R.I.P. - Viv Prince (Pretty Things) passed away in early September 2025

When someone talks about one of the wildest rock musicians, there's a good chance the name Viv Prince will come up.
Vivian Martin Prince is probably best known to music lovers as the drummer of the Pretty Things, which he joined in 1964. The band, led by former Rolling Stone Dick Taylor and shouter Phil May, is known for its wild and excessive shows, in which drummer Viv played a more than substantial part.

This brought the Pretty Things into the spotlight in many places, and if Keith Moon studied Vic and was influenced by him, then Prince's magnitude should be clear.

Viv Prince actually started out on guitar and was active in jazz in his early years (including Dauphin Street Six and Jazz Cardinals). He then worked as a session musician and was part of Carter-Lewis and the Southerners.

Several bands were interested in the unorthodox drummer, but the Pretty Things won the contract in 1964. Over time, Viv even became a 'problem' for the Pretty Things, as his wild excursions didn't always bring positive publicity. After he became unreliable in his work and didn't show up for recording sessions, the band had to resort to other drummers and fired Vic at the end of 1965.

Over the course of his musical career, he played with many musicians, some of them extremely well-known, and I think it would be worthwhile to read a biography about this 'lively' musician—whom even the world's most famous motorcycle gang expelled from its ranks because they found his behavior 'too inappropriate'.
In any case, Vic moved to Portugal in 2025 and died there in early September 2025 at the age of 84.

R.I.P. Vic

Pretty Things "Midnight To Six Man" 66

Pretty Things 1965 Live

"Vivian Prince" by The Pretty Things

 

He was one of the guys who helped shape the concept of a "rebel without a cause." He was part of a movement that was wilder than anything the Stones or the Yardbirds did at the time! What an incredible groove... may he truly be at peace now!