Arthur Kane (February 3, 1949 – July 13, 2004) was a musician best known as the bassist for the pioneering glam rock band the New York Dolls. He stated in the 2004 documentary film ''New York Doll'' that his nickname, Arthur "Killer" Kane, was inspired by an early New York Dolls concert newspaper review in which the journalist remarked about his "killer bass" playing. He also suggested it was inspired by the old ''Buck Rogers'' comic strip's villainous character Killer Kane. Kane remained part of the Dolls from their founding, until he was forced out of the group shortly after the departure of Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan. He joined them for a reunion show in 2004, which was the subject of the aforementioned 2004 documentary ''New York Doll''. Singer-songwriter Robyn Hitchcock wrote a tribute to Kane, "N.Y. Doll", for his 2006 album, ''Olé! Tarantula''.

Early life

Arthur Harold Kane Jr, was born in The Bronx, New York to Erna and Harold Kane. His mother died when he was a young man and his difficult relationship with his father went downhill. He graduated from Martin Van Buren High School in Queens, New York. He first played bass in the band Actress along with the other original New York Dolls: Johnny Thunders, Rick Rivets and Billy Murcia, but not David Johansen. Kane attended Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York as a Food Science and Management student, a "foodie." During his early years there, Kane socialized with art students such as Eric Marshall in the Pratt dormitory on Willoughby Avenue. (Marshall was later, through association with the retro New Wave band Marbles, recruited on saxophone for fellow-Doll Sylvain's short-lived Criminals.) Kane was always interested in music. By his third year at Pratt he had stopped attending classes, was sharing an apartment with Dave Trott, and wanted to start a band. At twenty-one he inherited money that he used to move to Amsterdam hoping to find like minded musicians. Kane's ancestors, on his maternal side, were from Sweden.

The New York Dolls

At a time when many rock performers sought notoriety through their on-stage antics, Kane gained fame for his motionless performances, with some calling him "the only living statue in rock-and-roll." Throughout his tenure with the Dolls, Kane dated a succession of atypically tall women, including Stacia of Hawkwind.

Post Dolls

After the Dolls broke up, Kane collaborated with Blackie Lawless from W.A.S.P. on a project dubbed Killer Kane, which resulted in the single "Mr. Cool." Lawless was an old friend from the Bronx and had replaced Johnny Thunders during the ill fated Florida tour in 1975. He also took part in such short-lived efforts as The Idols (with Jerry Nolan) and The Corpse Grinders (with Rick Rivets). He backed Johnny Thunders on a few tours in the 80's. One by one, these projects failed, and Kane began to feel that there was no longer any place in the music business for him, and that what little material success he had achieved with the Dolls was to be the high water mark of his career. He saw himself living in poverty and obscurity for the rest of his life. As this bitter realization gripped him, band after band directly inspired by the Dolls catapulted to stardom, and the other members of the Dolls continued their careers. Lead singer of the Dolls, David Johansen, who Kane viewed as a rival, found success as "Buster Poindexter".

As a result, Kane grew frustrated with music (although he continued playing and in fact learned harmonica during this period). He relocated from New York City to Los Angeles, but he could not escape his regrets. His envy and creative block, coupled with alcoholism and the breakdown of his marriage, led to a deepening depression. Although urban legend frames Kane as a drug addict, this was not the case; his true downfall was alcohol. After seeing David Johansen as the Ghost of Christmas Past in the comedy ''Scrooged'', Arthur, in his depression, got drunk and jumped out a third story window. Luckily a door cover broke his fall, but the impact caused slight neural damage and affected his speech.

Kane surprised all who knew him when, in 1989, he joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He continued to do volunteer work as a librarian in the Family History Center (genealogy library) at the Los Angeles Temple. In 1992, Kane was badly beaten with a baseball bat while walking home during the Rodney King riots, and left for dead. He was in the hospital for almost a year and ended up with a metal plate in his head.

New York Doll and reunion

In the early 2000s, Kane met filmmaker Greg Whiteley through his work with the Latter-day Saints, and the two became friends. Whiteley had the idea of chronicling Kane's life in a documentary, and, in 2004, Morrissey gave the project impetus when he offered Kane an opportunity to perform a reunion show with the surviving Dolls (David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain) in London as part of his Meltdown Festival. Whiteley filmed Kane's experiences preparing for the performance, which was for Kane the culmination of a nearly 30 year dream. In the process of preparing for the concert, Kane bought his bass guitar back from a pawn shop with money borrowed from fellow Latter-day Saints, reconciled with Johansen, and put together a stage outfit in homage to church founder Joseph Smith, Jr. Whiteley's footage resulted in the 2005 Sundance featured documentary entitled ''New York Doll''.

