80-796: John Anthony Genzale (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), known professionally as Johnny Thunders , was an American guitarist, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early 1970s as a member of New York Dolls . He later played with the Heartbreakers and as a solo artist. Thunders was born John Anthony Genzale in Queens , New York, the second child of Josephine Genzale (née Nicoletti, 1923–1999) and Emil Genzale (1923–1982), both of Italian descent (Neapolitan/Sicilian). Thunders had an older sister, Mariann (1946–2009). He first lived in East Elmhurst and then Jackson Heights . His first musical performance
160-609: A band called "the Pox" in 1967. After the frontman quit, Murcia and Sylvain started a clothing business called Truth and Soul and Sylvain took a job at A Different Drummer, a men's boutique that was across the street from the New York Doll Hospital , a doll repair shop. Sylvain said that the shop inspired the name for their future band. In 1970 they formed a band again and recruited Johnny Thunders to join on bass, though Sylvain ended up teaching him to play guitar. They called themselves
240-453: A band called Gang War. Other members included John Morgan, Ron Cooke, Philippe Marcade and former MC5 guitarist Wayne Kramer . They recorded several demos and performed live several times before disbanding. Zodiac Records released an EP of their demos in 1987. In 1990 they also released an live album titled Gang War , which was credited to Thunders and Kramer. During the early 1980s, Thunders re-formed The Heartbreakers for various tours;
320-518: A band, The Strand. Within the next three years The Strand evolved into the Sex Pistols. Cook's early influences included Motown , ska and glam rock acts like David Bowie , T. Rex , Roxy Music and Slade , in addition to drummers Kenney Jones of the Faces , Paul Thompson of Roxy Music, Al Jackson Jr. and Mitch Mitchell of The Jimi Hendrix Experience . Cook is portrayed by Jacob Slater in
400-595: A call in New York City the next day from Stevie Klasson, Thunders' rhythm guitar player. Ramone said, "They told me that Johnny had gotten mixed up with some bastards... who ripped him off for his methadone supply. They had given him LSD and then murdered him. He had gotten a pretty large supply of methadone in England, so he could travel and stay away from those creeps – the drug dealers, Thunders imitators, and losers like that." Singer Willy DeVille , who lived next door to
480-408: A concert at the 100 Club . In January 2016, the band announced a three show tour for 17 to 19 March. A joint headline show featuring Rich Kids was announced at London's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire for 16 May, then rescheduled for 23 June due to the ongoing structural work at the venue. On 30 October 2018, Cook and Steve Jones joined Billy Idol and Tony James , formerly of Generation X , for
560-400: A core band of Thunders, bassist Phil Lynott , drummer Paul Cook and guitarist Steve Jones , with guest appearances from Chrissie Hynde , Steve Marriott , Walter Lure , Billy Rath and Peter Perrett . The CD version of the album contains four bonus tracks, including the single "Dead or Alive" and a cover of the early Marc Bolan song "The Wizard". Soon afterwards, Thunders moved back to
640-648: A covers album. The album, produced by Palladin, featured a wide assortment of musicians to recreate the 1950s and 1960s sound of the originals, including Alex Balanescu on violin, Bob Andrews on piano, The Only Ones John Perry and others on guitar, and a horn section. From August 1988 until his death in April 1991, Thunders performed in The Oddballs, with Jamie Heath (saxophone), Alison Gordy (vocals), Chris Musto (drums), Stevie Klasson (guitar) and Jill Wisoff (bass). From April–May 1990, Thunders performed an acoustic tour of
720-664: A debut album Surreal in 2008, and toured throughout the UK in late 2009. In 2011, Cook joined Vic Godard and Subway Sect , and renewed his collaborations with Paul Myers from The Professionals. Cook has worked with Godard, on and off, for the past two decades. They toured throughout 2012 and, in March 2012, recorded 1978 Now with Collins. In celebration of the release of a three disc set ( The Complete Professionals ) by Universal Music Group for 16 October 2015, Cook, with Tom Spencer filling in for Steve Jones, reunited with The Professionals for
