H users are” sensitive people& feel more confident using it! When I see pictures & filmclips of SID, I see a sadness that looks real & legit!! He’s devastated& wanted to die..! So I don’t believe SID or Spungen did it! They had money& No matter the amount, That’s more Junk for a user!! 100% SURE! Even If U wanna die, U ’ll wait a bit!! Still a Sad story!! ❤❤😎

[@jocksilver7]

''I tell ye it was all a frame...''

[@Canuckhardtail]

The exploited said he was innocent. That’s good enough for me.

[@LillyAntiLolita-vj5zy]

The exploited are who murdered Nancy. Please don’t ever sit on a jury. Yikes.

[@th.burggraf7814]

Yup.., he got away with murder. ...and police made it pretty easy for him, I might add, by closing the case when Sid passed away.

[@fool1shmortal]

Where did these characters with these funny stage names come from: Genisys (sp?) P Porridge, Howie Pyro, Baybi Day (last two names from the wiki about Rockets). I have watched documentaries and seen movies about this time, but I somehow heard about these creep recently. You’d’ve thought maybe John Waters had one of two in a movie. Did Woody Allen? I have seen only a few of his.

[@mrb8950]

Im here because i read about Redglare in a book about Alphabet city called: ALPHAVILLE - New yorks lower east side in the 1980s

[@courtneyjohnson3761]

Love it.

[@RetroRoomYT]

Thanks Courtney 😀

[@susanjoseph2380]

Why didn't they arrest redclair Or Michael mora.

[@gilliandey2490]

Also all these people died early notice a pattern

[@easyjesuscoe6066]

Not the supplier at Sids death.

[@aaronsaunders6974]

used to not believe in rockets redglare, changed my mind

[@CutieJones1972]

IT was ME!

[@gilliandey2490]

All the dollars he had were bloody

[@Dessie716]

theres a vibe about this guy john simon wouldve never done a thing sorry but he wouldnt have not making excuses for him but he wouldnt have

[@ivand9610]

It was a Puerto Rican guy, they used to do that shit before they became gay dust in nyc

[@patrickadolfsson4784]

I Never heard of that cockroach!! But I always been quite sure it wasn’t SID, he loved her ( strangely enough?) & it would be the most stupid thing to do& Then go to the police without Cleaning & erase his tracks!! SID is innocent !! ❤👊👊😤🤘

[@garymcgill]

rockets was sids bodyguard, !!, wood he kill nancy ??

[@garymcgill]

maybe she stab herseif ?

[@orel1795]

I think he wanted fame and saw that opportunity it could easily be sid people on drugs are very unpredictable. I used to take and when I get angry I could smash things

[@grungeisdead8998]

This guy got away with murder i hope he rots in hell

[@bournville511]

Love your party monster videos. But we can be pretty sure it was Sid that killed Nancy. It was his flick knife he purchased weeks before. Initially he told police that the two fought and that while he stabbed her but he never meant to kill her. He later said that Nancy fell on the knife, and finally he said that he didn’t remember what happened.

[@630unc]

How u get 25k there no way they had that much cash being addicts probably more like 2500 even tho vicious received royalties finally from my way which he got about 16k but that was well spent by then n I'd imagine the gigs he did at Max's he made like 5k a show which was like 20k now but for a junkie that shit goes quickly I'd think at absolute most there was up to 5k n room 100 that night n will never know the truth.

[@LillyAntiLolita-vj5zy]

They didn’t. Nancy reported to many that night that she had $1400 cash in the room for drugs.

[@630unc]

N get ur facts str8 there no way Rockets told anyone n Jan 1978 cuz the pistols were still together til the 15th n they were on there disaster us tour that broke them up I think u meant January 79.

[@raygreen5926]

Yes, I am sure he meant 1979 too 🌈🔔

[@Maw0]

And uh you know the obvious fact that Nancy was murdered in October.

[@billwilson1079]

Think he did it ,red that is.

[@AriesSagSexxx]

Watching on the West Coast & so enthralled knowing i get to explore NYC this Spring after being away over a decade ✨

[@RetroRoomYT]

Awesome, you must be exited to go back!

[@Pinebrookjohn75]

Ehh you're gonna be disappointed!