Death and legacy

On July 13, 2004, just 22 days after the reunion concert, Kane thought he had caught the flu in London, and checked himself in to a Los Angeles emergency room, complaining of fatigue. He was quickly diagnosed with leukemia, and died within two hours. He was 55 years old. Johansen wrote of Kane's death: "It's good to know that he went out on a high point in his musical life, but he will be sorely missed." Annual tributes to Kane's lasting memory and influence were held at the Continental in New York City until its closing in 2006.

References

External links

Category:1949 births Category:2004 deaths Category:American Latter Day Saints Category:American punk rock bass guitarists Category:Converts to Mormonism Category:Deaths from leukemia Category:Musicians from New York Category:The New York Dolls members Category:Martin Van Buren High School alumni Category:Cancer deaths in California

cs:Arthur Kane de:Arthur Kane es:Arthur Kane pt:Arthur Kane fi:Arthur Kane

Name	Robyn Hitchcock
Background	solo_singer
Birth date	March 03, 1953
Instrument	Guitar, piano
Genre	Alternative rock, Jangle pop, Psych folk
Occupation	Musician, actor
Associated acts	Soft BoysRobyn Hitchcock and the EgyptiansThe Venus 3
Website	http://robynhitchcock.com }}

Robyn Rowan Hitchcock (born 3 March 1953) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist. While primarily a vocalist and guitarist, he also plays harmonica, piano and bass guitar.

Coming to prominence in the late 1970s with The Soft Boys, Hitchcock afterward launched a prolific solo career. Hitchcock's musical and lyrical styles have been influenced by the likes of Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Syd Barrett. Hitchcock's lyrics tend to include surrealism, comedic elements, characterisations of English eccentrics, and melancholy depictions of everyday life.

He was signed to two major American labels (A&M; Records, then Warner Brothers) over the course of the 1980s and '90s, but mainstream success has been limited. Still, he has maintained a loyal cult following and has often earned strong critical reviews over a steady stream of album releases and live performances.

Biography

Early life and recording career

Born Robyn Hitchcock in London, England and educated at Winchester College, he began his recording career in 1976 with the Cambridge-based punk/New Wave band The Soft Boys, a local group with an interest in the odd concept of 'psychedelic punk'. After the group broke up in 1981, Hitchcock began recording as a solo artist.

1980s

Hitchcock released his solo debut, ''Black Snake Diamond Röle'' in 1981, which more or less replicated the sound of his previous band, as it featured instrumental backing by several former Soft Boys. He followed it in 1982 with the generally critically maligned ''Groovy Decay'', a record which he would ultimately disown. Following his solo acoustic album ''I Often Dream Of Trains'' in 1984, he formed a new band, The Egyptians, comprising former members of The Soft Boys (Andy Metcalfe and Morris Windsor, supplemented at first by early keyboardist Roger Jackson), resulting in their 1985 debut ''Fegmania!'', which featured typically surrealist Hitchcock songs such as "My Wife and My Dead Wife" and "The Man with the Lightbulb Head". (A live album, ''Gotta Let This Hen Out!'', was released at the end of that year.) Their popularity grew with the 1986 album ''Element of Light'' and they were subsequently signed to A&M; Records in the U.S. The album ''Globe of Frogs'', released in 1988, further expanded their reach, as the single "Balloon Man" became a college radio and MTV hit, followed in 1989 by "Madonna Of The Wasps" from their ''Queen Elvis'' album. In 1989 they also teamed up with Peter Buck of R.E.M. and Peter Holsapple of The dB's, playing two gigs as Nigel and the Crosses, mostly covers. The Crosses also had their cover of "Wild Mountain Thyme" included on a Byrds tribute album, though Hitchcock always alluded to the Bryan Ferry version when performing it live with the Egyptians.