800-1117: A gig for the 30th anniversary of Never Mind The Bollocks at the Brixton Academy on 8 November 2007. To meet demand, six further gigs were added, including two on 9 and 10 November. In 2008, the Sex Pistols appeared at the Isle of Wight Festival as the headlining act on the Saturday night, the Peace and Love Festival in Sweden, the Live at Loch Lomond Festival in Scotland, and the Summercase Festival in Madrid. Cook drummed with Man-Raze , which also featured Phil Collen from Def Leppard and their friend Simon Laffy who used to play in Collen's pre-Leppard band, Girl. They released
880-580: A job as a sales clerk at D'Naz leather shop, on Bleecker Street in the West Village , and started trying to put a band together. He and his girlfriend, Janis Cafasso, went to see The Rolling Stones at Madison Square Garden in November 1969, and they appear in the Maysles' film Gimme Shelter . Dolls bass guitarist Arthur "Killer" Kane later wrote about Thunders' guitar sound, as he described arriving outside
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#1732868783864960-654: A self-titled LP in 1978, recorded at the Bottom Line in NYC's Greenwich Village,featuring Sylvain Mizrahi and Johnny Thunders as guest musicians. In May, 1978, he also released "David Johansen", on Blue Sky Records, a label created by Steve Paul, formerly of The Scene. Johansen continued to tour with his solo project and released four more albums, In Style, 1979; Here Comes the Night , 1981; Live it Up, 1982; and Sweet Revenge , 1984. During
1040-418: A set including some songs with lyrics by David Johansen that would later appear on David Johansen's solo albums including "Funky But Chic", "Frenchette" and "Wreckless Crazy". The group played its last show December 30, 1976 at Max's Kansas City; on the same bill as Blondie . Shortly after returning from Florida, Thunders and Nolan formed The Heartbreakers with bassist Richard Hell , who had left Television
1120-687: A show at London's 100 Club on May 14, 2009 supported by Spizzenergi . On March 18, 2010, the band announced another two concert dates at KOKO in Camden, London and the Academy in Dublin on April 20. In December 2010, it was announced the band would release their fifth album which had been recorded in Newcastle upon Tyne. The album, Dancing Backward in High Heels , featuring new guitarist Frank Infante (formerly of Blondie)
1200-599: A solo artist and several live records and compilations. New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground and the Stooges , they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved much commercial success and their original line-up fell apart quickly, the band's first two albums— New York Dolls (1973) and Too Much Too Soon (1974)—became among
1280-751: Is an English drummer and musician. He is best known as the drummer and a founding member of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols . He is nicknamed "Cookie" by friends in the punk music scene. Cook was raised in Hammersmith and attended the Christopher Wren School, now Phoenix High School, London in White City Estate, Shepherd's Bush , where he met Steve Jones . The pair became best friends and while skipping school, in 1972–1973, Cook and Jones, along with their school friend Wally Nightingale , formed
1360-525: The Los Angeles Times , said that the band exhibited a strong influence from the Rolling Stones, but had distinguished themselves by Too Much Too Soon (1974) as "a much more independent, original force" because of their "definite touch of the humor and carefreeness of early (ie. mid-1950s) rock". Simon Reynolds felt that, by their 2009 album Cause I Sez So , the band exhibited the sound "not of
1440-547: The Orlando Sentinel states: "[He] died of an overdose of cocaine and methadone , according to the coroner's office in New Orleans. Chief investigator John Gagliano said tests completed last week found substantial amounts of both drugs." However, other sources state that an autopsy was conducted by the New Orleans coroner, but served only to compound the mystery. According to Thunders' biographer Nina Antonia as posted on
1520-480: The Fuzztones ), and Olivier Le Baron on lead guitar. Guest appearances by Frank Infante of Blondie and Derwood Andrews of Generation X were also included on the record. It has been re-released as New York A Go Go, . Morrissey , having been a longtime fan of the band and head of their 1970s UK fan club, organized a reunion of the three surviving members of the band's classic line-up (Johansen, Sylvain and Kane) for
