Today in Labor History April 23, 1991: Johnny Thunders died, either from a drug overdose or by homicide. Thunders sang and played guitar with the New York Dolls, with the Heartbreakers, and solo. In their early days, the Dolls worked with Malcolm McLaren, who modeled the Sex Pistols after them. Thunders left the Dolls in 1975, blaming Malcolm McLaren for their demise, and then formed the Heartbreakers, with former Television bassist Richard Hell (who later formed the Voidoids and recorded the classic, Blank Generation). I was fortunate enough to see Johnny Thunders perform before solo he died (or misfortunate, depending on your perspective). It was in New York City, at a small club. He announced to us that he was finally clean and then proceeded to fall off his stool several times. https://youtu.be/KJpDXVMxzpc

#workingclass #LaborHistory #punk #NewYorkDolls #johnnythunders #glamrock

35 years ago today
Remembering John Anthony Genzale aka Johnny Thunders, American rock and roll / punk rock guitarist, member of the New York Dolls and member of The Heartbreakers, died on this day in 1991

📸 Maria Resnick

#punk #punks #punkrock #johnnythunders #history #punkrockhistory #otd

Ted Tocks Covers - Year 9 - Day 17

Human Being

Remembering David Johansen and the New York Dolls!

“In fact I’m talking about the human race
You’re trying to cover up the big disgrace”

#newyorkdolls #davidjohansen #johnnythunders #Sylvain#Sylvain #arthurkane #jerrynolan #billymurcia #muddywaters #williedixon #sonnyboywilliamson #BillDoggett #morrissey #gunsnroses

https://tedtockscovers.wordpress.com/2026/02/28/human-being-gleeful-sleaziness-and-reckless-sound-musicislife-tedtockscovers-newyorkdolls-davidjohansen/

48 years ago today
Johnny Thunders and Walter Lure of the Heartbreakers at the Bataclan (a place that became a sad focus decades later), Paris, December 8, 1977

#punk #punks #punkrock #johnnythunders #walterlure #heartbreakers #history #punkrockhistory #otd

#NowPlaying #FalsettoFriday

Junkie #falsetto? I say unequivocally this is a thing (plus, there's medical research: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0892199724004478).

Examples include #KeithRichards in the #RollingStones' "Coming Down Again", or #DaveKusworth's work with #NikkiSudden in #TheJacobites . . . or better still, those solo acoustic turns by #JohnnyThunders. For a while Johnny's voice got so jaundiced and gossamer-thin, you'd think his vocal folds had been replaced by corn husks! But it's what he left us, utterly affective, part and parcel to his essential beauty. Miss him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6nTuNu-JOq4&list=RD6nTuNu-JOq4&start_radio=1

JOHNNY THUNDERS
Que Sera, Sera
1985 UK pressing

Been a while for this one.

Not a GREAT album, but not a bad one either. It’s nowhere on the level of his old band New York Dolls, but it’s worth re-visiting.

Thunders used a reggae band (The Black Cats) for this, which is odd, because there’s not really a reggae vibe to be found until the last song on the first side, “Cool Operator”.

There’s some classic sounding Thunders here, though, particularly on “A Little Bit Of Whore”, and there’s some backing vocals on the album closer “Endless Party” by Stiv Bators of The Dead Boys.

#vinyl #vinylrecords #vinylcommunity #vinylcollection #retro #vintage #art #music #punk #glam #reggae #johnnythunders #1980s #80s #80sMusic