1990s

At the beginning of the decade, Hitchcock took a break from the Egyptians and A&M; Records to release another solo acoustic album, ''Eye'', then resumed with the band's ''Perspex Island'' release in 1991. 1993's ''Respect'', influenced a great deal by his father's death, marked the last Egyptians release and the end of his association with A&M; Records. Early in 1994, after disbanding the Egyptians, he embarked on a short reunion tour with The Soft Boys. His work received a slight boost in 1995 when his back catalogue (including both solo releases and Egyptians albums) were re-packaged and re-issued in the United States by the respected Rhino Records label. For the rest of the decade he continued recording and performing as a solo artist, releasing several albums on Warner Brothers Records, such as 1996's ''Moss Elixir'' (which featured the contributions of violinist Deni Bonet and guitarist Tim Keegan), and the soundtrack from the Jonathan Demme-directed concert film ''Storefront Hitchcock'' in 1998. The 1999 release ''Jewels for Sophia'', also on Warner, featured cameos from Southern California-based musicians Jon Brion and Grant-Lee Phillips, both of whom often shared the stage with Hitchcock when he played Los Angeles nightclub Largo. An album of outtakes from the Sophia sessions called ''A Star For Bram'', released on Hitchcock's own label, followed, and his subsequent albums appeared on a variety of independent labels.

2000s

In 2001, Hitchcock reunited and toured with Kimberley Rew, bassist Matthew Seligman, and Morris Windsor for the Soft Boys' re-release of their best-known album, 1980's ''Underwater Moonlight''. The following year they recorded and released a new album, ''Nextdoorland'', which was accompanied by a short album of outtakes, ''Side Three''. The reunion proved to be short-lived, although they did re-form again in 2006 to perform a live concert of Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd covers in London, benefiting Médecins Sans Frontières.

During a short tour with Grant-Lee Phillips of Grant Lee Buffalo, Hitchcock co-produced and co-starred in a concert film of the tour shot in Seattle titled ''Elixirs & Remedies''.

The 2002 double album ''Robyn Sings'' comprised cover versions of Bob Dylan songs, including a live re-creation (performed in 1996) of Dylan's so-called ''Live at the Royal Albert Hall'' 1966 concert. Hitchcock celebrated his 50th birthday in 2003 with a concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London at which his then-new solo acoustic album ''Luxor'' was given away as a gift to all those attending, and an original poem of his was read by actor Alan Rickman. He continued collaborating with a series of different musicians, as on the album ''Spooked'', which was recorded with country/folk duo (and longtime Hitchcock fans) Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. In 2006 ''Olé! Tarantula'' was released with The Venus 3, a band which consisted of longtime friends and collaborators R.E.M.'s Peter Buck and Young Fresh Fellows' frontman Scott McCaughey, as well as Ministry's Bill Rieflin (by then also R.E.M.'s full-time drummer). The song "'Cause It's Love (Saint Parallelogram)" was written with Andy Partridge of XTC.

In 2007, he was the subject of a documentary ''Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death... and Insects'' directed by John Edginton, shown on the U.S. Sundance Channel and in the UK on BBC Four (and later released on DVD). "Food, sex and death are all corridors to life if you like. You need sex to get you here, you need food to keep you here and you need death to get you out and they’re the entry and exit signs."

The filmmaker eavesdrops on Hitchcock at work on his latest collection of songs with contributors including Nick Lowe, former Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones, Peter Buck and Gillian Welch. The film culminates with Hitchcock and the band taking the songs on the road in America. A live EP with The Venus 3, ''Sex, Food, Death... and Tarantulas'', was released in conjunction with the documentary. The film also includes candid interviews with Hitchcock, who reveals much about the source of his work: "At heart I'm a frightened angry person. That's probably why my stuff isn’t totally insubstantial. I'm constantly, deep down inside, in a kind of rage."

Late in 2007, Hitchcock's music was again re-packaged and re-released in the U.S., as Yep Roc Records began an extensive reissue campaign with three early solo releases and a double-CD compilation of rarities, which would be available separately or as part of a new boxed set release, ''I Wanna Go Backwards''.

In 2008, that boxed set was followed up with ''Luminous Groove'', a boxed set of three early Egyptians releases and two further discs of rarities. In 2009, the electro-pop artist and remixer Pocket released an EP featuring Hitchcock called "Surround Him With Love", while Hitchcock released an entirely separate new album, ''Goodnight Oslo'', with the Venus 3. At the end of the year, a live album called ''I Often Dream Of Trains In New York'' documented the late-2008 onstage re-creation of his acclaimed 1984 acoustic album (a limited-edition deluxe version also included the materials to construct a kind of moving-image generator called a phenokistoscope).

2010s

Concurrent with the redesign of his official website in early 2010, Hitchcock began to offer an occasional series of "Phantom 45s" as downloads, each "45" being two newly-recorded songs that would initially be offered as a free download. He also released the ''Propellor Time'' album, containing new material partially based on the "Sex, Food, Death" sessions shown in the 2007 documentary, but mainly featuring the Venus 3. In 2011, he released ''Tromsø, Kaptein'', an album of songs written in Norway, and released physically only in that country. Robyn was chosen by Jeff Mangum of Neutral Milk Hotel to perform "I Often Dream Of Trains" at the All Tomorrow's Parties festival, to be curated by Mangum in March 2012 in Minehead, England.