1600-611: The Jungle Records website, the level of drugs found in his system was not fatal. According to the book Rock Bottom: Dark Moments in Music Babylon by Pamela Des Barres , who interviewed Thunders' sister, Mariann Bracken, the autopsy confirmed evidence of advanced leukemia , which would explain the decline in Thunders' appearance in the final year of his life. In a 1994 Melody Maker interview, Thunders' manager Mick Webster described
1680-637: The Lounge On The Farm Festival on July 12, 2008. On November 14, 2008, it was announced that the producer of their first album, Todd Rundgren, would be producing a new album, which would be followed by a world tour. The finishing touches on the album were made in Rundgren's studio on the island of Kauai. The album, Cause I Sez So , was released on May 5, 2009 on Atco Records . The band played at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas on March 21, 2009, and
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#17328687838641760-614: The Meltdown Festival in London on June 16, 2004. The reunion led to a live LP and DVD on Morrissey's Attack label, as well as a documentary film, New York Doll , on the life of Arthur Kane. However, future plans for the Dolls were affected by Kane's sudden death from leukemia just weeks later on July 13, 2004. Yet the following month the band appeared at Little Steven 's Underground Garage Festival on August 14 in New York City before returning to
1840-595: The Rock 'n' Roll album. The other two are covers: the " Courageous Cat " theme, from the original Courageous Cat cartoon series; and a second attempt at "Don't Mess With Cupid", a song written by Steve Cropper and Eddie Floyd for Otis Redding , and first recorded independently for what was later to become the Mercer Street/Blue Rock Sessions. Johansen formed the David Johansen Group, and released
1920-459: The "dirty rock & roll " of the Rolling Stones , the "anarchic noise" of the Stooges , the glam rock of David Bowie and T. Rex , and girl group pop music. Erlewine credited the band for creating punk rock "before there was a term for it". Ken Tucker , who referred to them as a proto-punk band, wrote that they were strongly influenced by the "New York sensibility" of Lou Reed : "The mean wisecracks and impassioned cynicism that informed
2000-696: The 1980s progressed, a number of bands from within its scene formed a new sound with a greater emphasis on the influence of the New York Dolls, namely Guns N' Roses, L.A. Guns and Faster Pussycat . Other musicians to cite the New York Dolls as an influence include the Smiths and their vocalist Morrissey , the Undertones , Joan Jett & the Blackhearts , David Bowie , Japan , D Generation , Billy Idol , Terry Chambers of XTC , Def Leppard , R.E.M. ,
2080-462: The 2022 Craig Pearce – Danny Boyle FX biographical drama miniseries Pistol . After the Sex Pistols suddenly broke up after their final concert in San Francisco on 14 January 1978, Cook and Jones initially worked on the soundtrack to Julien Temple 's film, The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle . The two also recorded a few songs using the Sex Pistols name, Cook singing lead on the album version of
2160-625: The Clash and the Damned . In Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol , guitarist Steve Jones cited the New York Dolls as one of the most influential bands on the Sex Pistols style, and in a 2023 interview with Spin , Dave Vanian of the Damned listed the New York Dolls' self-titled album as one of his five albums "I Can't Live Without". The Guardian writer Ian Gittins called the album "the Year Zero of punk rock". The band continued to inspire punk bands as
2240-495: The Dolls on 7 October 1975, their contract with Mercury having expired on 8 August 1975 - five months after Thunders' and Nolan's departures from the band. Their show at the Beacon Theatre , on New Year's Eve, 1975 met with great critical acclaim. After a drunken argument with Sylvain, Robison was fired and replaced by pianist/keyboardist Bobbie Blaine formerly a member of Street Punk. The group toured throughout 1976, performing
2320-482: The Dolls when they began performing late in 1971 – awful and ugly were more like it. Moreover, at the time, the Dolls were associated with glam-rock and David Bowie in his most flamboyantly gay period, an understandable mistake. — Ken Tucker According to AllMusic editor Stephen Thomas Erlewine , the New York Dolls developed an original style of hard rock that presaged both punk rock and heavy metal music , and drew on elements such as
