Watch rare footage of Johnny Thunders and The Heartbreakers from 1975
For Johnny Thunders, it was always rock ‘n’ roll. Though famed for fronting some of the most influential bands of the downtown NYC scene, he remained resistant to the punk label until his death in 1991. Following in the footsteps of his hero Keith Richards, Thunders lived and breathed the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, honing a deliberately sloppy brand of street-smart rock in the process. Here, we’ve trawled the archives to bring you rare footage of Thunders performing with his post-New York Dolls group, The Heartbreakers, in 1975.
Born John Anthony Genzale, Thunders started playing music in high school, where he formed a series of combos, including Johnny & The Jaywalkers and the Reign. After parting ways with those groups, he joined Actress, where he met future Dolls members, Arthur Kane and Billy Murcia. The group changed their name to the New York Dolls in 1971 after the addition of vocalist David Johansen and set about building a reputation as one of New York’s most acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful rock groups.
After signing to Mercury Records and recording two albums, New York Dolls and Too Much Too Soon, Thunders left the group along with Jerry Nolan. By then, New York Dolls had already caught the attention of music impresario Malcolm McLaren, who would use them as the prototype for The Sex Pistols. This 1975 footage was captured the same year Thunders formed The Heartbreakers with Nolan, Television bassist Richard Hell, and guitarist Walter Lure. Hell would leave shortly afterwards due to a dispute with Thunders. he would go on to form the Voidoids, who found success with ‘Blank Generation’.
Though some regard Thunders as lacking the charisma of Hell, his time as the frontman of the Heartbreakers is often cited as the band’s golden age. With Thunder’s leading the charge, the band toured America before crossing the pond to join The Clash, The Damned and the Sex Pistols on the Anarchy tour, where their inconsistent and frequent chaotic performances earnt them the adoration of UK punks.
Shortly after the release of The Heartbreaker’s only official studio album, L.A.M.F (Like A Motherfucker), the band parted ways, leaving Thunders in London to start work on his debut solo effort, 1978’s So Alone. Thunders died in 1991 of what many believed were drug-related causes, though Dee Dee Ramone would later claim he was spiked with LSD and murdered.
