Wild, waspish and whip-smart, there are few rock stars as great as David Johansen | Alexis Petridis
He looked the part – and sounded even better. And the frontman of New York Dolls, who has died aged 75, was deeper than many gave him credit for
• News – David Johansen, frontman of New York Dolls, dies aged 75
• Gallery – David Johansen: a life in pictures
Nick Kent’s fabled 1974 NME piece about New York Dolls, Dead End Kids on the Champs-Élysées, is packed with characters and incident. The band have arrived in France after a showcase gig at London boutique Biba, marred by various members getting caught while attempting to shoplift from the store. Their famously dissolute guitarist Johnny Thunders vomits copiously in front of the assembled press at a record company reception to welcome the band to France, then pukes again midway through a “horrendous, tuneless” Dolls gig at Paris’s prestigious Olympia theatre. Bassist Arthur Kane, a large man clad in a ballerina’s tutu who apparently looks “like he’d just been run over by a truck load of Valium” confides that he’s in fear of his life: the last groupie he slept with tied him up in his sleep and attempted to cut off his thumb with a knife.
And yet, even in such exalted company, there’s no doubt who the star of the show is. Frontman David Johansen never appears to stop talking throughout, an endless, wildly entertaining source of tall tales – at one juncture, he claims to have been an underage star of gay porn films – hysterical bitching about other artists (John Lennon is an “asshole hypocrite”, Keith Richards is “past it”, Mott the Hoople’s Ian Hunter has “terrible piggy eyes”) and eminently quotable statements: “We attract only degenerates to our concerts”; “We want to be known as the tackiest boys in New York.” Whatever you made of New York Dolls’ music – and, as the evident distaste with which host Bob Harris greeted their appearance on The Old Grey Whistle Test proved, it was nothing if not divisive – you would have a hard time arguing that Johansen wasn’t fantastically good at the business of being a rock star.
Continue reading...-
David Johansen: 15 Essential Songs
He was the frontman of the New York Dolls, an adventurous solo performer and the lounge act Buster Poindexter. Listen to highlights from his eclectic catalog.The New York Times - 1d -
Panda Bear: Sinister Grift review | Alexis Petridis's album of the week
(Domino) Noah Lennox’s powerful and adventurous album has plenty of playlistable psych-pop, but then turns introspective: it’s a striking emotional arc. The last time the world heard from Noah ...The Guardian - 3d -
Charli xcx, Jade and Ezra Collective’s Brit awards cap a vintage year for adventurous pop | Alexis Petridis
Playing music that is as smart as it is successful, Brit winners made articulate calls for artist development – while host Jack Whitehall was brilliantly risky. The Brits has long been in the ...The Guardian - 1d -
David Johansen, frontman of New York Dolls, dies aged 75
Flamboyant singer helped point his city’s music scene towards punk, before a successful solo career and eye-catching acting roles. • Alexis Petridis: Johansen was wild and whip-smart • David ...The Guardian - 1d -
David Johansen, punk icon and Buster Poindexter alter ego, dies at 75
David Johansen, the gravelly-voiced singer, was last surviving member of the glam and protopunk band the New York Dolls.CBS News - 1d -
David Johansen, Who Fronted the New York Dolls and More, Dies at 75
In the 1970s, he and the transgressive Dolls were proto-punk pioneers. He later refashioned himself as the pompadoured lounge lizard Buster Poindexter.The New York Times - 1d -
David Johansen, flamboyant New York Dolls frontman, dies at 75
"In the history books, it would always say, 'They were trashy. They were flashy. They were drug addicts. They were drag queens,'" Johansen said. "I realized that, you know, it really is art."Los Angeles Times - 1d -
David Johansen, New York Dolls and Buster Poindexter singer, dead at 75
David Johansen, the lead singer and last surviving original member of the band New York Dolls, has died at 75.ABC News - 1d -
House approves ‘big, beautiful bill’ budget after wild whip effort
GOP leaders canceled then rescheduled a Tuesday evening vote as they tried to flip holdouts.Politico - 5d
More from The Guardian
-
Defiant but tactful Zelenskyy seeks to move on from White House fiasco
Ukraine’s president says Oval Office meltdown best ‘left to history’, adding minerals deal is ready to sign. Ukraine war: live updates A defiant but tactful Volodymyr Zelenskyy refused to ...The Guardian - 11h -
Middle East crisis live: Israel accused of using ‘food as weapon of war’ in aid blockade on Gaza
Egypt and Qatar condemn Israel’s decision to block goods and supplies from entering Gaza, saying it violates the ceasefire deal. A 70-year-old man was killed and others injured in a knife attack in ...The Guardian - 25m -
Anora dominates the Oscars as Mikey Madison named best actress and Adrien Brody wins for The Brutalist
Sean Baker’s film picks up five awards including best picture while Israel-Palestine documentary No Other Land also gets major win. How Anora swept the Oscars – and the complete list of ...The Guardian - 5h -
China likely to target US agriculture, state media reports, as Trump tariff deadline nears
Global Times signals Beijing’s likely countermeasure after US president threatened a further 10% duty to come into force on Tuesday. China is preparing countermeasures against fresh US import ...The Guardian - 3h -
Iran’s vice-president and most prominent reformist resigns
Mohammad Javad Zarif implies move was endorsed by supreme leader, as his exit sends stock market in a tailspin. Middle East crisis – live updates Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s most prominent ...The Guardian - 27m
More in World
-
Middle East crisis live: Israel accused of using ‘food as weapon of war’ in aid blockade on Gaza
Egypt and Qatar condemn Israel’s decision to block goods and supplies from entering Gaza, saying it violates the ceasefire deal. A 70-year-old man was killed and others injured in a knife attack in ...The Guardian - 25m -
Iran’s vice-president and most prominent reformist resigns
Mohammad Javad Zarif implies move was endorsed by supreme leader, as his exit sends stock market in a tailspin. Middle East crisis – live updates Mohammad Javad Zarif, Iran’s most prominent ...The Guardian - 27m -
Mental health crisis ‘means youth is no longer one of happiest times of life’
UN-commissioned study in UK, US, Ireland, Australia, Canada and New Zealand finds satisfaction rises with age. For more than half a century, the midlife crisis has been a feature of western ...The Guardian - 31m -
A referee’s blunder spared Gervonta Davis, but the bloom is off the rose | Thomas Hauser
An egregious non-call in the ninth round allowed Tank Davis to avoid a knockdown, altering the course of his title fight against Lamont Roach Jr on Saturday night. An egregious non-call by referee ...The Guardian - 36m -
Philip Billing goes from Bournemouth backup to Napoli hero in title clash | Nicky Bandini
Internazionale still top after draw but leveller restores belief that Antonio Conte’s side can reel in leaders. Billy Gilmour or Philip Billing? That was the dilemma facing Antonio Conte for a ...The Guardian - 56m