2400-411: The Dolls' songs represented an attitude that Reed's work with the Velvet Underground embodied, as did the Dolls' distinct lack of musicianship." When they began performing, four of the band's five members wore Spandex and platform boots , while Johansen—the band's lyricist and "conceptmaster"— often preferred high heels and a dress occasionally. Fashion historian Valerie Steele said that, while
2480-495: The Dolls. When Sylvain left the band to spend a few months in London , Thunders and Murcia went their separate ways. Thunders was eventually recruited by Kane and Rick Rivets , who had been playing together in the Bronx . At Thunders' suggestion, Murcia replaced the original drummer. Thunders played lead guitar and sang for the band Actress. An October 1971 rehearsal tape recorded by Rivets
Johnny Thunders - Misplaced Pages Continue
2560-735: The Harry Smiths. On July 20, 2006, the New York Dolls appeared on Late Night with Conan O'Brien , followed by a live performance in Philadelphia at the WXPN All About The Music Festival, and on July 22, 2006, a taped appearance on The Henry Rollins Show . On August 18, 2006, the band performed in a free concert at New York's Seaport Music. In October 2006, the band embarked on a UK tour, with Sylvain taking time while in Glasgow to speak to John Kilbride of STV. The discussion covered
2640-509: The New York Dolls and would go on to have a significant influence themselves. The New York Dolls were the catalyst for New York's early punk rock scene, which included Television , Talking Heads , Patti Smith , the Ramones , Blondie and Richard Hell and the Voidoids , in addition to being one of the most influential bands to the development of British punk rock, particularly the Sex Pistols ,
2720-421: The New York Dolls until late 1978. Thunders formed The Heartbreakers with former New York Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan and former Television bassist Richard Hell . Walter Lure , former guitarist for the New York City punk band The Demons joined them soon after. After conflict arose between Thunders and Hell, Hell left to form Richard Hell and the Voidoids and was replaced by Billy Rath. With Thunders leading
2800-413: The New York Dolls were "quintessential glam rockers" because of their flamboyant fashion, while their technical shortcomings as musicians and Johnny Thunders' "trouble-prone presence" gave them a punk-rock reputation. By contrast, Robert Christgau preferred for them to not be categorized as a glam rock band, but instead as "the best hard-rock band since the Rolling Stones". Robert Hilburn , writing for
2880-491: The New York Dolls' second breakup, Johansen began a solo career. By the late 1980s, he achieved moderate success under the pseudonym, Buster Poindexter . Sylvain formed The Criminals, a popular band at CBGB . A posthumous New York Dolls album, Lipstick Killers , made up of early demo tapes of the original Dolls (with Billy Murcia on drums), was released in a cassette-only edition on ROIR Records in 1981, and subsequently re-released on CD, and then on vinyl in early 2006. All
2960-842: The Replacements , Soul Asylum , Alice in Chains , Soundgarden , Bruce Fairweather and Stone Gossard of Green River and Mother Love Bone (the latter also of Pearl Jam ), Ruby and the Rednecks , Hollywood Brats , Hoodoo Gurus , the Scientists , Palaye Royale , Marilyn Manson , Jetboy , Rock City Angels , the Cramps , the Libertines and the Manic Street Preachers . Paul Cook Paul Thomas Cook (born 20 July 1956)
3040-527: The Spring of 1982 after recovery, Jones and Myers' drug problems further hampered the band's prospects. They declined an opening spot offer on tour for The Clash , and broke up. In the early 1980s, Cook, along with Jones, discovered the English new wave girl-group Bananarama . Cook helped the trio record their debut single, " Aie a Mwana ", and acted as a producer on their 1982 debut album Deep Sea Skiving . In
3120-693: The UK and Ireland joining up occasionally with John, Sam and Peter of The Golden Horde , whom he had met and played with previously in 1984 at the TV Club, and were concurrently on tour (of the UK and Ireland) at that time also, for full-band electric performances and TV appearances. On May 8, 1990, recording sessions in London for a joint EP-single cover version with The Golden Horde of "Sugar, Sugar" by The Archies , and original material, had to be cancelled when Thunders experienced health problems following his performances in Wakefield, UK while on tour. His final recording