Interests

Additionally, Hitchcock has an interest in acting, literature and art. He writes short stories, paints (often in a whimsical, surrealist style) and draws in the cartoon-strip mode. Many of Hitchcock's album covers bear his paintings or drawings, and his albums' liner notes sometimes include a printed short story. His live concerts usually include a considerable amount of story-telling, in the form of imaginative and surreal ad-libbed monologues in his lyrical style.

Hitchcock collaborated with director Jonathan Demme in 1998 for a live concert and film ''Storefront Hitchcock'', and later appeared in Demme's 2004 remake of ''The Manchurian Candidate'', in which he played double agent Laurent Tokar. He also appeared in Demme's ''Rachel Getting Married'' in 2008, singing and playing guitar in the wedding-party band.

In September 2008 Hitchcock joined the Disko Bay Cape Farewell expedition to the West Coast of Greenland. Cape Farewell is a UK based arts organisation that brings artists, scientists and communicators together to instigate a cultural response to climate change. Other voyagers on the trip included musicians Jarvis Cocker, KT Tunstall and Martha Wainwright.

Personal

Robyn is the son of novelist Raymond Hitchcock and the brother of artist Lal Hitchcock. He is not related to Alfred Hitchcock.

Album discography

Releases marked "with the Egyptians" are credited on the album as by "Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians". Similarly, releases marked "with the Venus 3" are credited on the album as by "Robyn Hitchcock & The Venus 3". Others are credited as solo albums, although they may contain some group recordings.

Original studio albums

''Black Snake Diamond Röle'', 1981

''Groovy Decay'', 1982

''I Often Dream of Trains'', 1984

''Fegmania!'', 1985 (with the Egyptians)

''Element of Light'', 1986 (with the Egyptians)

''Globe of Frogs'', 1988 (with the Egyptians)

''Queen Elvis'', 1989 (with the Egyptians)

''Eye'', 1990

''Perspex Island'', 1991 (with the Egyptians)

''Respect'', 1993 (with the Egyptians)

''Moss Elixir'', 1996

''Jewels for Sophia'', 1999

''Luxor'', 2003

''Spooked'', 2004

''Olé! Tarantula'', 2006 (with the Venus 3)

''Goodnight Oslo'', 2009 (with the Venus 3)

''Propellor Time'', 2010 (with the Venus 3)

''Tromsø, Kaptein'', 2011

Compilations of rarities, demos, alternate takes and out-takes

''Groovy Decoy'' (A re-worked version of ''Groovy Decay'', featuring demo versions of many of that album's songs), 1985

''Invisible Hitchcock'' (Outtakes and rarities, 1980–1986), 1986

''Gravy Deco'' (A compilation of the ''Groovy Decay'' and ''Groovy Decoy'' sessions), 1995

''You & Oblivion'' (Outtakes and rarities, 1981–1987), 1995

''Mossy Liquor'' ("Outtakes and prototypes" from ''Moss Elixir''), 1996

''A Star for Bram'' (Outtakes from ''Jewels for Sophia''), 2000

''Obliteration Pie'' (Japan-only collection of live tracks, rarities, and new studio re-recordings), 2005

''I Wanna Go Backwards'' (Boxed set of reissues and rarities), 2007

''Shadow Cat'' (Outtakes and rarities, 1993–1999), 2008

''Luminous Groove'' (Boxed set of reissues and rarities), 2008

Live albums

''Gotta Let This Hen Out!'', 1985 (with the Egyptians)

''Give It To The Thoth Boys - Live Oddities'', 1993 (Cassette only release sold on tour 1993) (with the Egyptians)

''The Kershaw Sessions'', 1994 (with the Egyptians)

''Storefront Hitchcock'', 1998

''Storefront Hitchcock L.P.'', 1998

''Live at the Cambridge Folk Festival'', 1998 (with the Egyptians)

''Robyn Sings'', 2002 (Double live album of Bob Dylan cover songs)

''This is the BBC'', 2006

''Sex, Food, Death... and Tarantulas'' (Live EP), 2007

''I Often Dream of Trains in New York'', (CD+DVD), 2009

Best-of compilations

''Robyn Hitchcock'', 1995

''Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians: Greatest Hits'', 1996 (with the Egyptians)

''Uncorrected Personality Traits'' (Rhino Records best-of compilation of solo material), 1997

