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 residence 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 almost a decade of sickness.”
Johansen had been battling stage 4 most cancers and a mind tumor, and had stored the scenario personal for a variety of 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 disclose his analysis 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 a long-lasting legacy on rock music, influencing subsequent teams like Intercourse Pistols, Kiss, Aerosmith, Inexperienced Day, and plenty of extra. In reality, the band’s many spinoff initiatives helped lay the muse of New York’s punk scene, paving the way in which for a era of artists that included Speaking Heads, Blondie, and others.
Later in life, Johansen would mirror 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 modern energy and lasting impact the band had on well-liked music. Chatting with Terry Gross in 2004, he mentioned, “We simply needed to make an explosion of pleasure. So, that’s what was lacking. Rock ‘n’ roll had turn into very type of pedantic and meandering, and it was on the lookout for one thing, but it surely was like an actor searching for a play or one thing, you realize?”
In that very same interview, he defined to Gross that the Dolls had a sure popularity within the annals of rock historical past. “[They] all the time say, ‘They have been trashy. They have been flashy. They have been drug addicts. They have 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 spotted that, you realize, it truly is artwork,” he mentioned.
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 Type in 1979, Right here Comes the Evening in 1981, and Candy Revenge in 1984.
Within the early ‘80s, too, he started one other challenge dedicated to conventional pop, soar 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 challenge by chance struck gold along with his cowl of Arrow’s “Sizzling Sizzling Sizzling,” which went on to turn into a staple of karaoke nights, weddings, yard luaus, Jimmy Buffett exhibits, and extra. In his 2004 interview with Gross, he known as the tune “the bane” of his life.
Via 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 extra 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 last years, Johansen stored a comparatively low profile, however continued working. In 2023, he was the topic of a documentary directed by Martin Scorsese, Persona Disaster: One Evening Solely.
For extra, watch the movies for New York Dolls’ “Persona Disaster” and Buster Poindexter’s “Sizzling Sizzling Sizzling” under.
