Last week came the shocking news that David Johansen has been privately battling stage 4 cancer for a decade and a brain tumour for the past five years. He's been forced to go public with his condition since breaking his back in two places following a fall in November, leaving him bedridden and incapacitated. His daughter has created a site to raise funds for full-time nursing, physical therapy and day-to-day living expenses. The immediate outpouring of love and good wishes from all corners of social media has been heart-warming to see and is a testament to the high esteem Johansen is held in throughout the music world.
I have enough miles on the clock to have seen the legendary Old Grey Whistle Test performance by The New York Dolls in 1973 when it originally aired. I was 13 years old at the time and it scared and excited me in equal measure. I followed Johansen into his post-Dolls career, particularly his first three solo albums. The second of those, 1979's 'In Style', is my favourite. It's a Mick Ronson co-production, an unashamedly commercial record, a little of its time perhaps, but chock-full of big hooks and catchy choruses. Sending you all my best David.
3 comments:
There’s a seam that runs all the way thru/from the Dolls, Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, Kiss et al in the US across the pond to all things glam in the UK; which then fed straight into punk and the new wave. Johansen’s role in this seismic sequence of events cannot be overstated. He became the template for rock and roll frontmen the world over. So sad to see him in such reduced circumstances.
JM
Very moving and so sad, thanks for the link TS. A stark reminder too of how fortunate we are here in that we would get all this care for free - how lucky are we. Love your description of seeing the OGWT performance at the time it was first broadcast, it must have been thrilling. I never tire of seeing it, such a feast for the eyes and ears.
Playing today's tracks and yesterday's choices I confess to preferring Soft Machine.
Post a Comment