David Roger Johansen (born January 9 1950) is an
AmericanThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
rockRock and roll is a genre of popular music that evolved in the United States after World War II in the late 1940s, from a combination of the rhythms of the blues, from the African American culture, and from America's country music and gospel music scenes...
,
protopunkProtopunk is a term used retrospectively to describe a number of music artists who were important precursors of the punk rock movement of the mid-1970s and later, or who have been cited by early punk musicians as influential....
,
bluesBlues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre created within the African-American communities in the Deep South of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and
popPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
singer, as well as a
songwriterA songwriter is someone who writes the lyrics, as well as the musical composition or melody to songs. One who writes only lyrics is a lyricist, while one who writes only music is a composer.-History and background of songwriters:...
and
actorAn actor or actress is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
. He was a member of the seminal
protopunkProtopunk is a term used retrospectively to describe a number of music artists who were important precursors of the punk rock movement of the mid-1970s and later, or who have been cited by early punk musicians as influential....
band The
New York DollsThe New York Dolls are an American rock band, formed in New York City in 1971. In 2004 the band reformed with three of their original members, two of whom, David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain, continue on today and have released two records of new material...
and also achieved commercial success under the
pseudonymA pseudonym is a fictitious name used by a person, or sometimes, a group.Pseudonyms are often used to hide an individual's real identity, as with writers' pen names, graffiti artists, resistance fighters' or terrorists' noms de guerre and computer hackers' handles. Actors, musicians, and other...
Buster Poindexter.
Early life
Johansen was born in the New York City borough of Staten Island,
New YorkNew York is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous. The state is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, to a librarian mother and an insurance sales representative father. Johansen's family was
CatholicThe word Catholic is derived from the Greek adjective , meaning "universal". In the context of Christian ecclesiology, it has a rich history and several usages. For some, the term "Catholic Church" refers to the church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome, made up of the Latin Rite and the 22...
; his mother was
Irish AmericanIrish Americans are citizens of the United States who trace their ancestry to Ireland. A total of 36,495,800 Americans reported Irish ancestry in the 2006 American Community Survey. The only self-reported ancestral group larger than Irish Americans are German Americans...
and his father
Norwegian AmericanNorwegian Americans are Americans of Norwegian descent. Norwegian immigrants went to the United States primarily in the later half of the 19th century and the first few decades of the 20th century. There are more than five million Norwegian Americans according to the most recent U.S...
. When his father was arrested in the fall of 1967 for smuggling 15 pounds of marijuana into the country, David found solace in the music of
MC5KICK OUT THE JAMS The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan in 1964 and active until 1972. They played hard rock music that also included blues-rock, psychedelic rock, rock & roll and garage rock...
and the hope of one day following in the footsteps of his idol,
Mick JaggerSir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is a Golden Globe and Grammy Award winning English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, occasional film producer and actor, best known for his work as lead vocalist and frontman of The Rolling Stones.The Rolling Stones started in the early 1960s as a...
. Johansen became an iconic musician in the early period of punk rock, creating a new style that anticipated and helped inspire the punk revolution.
Career
Originally influenced by
Mick JaggerSir Michael Philip "Mick" Jagger is a Golden Globe and Grammy Award winning English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, occasional film producer and actor, best known for his work as lead vocalist and frontman of The Rolling Stones.The Rolling Stones started in the early 1960s as a...
and by Rob Tyner of
MC5KICK OUT THE JAMS The MC5 is an American rock band formed in Lincoln Park, Michigan in 1964 and active until 1972. They played hard rock music that also included blues-rock, psychedelic rock, rock & roll and garage rock...
, Johansen began his career in the early 1970s as the singer in the
protopunkProtopunk is a term used retrospectively to describe a number of music artists who were important precursors of the punk rock movement of the mid-1970s and later, or who have been cited by early punk musicians as influential....
band the
New York DollsThe New York Dolls are an American rock band, formed in New York City in 1971. In 2004 the band reformed with three of their original members, two of whom, David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain, continue on today and have released two records of new material...
. The Dolls only released two albums, their self-titled debut (1973), and
Too Much Too Soon (1974). The bulk of the material was written by Johansen and
guitaristA guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as acoustic guitars, electric guitars, classical guitars and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :...
Johnny ThundersJohnny Thunders, born John Anthony Genzale, Jr. , was an Italian American rock and roll/protopunk guitarist, singer and songwriter....
. The Dolls were critics' darlings with a modest cult following, but their failure to break commercially is often attributed to their being ahead of their time .
