Johnny Thunders: Rock Around The Drugs (1982)

A 1982 profile of Johnny Thunders where music is second only to drug use as the hot topic of discussion.

Curated by Whitney Weiss

Total Runtime: 0:18:33

Johnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. (July 15, 1952 – April 23, 1991), was an American rock and roll/punk rock guitarist, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence in the early '70s as a member of the New York Dolls. He later played with Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers and as a solo artist. His first musical performance 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.

In 1968, Thunders began going to the Fillmore East on weekends. 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 clothes on Carnaby Street. Toward the end of 1970 he started hanging out at Nobodys, a 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, after firing Rivets and adding David Johansen, Sylvain Sylvain and Billy Murcia, became the New York Dolls. At this time John Genzale renamed himself Johnny Thunders, after the DC comic book figure.

The New York Dolls were signed to Mercury Records, with the help A&R man Paul Nelson. Thunders recorded two albums with 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, though Johansen and Sylvain continued playing, along with Peter Jordon, Tony Machine and Chris Robison, as the New York Dolls, until late 1977. Their early recordings are still in print and continue to influence young musicians.

Thunders formed Johnny Thunders & Heartbreakers with former New York Dolls drummer Jerry Nolan, and former Television bassist Richard Hell. Walter Lure, former guitarist for The Demons was soon added. 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 the band, the Heartbreakers toured America before going to Britain to join the Sex Pistols, The Clash and {the Damned} on the now-legendary Anarchy Tour, replacing the Ramones, who had quit the tour due to a lack of organization. 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 were signed to Track Records and released their only official studio album, LAMF, an abbreviation for "Like A Mother Fucker". LAMF was poorly received by critics and fans alike, due to technical problems in mastering the record. Displeased with the production, the band members were soon competing with one other, mixing and remixing the record, culminating in drummer Jerry Nolan quitting in November 1977. Shortly thereafter, the Heartbreakers officially disbanded.

Thunders stayed in London and recorded the first of 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. The CD version of the album contains four bonus tracks, including the single "Dead or Alive". Soon afterwards, Thunders moved back to the US, joining former Heartbreakers 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. Zodiac Records released an EP of their demos in 1987. In 1990 they also released an LP titled Gang War, which was credited to Thunders and Kramer. Bootlegs of their demos and live performances remain in circulation.

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, Thunders released Que Sera Sera, a collection of new songs. Three years later he teamed up with former Snatch vocalist, Patti Palladin, and former Only Ones guitarist John Perry to record "Copy Cats", a covers album.

From August 1988 until his death in April 1991, Thunders performed with a band known as The Oddballs, with Jamie Heath (saxophone), Alison Gordy (vocals), Chris Musto (drums), Stevie Klasson (guitar) and Jill Wisoff (bass). 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.

Johnny Thunders: Rock Around The Drugs (1982)

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