3200-412: The UK to play several more festivals through the remainder of 2004. In July 2005, the two surviving members announced a tour and a new album entitled One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This . Released on July 25, 2006, the album featured guitarist Steve Conte , bassist Sami Yaffa (ex- Hanoi Rocks ), drummer Brian Delaney and keyboardist Brian Koonin , formerly a member of David Johansen and
3280-470: The US, joining former Heartbreakers Walter Lure, Billy Rath and sometimes Jerry Nolan for gigs at Max's Kansas City . Around this time Thunders played a small number of gigs at London's The Speakeasy Club with a line up including Cook and Jones, Henri Paul on bass and Judy Nylon and Patti Palladin ( Snatch ) as back up vocalists. In late 1979, Thunders moved to Detroit with his wife Julie and began performing in
Johnny Thunders - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-571: The band undertook the "Dancing Backward in High Heels World Tour". This included dates in England, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain and Australia. In the last week of October four additional gigs – billed as "Halloween Night Of Fear – were played in the UK, concluding at the Clyde Auditorium , Glasgow on October 31. In a 2016 interview, Earl Slick confirmed that the New York Dolls had again split. "Oh, yeah, it's long gone. There
3440-480: The band as having invented the look of glam metal, and in Baker's Biographical Dictionary of Musicians , Hank Bordowitz called the band the progenitors of hair metal and "the most important band that most people never heard". Prominent glam metal bands to take influence from the New York Dolls included Mötley Crüe , Poison , Ratt , Skid Row and Twisted Sister . With the increasing commercialisation of glam metal as
3520-607: The band played in Australia and New Zealand, appearing at the V Festival with Pixies , Pet Shop Boys , Gnarls Barkley , Beck , Jarvis Cocker and Phoenix . On September 22, 2007, the New York Dolls were removed from the current artists section of Roadrunner Records' website, signifying the group's split with the label. The band played the O2 Wireless Festival in Hyde Park, London on July 4, 2008, with Morrissey and Beck and
3600-586: The band red leather outfits to wear on stage and a communist flag as backdrop ( communist chic ). The Dolls did a five-concert tour of New York's five boroughs, supported by Television and Pure Hell . The Little Hippodrome ( Manhattan ) show was recorded and released by New Rose Records subsidiary Fan Club in 1984 as Red Patent Leather , which was previously a bootleg album later remixed by Sylvain for official release, with former manager Marty Thau credited as executive producer. Due to Kane being unable to play that night, roadie Peter Jordan played bass, though he
3680-453: The band took on Marty Thau as manager. New York Dolls was produced by singer-songwriter, musician and solo artist Todd Rundgren . In an interview in Creem magazine, Rundgren says he barely touched the recording; everybody was debating how to do the mix. Sales were sluggish, especially in the middle US, and a Stereo Review magazine reviewer in 1973 compared the Dolls' guitar playing to
3760-495: The band's history and the current state of their live show and songwriting, with Sylvain commenting that "even if you come to our show thinking 'how can it be like it was before,' we turn that around 'cos we've got such a great live rock 'n roll show". In November 2006, the Dolls began headlining " Little Steven's Underground Garage Presents the Rolling Rock and Roll Show," about 20 live gigs with numerous other bands. In April 2007,
3840-482: The band, New York Dolls and Too Much Too Soon . They were managed by Marty Thau, and booked by Leber & Krebs. Subsequently, they worked with Malcolm McLaren for several months, later becoming a prototype for the Sex Pistols . In 1975 Thunders and Nolan left the band; Thunders later blamed McLaren for the band's demise. Johansen and Sylvain continued playing, along with Peter Jordon, Tony Machine (an ex-assistant agent at Leber & Krebs) and Chris Robison, as
3920-506: The band, the Heartbreakers toured America before going to the UK to join the Sex Pistols , The Clash and The Damned on the Anarchy Tour. The group stayed in the UK throughout 1977, where their popularity was significantly greater than in the U.S., particularly among punk bands While in the UK they were signed to Track Records and released their only official studio album, L.A.M.F. , an abbreviation for "Like A Mother Fucker". L.A.M.F.
