30 who were inspired: Fans, musicians, professional rock critics from the time, and record buyers. David was the last New York Doll to make it home. Together, we remember his music, talent, & heart.💝
IKR?!? As I wondered aloud to someone else here, I wonder if other musicians' passing has engendered such an outpouring of written rememberies! Even if I had wanted to add my dos centavos, I'd-a looked and said, "Dang! Looks like they've all got it covered!"
But, I'm more than proud of my first week's 'Stack effort, linked here, which says all I'd want to say about David and all his Dolls, especially from such an of-the-moment time and so long in their awe-inspiring presence!😁👍🎵
I feel like that one will read a bit different if it's the first you read of mine (like, "huh. Really? Well, OK....that was odd.") vs. after you've read dozens or hundreds of pieces of mine, and then get to that one: "Yep, that's SO Brad! That's JUST what he would do!"😎
Thank you for the shout out Brad. From the Dolls to Buster Poindexter to his solo albums and the Harry Smiths, David Johansen was a unique man with a generous vision. He is Mr. New York. He rolled down his sleeves, his arms and his voice and let us not forget his fabulous HAIR! We were all on the list, yet we would line up anyway, our thumbs out, looking for a way to get to the Johansen Expressway to our hearts and skulls.
My certain pleasure, Dennis! He shoulda known (and his fans should know) that his heart, music, and soul even touched the heart and soul of folks as far away as Texas (HAD to be more than just me!).....They say "never meet your heroes," but, I was fortunate enough (through their friendliness and sweetness) to spend two remarkable Texas weekends with him and them! You're always welcome, FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE, Dennis!
My pleasure, Charles........especially when it arrived by that rare-to-all-of-us brainstorm that instantly solved that "What will I publish this weekend?" dilemma! The bonus was seeing how so many of our fellow writers wanted to leave their memories of David and his music in their work! I wonder if that volume of tributes emerges every time a person of note passes.
Certainly my pleasure, Keith! It's cool to see just how many of us came to the same inspirational motivation to give David a right proper send-off! Some might call it a coincidence....but, regular readers know how much I love and cherish "musical serendipity"! It's on display, gloriously, here! Thanks for your contribution!😁👍🎵
Honored to be mentioned in such esteemed company and it's comforting to read all these different posts. David's passing seddened me more than I could have imagined. Something special just disappeared. When the great songwriter David Olney died at the beginning of the pandemic, and I was grieving, my son, who was still in high school then, said, "I just thought he'd always be there in the background doing interesting things." And I knew just what he meant---sometimes it's a comfort just to know that certain people exist, and I think that's how I felt about David.❤️
What a beautiful tribute, and how generous of you to give exposure to other writers (while this shouldn’t surprise anyone, coming from you, I think it’s important to say it). Nice work, my friend!
Thank you Brad Kyle, for the kind words and sweet link to my story. I don't suppose the Dolls ever made it to Houston. Good thing, they were prone to really screwing up outside New York. They flunked the mainstream test by bombing in Detroit, which was the key to success for America. "If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere," which was Detroit Rock City.
You're most welcome, Wayne! Happy to tub-thump the "CC"! I'd heard about the outside-NYC downward trend (!), but Liberty Hall was their downtown home for their Space City tour stop (see my linked story, here, about my 2 Texas weekends with the lads, including giving them a tour of the suburban, 3-story Galleria mall on a Saturday afternoon)!
My Houston show memories were nothing but positive (I was 18 and wide-eyed)! David threw a veritable complete deck of cards into the crowd at one point, and I scurried hurriedly (pretty much the best, if not the only way to scurry!) to pick up what ended up being around 7 or 8! How do I know? I had the massive Mercury B&W cover promo poster (WHICH I TOOK WITH ME!!), and took it back to have them all sign it (including Peter Jordan...how many 'graphs did he end up signing? He was fun to chat with, although, of the bunch, I gravitated to Killer's lower-key vibe, and he and I kinda buddied-up by my second weekend with them).
So, with a fully-signed gargantuan poster, I made a "craft project" out of it.....carefully taping my handful of fanned-out playing cards onto the poster in one non-autographed corner! Like everything else in my vast collection, I sold it on eBay around the turn of the century (can't recall the final price).