Compilation appearances

''Time Between - A Tribute to The Byrds'' (Imaginary Records), 1989

''Pave The Earth'' (A&M; Records), 1990

''More Oar: A Tribute to the Skip Spence Album'' (Birdman Records), 1999

''Ernie: Songs of Ernest Noyes Brookings'' (Gadfly Records), 2001

''Listen To What The Man Said - Popular Artists Pay Tribute to the Music of Paul McCartney'' (Oglio Records), 2001

''Wig in a Box'' (Off Records), 2003

''Terry Edwards Presents Queer Street'' (Sartorial Records), 2004

''I Want You (She's So Heavy) - Abbey Road Now!'' (Mojo Magazine Free CD), Oct 2009

''Dark Globe'' - The Madcap Laughs Again! (Mojo Magazine Free CD), Mar 2010

References

Further reading

"Robyn Hitchcock: I wanna go Backwards" — an article at ''Crawdaddy!''.

"The Barrett/Hitchcock Connection" — an article at Perfect Sound Forever.

Interview with Robyn Hitchcock with Andy Carvin in 1993.

External links

The Museum of Robyn Hitchcock (official site)

The Asking Tree: Robyn Hitchcock Discography and Gigography Database

Otmoor Productions Documentary ''Robyn Hitchcock: Sex, Food, Death... and Insects''

fegMANIA! - Robyn Hitchcock news and information listserv

The Glass Hotel - comprehensive site including "Glass Flesh" tribute project

Robyn Hitchcock collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive

Category:1953 births Category:Alternative rock musicians Category:English male singers Category:English singer-songwriters Category:English songwriters Category:K Records artists Category:Living people Category:Old Wykehamists Category:Music in Cambridge Category:The Minus 5 members Category:Live Music Archive artists

de:Robyn Hitchcock it:Robyn Hitchcock nl:Robyn Hitchcock pl:Robyn Hitchcock fi:Robyn Hitchcock

name	Johnny Thunders
background	solo_singer
birth name	John Anthony Genzale, Jr
born	July 15, 1952Queens, NY, USA
died	April 23, 1991New Orleans, LA, USA
instrument	guitar, bass
genre	Rock and roll, glam rock, punk rock, glam punk, rhythm and blues, protopunk
occupation	Singer, songwriter, guitarist
associated acts	New York Dolls, The Heartbreakers
notable instruments	Gibson Les Paul Junior Gibson Les Paul Special }}

Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), was an American protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter.

He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls. He later played with The Heartbreakers and as a solo artist.

Biography

Early life and career

John Genzale was born in Queens, NY, where he first lived in East Elmhurst and then Jackson Heights. As a boy he played baseball but could not join the Little League, as league rules required the presence of a player's father. He also refused to cut his hair short.

His first musical performance in the winter of 1967 was with The Reign, and after that, with "Johnny and the Jaywalkers," under the name Johnny Volume while a student at Quintano's School for Young Professionals.

In 1968 he started going to the Fillmore East on weekends with his girlfriend, Janice. In late 1969, he got a job as a sales clerk at D'Nazz leather shop, on Bleecker Street in the West Village. In the summer of 1970, he went to England for the Isle of Wight Festival. In London he hung out at the Speakeasy Club and bought new clothes on Carnaby Street. Toward the end of 1970 he started hanging out at Nobodys' Club on Bleecker Street, in the West Village. It was near there that he met future Dolls, Arthur Kane and Rick Rivets. He joined their band, "Actress", which became the New York Dolls with David Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain and Billy Murcia. At this time John Genzale renamed himself Johnny Thunders, after the DC comic book hero.

John and the Dolls were signed to Mercury Records due to the enthusiasm of A and R man, Paul Nelson. John recorded two albums with the band, ''New York Dolls'' and'' Too Much Too Soon''. They were managed by Marty Thau. Subsequently they worked with Malcolm McLaren for several months, and were an inspiration for the Sex Pistols.

In 1975 Thunders and Nolan left the band, though Johansen and Sylvain continued playing as the New York Dolls until 1977. Their early recordings are still in print and continue to influence young musicians.

Post-New York Dolls

He formed The Heartbreakers with Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan, and Television bassist Richard Hell. Ex-Demons guitarist Walter Lure was soon added. After Hell unsuccessfully tried to usurp Johnny's place as lead singer, he left to form Richard Hell and the Voidoids. Hell was replaced by Billy Rath.