4000-623: The eccentric ethnomusicologist, performing jump blues, Delta blues, and some original songs. Sylvain formed his own band, the Criminals, then cut a solo album for RCA , while also working with Johansen. He later became a taxicab driver in New York. During this period, in the early 1990s, Sylvain moved to Los Angeles and recorded one album Sleep Baby Doll, on Fishhead Records. His band, for that record, consisted of Brian Keats on drums, Dave Vanian 's Phantom Chords, Speediejohn Carlucci (who had played with
4080-505: The family's efforts to get New Orleans police to investigate the matter further: "We keep asking the New Orleans police to re-investigate, but they haven't been particularly friendly. They seemed to think that this was just another junkie who had wandered into town and died. They simply weren't interested." Thunders was survived by his wife Julie Jourden and four children: sons John, Vito, and Dino, and daughter Jamie Genzale by Susanne Blomqvist. Johnny Thunders released five studio albums as
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#17328687838644160-464: The genre progressed, with the Misfits , Social Distortion and Green Day all recalling their influence. In the 1980s, the influence of the New York Dolls helped to form the glam metal genre. In particular, the band's androgynous aesthetic and wearing of spandex, dresses, high heels and teased hair were widely imitated amongst bands in the genre. Alternative Press writer Tim Stegall even credited
4240-590: The group in 1974 as "the Dead End Kids of today". After reuniting, they recruited new musicians to tour and record. They released three more albums— One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This (2006), Cause I Sez So (2009) and Dancing Backward in High Heels (2011). Following a 2011 British tour with Alice Cooper , the band once again disbanded. Sylvain Sylvain and Billy Murcia , who went to junior high school and high school together, started playing in
4320-492: The group recorded their final album, Live at the Lyceum , in 1984. The concert was also filmed and released as a video and later a DVD titled Dead Or Alive . In the 1980s, Thunders lived in Paris and Stockholm with his wife and daughter. In 1985, he released Que Sera Sera , a collection of new songs with his then band The Black Cats, and "Crawfish", a duet with former Snatch vocalist Patti Palladin . Three years later, he again teamed up with Palladin to release Copy Cats ,
4400-526: The hotel in which Thunders died, described his death this way: I don't know how the word got out that I lived next door, but all of a sudden the phone started ringing and ringing. Rolling Stone was calling, the Village Voice called, his family called, and then his guitar player called. I felt bad for all of them. It was a tragic end, and I mean, he went out in a blaze of glory, ha ha ha, so I thought I might as well make it look real good, you know, out of respect, so I just told everybody that when Johnny died he
4480-477: The late 1980s, Cook surfaced with the group Chiefs of Relief with former Bow Wow Wow guitarist Matthew Ashman , and, after a period out of the music industry, played with Phil Collen in the 1990s. He also played on the Edwyn Collins song A Girl Like You , beginning a longstanding association with Collins as a session musician. Cook reunited with the surviving Sex Pistols in 1996 for the Filthy Lucre world tour. The Sex Pistols, including Paul Cook, played
4560-409: The later 1980s, Johansen, ever-evolving, decided to try to liberate himself from the expectations of his New York Dolls perceived persona, and, on a whim, created the persona Buster Poindexter. The success of this act led him to be invited to appear in multiple films: Scrooged , Freejack , and Let it Ride , among others. He also formed a band called David Johansen and the Harry Smiths , named after
4640-473: The majority of the punk scene pursued an understated "street look", the New York Dolls followed an English glam rock "look of androgyny —leather and knee-length boots, chest hair, and bleach". According to James McNair of The Independent , "when they began pedalling their trashy glam-punk around lower Manhattan in 1971, they were more burlesque act than band; a bunch of lipsticked, gutter chic-endorsing cross-dressers". Music journalist Nick Kent argued that
4720-451: The most popular cult records in rock. The line-up at this time consisted of vocalist David Johansen , guitarist Johnny Thunders , bassist Arthur Kane , guitarist and pianist Sylvain Sylvain , and drummer Jerry Nolan ; the latter two had replaced Rick Rivets and Billy Murcia , respectively, in 1972. On stage, they donned an androgynous wardrobe, wearing high heels, eccentric hats, satin, makeup, spandex, and dresses. Nolan described