Frankly, Wayne, from a personal stand-point, they were all so sweet and welcoming (to the point of Syl asking me what they could do to pass the time on their free Saturday in Houston), that they were quite responsible for me feeling so comfortable and accepted with The Ramones (to where they invited me to their hotel room) and Tom Robinson (whom I drove, ALONE) in my car from his Houston gig to another downtown Houston club so he could jam, onstage, with some friends of mine (local punkers, The Plastic Idols)!
David and his friends were the best, and will always be fondly remembered.💝
Thank you, Chris…….I started to notice one, then another………..”Hey!”
Yep, I hadn’t seen the weather forecast a coupla days ago….but, apparently, a brainstorm was forecast!! I fought off the initial, inevitable “Naaaaah”s, but glad I persevered…..David woulda liked that.
Truth. I noticed the same thing. So I only gave a short “thank you” since so many others had a closer touch.
“The recent passing of David Johansen, frontman of the New York Dolls, hit hard for music lovers everywhere. His iconic voice and rebellious spirit defined an era. I’ll always remember blasting “Dance Like a Monkey” on my “RnR Playhouse” playlist for my kids—my sneaky way of mixing kid-friendly energy with non-kid music. A legend forever.”
This is a scream, Chris! Gotta say, I missed that album (but was aware of its existence) at the time, but I always loved that title! I can see how kids would find that video an all-out hoot! Thanks for sharing it!
It’s too bad David Johansen’s death (and life) didn’t inspire any writers or musicians….😆
IKR?!? As I wondered aloud to someone else here, I wonder if other musicians' passing has engendered such an outpouring of written rememberies! Even if I had wanted to add my dos centavos, I'd-a looked and said, "Dang! Looks like they've all got it covered!"
But, I'm more than proud of my first week's 'Stack effort, linked here, which says all I'd want to say about David and all his Dolls, especially from such an of-the-moment time and so long in their awe-inspiring presence!😁👍🎵
Yes, it’s a great piece! One of the first I read of your epic archive!
I feel like that one will read a bit different if it's the first you read of mine (like, "huh. Really? Well, OK....that was odd.") vs. after you've read dozens or hundreds of pieces of mine, and then get to that one: "Yep, that's SO Brad! That's JUST what he would do!"😎
Thank you for the shout out Brad. From the Dolls to Buster Poindexter to his solo albums and the Harry Smiths, David Johansen was a unique man with a generous vision. He is Mr. New York. He rolled down his sleeves, his arms and his voice and let us not forget his fabulous HAIR! We were all on the list, yet we would line up anyway, our thumbs out, looking for a way to get to the Johansen Expressway to our hearts and skulls.
My certain pleasure, Dennis! He shoulda known (and his fans should know) that his heart, music, and soul even touched the heart and soul of folks as far away as Texas (HAD to be more than just me!).....They say "never meet your heroes," but, I was fortunate enough (through their friendliness and sweetness) to spend two remarkable Texas weekends with him and them! You're always welcome, FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE, Dennis!
Thank you for compiling these Brad!
My pleasure, Charles........especially when it arrived by that rare-to-all-of-us brainstorm that instantly solved that "What will I publish this weekend?" dilemma! The bonus was seeing how so many of our fellow writers wanted to leave their memories of David and his music in their work! I wonder if that volume of tributes emerges every time a person of note passes.
Thanks so much for this and including my piece. I look forward to reading the others.
You're most welcome, Margaret! You're in for a memory treat with everyone's tributes! Enjoy!
Thanks for compiling all these tributes to David Jo, and thank you for including mine 🙂
Happy to do it, Theresa! It's fun to see how many great minds think alike!🌟🎼🎙💿🙏
He was an original. Thanks for including me.