Drugs played a role in the departure of Thunders and drummer
Jerry NolanJerry Nolan was an American punk rock drummer, best known for playing with The New York Dolls and The Heartbreakers.-Career:...
from the band in 1975. Bass player
Arthur KaneArthur Kane was a musician best known as the bassist for the pioneering glam punk band the New York Dolls. He stated in the 2004 documentary film New York Doll that his nickname, Arthur "Killer" Kane, was inspired by an early New York Dolls concert newspaper review in which the journalist...
also departed at around this time. Johansen and
Sylvain SylvainSylvain Sylvain is a rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.He was born in, Cairo, Egypt to a Jewish family with one brother and one sister, Leon and Brigitte, but raised in New York City, where his family had moved after living on Lafayette Avenue in Buffalo, New...
hired new musicians and continued under the name New York Dolls for a short time, disbanding the group on their return from a tour of Japan in August 1975. In early 1977, Johansen embarked on a
soloIn music, a solo is a piece or a section of a piece played or sung by a single performer...
career. His first two
albumAn album or record album is a collection of related audio or music tracks distributed to the public. The most common way is through commercial distribution, although smaller artists will often distribute directly to the public by selling their albums at live concerts or on their websites.-...
s,
David Johansen and
In Style, featured several enduring originals. His fellow ex-Doll
Sylvain SylvainSylvain Sylvain is a rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.He was born in, Cairo, Egypt to a Jewish family with one brother and one sister, Leon and Brigitte, but raised in New York City, where his family had moved after living on Lafayette Avenue in Buffalo, New...
frequently performed with him, and his band covered many Dolls tunes in concert; his live albums
Live It Up and
The David Johansen Group Live document Johansen's reputation as an exceptional concert performer. The studio releases
Here Comes the Night (which includes a signature number, "Heart of Gold") and
Sweet Revenge again showcased his strengths as a writer of new material and featured a guest appearance by jazz saxophone player Big Jay McNeely. A number of the songs on "Here Comes the Night" were co-written with South African musician Blondie Chaplin, who also played guitar and provided background vocals for the album (and who has performed with a number of prominent groups, including the Beach Boys, the Band, and, for the past 10 years, the Rolling Stones).
In the late 1980s, Johansen achieved a commercial breakthrough under the pseudonym Buster Poindexter, accompanied by The Uptown Horns, performing a mixture of
jazzJazz is a musical art form which originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States from a confluence of African and European music traditions....
,
loungeLounge music is a retrospective description of music popular in the 1950s and 1960s encompassing the exotica, easy listening, and space age pop genres. It is a type of mood music meant to evoke in the listeners the feeling of being in a place — a jungle, an island paradise, outer space, et cetera...
,
calypsoCalypso is a style of Afro-Caribbean music which originated in Trinidad and Tobago.- Caribbean history :The islands had a core population of descendants of African slaves and workers and remnants of the indigenes, while colonial masters changed rapidly bringing settlers from France, Spain and the...
, and novelty songs, and appearing as part of the
house bandA house band is a group of musicians, often centrally organized by a band leader, who regularly play an establishment. It is widely used to refer both to the bands who work on entertainment programs on television or radio, and to bands which are the regular performers at a nightclub, especially...
on the television program
Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a weekly late-night sketch comedy and variety show filmed in New York City. It made its debut on October 11, 1975, under a slightly different title. The show features a regular cast of comedy actors, joined by a guest host and musical act...
. As Poindexter he scored his first hit song, "Hot Hot Hot," which in an interview on
National Public RadioNational Public Radio is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to 797 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, signed into law...
's
Fresh AirFresh Air is a radio talk show hosted by Terry Gross, broadcast on National Public Radio stations across the United States. , the show was syndicated to 450 stations and claimed 4.5 million listeners...
he called "the bane of my life," owing to its pervasive popularity. "Hot Hot Hot" was initially written and recorded by
MontserratMontserrat is a British overseas territory located in the Leeward Islands, part of the chain of islands called the Lesser Antilles in the Caribbean Sea. It measures approximately 16 km long and 11 km wide, giving of coastline...
ian-
AntiguanAntiguan may refer to:* Something of, or related to Antigua. See also the country, Antigua and Barbuda.* A person from Antigua, or of Antiguan descent. For information about the Antiguan people, see Demographics of Antigua and Barbuda and Culture of Antigua and Barbuda. For specific Antiguans, see...
Soca Artist
ArrowAlphonsus Celestine Edmund Cassell MBE is a calypso and soca musician who performs under the stage name Arrow, and is regarded as the first superstar of soca.-Biography:...
