Godspeed David Johansen

David Johansen, the lead singer of The New York Dolls who also recorded jump blues, swing, and novelty songs as Buster Poindexter, died on February 28 2025 at the age of 75 from cancer.

David Johansen was born on Staten Island on January 9 1950. In the late Sixties he sang with the local Staten Island band The Vagabond Missionaries. He appeared in plays for Charles Ludlum's Ridiculous Theatrical Company. It was bassist Arthur "Killer" Kane and drummer Billy Murcia who approached David Johansen about joining their band The New York Dolls. The band's name was taken from the New York Doll Hospital, a doll repair shop in New York City.

The New York Dolls took glam rock to the extreme, not only wearing makeup, but satin and high heels as well. As to their music, it was proto-punk or outright punk. The band developed a cult following in New York City. They even opened for Rod Stewart when he played in London. It was in London, at only 21 years of age, that drummer Billy Murcia died of an overdose. They signed with Mercury Records in March 1973.

Ultimately, The New York Dolls would not last long. They recorded two albums for Mercury: their self-titled debut album in 1973 and Too Much Too Soon in 1974. By 1975 problems had developed in the band. There were artistic differences between the members. Drugs and alcohol were also taking their toll on some members. Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan left the band. David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain continued The New York Dolls with new members (among them Steve Duren, later Blackie Lawless of W.A.S.P.). In August 1975 their contract with Mercury ended. They played their last show at Max's Kansas City in New York City on December 30 1976, sharing a bill with Blondie.

After the dissolution of The New York Dolls, David Johansen formed The David Johansen Group and released a self-titled solo album in 1978. It was followed by the album In Style in 1979, Here Comes the Night in 1981, and Sweet Revenge in 1984. There were also two live albums.

It was in the late Eighties that David Johansen created the alter ego of Buster Poindexter. Buster Poindexter would have a minor hit with "Hot Hot Hot," which went to no. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100. There would be four Buster Poindexter albums,  Buster Poindexter (1987),  Buster Goes Berserk (1989), Buster's Happy Hour (1994), and Buster's Spanish Rocketship (1997).

David Johansen formed the band The Harry Smiths, named for Harry Everett Smith, who compiled the Anthology of American Folk Music. They released two albums, David Johansen and The Harry Smiths in 2000 and Shaker in 2002. It was in 2004 that David Johansen reunited with Killer Kane and Sylvain Sylvain for a tour of The New York Dolls. Unfortunately, Killer Kane died not long after their reunion concert. The New York Dolls recorded a new album,  One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This, released in 2006. It would be followed by two more albums, Cause I Sez So in 2009 and in Dancing Backward in High Heels in 2011. The band eventually broke up one last time. Sylvain Sylvain died in 2021.

David Johansen also had an acting career. He appeared as a singer at a party in an episode of Miami Vice in 1985. In the late Eighties he appeared on the TV show The Equalizer and in the movies Candy Mountain (1987), Married to the Mob (1988), Scrooged (1988), Let It Ride (1989), Tales From the Darkside, The Movie (1990).

In the Nineties he appeared on the TV shows The Adventures of Pete and Pete, CBS Schoolbreak Special, Cupid, and Oz. He appeared in the movies Desire and Hell at Sunset Motel (1991), Freejack (1992), Mr. Nanny (1993), Naked in New York (1993), Car 54, Where Are You? (1994), Buntzy's Last Call (1995), Nick and Jane (1997), The Deli (1997), The Tic Code (1998), and 200 Cigarettes (1999). He was a voice in the animated movie Cats Don't Dance (1997).

In the Naughts David Johansen guest starred on the TV show Deadline and was a guest voice on Arena and Centaurworld. He appeared in the special A Very Murray Christmas. He appeared in the movies Campfire Stories (2001), God is on Their Side (2002), and Crooked Lines (2003). In the Teens he appeared in the movies Glass Chin (2014) and Above the Shadows (2019).

The New York Dolls appeared only briefly on the scene in the Seventies, yet they had an enormous influence. Their style was a blend of the blues influenced rock of The Rolling Stones, the raw garage rock of The Stooges, the pop sensibility of T. Rex, and the girl groups of the Sixties. What they performed has been termed proto-punk, although an argument can be made that The New York Dolls were already playing punk before the term became common. Regardless, they would have a lasting impact on punk and heavy metal, influencing such diverse groups as  Richard Hell and The Voidoids,  The Damned, The Stilettos, The Brats,  Hanoi Rocks,  and even Guns 'n' Roses.

Much of The New York Dolls' impact was due to David Johansen, who wrote nearly all of their songs. What is more remarkable is that David Johansen was very versatile when it came to music styles. Not only did he pioneer punk rock with The New York Dolls, but as Buster Poindexter he performed everything from jump blues to swing to jazz. It could even be argued that as Buster Poindexter, David Johansen helped spur the Swing Revival of the Nineties.  Few music artists have the influence that David Johansen did. It was because he was a major talent.