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

When someone talks about one of the wildest rock musicians, chances are the name Viv Prince will come up.
Vivian Martin Prince is probably best known to music fans 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). Work as a session musician followed, and he was part of the lineup 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, failing to 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 Thing (Remastered)

The Pretty Things "You Don't Believe Me"

The Pretty Things "We'll Play House"