Certainly my pleasure, Keith! It's cool to see just how many of us came to the same inspirational motivation to give David a right proper send-off! Some might call it a coincidence....but, regular readers know how much I love and cherish "musical serendipity"! It's on display, gloriously, here! Thanks for your contribution!😁👍🎵
Honored to be mentioned in such esteemed company and it's comforting to read all these different posts. David's passing seddened me more than I could have imagined. Something special just disappeared. When the great songwriter David Olney died at the beginning of the pandemic, and I was grieving, my son, who was still in high school then, said, "I just thought he'd always be there in the background doing interesting things." And I knew just what he meant---sometimes it's a comfort just to know that certain people exist, and I think that's how I felt about David.❤️
Well said, Cynthia, and I think you speak for many of us! Thanks for subscribing, and welcome, FRONT ROW & BACKSTAGE!
What a beautiful tribute, and how generous of you to give exposure to other writers (while this shouldn’t surprise anyone, coming from you, I think it’s important to say it). Nice work, my friend!
Thank you, Andy, for the kind words, and always for the support and encouragement!🤗
Thank you Brad Kyle, for the kind words and sweet link to my story. I don't suppose the Dolls ever made it to Houston. Good thing, they were prone to really screwing up outside New York. They flunked the mainstream test by bombing in Detroit, which was the key to success for America. "If you can make it there, you can make it anywhere," which was Detroit Rock City.
You're most welcome, Wayne! Happy to tub-thump the "CC"! I'd heard about the outside-NYC downward trend (!), but Liberty Hall was their downtown home for their Space City tour stop (see my linked story, here, about my 2 Texas weekends with the lads, including giving them a tour of the suburban, 3-story Galleria mall on a Saturday afternoon)!
My Houston show memories were nothing but positive (I was 18 and wide-eyed)! David threw a veritable complete deck of cards into the crowd at one point, and I scurried hurriedly (pretty much the best, if not the only way to scurry!) to pick up what ended up being around 7 or 8! How do I know? I had the massive Mercury B&W cover promo poster (WHICH I TOOK WITH ME!!), and took it back to have them all sign it (including Peter Jordan...how many 'graphs did he end up signing? He was fun to chat with, although, of the bunch, I gravitated to Killer's lower-key vibe, and he and I kinda buddied-up by my second weekend with them).
So, with a fully-signed gargantuan poster, I made a "craft project" out of it.....carefully taping my handful of fanned-out playing cards onto the poster in one non-autographed corner! Like everything else in my vast collection, I sold it on eBay around the turn of the century (can't recall the final price).
Frankly, Wayne, from a personal stand-point, they were all so sweet and welcoming (to the point of Syl asking me what they could do to pass the time on their free Saturday in Houston), that they were quite responsible for me feeling so comfortable and accepted with The Ramones (to where they invited me to their hotel room) and Tom Robinson (whom I drove, ALONE) in my car from his Houston gig to another downtown Houston club so he could jam, onstage, with some friends of mine (local punkers, The Plastic Idols)!
David and his friends were the best, and will always be fondly remembered.💝
Brad, my apologies. You with the Dolls at the Galleria was one of the first stories you told me, or that I read by you.
Ain’t no thang, Wayne…..I wanted a reason to point new readers to it! Plus, it gave me a chance to flesh out that wild poster story!😎
Thank you for putting this together!
Thank you, Chris…….I started to notice one, then another………..”Hey!”
Yep, I hadn’t seen the weather forecast a coupla days ago….but, apparently, a brainstorm was forecast!! I fought off the initial, inevitable “Naaaaah”s, but glad I persevered…..David woulda liked that.
Truth. I noticed the same thing. So I only gave a short “thank you” since so many others had a closer touch.
“The recent passing of David Johansen, frontman of the New York Dolls, hit hard for music lovers everywhere. His iconic voice and rebellious spirit defined an era. I’ll always remember blasting “Dance Like a Monkey” on my “RnR Playhouse” playlist for my kids—my sneaky way of mixing kid-friendly energy with non-kid music. A legend forever.”
PS that video was fun! My kids loved it.
Thanks for adding your tribute, Chris.....much appreciated!
https://youtu.be/8_XEiV-l97o?si=VhGjdIL4PbVJm3uQ
This is a scream, Chris! Gotta say, I missed that album (but was aware of its existence) at the time, but I always loved that title! I can see how kids would find that video an all-out hoot! Thanks for sharing it!