. As Poindexter, Johansen often appeared with his band The Banshees of Blue. The initial Poindexter releases combined an eclectic selection of cover versions with Johansen's own compositions. Johansen/Poindexter went on to issue
Buster Poindexter's Happy Hour, a CD of songs largely connected with alcohol. Probably his most obviously jazz-influenced release to date, it also leaned towards '50s rock and roll. Following on from that came
Buster Poindexter's Spanish Rocket Ship, a Latin album.
Johansen acted in several films during the 1980s and 1990s, and had a brief role on the HBO drama
OzOz is an American television drama series created by Tom Fontana, who also wrote or co-wrote all of the series' 56 episodes. It was the first one-hour dramatic television series to be produced by premium cable network HBO. Oz aired for six seasons...
. He also appeared in the television series
The Adventures of Pete & PeteThe Adventures of Pete & Pete is an American children's television series produced by Wellsville Pictures and broadcast by Nickelodeon. The show featured humorous and surreal elements in its narrative, and many recurring themes centered on two brothers both named Pete Wrigley, and their various...
in the episode "On Golden Pete," in which he played a park ranger. One of his more memorable roles is that of the wisecracking ghost of Christmas past in
ScroogedScrooged is a 1988 comedy film, a modernization of Charles Dickens' novella, A Christmas Carol. The film was produced and directed by Richard Donner, and the cinematography was by Michael Chapman. The screenplay was written by Mitch Glazer and Michael O'Donoghue...
. He was also in the movie based on the old television series "
Car 54, Where Are You?Car 54, Where Are You? is an American sitcom that ran on NBC from 1961 to 1963. Episodes had various directors, the most recognized being Al De Caprio. Stanley Prager and Nat Hiken also directed several episodes...
". He can also be seen in the
Jim WhiteJim White is a Southern American singer-songwriter and guitarist. White's music can be loosely described as alternative country, but veers off in different, sometimes experimental directions with occasional nods to Tom Waits and the literary narratives of Flannery O'Connor, Cormac McCarthy, and...
documentary filmDocumentary film is a broad category of visual expressions that is based on the attempt, in one fashion or another, to "document" reality. Although "documentary film" originally referred to movies shot on film stock, it has subsequently expanded to include video and digital productions that can...
Searching for the Wrong Eyed Jesus in which he does a version of "Last Kind Words" (by
Geeshie WileyGeeshie Wiley was an obscure female United States blues singer and guitar player. She recorded three disc records in the early 1930s, all now highly sought after and worth a fortune to 78 record collectors...
) while in a motel room.
Johansen then turned to the rendition of country blues with his back-up group, The Harry Smiths. The group was named in tribute to
Harry Everett SmithHarry Everett Smith was an American archivist, ethnomusicologist, student of anthropology, record collector, experimental filmmaker, artist, bohemian and mystic. Smith is a well-known figure in several fields...
, who compiled the
Anthology of American Folk MusicThe Anthology of American Folk Music is a six-album compilation released in 1952 by Folkways Records , comprising eighty-four American folk, blues and country music recordings that were originally issued from 1927 to 1932.Experimental filmmaker and notable eccentric Harry Smith compiled the music...
; "James Alley Blues" and some of the other songs covered on their eponymously titled debut come from the Anthology. Johansen's second album with the Harry Smiths is titled
Shaker. He also had a supporting role with Mick Jagger and Emilio Estevez in the movie
FreejackFreejack is a 1992 science fiction film directed by Geoff Murphy. It stars Emilio Estevez, Mick Jagger, Rene Russo, Jonathan Banks, and Anthony Hopkins. Upon its release in the United States, the film received harsh reviews. The story was adapted from a 1959 novel titled Immortality, Inc. by Robert...
and a supporting role as Looney in the comedy
Let It RideLet It Ride is a 1989 comedy film. It stars Richard Dreyfuss as a normally unsuccessful habitual gambler who experiences a day in which he wins every bet he places. The film was directed by Joe Pytka and written by Nancy Dowd, based on the novel Good Vibes by Jay Cronley.Let It Ride was mostly...
.
Johansen is currently touring with a re-formed version of the
New York DollsThe New York Dolls are an American rock band, formed in New York City in 1971. In 2004 the band reformed with three of their original members, two of whom, David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain, continue on today and have released two records of new material...
. Owing to the success of the tour, in 2006 the Dolls released
One Day It Will Please Us to Remember Even This, their first album in nearly thirty years. It was critic Robert Christgau's choice for album of the year. Johansen hosts a weekly show on
Sirius Satellite RadioSirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in the United States and Canada, owned by Sirius XM Radio. Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and...
while continuing to write and perform.