4800-461: The quintet hired producer George "Shadow" Morton , whose productions for the Shangri-Las and other girl-groups in the mid-1960s had been among the band's favorites. By 1975, the Dolls were playing smaller venues than they had been previously. Drug and alcohol abuse by Thunders, Nolan, and Kane, as well as artistic differences added to the tensions among members. In late February or early March, Malcolm McLaren became their informal manager. He got
4880-449: The rehearsal studio where they were meeting to jam together for the first time: " I heard someone playing a guitar riff that I myself didn't know how to play. It was raunchy, nasty, rough, raw, and untamed. I thought it was truly inspired..." , adding, "His sound was rich and fat and beautiful, like a voice." The New York Dolls were signed to Mercury Records , with the help of A & R man Paul Nelson. Thunders recorded two albums with
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#17328687838644960-453: The remainder of the tour after which the band broke up. Following the tour's conclusion and announcement of the band's breakup on April 25, Duren and Kane moved to Los Angeles to form the short-lived band Killer Kane. The band reformed in July for an August tour in Japan with Jeff Beck and Felix Pappalardi . Johansen, Sylvain and Jordan were joined by former Elephant's Memory keyboardist Chris Robison and drummer Tony Machine. One of
5040-435: The same week that they quit the Dolls. Thunders later pursued a solo career. He died in New Orleans on 23 April 1991, allegedly of an overdose of both heroin and methadone . It also came to light that he suffered from t-cell leukemia . Nolan died on 14 January 1992 following a stroke , brought about by bacterial meningitis . In 1976, Kane and Blackie Lawless formed the Killer Kane Band in Los Angeles. Immediately after
5120-422: The shows was documented on the album Tokyo Dolls Live (Fan Club/New Rose). The material is similar to that on Red Patent Leather , but notable for a radically re-arranged "Frankenstein" and a cover of Big Joe Turner 's "Flip Flop Fly". The album is undated and has no production credit, but was issued circa 1986. After their return to New York, the Dolls resumed playing shows in the US and Canada. Mercury dropped
5200-448: The sloppy, rambunctious Dolls of punk mythology but of a tight, lean hard-rock band." According to the Encyclopedia of Popular Music (1995), the New York Dolls were "one of the most influential rock bands of the last 20 years". Writer Sean Sennett credited the band as a part of a legacy of raunchy, influential rock bands predated by the Rolling Stones, and succeeded by Aerosmith and Hanoi Rocks and eventually Guns N' Roses . By
5280-410: The song " Silly Thing ". The pair then started a new band, The Professionals , with Andy Allan. Allan caused some legal problems; he played bass on "Silly Thing" and the first few Professionals recordings, but had no recording contract and had been neither credited nor paid. Consequently, the Virgin Records compilation album Cash Cows , which featured The Professionals' track "Kick Down the Doors",
5360-440: The sound of lawnmowers . America's mass rock audience's reaction to the Dolls was mixed. In a Creem magazine poll, they were elected both best and worst new group of 1973. The Dolls also toured Europe, and, while appearing on UK television, host Bob Harris of the BBC 's Old Grey Whistle Test derided the group as " mock rock ", comparing them unfavorably to the Rolling Stones . For their next album, Too Much Too Soon ,
5440-438: The time the band's debut album was released, they had already spawned a number of derivative bands in New York including the Stilettos , the Brats , Teenage Lust and the Harlots. Two of the earliest groups that they inspired were Kiss and Aerosmith, which would in turn become two of the most influential bands in rock music, especially hard rock and heavy metal . Hanoi Rocks ' music and aesthetic too were heavily inspired by
5520-422: The tracks from this title – sometimes referred to as The Mercer Street Sessions (though actually recorded at Blue Rock Studio , New York) – are included on the CD Private World , along with other tracks recorded elsewhere, including a previously unreleased Dolls original, "Endless Party". Three more unreleased studio tracks, including another previously unreleased Dolls original, "Lone Star Queen", are included on
5600-490: Was a version of "Born To Lose", with German punk rock band Die Toten Hosen , recorded 36 hours before his death in New Orleans . Rumors surround Thunders' death at the Inn on St. Peter hotel (formerly known as St. Peter Guest House) in New Orleans , Louisiana on April 23, 1991. Thunders apparently died of drug-related causes, but it has been speculated that it was the result of foul play . According to his autobiography Lobotomy: Surviving The Ramones , Dee Dee Ramone took