With Thunders leading the band, the Heartbreakers toured America before coming to Britain to join the Sex Pistols, Clash and the Damned on the now legendary 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 Britain they signed to Track Records and released their only official studio album LAMF. Since remixed and now regarded as one of the great punk albums, at the time critics generally favourable to the band expressed disappointment with its 'muddy sound'. Displeased with the production the band themselves were soon at loggerheads with each other culminating in drummer Jerry Nolan quitting in November 77. Shortly after, the Heartbreakers were officially over as a unit.

Thunders stayed in London and recorded the first in a number of solo albums beginning with ''So Alone'' in 1978. The notoriously drug-fuelled recording sessions featured 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 of The Only Ones. The CD version of the album contains four bonus tracks, including the single "Dead or Alive". After its release, Thunders and Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious played in the Living Dead for a short time before moving back to the US and joining Heartbreaker buddies Walter Lure, Billy Rath and sometimes Jerry Nolan for gigs at Max's Kansas City.

In late 1979 Thunders moved to Detroit with his wife Julie and began performing in 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, with Zodiac Records releasing an EP in 1987. Bootlegs of their demos and live performances are circulating; One semi-official live/studio vinyl only LP was released on Zodiac in 1990, credited to Thunders and Kramer and titled ''Gang War''.

During the early 1980s, Thunders re-formed The Heartbreakers for various tours; the group recorded their final album- Live at the Lyceum in 1984.

In 1985, he released ''Que Sera Sera'', a collection of new songs that showed he could still perform convincingly. Three years later he teamed up with ex-Snatch vocalist Patti Palladin and former Only Ones guitarist John Perry to record 'Copy Cats', a covers album inspired by John Lennon's Rock N Roll .

From August 1988, until his death in April 1991, Thunders performed with a band known as the Oddballs: Jamie Heath, saxophone; Alison Gordy, vocals; Chris Musto, drums; Stevie Klasson, guitar; and Jill Wisoff, bass, who left after a year.

His final recording was a version of "Born Too Lose", with German punk rock band Die Toten Hosen, recorded 36 hours before his death in New Orleans.

Death

Many rumors surround Thunders' death at the St. Peter House in New Orleans, Louisiana in April 1991. He apparently died of drug-related causes, but it has been speculated that it was the result of foul play. According to the autobiography ''Poison Heart: Surviving the Ramones'', Dee Dee Ramone took a call in New York the next day from Stevie Klasson, Johnny's rhythm guitar player. "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."

What is known for certain is that Johnny's room (no. 37) was ransacked and most of his possessions were missing (passport, makeup, clothes). Rigor mortis had set in with his body positioned in an unnatural state, described by eyewitnesses as "like a pretzel", underneath a coffee table. Friends and acquaintances acknowledge he had not been using heroin for some time, relying on his methadone prescriptions. The police did not open a criminal investigation.

Singer Willy DeVille, who lived next door to 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 was laying down on the floor with his guitar in his hands. I made that up. When he came out of the St. Peter's 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."

An autopsy was conducted by the New Orleans coroner, but served only to compound the mysteries. According to Thunders' biographer Nina Antonia as posted on the Jungle Records web site, the level of drugs found in his system was not fatal. And according to the book "Rock Bottom: Dark Moments in Music Babylon" by Pamela Des Barres who interviewed Thunders' sister Marion, the autopsy confirmed evidence of advanced leukemia, which would explain the decline in Thunders' appearance in the final year of his life. This also sheds light on the interview in Lech Kowalski's documentary "Born To Lose: The Last Rock and Roll Movie", where Thunders' sister Mary-Ann's husband says, "Only Johnny knew how sick he really was."

In a 1994 Melody Maker interview Thunders' manager Mick Webster described the efforts of his family, "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." Marion claims that the original police report is largely missing and Webster further explains that the Coroner who conducted the autopsy was fired for falsifying a report in another case.

Thunders was survived by his ex-wife Julie and four children:sons John, Vito, and Dino; and daughter Jamie Genzale.

Discography

Studio albums

So Alone – (1978)

In Cold Blood – (1983)

Diary of a Lover – (1983)

Hurt Me – (1983)

Que Sera Sera – (1985)

Copy Cats – (1988)

Official live albums and compilations

The New Too Much Junkie Business – (1983)

Stations of the Cross – (1987)

Bootlegging the Bootleggers – (1990)

Live in Japan – (1991)

Have Faith – (1992)

Saddest Vacation Act. 1 – (1993)

Saddest Vacation Act. 2 – (1993)

Chinese Rocks: The Ultimate Thunders Live Collection – (1993)

Add Water & Stir – (1994)

Stations of the Cross (Revisited) – (1994)

The Studio Bootlegs – (1996)

