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David Johansen, the pioneering vocalist identified for his work with New York Dolls and his persona Buster Poindexter, has died. He was 75 years previous.
In accordance with a press release from his publicist, Johansen “died at house in New York Metropolis on Friday afternoon holding fingers along with his spouse Mara Hennessey and daughter Leah, surrounded by music, flowers, and love. He was 75-years-old and died of pure causes after practically a decade of sickness.”
Johansen had been battling stage 4 most cancers and a mind tumor, and had stored the scenario non-public for numerous years. After a fall that broke his again in two locations final November, although, issues had taken a flip for the worst, main him to reveal his diagnosis and ask for monetary assist in January 2025.
Born David Roger Johansen on January ninth, 1950 in New York Metropolis, Johansen first rose to prominence performing with native teams on Staten Island. In 1971, he joined the then-emerging New York Dolls as their frontman, showing on their two seminal releases from the last decade: 1973’s New York Dolls and 1974’s Too A lot Too Quickly.
Although the band’s preliminary run solely lasted just a few years, New York Dolls left an enduring legacy on rock music, influencing subsequent teams like Intercourse Pistols, Kiss, Aerosmith, Inexperienced Day, and plenty of extra. The truth is, the band’s many by-product initiatives helped lay the muse of New York’s punk scene, paving the best way for a era of artists that included Speaking Heads, Blondie, and others.
Later in life, Johansen would replicate on New York Dolls, describing their get-ups as “some actually outrageous garments” in a 1987 video (the place he additionally joked that these “‘heavy psychological’ bands in LA don’t have the market cornered on carrying their moms’ garments”).
On a deeper stage, although, he acknowledged the revolutionary energy and lasting impact the band had on well-liked music. Chatting with Terry Gross in 2004, he stated, “We simply wished to make an explosion of pleasure. So, that’s what was lacking. Rock ‘n’ roll had grow to be very form of pedantic and meandering, and it was in search of one thing, however it was like an actor in the hunt for a play or one thing, you realize?”
In that very same interview, he defined to Gross that the Dolls had a sure fame within the annals of rock historical past. “[They] at all times say, ‘They had been trashy. They had been flashy. They had been drug addicts. They had been drag queens.’” But, beneath the layers of status-quo-challenging, there was a gem of true brilliance. “Going again to it and deconstructing it, after which placing it again collectively once more, I noticed that, you realize, it truly is artwork,” he stated.
By 1976, although, the group had splintered, and Johansen left New York Dolls to launch a solo profession, releasing his self-titled debut album in 1978. He adopted up with In Fashion in 1979, Right here Comes the Night time in 1981, and Candy Revenge in 1984.
Within the early ‘80s, too, he started one other mission dedicated to conventional pop, leap blues, and novelty songs, utilizing the identify Buster Poindexter (chosen to keep away from punk followers from recognizing his identify and requesting his older music). As Poindexter, he toured and carried out with a rotating crew of musicians, together with backing vocalist Patti Scialfa.
In 1987, the Poindexter mission by accident struck gold along with his cowl of Arrow’s “Scorching Scorching Scorching,” which went on to grow to be a staple of karaoke nights, weddings, yard luaus, Jimmy Buffett exhibits, and extra. In his 2004 interview with Gross, he known as the music “the bane” of his life.
By means of the ‘80s and ‘90s, Johansen additionally had a profession as an actor, showing because the Ghost of Christmas Previous in 1988’s Scrooged, in addition to titles like Let It Trip, Mr. Nanny, Freejack, and extra. In 2015, he appeared in Invoice Murray’s A Very Murray Christmas.
In 2004, Johansen reunited with New York Dolls for an additional stint that lasted till 2011. That interval noticed them carry out quite a few exhibits, and launch three further albums: One Day It Will Please Us to Bear in mind Even This in 2006, Trigger I Sez So in 2009, and Dancing Backward in Excessive Heels in 2011.
In his closing years, Johansen stored a comparatively low profile, however continued working. In 2023, he was the topic of a documentary directed by Martin Scorsese, Personality Crisis: One Night Only.
For extra, watch the movies for New York Dolls’ “Character Disaster” and Buster Poindexter’s “Scorching Scorching Scorching” beneath.
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