5680-571: Was credited as having played "second bass". Jordan filled in for Kane when he was unable to play numerous times, such as following a thumb injury sustained prior to the band's 1973 West Coast dates. In March and April, McLaren took the band on a tour of South Carolina and Florida . Jordan replaced Kane for most of those shows. Thunders and Nolan left after an argument, forming The Heartbreakers with Richard Hell on April 11. Subsequently, Blackie Lawless , then known by his birth name of Steven Duren, who later founded W.A.S.P. , replaced Thunders for
5760-581: Was found dead on the morning of November 6, 1972, at the age of 21. Once back in New York, the Dolls auditioned drummers, including Marc Bell (who was to go on to play with Richard Hell , and with the Ramones under the stage name " Marky Ramone "), Peter Criscuola (better known as Peter Criss , the original and former drummer of Kiss ), and Jerry Nolan , a friend of the band. They selected Nolan, and after US Mercury Records ' A&R man Paul Nelson signed them, they began sessions for their debut album. In 1972,
5840-608: Was in the winter of 1967 with The Reign. Shortly thereafter, he played with Johnny and the Jaywalkers, under the name Johnny Volume, at Quintano's School for Young Professionals, around the corner from Carnegie Hall, on 56th Street near 7th Avenue. In 1968, he began going to the Fillmore East and Bethesda Fountain in Central Park on weekends. His older sister, Mariann, started styling his hair like Keith Richards. In late 1969, he got
5920-473: Was laying down on the floor with his guitar in his hands. I made that up. When he came out of the St. Peter Guest House, rigor mortis had set in to such an extent that his body was in a U shape. When you're laying on the floor in a fetal position, doubled over – well, when the body bag came out, it was in a U. It was pretty awful. There is conflicting information about the New Orleans' coroner's report. An article in
6000-487: Was no point in doing it anymore and it was kinda spent. You know, David really does enjoy the Buster thing. He's so good at it. I've seen him do it a couple of times this last year, and man! He's got it down, you know." Sylvain Sylvain died on January 13, 2021, at age 69, leaving David Johansen as the last surviving original member of the band. Certainly neither great nor punk in any of its variations were words applied to
6080-524: Was on Christmas Eve 1971 at a homeless shelter, the Endicott Hotel . After getting a manager and attracting some music industry interest, the New York Dolls got a break when Rod Stewart invited them to open for him at a London concert. While on a brief tour of England in 1972, Murcia was invited to a party, where he passed out from an overdose. He was put in a bathtub and force-fed coffee in an attempt to revive him. Instead, it resulted in asphyxiation. He
6160-452: Was received positively by critics, but was criticised for its poor production. Displeased with the production, the band members individually remixed the record, a competition which culminated in drummer Jerry Nolan quitting in November 1977. Shortly thereafter, the Heartbreakers disbanded. Thunders stayed in London and recorded the first of a number of solo albums, beginning with So Alone in 1978. The drug-fuelled recording sessions featured
6240-400: Was released as Dawn of the Dolls. When Thunders decided that he no longer wanted to be the front man, David Johansen joined the band. Initially, the group was composed of singer David Johansen, guitarists Johnny Thunders and Rick Rivets (who was replaced by Sylvain Sylvain after a few months), bass guitarist Arthur "Killer" Kane and drummer Billy Murcia. The original line-up's first performance
6320-459: Was released on March 15, 2011. On March 1, 2011, it was announced the New York Dolls would be the opening act for a summer tour featuring Mötley Crüe and Poison . They announced a new lineup for the tour, featuring guitarist Earl Slick , who held previous stints with David Bowie and John Lennon , bassist Kenny Aaronson , who had toured with Bob Dylan , and drummer Jason Sutter , formerly of Foreigner . Between late March and October 2011,
6400-432: Was withdrawn. Cook and Jones played together on Johnny Thunders ' solo album, So Alone . They released four singles, recorded a self-titled LP that was shelved until 1990, and released I Didn't See It Coming in November 1981. The band's American tour to promote the album was cut short when band members Cook, Paul Myers, and Ray McVeigh were injured in a car crash. While The Professionals did return to America in
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