Belfast Rocks – (1997)

Born Too Lose: The Best Of Johnny Thunders – (1999)

Live at Leeds – (1999)

Play with Fire – (2000)

Endless Party – (2000)

Panic on the Sunset Strip – (2000)

Live & Wasted: Unplugged 1990 – (2001)

Eve of Destruction – (2005)

Official singles and EPs

"Dead or Alive" 7" – (1978)

"You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" 7" & 12" – (1978)

" Twist And Shout/Boys" 7" live at Max's with Jimi LaLumia & The Psychotic Frogs-(1981)

"In Cold Blood" 7" – (1983)

"Hurt Me" 7" – (1984)

"Crawfish 7" & 12" – (1985)

"Que Sera Sera (Whatever Will Be Will Be)" 7" & 12" – (1988)

Unofficial/bootleg albums

Hey Man Where Is My Guitar – (1983)

Pipeline – (1983)

So All Alone – (1983)

Wanted: Dead or Alive Reward $10 – (1983)

Cosa Nostra Never Sleeps – (1984) – recorded on June, 1983 at Folkets Park, Södertälje, Sweden.

Play with Fire – (1984)

There's a Little Bit of Whore in Every Girl – (1984)

Schneckentaenze – (1985)

Lucky Strikes Back – (1987) – recorded at Nihon Seinenkan, Tokyo, Japan on July 8, 1986.

Diary of a Gypsy Lover – (1996) – contains material from 4 different sources: alternate takes from the ''In Cold Blood'' studio session (tracks 1-6); tracks that were originally released as a Japanese 7" single called Critics Choice (7-9); material from "Live at The Rat", Boston, 1983 (10-15); and material from a radio show done in 1991 (16-23).

Johnny on the Rocks – (1996)

Live Crisis – (1996)

Fuck Off Marquee – (1997)

Countdown Love (Demos & Unreleased Live) – (1999)

The Party Ain't Over Yet – (2005)

Unofficial/bootleg singles and EPs

Proud to Be Pirate EP – (1983)

Ain't Superstitious 7" – (1987)

Critic's Choice 7" – (1992)

Daddy Rollin' Stone 7" – (1996)

Life Goes On 7" – (1996)

Countdown Love 7" – (1997)

The Fireball EP – (1999)

The Thunderbolt EP – (1999)

It's Great When You're Straight, Yeah EP – (2000)

The Reign 7" Zippered up heart (rec. 1967) – (Norton Records 2000)

Musical tributes

Thunders has had numerous bands paying tribute or mentioning him in their songs, while he was alive and after his death.

The Clash mentioned Thunders in the lyric from their song "City Of The Dead", singing "'Don't you know where to cop?'/That's what New York Johnny said/'You should get to know your town/Just like I know mine'" and on the song "Safe European Home", where they sing "'How many local dollars for a local anaesthetic?/The Johnny on the corner was a very sympathetic'."

Michael Monroe of Hanoi Rocks covered "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" on his first solo LP called ''Nights Are So Long''.

Alison Gordy of Blonde and Blue (and former backup singer for Johnny) recorded "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory" on their CD ''Mad As Hell''.

Recently, Gibson.com ranked Thunders #2 on its "Punk Rock's 10 Mightiest Guitar Gods" list.

Then-Guns N' Roses bassist Duff McKagan wrote the song "So Fine", which was dedicated to Thunders. The song appears on the album ''Use Your Illusion II''. Also, in 1993, Guns N' Roses covered Thunders' song "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory" on their cover album, ''"The Spaghetti Incident?"'', with McKagan performing vocals and playing all instruments.

Willy DeVille wrote a song called "Chemical Warfare" which appeared on his 1992 album ''Backstreets of Desire''. "Chemical Warfare" was dedicated to Johnny Thunders with whom DeVille shared a long-time friendship. DeVille was first to arrive at the hotel the day of Johnny's death.

At their reunion shows, the New York Dolls have been performing "You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory", with member Sylvain Sylvain singing the lead vocal and sometimes changing the title lyric to "I can't put my arms around you, Johnny."

On the Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds double album, ''Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus'', Johnny Thunders is mentioned in the song "There She Goes my Beautiful World", singing "...And Johnny Thunders was half alive when he wrote 'Chinese Rocks'"(although Johnny performed and recorded 'Chinese Rocks' it was written by his friend and fellow punk rocker Dee Dee Ramone).

English rock band the Dogs D'Amour released a song about Thunders titled "Johnny Silvers" on their ''...More Unchartered Heights of Disgrace'' album.