In October 2007, Johansen participated in “The Staten Island Composers Project,” featuring work by three musicians who call the island home: Mr. Johansen;
Vernon ReidVernon Reid is a British-born American guitarist, songwriter, composer and bandleader. Best known as the founder and primary songwriter of the heavy metal band Living Colour, Reid was named #66 on Rolling Stone magazine's 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time.Critic Steve Huey writes, "[Reid's]...
, founder of the ’80s rock-metal pioneers
Living ColourLiving Colour is an African American funk metal band from New York City, formed in 1983. Stylistically, the band's music is a creative fusion influenced by heavy metal, funk, hard rock, free jazz, hardcore punk and hip hop...
; and
Galt MacDermotGalt MacDermot is a Canadian composer, pianist and writer of musical theatre. He won a Grammy Award for the song "African Waltz" in 1960. His most successful musicals have been Hair and Two Gentlemen of Verona...
, best known as the composer of the musical
HairHair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical is a rock musical with a book and lyrics by James Rado and Gerome Ragni and music by Galt MacDermot. A product of the hippie counter-culture and sexual revolution of the 1960s, several of its songs became anthems of the anti-Vietnam War peace movement...
. The Council on the Arts and Humanities for Staten Island commissioned the program and asked each artist to write 20 minutes of music conveying something of his connection to the island often referred to as New York City’s forgotten borough. Mr. Johansen’s opus, a cinematic and unabashedly romantic Adagio scored mostly for strings, is called “Mara Dreams the Moon Gate of Uncommon Beauty.” Inspired by The Moon Gate of Uncommon Beauty, a round portal between two rockscapes in the Chinese Scholar’s Garden at the Staten Island Botanical Gardens. In September 2009, he appeared on "Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations," the Travel Channel TV program, in which he toured Staten Island with the program's host.
In addition to his own albums, Johansen contributed songs to the soundtracks of the films
Times SquareTimes Square is a major intersection in Manhattan, a borough of New York City, at the junction of Broadway and Seventh Avenue and stretching from West 42nd to West 47th Streets...
and
The AviatorThe Aviator is a 2004 American biographical drama film, directed by Martin Scorsese and based on the life of Howard Hughes, played by Leonardo DiCaprio. The film draws largely upon a biography by Charles Higham...
("Flowers of the City" and "Ain't Cha Glad" respectively) and guests on
About Them Shoes, a CD by veteran blues man
Hubert SumlinHubert Sumlin is an American blues guitarist and singer, best known for his celebrated work, from 1955, as guitarist in Howlin' Wolf's band. His singular playing is characterized by "wrenched, shattering bursts of notes, sudden cliff-hanger silences and daring rhythmic suspensions"...
. Another non-album track of his, "Johnsonius", appears on the 1984 compilation
A Diamond Hidden in the Mouth of a CorpseA Diamond Hidden in the Mouth of a Corpse is a 1985 compilation released on the Giorno Poetry Systems label.-Track listing:# Hüsker Dü - "Won't Change"# David Johansen - "Johnsonius"# John Giorno Band - "Scum & Slime"# William S...
and "The Rope (The Let Go Song)", a track recorded during the sessions for his eponymous first album but not included on that, surfaced on the 'b' side of the single, "Funky But Chic".
An artist noted for his musical unpredictability, Johansen has been a consistent blues enthusiast since the earliest days of the Dolls, with covers of songs by
Bo DiddleyBo Diddley , born Ellas Otha Bates, was an American rock & roll singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was known as "The Originator" because of his key role in the transition from blues music to rock & roll, influencing a host of legendary acts including Buddy Holly, Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton...
and
Sonny Boy WilliamsonSonny Boy Williamson may refer to either of two 20th-century American blues harmonica players:*Sonny Boy Williamson I , John Lee Curtis Williamson, "The Original Sonny Boy Williamson", born in Tennessee and associated with Bluebird Records and pre-war blues*Sonny Boy Williamson II , Aleck "Rice"...
having been among their earliest numbers. The 2006 Dolls CD
Private World : The Complete Early Studio Demos 1972/3 featured the Dolls performing songs by
Otis ReddingOtis Ray Redding, Jr. was an American soul singer. Often called the "King of Soul", he is renowned for an ability to convey strong emotion through his voice...
, Gary US Bonds,
Chuck BerryCharles Edward "Chuck" Berry is an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter.Chuck Berry is one of the pioneers of rock and roll music...
,
The Shangri-LasThe Shangri-Las were an American pop girl group of the 1960s.Between 1964 and 1966 they charted with often heartbreaking teen melodramas, and remain known for "Leader of the Pack" and "Remember ".- Early career :...
and
Muddy WatersMcKinley Morganfield , better known as Muddy Waters, was an American blues musician and is generally considered "the Father of Chicago blues". He is also the actual father of blues musicians Big Bill Morganfield and Larry "Mud Morganfield" Williams...
in addition to versions of songs from their two Mercury albums. Also featured on the CD was a previously unreleased Dolls number, "Endless Party".
During a career that has seen many changes, Johansen nevertheless has worked consistently with certain musicians, including
Sylvain SylvainSylvain Sylvain is a rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls.He was born in, Cairo, Egypt to a Jewish family with one brother and one sister, Leon and Brigitte, but raised in New York City, where his family had moved after living on Lafayette Avenue in Buffalo, New...
, drummer Tony Machine (a member of one of the later Dolls line-ups and a fixture in many David Johansen groups and throughout the Buster Poindexter period) and Brian Koonin, guitarist and banjo player with Buster Poindexter and The Harry Smiths as well as keyboard player with the
New York DollsThe New York Dolls are an American rock band, formed in New York City in 1971. In 2004 the band reformed with three of their original members, two of whom, David Johansen and Sylvain Sylvain, continue on today and have released two records of new material...
for the reunion gig and CD.
He is currently employed at Purdue University.
Discography
- 1978 David Johansen
David Johansen is a 1978 album by the rock musician David Johansen and his first solo album following his tenure as lead singer of the New York Dolls. The album was released on Blue Sky Records, a sub-label of Columbia Records that was associated with Johnny and Edgar Winter...
- 1978 The David Johansen Group Live
The David Johansen Group Live was originally a promotional-only LP released by David Johansen to help promote his solo career away from the New York Dolls. The nine tracks from the promotional LP were recorded on July 21, 1978 at the New York's Bottom Line...
- 1979 In Style
In Style is the second solo album released by former lead singer of the New York Dolls, David Johansen. The album was released in 1979 and is designed as a more-commercial album than Johansen's previously self-titled album, David Johansen. After Johansen released his first solo album, he received...
- 1981 Here Comes the Night
Here Comes the Night is the third solo album for New York Dolls lead singer David Johansen. Released in 1981, Blondie Chaplin serves as the producer for the album...
- 1982 Live It Up
Live It Up was released in 1982 and was the first live album released by David Johansen as a solo artist. However, by the time Live It Up was released, various bootlegs of Johansen's first band, the New York Dolls, were being heavily traded...
- 1984 Sweet Revenge
Sweet Revenge is a 1984 album released by David Johansen and the only Johansen album to be released on the Passport Records label. Following Sweet Revenge, Johansen switched his music career into his alter-ego, Buster Poindexter...
- 1987 Buster Poindexter
Buster Poindexter is an eponymous album released in 1987 by Buster Poindexter, the alter ego of New York Dolls frontman David Johansen. The track "Heart of Gold" originally appeared on Johansen's 1981 solo album Here Comes the Night.-Track listing:...
- 1989 Buster Goes Berserk
Buster Goes Berserk is the second album from Buster Poindexter, an alter ego of singer David Johansen.It features his backing band "The Banshees of Blue," aided by "The Uptown Horns". Released in 1989, the album continued the "lounge rock" style of its predecessor, Buster Poindexter in covering...
- 1994 Buster's Happy Hour
Buster's Happy Hour is the third album from Buster Poinddexter, the alter ego of singer David Johansen.Like his previous album Buster Goes Berserk, it features his backing band The Banshees of Blue, continues the "lounge rock" style of its predecessors in covering rhythm 'n' blues songs of the...
- 1997 Buster's Spanish Rocketship
Buster's Spanish Rocketship is the fourth album from Buster Poindexter, the alter ego singer David Johansen.Like his previous two albums Buster Goes Berserk and Buster's Happy Hour, it features his backing band The Banshees of Blue, and also continued the "lounge rock" style of its predecessors in...
- 2000 David Johansen and the Harry Smiths
- 2002 Shaker
Compilation albums
- Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films
Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music from Vintage Disney Films is a 1988 tribute album recorded by various artists performing songs from Disney films. It was produced by Hal Willner, one of the many tribute albums he has done.-Track listing:...
(1988), as "Buster Poindexter and The Banshees of Soul"
- Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen
Stormy Weather: The Music of Harold Arlen is a compilation tribute album of Harold Arlen songs, released by Sony in February 2003 as a companion album to the film of the same name...
(2003) - "Kickin' the Gong Around"
- Jim White Presents Music From Searching for the Wrong-Eyed Jesus (2005) - "The Last Kind Words", with Larry Saltzman (Geechie Wiley cover)
External links