The Replacements included a song about Johnny Thunders, "Johnny's Gonna Die", on their first album. The Mats also had a song called "Dose of Thunder" on their "Tim" album.

Alex Chilton in his song "Bangkok" sings the lines "I'm not living on Chinese rocks, I'm in Bangkok." A small tribute and allusion to Johnny Thunders.

Die Toten Hosen paid tribute to Johnny Thunders by including the line "So lange Johnny Thunders lebt, so lang bleib ich ein Punk" ("As long as Johnny Thunders lives I'll stay a punk") in their song "Wort zum Sonntag". After his death Die Toten Hosen changed the lyrics to "Hey, Johnny kannst du uns grad' seh'n, wir vergessen dich nicht - wir werden überall von dir erzählen damit dein Name ewig weiterlebt." ("Hey, Johnny can you see us right now, we won't forget you - we'll tell everywhere about you for your name 'll live on eternally.")

The Murder City Devils named a song "Johnny Thunders" on their album ''Empty Bottles, Broken Hearts''.

Iggy Pop wrote a tribute song for Johnny entitled "Look Away" on the album ''Naughty Little Doggie''. It also involves his love affair with Sable Starr.

"Everything I Wanted" by Australian band Wallspace features the line "Don't you wish you had a name like Johnny Thunder".

Spanish label Munster Records released ''Again ... This One's For Johnny'' in 2001, a tribute record which includes bands as Ramones, Ronnie Spector, Nikki Sudden or Atom Rhumba

Vic Godard & the Subway Sect had a single titled "Johnny Thunders" which was released in September 1992 by Rough Trade records.

Napalm Beach played on at least two bills in the 1980s with the Heartbreakers in Portland in Seattle. Three days before Thunders passed away, the band had breakfast with Thunders in a Berlin hotel, where Thunders autographed bandleader Chris Newman's passport "all my love and admiration." In 1993 Napalm Beach released a cover of "Chatterbox" for a Johnny Thunders Tribute compilation put together by Tim Kerr Records. The single featured a photo of the autograph next to a photo of a guitar Napalm Beach bassist Otis P. Otis had gotten from Thunders in an earlier trade. The last meeting with Thunders was alluded to in the Napalm Beach song "Longtime Johnny" on their 1993 album, Curiosities.

Slaughter & the Dogs had a track titled "Johnny T" allegedly about Thunders which was the b-side to their single "Dame to Blame".

In the "Call of the Yeti" episode of "The Mighty Boosh" Naboo tells Vince "Vince, you're a punk, stay punk! Think of Johnny Thunders, Mick and Keith!" when they are threatened to be raped by Hippy yetis.

Paul Westerberg released an album in August 2008 entitled "49:00" which contains a track about Johnny entitled "Devil Raised A Good Boy".

Anarcho punk band Kronstadt Uprising became more influenced by Johnny Thunders (and glam rock generally) later in their existence.

Chinese punk rock band Joyside's "Neptune Child" is in tribute of Stiv Bators and Johnny Thunders.

When doing their cover of The Rolling Stones song Dead Flowers. JB Beverley and The Wayward Drifters substitute the line, "and another girl to take my pain away", with, "with my Johnny Thunders records taking all this pain away".

American label Skykrebs Records Limited released Born To Lose: A Tribute To Johnny Thunders in 2009, a 3CD Boxed Set of various artists featuring 51 songs and a 36 page full color booklet. Guest stars include Richie Cannata (saxophone player from Billy Joel), Steve Holley (drummer from Wings), Buddy Bowzer (saxophone player from The New York Dolls), Andy Shernoff (bass player from The Dictators) and Jeff Magnum (bass player from The Dead Boys).

John Waite references Johnny in his song "Downtown" from his ''Temple Bar'' CD. In the song, the lyric "Johnny Thunders on the Radio, ah You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory".

References

External links

The Johnny Thunders 'Chatterbox' Fan Forum

Streaming video posting of "Born To Lose: The Last Rock N' Roll Movie"

The Official 'Chatterbox Forum' Pandora Radio Station

Article from NY Rock Magazine

Johnny Thunders Cyber Lounge (not updated since 2001)

Johnny Thunders info – Diary-based site

Johnny Thunders – Lonely Planet Boy

Johnny Thunders in England

Johnny Thunders Best

Johnny Thunders at Find a Grave

Category:The New York Dolls members Category:1952 births Category:1991 deaths Category:Lead guitarists Category:American punk rock guitarists Category:American punk rock singers Category:Reachout International Records recording artists Category:American people of Sicilian descent Category:Protopunk musicians

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